Friday, February 2, 2018

Recently, my Bible fell open to Matthew 14:22. As I started to read, the word "IMMEDIATELY" jumped off the page at me: "Immediately He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while He sent the crowds away."
"Immediately He directed the disciples..." My antenna shot up. I knew that God was getting ready to give directions to us...His disciples.
Immediately After What?
"Once He commands you to do it, don't be afraid. Just listen to His voice!"
My next thought was, "Immediately after what?" Immediately after feeding the five-thousand, Jesus gave these instructions to the disciples. This means that immediately following this miracle, He instructed the disciples to get into a boat and head across the Sea of Galilee. That shows how urgent these instructions truly were. There was no gap or delay between the two. Time was of the essence then, just as it is now!
The word "immediately" is in the KJV eighty seven times—forty times in the book of Mark alone! So, out of forty times in the entire remainder of the Bible, the Lord uses it three times here. That's important! These instructions need to be followed immediately! This is an "IMMEDIATELY" season!
"Immediately He directed the disciples to get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side [of the Sea of Galilee], while He sent the crowds away. After He had dismissed the crowds, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When it was evening, He was there alone.
"But the boat [by this time] was already a long distance from land, tossed and battered by the waves; for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night (3:00-6:00 a.m.) Jesus came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, 'It is a ghost!' And they cried out in fear. (Photo via Wikimedia Commons)
"But immediately He spoke to them, saying, 'Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!'" (Matthew 14:22-27)
Do Not Be Afraid
In my Amplified, there is a cross-reference here to Exodus 3:14, "I AM WHO I AM." Jesus is literally saying I AM GOD to the disciples in the boat! He is also saying this to us today! Not only is He saying, "I AM God," but He is also saying, "Do not be afraid!"
Listen, family! The Lord would have you know today that you are getting ready to have a WATER-WALKING EXPERIENCE! God wants you to walk where you have never gone before, even as He tells you, "Do not be afraid!" He repeatedly says through His Word, "DO NOT BE AFRAID! BE COURAGEOUS! Be strong and very courageous" (Joshua 1:7, 9)! He means it. So listen to Him.

As a "water-walker", get ready to walk through some things. You may hear yourself asking, "Lord, did I hear you correctly? Lord, was that REALLY you?" God is answering you in advance! He says: "IT IS I! Do not be afraid! I AM WHO I AM! It's ME! KEEP WALKING ON THE WATER! DON'T STOP! DON'T TURN BACK! It's ME!"
Lord If It is Really You...
"Peter replied to Him, 'Lord, if it is [really] You...'" (v. 28)
Peter knew that it was Him! He had been walking with Jesus for around two years already, and knew Him. Yet, Peter still said to Him, "Lord, if it is REALLY You..." This means that even if you have been walking with the Lord for some time, you may still have opportunity to stop and say, "REALLY, God? Is that You?" So, don't beat yourself up! He is doing a new thing! You have never walked on this water before!
"These instructions need to be followed immediately! This is an "IMMEDIATELY" season!"
"Peter replied to Him, 'Lord, if it is [really] You, command me to come to You on the water.' He said, 'Come!' So Peter got out of the boat, and walked on the water and came toward Jesus." (vs. 28-29)
Here are your instructions to walk on water immediately:
1. Immediate Direction
"Immediately He directed the disciples..." (v. 22). Ask for and expect instructions from God immediately. If you have it in your heart that you are called to something, ask the Lord to "command" you to walk in it. Increase your expectation! Once you ask Him to command you to walk on the water, expect it to happen!
2. Immediate Courage
"But immediately He spoke to them, saying, 'Take courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!'" (v. 27)
Once He commands you to do it, don't be afraid. Just listen to His voice! Peter was not afraid to do what God commanded Him to do. He just stepped right out of the boat and started walking on the water. He did it, and so can you! Don't look down, don't look at the waves, and don't be afraid. Expect the God that created the universe to immediately give you the courage that you need to walk on the water...just listen to what He says.
3. Immediate Assistance
"Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him..." (v 31)
Once you are walking on the water, expect God's help to come when you need it, and don't stop walking—no matter what! Don't let the enemy win! Keep walking on the water! Peter should have kept going. He stopped just short of his miracle. Don't do that! Expect the divine, supernatural hand of God to be extended to you in immediate assistance!
Once you have walked on the water, you can never go back to an ordinary existence! God wants to take you so much further than you have ever gone before—further than you ever even thought was possible. In fact, God wants to take you beyond the impossible!
Yield to Him in this season of immediately. Believe in Him. Trust Him to hold you up as you walk on the waves! (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)
Be blessed in your season of immediately!
Edie Bayer
Kingdom Promoters
Email: Edie@KingdomPromoters.org
Website: www.KingdomPromoters.org
Edie Bayer is co-founder of Kingdom Promoters along with her husband Darryl Bayer. Edie Bayer ministers as a prophetic preacher and is an author, a speaker, and travelling minister. Edie's primary call is to promote others that are ministering in the Kingdom of God, creating unity instead of a spirit of competition. Edie believes that we are to "complete and not compete!" Edie works diligently to create public and private events and invite other ministers to speak at them, helping to promote them and gain public exposure both for them and their ministries. Edie and Darryl reside on a small homestead north of the Houston area. They raise chickens, ducks, rabbits, and have two cats. Edie has two children and three grandchildren.

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