Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. How to Become a Water Walker: Lessons in Faith ISBN 13: 978-168031-043-6 Copyright © 2015 by Andrew Wommack Ministries 850 Elkton Drive Colorado Springs, CO 80907 www.awmi.net Published by Harrison House Publishers Tulsa, OK 74145 www.harrisonhouse.com Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. Contents and/or cover may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the express written consent of the Publisher. Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1 — The Lord Spoke Chapter 2 — He Would Have Passed Them By Chapter 3 — Be of Good Cheer Chapter 4 — Don’t Be Afraid Chapter 5 — A Word from God Chapter 6 — Look for Something More Chapter 7 — How Are You Asking? Chapter 8 — Get Out of the Boat Chapter 9 — Take a Step of Faith Chapter 10 — Faith Pleases God Chapter 11 — Because of Your Unbelief Chapter 12 — Only Believe Chapter 13 — Unbelief Will Sink You Chapter 14 — A Pure Faith Chapter 15 — Exercise Yourself Welcome to Your New Life! Introduction Every one of us has situations in our life that look like they’re about to kill us and we need a miracle from God. If that doesn’t describe you now, hang on because it will. If you want your life to count for God, you will come into a storm that could kill you before you reach your destination. We have a supernatural God, and if you truly make yourself available, He’ll lead you to do things that are far beyond your own natural ability. Therefore, if you are genuinely seeking God, you should have something that you’re stretching out and believing Him for. In a very real sense, that’s what Peter and the rest of Jesus’ disciples were doing in Matthew 14. They found themselves in a dangerous situation and they needed a miracle. So Peter got out of the boat and walked on water. He did something that no one in all of recorded history—besides Jesus—has ever done! This story is full of lessons for us today. Peter’s example shows us the importance of God’s Word, what we can do to maintain our faith once we step out of the boat, how we can avoid sinking, and so much more. By applying the truths contained in this book, you’ll radically improve the way you receive from God. These lessons on faith aren’t just for the super-spiritual—this is basic Christianity! Although God wants every believer walking on water, very few are. Instead of trusting Him for a miracle, most Christians cling to the boat seeking their security there. Although the boat is going down fast, at least they have some company. With everyone else sinking at the same rate, they console themselves thinking, We’re all in the same boat! Don’t settle for what the world is doing. God is calling us to a higher standard of living. Let’s step out in faith and walk on water. We’ll see greater miracles than ever before! The Lord Spoke Chapter 1 In Matthew 14, Jesus fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. Taking into account the women and children present, there could have been upwards of ten, fifteen, or even twenty thousand people! Then, immediately after this miracle… “Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away. And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary” (Matthew 14:22-24; emphasis mine). Notice how the Word says that Jesus constrained His disciples to get into the ship and go on to the other side. He didn’t tell them to go only halfway and then drown. This is important! God’s Word These words about going to the other side were spoken by the Creator (Colossians 1:16). Jesus is the one who spoke that very lake into existence. All of His words carried that same creative power. When the Lord says something, there’s a purpose for it. He never wastes His breath. He never speaks an idle word. If the Lord has ever told you something, He meant every single bit of it. Everything God says is significant! These disciples didn’t think about whom it was that told them to do this. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1,3). This passage goes on to say that Jesus was that Word. God spoke everything into existence, and He did it through Jesus. The Lord upholds… “All things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3). This entire world is held together by the integrity of His Word… “And by him all things consist” (Colossians 1:17). The God who created everything physical—including the wind, waves, and water they were about to encounter—was Jesus. Jesus was the parent force, and He said, “Get in and go to the other side!” Apparently, the disciples didn’t understand who they were dealing with. Overwhelmed by Circumstances The disciples had glimpsed who Jesus was, but they weren’t keeping it foremost in their thoughts. Although Peter had confessed a couple of chapters before, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), he wasn’t thinking like that now. As a matter of fact, the Bible says they were shocked to see Him walk on the water because their hearts were hardened. They hadn’t considered—meditated, pondered, thought on—the miracle they had just seen. “They were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves: