There are so many scenes in Scripture where Jesus told His disciples to do something. He got into Peter’s boat. Luke 5:4 says, “…Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Peter explained to Jesus that they had fished all night but caught nothing. Follow his words in verse 5. It says, “…nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” The result was such an abundance of fish that their net was breaking.

Think of the folks in Hebrews 11. Verse 7 says, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not seen, moved with godly fear…” Abraham was told to leave his country. Verse 8 says, “Abraham obeyed when he was called to go…And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

Peter saw the Lord walking on the water. He asked Him to command him to go to Him on the water. The Lord just said ‘Come’ and Peter climbed out of the boat. He walked on the water until he took his eyes off of Jesus. Hebrews 12:2 is our instruction.

Romans 12:3 says that we were given a measure of faith. 2 Peter 1:5-7 says that we are to diligently add to our faith: virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love.

Verse 8 says, “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Verse 3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him…”

We get to know a person by spending quality time with them. We get to know the Lord in the same way. John 15 calls it abiding in the Vine. In the above verses we see the connection between faith and fruit that is generated and borne through our getting to know the Lord.

Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” I encourage you to read A. W. Tozer’s book: Knowledge Of The Holy. We become partakers of His nature as we dwell in His Presence.

The moment that we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we were baptized into His death. Ephesians 1 uses the words ‘in Christ’ several times. We were united with Him through death, and raised with Him into newness of life. United. One. He gave us His righteousness. 

Ephesians 1:7 says, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Established. Fixed. Immoveable. Steadfast. I love Philippians 1:6. Great promise of established faith. It says, “Be confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

1 Peter 1:8-9 says, “Whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.” The end? read Jude verse 24.

Colossians 2:7 says, “Rooted and built up in Him and established in faith…” Temptations come to undermine our faith. Trials are designed to expose and remove any dross-lies that the enemy planted.

Psalm 112 was written about the righteous. Verse 7-8 says, “He will not be afraid of evil tidings; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. His heart is established; he will not be afraid, until he sees his desire upon his enemies.” The Hebrew for establish means to lean upon.

That is what faith does. By faith we lean on the promises found in God’s word. They are eternal. Titus 1:2 says that God cannot lie. Hebrews 6:13 says, “For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.”

Isaiah 40:25 says, “To whom then will you like Me, or to whom shall I be equal? says the Holy One.” 2 Peter 1:4 says that it is through His promises that we become partakers of His nature. Hebrews 11 uses the words, ‘by faith.’

James 1:13 says, “…for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.” That’s really clear. Why then do believers get tempted? Verse 14 says, “But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

1 John 5:18 says, “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” Keep means to guard. What do we guard? Our heart which is our belief center. 

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Issues are unresolved situations from our past that keep us ensnared, or unconfessed sin that dogs us with shame.

When we walk in the Spirit, He empowers us to resist the devil’s lying temptations. He brings Scripture up from the reservoir of our heart. Like Jesus, we declare the truth of His word in the face of each temptation. James 4:7 says, “…Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Colossians 2:6 says that as we received Christ, that is the way we are to walk in Him. How did we receive Him? Ephesians 2:8 says, “For by grace you have been saved by faith…” 

Ephesians 1:13 says, “In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” Therefore, since we received Him, we continue to walk in Him through faith, as we are empowered by grace.

Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith…” Faith is in the present. At salvation we were all given a measure of faith. Romans 12:3. Colossians 2:7 says, “Rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”

Jesus was led by the Spirit. Right after He was baptized, Luke 4 says, “…was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” What happened next? He was tempted by the devil for forty days! With each temptation, Jesus countered them by quoting His word. 

I have been meditating on Colossians 2:6. It says, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” I looked up the Greek for walk. Figuratively it means to live, deport oneself, follow.

Galatians 5:16 says to walk in the Spirit. 1 John 2:6 says, “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk as He walked.” All three verses have the same Greek word. 

How did Jesus walk? Luke 6:35 says, “…For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.” John 5:19 says, “…the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do…” Colossians 1:15 says that He is the exact image of the invisible God.

John 1:14 says that He is full of grace and truth. In many accounts we see that He was given to prayer. Some of His miracles were because He was moved with compassion. He endured the cross because of the joy that was set before Him. Psalm 45:2 says, “…grace is poured upon Your lips.” He spoke with authority. Matthew 7:29.

Romans 6:17 says, “…yet you obeyed from the heart.” The Greek word for obeyed means to hear as a subordinate, listen attentively, obey as a subject, answer and respond, submit without reservation.”

I started reading through Mark. I always marvel as Jesus called each of His disciples. Jesus saw Simon and Andrew. Mark 1:17-18 says, “Then Jesus said to them, Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men. They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

Jesus came to James and John. They were in their boat mending their nets. Mark 1:20 says, “…they left their Father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and went after Him.” They instantly acted without reservation. They did not take time to consider anything. They didn’t dialogue about what to do. These four fishermen left their livelihood without questioning Jesus where they were going.

When we walk in the Spirit, we are in tune to His bidding. We hear and then respond with our heart. In Romans 1:5 Paul wrote, “Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith…”

John 8:32 was written about experiential truth. It says, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” The Greek word for know means to perceive, understand, recognize, gain knowledge, realize, come to know.

We come across applicable truth as we daily read God’s word. We take it in, apply it to our lives, and make it part of our thought processes. Ephesians 3:19 Amplified says, “(That you may really come) to know (practically, through experience for yourselves) the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience)…”

We do warfare, worship, use it in prayer, and in intimate communion with the Lord. John 15:7 Amplified says, “If you live in Me (abide vitally untied to Me) and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”

Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

When we consistently memorize and hide God’s word in our hearts, we will discern the moment a lie aims for our mind. Hebrews 5:14 says, “…those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

As in the wild, a predator seeks out the weakest in a herd. When we do not attend to unresolved issues in our hearts, they weaken our faith, and undermine our confidence. They also create inner stress that undermines our health.

The next time a negative thought against yourself or another comes up, ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the lie that you believed. Negative dialogues are lies. Why? They are based on the past. Our past is over and done with. It only exists in our minds. We cannot change them, but we can change our thoughts through renewing our minds with truth. Metamorphosis. 

We are not caterpillars eating leaves (past). We are new creations designed to exemplify the Lord in every aspect of our lives (present). We have a future and a hope because of the Lord’s thoughts towards us. Jeremiah 29:11.