"When The Rebel In The Boat Meets A Rebel At Sea"

Isn’t it exciting when you have a good idea?

After thinking it over, writing the vision and making plan after plan your spirit is quickened and you just can’t wait to present this idea to your closest friends and confidants.

You just know that they’ll be as excited as you are and equally as eager to help bring it to past. Not for a moment do you ever consider that when you share your vision with those whose opinions you truly value; that they will give you a plethora of negative reasons for not going through with your plan.

 They will point out every possible obstacle that you’ll have to face, how much it will cost, the manpower and materials needed, the time it will take to complete, your age and lack of experience…

“And The Beat Goes On”

On this sea of life the visionary must be very careful when selecting the crew that he/she will allow to enter the boat with them; it’s tough enough having naysayers on land so it becomes very counter-productive to have the same sailing with you in the middle of the ocean.

The first sign of trouble will be cause for them to react to you in a mutinous manner only they won’t abandon ship; that would require them to “walk on water”, instead they’ll just hang-on somewhere in the back for a birds-eye view to watch you sink or just drown.

But here is the caveat, your vision is not some made-up scheme, or just another one of the many good ideas you’ve had in times past. Those closest to you have a habit of remembering you as the obnoxious rebel that you are prone to become at times. Little do they realize that your rebellious nature is just the reason why God placed the vision with you…

The Bible tells the true story of one particular voyage…

“And straightway 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.

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.

But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” Matthew 14:22-29

We must first take into account that it was Jesus who commanded His disciples to get into the ship and sail to the other side…this wasn’t just a good idea; it was a “God Idea”.

Don’t think for one minute that God hasn’t charted the waters which lead to the fulfillment of your vision; He knows the buoyancy of the sea because he created it. He understands that the waters will be turbulent at times and that strong winds will toss you to and fro… but your trust must be focused on Him.

God even knows that you might hit a Titanic sized iceberg that will cause the ship to sink but that’s ok….the vision will remain intact; sometimes the ship has to sink in order to drown the “boat people” who signed on the journey with you…

Never confuse boat people with the ship’s crew.

Boat people are those who do nothing but complain and speak negatively throughout the journey. They seek to cause mutiny and chaos while choosing another captain; themselves never wanting to lead, but always telling others how to lead them.

On the other hand, crew-members see the waters the same as you…it doesn’t matter what the tide brings; they will sink or swim with the vision and with you because they know all too well that success is imminent, and they are in direct communication with “The Captain of The Sea”.

Can you imagine Peter preparing to step-down out of the ship?

As soon as he headed towards the gang-plank all of those boat people started shouting, man you can’t even swim so how are you gonna walk on water?

These are the same people that you’ve entrusted with your visions and dreams, constantly trying to tell you why it won’t work and how you are too un-educated and stubborn to see it through.

In the case of Peter, he was a loud-mouthed rebel.

Always shooting from the lip, not prone to simply giving much thought to his words before spitting them out. The boat people were witnesses to him being rebuked by Jesus on many occasions because of his mouth. They were also witnesses to his temperament, knowing that Peter wouldn’t hesitate to pull a knife on anyone whom he felt was a threat to him.

Could it be that the rebel in Jesus recognized the rebel within Peter?

Remember; it was Jesus who defied the Pharisee’s when they accused him of casting out demons in the name of Beelzebub. Jesus’ response to them was “a house divided against itself cannot stand”… and when his disciples gathered corn on the Sabbath to feed themselves those same Pharisee’s accused them of breaking the “Torah”…to which Jesus responded by reminding them of how David and his men ate the showbread from the Temple when they were hungry.

This is the same Jesus who defied the laws of the vineyard by simply turning water into the best wine ever tasted; “A Rebel”…

He defied medical science by spitting on the ground and using the dirt that he spat in as a salve to bring sight to one who was blind; “A Rebel”…

He would later defy death by resurrecting Lazarus from the grave four days after he was buried; “A Rebel”

… And now here He is defying all the laws of gravity by walking on the sea…  

Can you say “A Rebel?”

God has placed vision and purpose within you from the foundation of the world and now He’s calling in His card…

“…And the Lord answered me, and said, write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.”

Habakkuk 2:2-3

This is not the time for you to be swayed by the masses to go in a direction opposite of the one to which you’ve been called; but this is the time to throw the cautions of mere mortals to the wind and trust that God has your back…. “That’s What Real Rebel’s Do!”

Proverbs 3:5-6 says: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths”.

The world has a saying which goes; “game recognizes game”.

If the saying is true, then you must know that Christ (The Rebel) also recognizes the rebel in you, and you’ve been picked out to be picked on by naysayers and boat people to accomplish “God Ordained” goals that most could never aspire; so listen to the voice of the Lord and step out of the boat:

The “Rebel” at sea has need of you to walk on the water…