for their heart was hardened” (Mark 6:51-52). If they had really thought about Who this was Who had told them to do this and what He had just done, they wouldn’t have been so overwhelmed. This Man had just taken five loaves and two fish and fed almost twenty thousand people. Not only that, there was more left over when everyone was finished than what He began with! If the disciples had been focused on that miracle, they wouldn’t have been shocked to see Jesus perform another one. They would have been expecting it. Or they could have taken Jesus’ words, believed them, and then stilled the storm or walked on the water to the other side. That’s what the Lord wanted them to do. In the midst of that storm, the disciples could have stood on the Lord’s word to them and said, “He didn’t tell us to go to the middle of the lake and run the risk of drowning !” The disciples had already seen Jesus command the wind and waves to cease (Mark 4:39). They could have drawn on that same example and used their faith to calm the present storm as they had seen Jesus do before. You might say, “But Andrew, this was a severe storm!” Most people would give the disciples a total pass on this and sympathize with them completely. But they weren’t the disciples of a mere man, and the instructions they had to go to the other side weren’t just powerless words. They had what they needed to accomplish Jesus’ instructions. They just reverted to being carnal and forgot all the supernatural lessons they had been taught that day. The Sea of Galilee is only 7.5 miles wide and 12.75 miles long. I’ve been there before. We went out on the water in a tourist vessel called “The Jesus Boat” and I taught about the things recorded in the Gospels that happened there. It was a fun experience! However, this isn’t a big sea and the disciples’ destination was only about four miles away. “Why Are You Fearful?” The disciples boarded the boat and set out from shore sometime around sunset, which could have been anywhere from six to eight o’clock in the evening (Mark 6:47). Yet, here it was in the fourth watch—somewhere between three and six in the morning—when Jesus came to them (Mark 6:48). So in seven to twelve hours they had only covered two miles, or what normally would have been an hour’s trip. Most people would say, “Man, you can’t fault them. Look, the winds were really bads!” But again, that’s because we magnify physical, natural things instead of the God we serve. When the Lord spoke to the disciples here, He didn’t compliment them or say, “Guys, I’m sorry. It’s My fault. I shouldn’t have left you out on the sea by yourself. I’m responsible. I should have been there and done something.” No, that wasn’t the Lord’s response. He expected them to do better than they did. He expected them to make it to the other side, just as He had instructed them. Likewise, I believe the Lord expects us to do better than most of us are doing. We have His promises. We just aren’t believing them. Many people identify with the disciples and say, “I understand exactly how they felt. It’s hard to maintain your faith when you’re in the midst of a storm!” Although the Lord understands and has compassion on us, this isn’t normal. It may be normal according to those who don’t believe God, but this isn’t the normal Christian life. We need to recognize and focus on Who we serve, the command He’s given us, and what He’s already done. God didn’t call you to lose this battle and be a failure. He didn’t call you to die of sickness or to live in such poverty that you can’t fulfill His will. God made you a world overcomer (1 John 5:4)! You need to start meditating on the promises and words that God has spoken to you. Instead of being overcome by your problems, you would overcome your problems by His promises. When Jesus spoke to the disciples, He didn’t tell them, “Go part of the way. Then, if there’s absolute calm, you might make it. But if a storm comes up, you guys have had it!” No, He told them to go to the other side. They had a word from Creator God and if they had put absolute faith in that, they could have stood in the face of that storm and defied it. They could have walked on the water like Jesus and Peter did! In Over Your Head or Playing It Too Safe? This instance of Jesus walking on the water to His disciples is recorded in three of the Gospels (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; and John 6:15-21). John 6 shows us another important detail. “Then they willingly received him [Jesus] into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went” (John 6:21; brackets mine). The disciples and Jesus were translated two miles to the other side! What a miracle! The boat and all its inhabitants were instantly transported to the other side where Jesus originally told them to go. It’s very possible that if they had stood and believed, maybe this would have happened for them even before Jesus showed up on the scene. When God commands us to do something, everything in creation has to bow its knee to what He says. The only reason this doesn’t happen is because few people really believe. We