When Jesus told his disciples “…where is your faith?”, it was a statement that we need to give much attention to (Luke 8:22-25). He was telling them there was something they were supposed to have; there was something they were supposed to use. In the mind of the disciples, there are some problems you just can’t control. I mean it is a storm. It is not Television. But that is how all problems come. Whether it is a natural disaster or a sickness, it deceives you by saying you are powerless to stop me.
If you want to quench fire, you use water. So also if you want to stop any problem, faith must be the force used. That is what Jesus was trying to tell them. You cannot tell when problems will come but when it comes, you can command it where to go.
“Well, there are just somethings you can do nothing about.” God never said that. His word says, “I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13). We can decide the outcome. It means that whatever comes your way, you can turn it to something good by using your faith to make it so. There are three things you need to know to render any problem powerless.
Authority
The 1st truth Jesus passes to his disciples is authority. This means you can do something about your situation. God is not the one going to do it. The disciples ran to Jesus asking him to do something about the storm and he did not reply, “Well done coming to me, let me fix it” (Luke 8:22-25 KJV). No way. He wanted them to do it. If Jesus was not there, you can imagine what would have happened. The primary way God does things on earth is through you. He was not joking when “…he put us in charge of the earth” (Psalm 115:16 MSG).
The Israelites saw the Egyptians coming for them and they complained to Moses “…has thou taken us away to die in the wilderness?” (Exodus 14:11). Moses then told the people “The Lord shall fight for you…” This was the last statement Moses made before God spoke to Moses. God heard what Moses said and he replied “…Why cry out to me?…” This shows that it was Moses responsibility to deal with the situation.
Moses story shows the difference between praying and commanding. When we pray, it is to God. When we command, it is to the enemy. So the next time you see a mountain, what are you supposed to do? Command it to be removed.
Ability
The 2nd truth Jesus passes to his disciples is ability. You have the power needed to solve the problem. God has given you faith to do the work for “…without faith it is impossible to please him…” (Hebrews 11:6). Luke 8:23 says that the boat the disciples were in was filled with water and they were in jeopardy. You can be in jeopardy; you can be in poverty; you can be in a challenging situation but as long as you are in faith, you will come out. The disciples were in fear that is why they could not do anything. You should never allow anything to make you feel like you do not have faith. For you to be in Faith, you need to be in the word. If you put no word in you, there will be no word to speak out.
If they had taken Jesus words “…let us go over unto the other side of the lake…” into their heart they would not have been in fear. They took what Jesus said as mere information rather than instruction of truth. See every word as instruction of truth and direct your life accordingly. God’s word can give you victory always. Continuously take in the word of God for an empowered life else the pressure of life will paralyze you.
Action
The 3rd truth Jesus passes to his disciples is Action. God blesses the works of your hands not the thoughts of your head. If you do not act it out, there will be nothing for God to work with. You need to be a doer of the word, not just a hearer only (James 1:22).
Do not be afraid to make mistakes. God can turn your biggest mistakes to miracles. But if you do nothing, he cannot turn it to something. It was at the beginning that God created something out of nothing but he does not do it that way anymore. God will not bless your inactivity.
Act out the word not because you feel like it but because it is truth. Let God be true and all men be liars. If God is true to you, you will act out his words and not listen to excuses that come in the form of people, places or problems.
Peter walked on water because he acted on the word “…come…” from Jesus. As he was walking on water he looked at the wind and began to sink. Immediately Jesus stretches his hand and catches him. Jesus helped Peter because he came out of the boat. If you do not come out of your boat, your destiny helpers will not come. It is easier to receive help when you are already on the road travelling to your destination than just sitting at home hoping one day you will get there.
Whenever a problem comes, know that you have been given authority, ability and strength to solve the problem. No problem has any authority or power over you.
