Out of the Boat

Out of the Boat

Opening Declaration
I can hear God’s voice!
Holy Spirit speaks to me
I am strong
I am a good listener
I hear what God says and I say it
I see where God goes and I follow
JESUS IS MY FRIEND!

Today I’m going to talk about getting out of the boat and actually following Jesus.
There’s a difference between choosing Jesus and choosing to follow Jesus. A lot of people want to love Jesus, talk about Jesus, share memes of Jesus on Facebook, pass along chain letters about Jesus, but not a lot of people want to actually follow Jesus. See, following Jesus means going where He goes, doing what He does, saying what He says, and thinking what He thinks.

-Story about Jesus calling the disciples out of the boat. (Matthew 4:18-22 NLT)

I love Jesus because He’s so boss. I mean, who else can walk up to total strangers and say to them, “Hey come follow me.” And the strangers are like, “Ok sounds cool.” Who does that?! Jesus. And that’s sweet. The more I read this story and listen to it and study it, the more impressed I am with the disciples.
Think about it… you and I are so much less spontaneous and trusting than these guys. Think about it this way… We meet Jesus and then we like, get to know Him for like…. Years, and then we might step into a ministry and volunteer – but only if its comfortable for us. Heaven help us if its not. And then we hear Jesus tell us to do something and we’re like, “Woah Jesus!! Where’d that idea come from? Calm down, I’m just a ‘baby Christian’” And the disciples are looking at a perfect STRANGER and says, “Hey give up your entire life and lively hood and come and follow me.” And the disciples are like, “uh, ok.”
What is that?! That’s awesome. And because the disciples got out of the boat they were able to see and do some of the most incredible things. They saw Jesus heal a blind man by spitting on dirt, they saw Him raise Lazarus from the dead, they ate lunch with the Messiah who multiplied lunch for two into lunch for thousands. But they wouldn’t have seen these things if they’d never gotten out of the boat.

(Drama)

Peter was one of the men who got out of the boat when Jesus called the disciples that day. Peter was an ordinary man. Just a fisherman. Every day he woke up early, grabbed his boat, went out to sea and spent the entire day throwing a net into water to catch fish to sell. And that’s all that he ever would’ve been. Then he met Jesus. And Jesus invited him on an adventure. Peter is one of the most well known disciples of Jesus. And while he had some issues of his own, he did INCREDIBLE things. Peter was the first and only man to ever walk on water. He saw the Son of God crucified, raised to life, and ascended into Heaven. Peter had so much Holy Spirit power in Him that when he walked by people his SHADOW healed them! But if Peter had been too busy fishing, too busy caught up in his own stuff, he would have been very remotely known as Peter, the ordinary fisherman.

Standing behind me are some more heroes of the faith that chose to get out of the boat. Getting out of the boat can mean different things for different people. For Rachel Joy Scott SHOW PICTURE it meant answering the question, “Do you believe in God” and becoming a martyr for Christ inspiring millions of young girls and women, like myself, to be bold and to stand up for what they believe in. Or like this woman, who is unnamed, but so inspirational to me and millions of others. In China during a Bible study SHOW PICTURE, terrorist broke into their home and forced everyone to spit on the Bible and people did it. But this girl was out of the boat. She knew the treasure. She had her eyes fixed. So she knelt down and whispered, “What have they done to your word?” She lost her life but she gained eternity with the Father and a legacy that inspires millions. Or Kylie Bisutti SHOW PICTURE who was at the top of her game at 19 years old reaching the pinnacle of modeling for most women, a Victoria’s Secret angel. But as she continued to pursue Christ she realized that Jesus was calling her out of the boat. She had a calling and an anointing to work with and mentor young girls and women and this was certainly not the way to do it. So she gave it up to build a legacy and a generation of girls who understand true beauty. Or this woman. The woman who poured out her entire life savings at the feet of Jesus. SHOW PICTURE Why? Because she understood that her treasure did rest here. She knew that when she died everything she knew would turn to ash. But her connection and dedication to Jesus would sustain her and carry her and go with her into eternity. So she got out of the boat. And she poured it out.
So, I would like everyone to close their eyes with me… My question for you today is this… Are you too busy fishing to get out of the boat? Are you too busy with your own stuff, with your plans, your dreams, your aspirations, to get out of the boat? What are you too busy fishing with?

Closing Declaration
I declare I am powerful and what I believe changes the world. So today I declare…
God is in a good mood
He loves me all the time
Nothing can separate me from His love
Jesus’ blood paid for everything
I will tell nations of what He has done
I am important
How He made me is amazing
I was designed for worship
My mouth establishes praise to silence the enemy
Everywhere I go becomes a perfect health zone
Because with God
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!