Can You Walk on Water?

The answer to the question posed in the title is simply, “No.” No one has walked on water since Jesus and Peter did it in Matthew 14:22-33. But we’re not talking literally or physically walking on water. Walking on water represents doing something that you don’t think you can do, but with the help of God, you can.

Here are six steps to walking on water:

You must get into the boat: To walk on water, it begins with having an obedient faith. If we hesitate to do what God tells us to do, we’re simply not in a place to make a difference in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. How do we get into the boat? It depends on what’s stopping you from having an obedient faith. But you’ll never walk on water unless you first get into the boat.

You can’t allow the storms of life to stop you: We all experience storms in our lives. And when they come into our lives, we don’t like them. We pray while we’re in those storms. In fact, we pray to God to take the storms away. But they can help us, if we have the right attitude (Rom. 5:3-4; James 1:2-3). So don’t quit. If you’re in a storm right now, perhaps tomorrow you’ll be walking on water somewhere.

Cast aside all fear: If Peter’s fear does not subside, he never would have walked on water. Fear paralyzes us. It stops us from doing what God wants us to do; being what God wants us to be; saying what God wants us to say. God didn’t give us fear because He doesn’t want us to have it (II Tim. 1:7).

You must desire to do something great for the Lord: Peter had a desire to go out into the water. He saw Jesus, and he wanted to do it, too. We, too, must desire to do great things for God and make a difference in the body of Christ, in society and in our homes.

Get out of the boat: It was one thing for Peter to want to walk on water. It’s another thing for him to climb out of the boat and set foot on the water. It took a great deal of courage. We need brethren to get out of the boat, leave their comfort zone and do things that they don’t think they can do. Have the trust in God and step out in faith.

Keep your focus on Jesus: Peter gets out of the boat and does the impossible, but then he takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses on the storm. Too often, we allow the things of this world to distract us. Every step of the way, while we walk on water, we need to focus on Jesus. He’s our strength. He’s the author and finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2).