We are being watched at all times. Does that make you feel good or unnerve you? Many of us might say, “It depends on who is watching!”
Well, there is good news and bad news.
First the Good News: If you want a sense of how Ever Present God is, read Psalm 139.
David was amazed when he realized God was with Him all the time. There was literally no place He would ever be without God.
“Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Where can I flee from Your Presence?
If I go up to The Heavens, You are there.
If I make my bed in the depths, You are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your Hand will guide me. Your Right Hand will hold me fast.”
Psalm 139:7-10
Jesus promised,
“Surely I Am with you always.”
Matthew 28:20
Now for the unsettling news: There is another being who is also watching us. It is revealed in Job what satan does every day. When God asked him where he had been, satan said,
“Roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”
Job 1:7
Satan tempts us every day. There may be times when we feel he is gone. But he isn’t. He is watching and waiting to make his next move.
(Referring to all the tempting of Jesus in the desert),
“When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him until an opportune time.”
Luke 4:13
When you have moments of True Faith, when you move beyond ‘I think” to “I believe” to “I am convinced” to “I know” and you step out in faith, things begin to happen.
The Holy Trinity and All the saints and angels of heaven and earth rejoice … and every alarm goes off in satan’s kingdom.
There is nothing worse for satan than to see a Christian discover there is really God Power available to them through prayer. He sends out immediate orders that this is the opportune time to grab them back before they go any further.
Have you had the experience of stepping out in faith and then almost immediately thinking, “This can’t be real.”
When you experience something that is not usual in the world you know, it is a good idea to do a reality check. Don’t be deceived. But remember to use The Truth as The Standard.
Ask God, “Is this You?” Wait for His Answer. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the water. This was so far from the reality they knew that they were very afraid.
Jesus reassured them.
“Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
Matthew 14:27
Peter was still not so sure. He said,
“Lord, if it’s You, tell me to come to You on the water.”
Matthew 14:28
Satan could have jumped right in there at that point. After all, he had tried to get Jesus to jump off the top of the Temple. (Luke 4:9)
But something in the way Jesus said, “Come,” sounded just like Jesus’ Voice had sounded when Peter first heard Him say, “Follow Me!” Peter knew it was Jesus.
What step of faith have you taken before? Do you remember the certainty with which you stepped forward when you knew you were responding to God?
“Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
Matthew 14:29
Satan loves it when we take that step of faith and then fall. He knows it is a slam dunk because he gets the one who stepped out in faith as well as any observers.
One of Satan’s chief techniques is to distract us and cause us to doubt.
I can imagine him calling out to Peter, “Look around. This is a lake, for goodness sake. Have you lost your mind, man? You are just a human. You know you can’t walk on water.”
When Peter saw the wind, he became afraid and began to sink.
Satan probably said, “I told you so. Jesus doesn’t love you. He made you get out of that boat and now He’s laughing when you fall. Sucker!”
But Peter did exactly what we should do when we feel ourselves falling.
“He cried out, ‘Lord, save me!'”
Matthew 14:30
As committed as we might be, we all have those moments when we have to learn The Lesson all over again of “He is God. We are not.” We cannot do the task to which He has called us in our own strength.
We must remain focused on Him and surrendered to Him.
Did Jesus cause Peter to fall just to teach him that lesson? No! Jesus did allow Peter to feel what happened when he looked away and doubted.
But when Peter called out,
“Immediately Jesus reached out His Hand and caught him.”
Matthew 14:31
Notice Jesus answered Peter immediately. (And satan slunk off in a funk to wait for another opportunity.)
I like The Living Bible Translation of what Jesus said to Peter. I believe Jesus said it with a great deal of tenderness.
“You have so little faith,” Jesus said, “Why did you doubt Me?”
Matthew 14:31
When we discover we don’t have enough power to carry out what we have committed to do, it is simply a reminder of who is God and who is not.
But what comes next is important. We can call out to The Lord in confidence that He is Ever Present, ready to help us and willing to help us. Don’t doubt!
Jesus told the father of man who was ill,
“Everything is possible for one who believes!”
Mark 9:23
He, like many of us, wanted to believe, but he also knew how difficult it could be to continue to believe.
His plea may be ours too.
“I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Mark 9:24
Take that step of faith. Keep your eyes on Jesus.
“Don’t be afraid; just believe!”
Mark 5:36
