As we continue in the study with Jonathan Evans, “Fighting Your Battles”, we come to recognize that there will be battles in this life. That battles in this life do not simply go away when we accept Jesus as our savior. This week we even learn that the wise teacher Jesus will even lead us right into our next storm.

As we watch the RightNowMedia.org video there are some key ideas to define.

• When we’re facing contrary winds while doing what God has called us to do, it’s because God wants us to be ready to face the contrary winds that will come with the future that He will call us to.
• By walking on the water in the middle of a storm, Jesus was letting His disciples know: He was on top of the chaos, reigning supreme over their problem. And that lets us know: Our problems are not bigger than our Savior, but we need to come to our Savior in our problems.
• We are often afraid of the very thing that has the power to save us. Sometimes in a storm, the truth looks like a distortion. But it’s not the truth that’s the distortion, it’s our view because of what we’re going through.
• Peter put the truth to the test, and so can we. Because if it’s really true, we should be able to do something with the truth that we could never do without it.
• Faith is not a feeling. Faith has to do with your feet and what your feet are willing to to do in spite of your feelings.

Application

Jesus is in the storm with us, but we have to come to Him. He has already come and done His part — He’s already walked on the chaos. Now we have to do our part. Stop thinking about our failures and our fear, and step toward the truth. Jesus is saying, “No matter what you’re going through, I have one word for you: Come.”

View Session 4 Video

Discussion Questions

Jonathan opens this session with the reminder that obeying Jesus doesn’t keep us from facing contrary winds. In fact, sometimes following Him means we end up in the middle fof a monster storm. Yet we should expect contrary winds in the courses of our faith because our calling is contrary to most things.
Where do your thoughts usually go about the reasons for your difficulty? What assumptions do you typically make about your standing with God?

The disciples thought Jesus — the Truth who was coming right at them — was a ghost because of how storms distort our vision. What kinds of things tend to affect how we view the truth in the middle of the chaos?

In difficult times, says Jonathan, people often start thinking that there’s something wrong with the truth, that it’s something they need to run from. So they’ll ignore the Bible, skip out on church, refuse accountability… What has been your experience? When you’ve felt like this, how have you tried to run from the truth? Or what have you seen others do? How did that response affect your faith (or that person’s faith)?

Peter put truth to the test. He was scared, but he moved his feet and came to Jesus, and as a result, he was able to experience the truth and overcome something he could never have overcome on his own. When was the last time you obeyed and came to Jesus in the middle of the storm, even though you were afraid? What was your motivator for that decision? What happened? What changed, what did you overcome by stepping out in faith?

There are a few examples of sudden storms. In view of this lesson what can be revealed by these verses?

You need not be afraid of sudden disaster or the destruction that comes upon the wicked, or the Lord is your security. He will keep your foot from being caught in a trap. – Proverbs 3:25-26 NLT