Mat 14:30-32 (NIV) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. The only reason Peter didn’t drown was because Jesus was there to save him. That is why you are still alive; Jesus has been working miracles in your life on a constant basis.

When Peter started to sink, nothing had changed concerning the power of the word “come.” It was still in effect. However, Peter started to sink. Why? Jesus diagnosed it as being caused by some kind of faith problem. Obviously Peter had faith. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have asked Jesus for permission to come to Him. If he hadn’t had faith, he wouldn’t have started getting out of the boat or putting his full weight on the water. He obviously had faith or he wouldn’t have walked away from the boat.

Jesus didn’t ask Peter, Why didn’t you have faith? He asked him: “Why did you doubt?” Jesus knew Peter had faith; He acknowledged it by saying; “You of little faith.” Jesus was dealing with something different from faith; He was dealing with doubt. Peter moved his faith from Jesus to the wind and the waves; that is doubt. He doubted Jesus and believed in the storm.

Obviously Jesus knew why Peter doubted; so, why would He ask Peter the question? He wanted Peter to turn to Him and ask Him why he doubed; but instead, Peter turned inward to himself. It is often that the Bible can cause a question to come up in your mind. You can try to figure out the answer. But, what would be the better way of getting the answer?

Like Peter, you are “walking on the water” of offering your body as a living sacrifice. As you learn that the Bible speaks with creative power, you are believing more and more that you are gaining control over your body. What makes you think so? You think so because you are begining to use your body to go to church and Christian events; you are making your body read and study the Bible and various types of Christian literature; you using it to pray, you are talking and listening to God; you are using it to share your new experiences with a few friends; and you keep your body away from those things you used to involve it in. You are walking on the water! Congratulations!

What happens when you realize, people like you can’t offer your body as a living sacrifice? What were you thinking? You have done this before and failed; what is different now? You’ve thought you had a way to win before and it didn’t work. What makes this time any different? This may work for other people; but, what makes you think this is going to work for YOU? You were just trying this out, you knew nothing was going to help you. As you LISTEN to the devil try to discourage you, you start to sink.

God’s Word is still the same. It hasn’t changed in its power to transform you. It still says: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices.” When it said that, you got power to offer your body as a living sacrifice. Jesus didn’t take that power back once you started walking in faith. That verse is still a creative word of power. What is the problem?

You have the same problem Peter had. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” He will say the same thing to you, if you start thinking like this. But, if you keep your eyes on what Jesus’ Word says, you will keep walking on the water. You will continue to believe that the Word of God spoke the power to offer your body as a living sacrifice. You won’t doubt; you won’t take your eyes off of the Bible or Jesus. You won’t notice any winds or waves; you will keep your eyes where they belong.

Rom 7:23 (NIV) but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What if you do get your eyes off of what Jesus is telling you through the Bible? What if you start your descent into your watery grave? Would you be willing to cry out to Jesus? Or, would you just try to swim back to the boat? Anytime you try to solve your problems by using human effort, you fail to grow spiritually.

Rom 7:24 (NIV) What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? That is the same outcry Peter made. “Lord, save me!” And you get the same results Peter got. Immediately Jesus reaches out His hand and catches you. Jesus immediately reaches out and catches those who cry out to Him.

When you let Jesus walk you back to safety, you grow spiritually. You will get some critiquing; but, you will grow. Like Peter, Jesus will walk with you through that particular crisis; it isn’t too hard for Him. If you will trust Him all the way through, you will trust Him to help you KEEP presenting your body as a living sacrifice; and, you will trust Him to KEEP helping you when you fail. It is scary, confusing, frustrating, embarracing, and discouraging. But, if you will cry out, Jesus will reach out and help you.

If you keep trusting and don’t try to swim back to the boat, you, like Peter, will have to hear the correction: “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” What is your answer to such a question? You know what His Word says. You know it is speaking with creative power. Why did you doubt? Because your faith is little!

Christians have been struggling with this “litte” faith issue for a long time. Jesus used a procedure that He frequently used. He would use a word that would require a revelation or interpretation from God. He could have used another word and it would have been much easier to understand. But, that would have been human understanding. Jesus wants you to get spiritual understanding. When you fail to get spiritual understanding, you struggle with spiritual results. You sink!

What would a person do about little faith? The first thing that has to be done is to understand the word “little.” Is this little in size or little in duration? Did you try to believe with small faith? or, did you believe for a LITTLE while and then doubt for a LITTLE while? Jesus’ disciples thought Jesus meant that their faith was little in size. They weren’t getting spiritual revelations and interpretations. So, they asked the wrong question.

Luke 17:5-6 (NIV) The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” If Jesus told you that your faith was little, asking Him to increase it would be the logical response. However, in response to that request from His apostles, He told them they didn’t need large faith. If they decided to not ask ANY question for fear that they might ask the wrong one, they would have missed out on Jesus’ wonderful answer.

When Jesus and the Bible are talking to you, if you are thinking one thing and Jesus is meaning something else, this can be confusing to you. If Jesus is telling you that your faith is little, and if your little faith is causing you problems, then how do you make it big? You can try to figure out what Jesus means by little; or, you can ask Him. Because, as long as you are trying to make it big and that isn’t the answer to your problem, you are wasting your time. Jesus will straighten you out IF you are willing to be wrong.

What Jesus was saying to Peter was, his faith was little in duration. He believed for a while and then doubted for a while. When he was believing, he was walking on water. When he was doubting, he was sinking. So, the real question is, how do you have faith that continues? James 1:6-7 (NIV) But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord.

Doubting isn’t you lacking faith; it is misplaced faith. It is you putting your faith in something that is contrary to Jesus and His Word. As you have seen, Peter believed in a lot of things. If he hadn’t he wouldn’t have asked for permission, got out of the boat, and walked on the water. When Peter started to sink, he still had faith. He just put it in the wind and the waves. It wasn’t a faith issue; it was a doubt issue. It is important for you to understand that doubt is to put your faith where it doesn’t belong.