get swamped by the storms of life. If we would get this attitude of faith, it would change our experience. If the disciples would’ve had this attitude, they would have had a totally different experience. “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary” (Matthew 14:24). At times, God will tell us to do things that go against the normal flow of nature. God lives in the supernatural realm and if we are truly following Him, we will too. If we aren’t supernatural, we’re just superficial. The Lord wants us to move into the unlimited, supernatural realm with Him. The Lord may have laid things on your heart that just seem absolutely impossible. The wind, waves, and storms of life are coming against you and it looks like you could drown. Instead of accomplishing God’s will, it appears like you’re going to die in the attempt. If you haven’t ever been in something like this where you’ve gotten in over your head, it’s probably because you’re playing it too safe. Get out on the limb. That’s where all the fruit grows. Step out of the boat and start walking on the water! He Would Have Passed Them By Chapter 2 “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear” (Matthew 14:25-26). Notice how Mark records this: “And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them” (Mark 6:48). Jesus was up praying on a mountain overlooking the Sea of Galilee. He was in the same storm, so He knew what was going on. It’s not like He was indifferent to the disciples’ needs. The Lord knew exactly what they were going through because He was going through it too. He was 100 percent aware of their problem! It’s reasonable to guess that the reason Jesus came down and started walking on the water was so that He could rescue His disciples. But even though He drew near to help them, He made as though He “would have passed by them” (Mark 6:48). In other words, even though it seems clear that the Lord came to the disciples’ rescue, presented Himself, and even came close enough so that they could see Him, the scriptures say, however, that He then would have passed them by. Think about this! It seems obvious He was coming to help them. Yet, He didn’t just run out there waving His arms and yelling, “Guys, don’t panic! It’s Me! Here I am to save the day!” The Lord revealed Himself to them, but they had to call out to Him by faith. They had to reach out and make a demand to appropriate His miracle- working power. In other words, Jesus didn’t just do it for them. He revealed Himself to them, but they had to tap into what He had on the inside of Him to be able to receive this miracle. This is a perfect parallel to how God provides miracles for us today. It doesn’t matter what your situation is, God knows what you’re going through and He’s touched with those same feelings. God Knows When Saul saw the Lord on the road to Damascus, Jesus cried out to him saying… “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 9:4). Saul had never personally persecuted the Lord Jesus Christ when He walked the earth in His physical body. Rather, he was persecuting the post-resurrection followers of Jesus. This shows us how personally our Lord takes things. Whatever you do to a member of the body of Christ, you do it unto Him. “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40, emphasis mine). The Lord knows what you’re going through. He knows your situation—every feeling, every hurt, every need. At times you may think, Nobody knows the trouble I have, and you feel like you have to explain it to God. Yet, the Word says: “Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him” (Matthew 6:8). “Come Boldly!” The Lord has already been touched with the feeling of our infirmities. He knows exactly what you’re going through and will reveal Himself to you (Hebrews 4:15). He never leaves you nor forsakes you (Hebrews 13:5). God is with you to deliver you from whatever situation you’re in. But just as He appeared to these disciples and would have passed them by, you have to make a demand on His power. It’s up to you to… “Come boldly unto the throne of grace, that [you] may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16; brackets mine). Crying out in desperation and pity, saying, “God, don’t You love me? Where are You? Do You exist? Do You care?” isn’t making a demand on God. If anything, that’s tying His hands because you’re doubting His Word. You’re doubting His promise that He’ll never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). If the disciples were thinking they were going to die, then they were doubting God’s Word. Jesus told them to get into the boat and go over to the other side. He didn’t say, “Get into the boat and drown trying to get to the other side.” They doubted His Word. They weren’t aware of how powerful the promise was that He had given them. We can only speculate what might have happened if the disciples hadn’t called out to Jesus. Would Jesus have intervened on their behalf without any response of faith on their part? I don’t know, but the Word says that He “would have passed by them” (Mark 6:48). It’s possible they could’ve died! People Make Choices