Matthew 14 Devotions by Stephen Taylor

Matthew 14:3-5

Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her. Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.

The Holy Spirit reminded me this morning just how quickly and uncontrollably our sin grows. Herod started out lusting over a woman and ended up killing a prophet of God over it. We never think things will develop into what they do. We feel like we have a handle on our sin, when really, it has its claws in us. We say things in our hearts like, “I’m not as bad as so and so,” or “At least I’m not a (fill in the blank).” Too often, we make excuses for our sins, and that just leads us into more sin, different sins, and even worse sins.

Make no mistake, all sin is bad, and all sin separates us from our God, but there are different levels of sin and consequences for them. In the Old Testament, there were different consequences for our choices; if you did this, then you get that. Since Christ does not change and came to fulfill, not abolish the Law, we can safely assume that this truth still applies.

We need the Holy Spirit to help weed our gardens, for lack of better terms. We need Him to be searching our hearts and lives daily, and we must listen to Him. If He says it is sin, then it’s sin, and it needs to go, He makes the call, but we make the choice.

We must choose each day whether we will listen to the voice of God or the catcalls of our sins. For one will lead us to life and life abundantly but the other to death and destruction. So today, let us examine our own lives and remember that Herod did not start out with murder on his mind, but that’s exactly where he ended up with that unchecked and unrepentant sin in his life. Our sin will lead us down the same dangerous path; will we confess it, renounce it, and turn from it today? Or are we doomed to wander down the same path of destruction and separation from God? He is willing, He is waiting, but are we going to take the first step?

Proverbs 28:13- Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

Psalm 32:3-5- When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.” And you forgave the guilt of my sin.

God bless! I love you all, but His love bought our freedom and brought us forgiveness! Glory, honor, and praise now and forever to Papa God, Jesus Christ our King, and the Holy Spirit!

 

Matthew 14:29

“Come," He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

I woke up late and didn’t have my normal devotional time today, but this has been bouncing around in my mind and spirit all morning. To me, Peter’s failure here speaks more than if he would have succeeded. So often, I am looking at the problem instead of the Problem-Solver. Peter’s job wasn’t to make sure he walked on water or survived the storm, but only to listen, obey, and trust the Lord! To me, Peter had a victory by just getting out of the boat, and even though He sank, the Lord still saved him!

Jesus wasn’t any farther away from Peter when he started to sink. In fact, Jesus was closer to Him because it says He immediately reached out His hand and saved him. Peter was walking obediently in God’s will, so it didn’t matter that he failed because Jesus was right there to save him!

I say this to encourage you to step out of the boat and don’t be afraid to sink. The further you get away from the boat (what’s safe and comfortable), the closer you get to Jesus, and trust me, that’s where we all want to be! We all have a boat in a storm, and Jesus is saying, “Come”! The question is, will you step out?

Be bold, Be kind, Be humble, and be ready to fail because sometimes, our failure is what drives us to cry out to the Lord the loudest!!!

I love you all, God bless, and Glory to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit!!!