Notice the question Jesus asked Peter, "Why did you doubt?" Peter could rightly have answered, "Because I took my eyes off You and put them on the circumstances." Peter had been doing fine on his faith walk until the physical conditions got to him and distracted him. With this he lost his focus on Jesus and immediately we hear he started to sink.

Well, at least Peter started a faith walk. We have a lot to learn from his experience as a result.

Peter looked to Jesus and stepped out on His word. This is how every faith walk should start. Most Christians don't do this and so never walk on water. They only pay lip service to the walk of faith because their eyes aren't on Jesus and they don't have His word to step out on. In the absence of the Word of God there is nothing to step on for the walk of faith. The walk of faith has to have the Word of God to place its feet on.

Peter had just one word, "Come!" but it came directly to Him from the mouth of Jesus. In your faith walk you should seek a word that came from the mouth of God by the prophets or apostles and on that word step out into your faith walk.

For example, perhaps by faith you are stepping out into a new job you feel the Lord is leading you into. In order to walk by faith in this new job besides looking to Jesus you also need a Word of God to make your steps on. The Bible has many scriptures that would suitable, you just have to seek them out with the help of the Holy Spirit's leading. One of my favourites that I like to walk out on is,

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you by the way you should go."

Isaiah 48:17 - NKJV

It doesn't matter how good the scriptures are that you have for your faith walk or how many scriptures you have, you must at all times keep your eyes on the Lord and no one and no-thing else.

Peter started out that way but half way through his walk of faith on the water his eyes were diverted to the "boisterous wind". A boisterous wind at sea whips up the water and creates choppy seas. As a fisherman he was used to watching the wind and the waters and acting on the basis of what he saw. This is right in the natural but wrong in the spiritual. The walk by faith cannot be made if your eyes are on the circumstances. The moment Peter had eyes for the conditions he started to sink.

You cannot call out to the Lord for His provision or His protection and make the walk of faith to the place of receiving in any other way than with you eyes on Him and His precious promises. Why are so many Christians failing in their walk of faith? Because they look not to Jesus but to an earthly agent. They hear not Jesus' word of promise but a word spoken on earth about an earthly agent.

A number of years ago my wife and I were planning on going to a Christian convention. However, departure time was getting close and we still didn't have the money needed for the journey and expenses. I was getting agitated. There was some money due to us but its payment kept being delayed. I took this to Lord in prayer. He replied, "Your attention is on the money due you but it should be on Me!" Psa.62:5

I realised my mind and emotions were out of check. I asked for the Lord's forgiveness and grace to change. I was then led to Psalm 62 and I started speaking to my soul in the way David did in that psalm. This brought my attention back to God. I got my focus on the Lord. I got my expectation of supply focussed towards Him. Soon afterwards the money we needed came in.

Below is the verse where David speaks to his soul bringing it back in line and focussed on the Lord. You can take his words and make them your own in dealing with your soul and getting your focus on the Lord alone. (Your soul refers to your mind, will and emotions.)

My soul, wait silently for God alone, For my expectation is from Him.

Psalm 62:5 - NKJV

Take up the verse above in your own mouth and speak it to your own soul and it becomes the remedy needed to bring your focus back to the Lord. The verse becomes your departure point from looking at an earthly agent to focussing on God above.

Notice how by it you take charge of your soul (your mind, will and emotions) and tell it where you have your expectation. Use this verse as your beginning point for your faith walk. Speak this verse out loud to your soul.

This is an essential first step because the gravity in this world dragging your soul down to where it is looking to an earthly agent for provision or protection. In order to receive God's provision or protection you must require your soul to look towards the Lord and put its expectation on Him.

Think back at how often you've prayed and made request to the Lord for some provision and then immediately gone off with the preponderance of your attention on a possible earthly provider. You now know why that request seemed to go unheeded. You should have been making a faith walk to where the Lord's provision would have been received but instead you walked in the natural and the faith walk never happened.

Next, copy what Jehoshaphat said to the Lord. Here it is again,

We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do.

2 Chronicles 20:12 - NKJV

Now, with your eyes upon the Lord look to hear His Word that you can step out and so make your faith walk.

Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Hebrews 6:12 - NKJV