Against The Wind...

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Ever heard the Bob Seger song AGAINST THE WIND? I heard it the other day on this classic rock station as I was flipping through the channels.

In Against the Wind Bob Seger sings…

And the years rolled slowly past
And I found myself alone
Surrounded by strangers I thought were my friends
I found myself further and further from my home

And I guess I lost my way
There were oh so many roads
I was living to run and running to live
Never worried about paying or even how much I owed

Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searching
Searching for shelter again and again

Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind

I relate! I feel like I am running against the wind. The difficult truth is that we all are.

Matthew 14:23-24 says that Jesus had “went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.”

The Apostles in the boat were just trying to cross the lake but they were being knocked around “because the wind was against” their boat. Their story is a good analogy of how Jesus finds all of us. We are beat up, knocked around and trying to forge ahead while the tide of this world pushes against us. We are running against the wind.

We try to hide in the boats of life. We seek shelter again and again from the wind and waves. But we just get blown around. Many seek the boat of substance abuse, which always sinks. Many tried the boat of sexual promiscuity only to drown. Others vainly seek shelter in the boat materialism or greed. It sinks under the weight of all its possessions. Others try the boat of philosophy or popular psychology, only to be left drifting further from their goals. We have all tried many boats, but we are still all struggling against the wind.

The Apostle Paul talked about how the very nature of this world is at work against our conscience. We are at war with our own desires with in us. In Romans 7:21-23 Paul says, “So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.”

We are at war within ourselves. Our fleshly desires are battling our conscience. We are often torn between a desire to do good and a desire to do evil. When we fight our fleshly desires and the temptations which are pushing and pulling on us, we are running against the natural way of this fallen world. We are in opposition to forces of evil and wicked desires. We are running against the wind.

However, there is some good news. Neither wind nor waves stop God. Matthew 14:25-27 explains that “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid."

Not only did the winds not stop Jesus, neither did mankind’s tendency to sin. Romans 8:3-4 says, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

The “requirement of the law” was that we should die. The result of sin was death. The wages of sin are death. The Old Testament law gave commands on who was to die for violating the Law. The law couldn’t save. It could only tell why we all deserved to die. But when Jesus died on the cross in our place, his death paid our penalty for us. He was condemned to death in our place. The requirement that we die was fulfilled by his death. And it’s fulfilled in us when we start following the spirit rather than the desires of the flesh. We start walking against wind in obedience to God.

Don’t be afraid. The normal laws of nature don’t apply to Jesus. And he, who was without sin, has triumphed over sin. The winds of desire and waves of temptation will not drowned Jesus. He had the power to overcome. The life of Jesus terrifies many, leaves others in unbelief but it also inspires some. It inspires some to step out in faith, walk on water against the wind.

Obedience is not dangerous. Was it dangerous for Moses to cross the Red Sea? Was it dangerous for Joshua to attack Jericho? Was it dangerous for David to fight Goliath? Was it dangerous for Daniel to continue to pray and be cast into the Lion’s Den? No! Obedience is not dangerous.

In Matthew 14:28-29 Peter sees Jesus walking on the water and says, "Lord, if it’s you,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to you on the water.’ ‘Come,’ he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”

That is right. You read correctly. Peter walked on water. Jesus example inspired him to try it. He saw Jesus walking on water and realized that if Jesus had the power to overcome gravity, that Jesus could give Peter this same power to defy natural law and walk on water too. He asked if he could. Jesus said, “Come” and Peter obeyed. And obedience to God is never dangerous, even during a storm.

It is often said, that you can’t walk on water unless you get out of the boat. Many have sought shelter from the wind and waves of life in man-made boats and only find themselves tossed around by the winds. But by faith, Peter got out of the boat and walked on water. He was walking in obedience against the wind.

Obedience is not dangerous but following after the flesh is. Paul said in Romans 8:13 “For if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” If we follow after the rules of this world and not the words of Christ, we will die. If we follow the evil desires of our hearts and not the desire of God’s heart, we must die. If we live by the flesh, we will die by it. But if we put to death the deeds or rather misdeed of the flesh by the power of the Spirit, we will live.

Paul explains in Galatians 5:24, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” We have to kill the desires with in us which are waging war against us. We have to put to death our passions. We have to step out of the boats of life in faith, walk on water and against the wind. The danger is not to obey Christ. The danger is to obey our passions and desires.

There is not fear in walking by faith. The fear is losing our faith. Therefore, we must recognize that our focus effects our faith. Look what happened to Peter when he lost his focus. In Matthew 14:30-31 is says that, “when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. ‘You of little faith,’ he said, ‘why did you doubt?"

Why did Peter doubt? When he took his eyes of the prize and focused on his problems rather than the source of his power, he started to sink. When we are focused on Jesus, his power, goodness, and love, we walk by faith. When we turn our focus to our problems, challenges, and struggles, we sink. If we look at the wind and the waves rather than remember the righteous reward of faithfulness, we lose focus. And focus effects faith.

Paul explained in Romans 8:5-6 “For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace”

Where is your mind set? Where is your focus? Do you set your heart on things above or below? Are you focusing on the passions of the flesh or have you set your mind on the spirit? If you focus on the fleshly desires you will die. But if you focus on the things of the Spirit, you will find life and peace, despite the wind, waves, storms and sins.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.

After Jesus takes a hold of Peter, he is no longer sinking. The Masters hand brought comfort and a refocusing of faith. Matthew 14:32-33 says, “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God."

You see the presence of Jesus in your life brings peace. Some times when the winds of this world blow, we pray and God says, “Peace be still!” and the problem just disappears. Others times, we pray for God to save us, and he allows the winds to continue for a short while but helps us walk miraculously through the storm. We often pray for God to take the winds away. “Remove the storm, Lord!” we may ask. But sometimes, God knows better. He just takes our hand and we both walk against the wind.

Paul said in Romans 8:10-11 “If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.”

By setting our minds on the spirit and not the flesh, we learn from the Holy Spirit to walk against the wind. You might say, why should I want to get out of the temporary safety of my boat and walk on water like Peter did? Why should I jump ship and go overboard in my faith?

There are five reasons to go overboard?
1. Because the winds are against you and you won’t make it on our own, even in that boat.
2. Because waves don’t stop God and he has power over forces you fear. He has triumphed over sin and death and can help you do the same thing.
3. Because obedience is not dangerous and God calls you out of the boat. And disobedience toward God by following the flesh is dangerous.
4. Because your faith needs focused. And people in boats don’t have to totally depend on Jesus like Peter did. Only getting out of the boat will teach you to walk on water by faith against the wind.
5. Because his presence brings peace. When you walk with Jesus the storms may continue to rage but you will be impervious to their forces as you walk hand in hand with the savior.

Bob Seger ends his song against the wind by singing…

Well those drifters’ days are past me now
I've got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Against the wind
I'm still running' against the wind
Well I’m older now and still
Against the wind

Get out of the boat. Jump ship. Go overboard. Take Jesus hand and start running against the wind.

Learn How To Inspire Others To Go Overboard Here