Don’t Get Under Condemnation

And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. -Matthew 14:31,32

Peter was actually walking on the water. But when he got his eyes off the answer and onto the problem, he began to sink. However, notice that Jesus didn’t just walk over, slap him and say, “Swim back to the boat!”

That’s the impression a lot of people have of God. They think, I missed it; God is going to get me now. They come under condemnation because they’ve had a faith failure.

But God doesn’t want you to feel condemned when you miss it and get out of faith. He’s not condemning you. His hand is always reaching out to pull you back up on top of the situation!

Jesus didn’t put Peter under condemnation. He just asked him, “Why did you doubt? Then Jesus caught hold of Peter’s hand and helped him stand up on top of the water again. And I don’t believe Jesus just pulled Peter along back to the boat. I think they walked back together and had a good discussion about faith on the way!

CONFESSION:

Even when I miss God’s best, He doesn’t condemn me. He picks me up and helps me on my way. There is no condemnation for me, because I’m in Christ Jesus and I walk after the Spirit of God.

From: A Devotional for Divine Health Prescription for a Miracle, Mark Brazee, 1999