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Today’s title is borrowed from a book titled “Do it afraid: Embrace Courage in the Face of Fear” written by Joyce Meyer (I haven’t gotten a chance to read it yet but I listened to her messages on the topic). This phrase always reminds me of one of the boldest things I have ever done. It must have been 2012/3, my friends and I went out to swim one afternoon and as they planned to go down the water slide, I looked on and wondered if it is something I would ever have the courage to do. You see, I cannot swim (never had the chance to learn how to). As I looked at each of my friends plan to slide down the waterslide, all I could think about was how miraculous the exercise of swimming was (I do often step into the water and walk around the shallow end or try to do the hold your breath competition with my head under the water sometimes). This particular day is memorable because somehow, my friends and the life guards at the top of the slide managed to convince me that I could slide down and manage to stand in the pool successfully because it was a shallow pool. I can still feel the fear I felt when I told them I would try it out. I was scared to death! I was shivering and could barely feel my legs. I finally gathered the courage and sat down at the edge (I don’t remember if I prayed but I probably said the dying prayer my grandma taught us). I went down the slide with my heart almost falling out of my chest and when I finally got to the pool, I could not find the ground. “They lied to me,” I thought. Eventually, after almost drowning and drinking some of the dirty water in the pool, I fought my way out of the water. I was alive! I had done it! I couldn’t believe it. With the adrenaline still in my system and my heart pumping uncontrollably, I went back to the top with my friends who were going for another round and as I complained to them about how I almost died because they made it seem easy. I found myself convinced by them once again to go down the slide. “This time you can go with someone else behind you, It will be so easy because they will hold onto you when you get to the pool, ” they said. As we sat at the edge, I in front of Joan (my friend) and slid down the slide one more time, I barely felt her presence and when we got to the pool, all I could hold onto was her braids, until I made it out.

Now you may be wondering why I am telling this story but this day among many others (like the day I started this blog) proved the courage and resilience that I have in me and my need to prove my fears wrong. Today’s sermon is titled “I am Number 12” by Dr. (and Pastor) Dharias Daniels. My story will make sense when I tell you that this sermon is based on the scripture from Matthew 14: 28-29. Here we meet Peter who decided to step out of the boat and walk towards Jesus ON WATER! (I know my experiences is not even close to this miracle but I choose to relate to Peter and his experience). Dr. Daniels explains that there are so many words that could describe Peter’s decision to step out of the boat to walk on water and some of these are; irrational, naive, stupid, bold, courageous, etc. He further explains that Peter’s decision must have been one full of emotions, struggle, fear, among others, but he didn’t let these stop him from walking into the uncertainty of walking towards Jesus. He did it anyways. I tried to place myself on that scene (in my mind) to imagine how it must have felt like. I wondered, did his friends (the disciples) cheer him on like my friends did at the pool? Did they ridicule him and remind him of why he was making a terrible mistake? Maybe they reminded him of the other times where he had used his bold character and messed up. I see them asking Peter, “who do you think you are?” Or maybe it was the voices in Peter’s mind that told him these things. We will never know what exactly happened as he made this decision to do one of the most exceptional things in history. All we know is he was bold enough to ask Jesus if he could come towards him and he did for a few steps until he started to drown.

According to Dr. Daniels, there are so many words in the bible that describe the followers of God and Jesus and they are not anywhere close to normal. He points out the stories of Daniel in the lion’s den, the teenage boy David defeating a militarily trained giant Goliath, the birth of Isaac by a 90 year old Sarah, the collapse of the wall in Jericho after the Israelites matched around it and shouted, and the best of all exceptional miracles, the resurrection of Jesus! However, he argues that although such people have been called chosen, blessed, among other phrases such as head and not the tail, salt of the earth which have been used to describe God’s people, we Christians still struggle to believe we can be these things. He supposes that this has a lot to do with how we consistently see ourselves even when the spiritual truth says otherwise. Quoting Solomon’s Proverb 23: 7, “for as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he” he explains that God always knows that we will limit him with our thoughts of ourselves. For instance, he explains how the Israelites (in Numbers 13: 33) chose to see themselves as grasshoppers in the presence of the giants in Canaan. They failed to focus on the promise that God had made them i.e. that He would help them defeat all their enemies.

In correspondence, Dr. Daniels tells us, “God is trying to make you see yourself the way he sees you, so that you can behave in a way that’s consistent with the way he sees you and not the way you see yourself.” He explores what he calls the Principle of Exception in which he believes that no matter what you have done, where you have been, God sees you as exceptional, he can and he will make you do exceptional things. He adds, “grace breaks rules” which means that God provides us with things or blessings that we do not deserve. He tells us to remind ourselves, “what happens with them doesn’t dictate what happens with me.” He expounds that many of us have found ourselves allowing norms, culture, statistics, and previous patterns to dictate not only our decisions but our destiny as well. Dr. Daniels explains, “just because something is unlikely doesn’t mean it’s impossible…God can look at your situation and say that that has absolutely nothing to do with your destiny.” We need to remember that we serve a God whose name cannot be limited to anything. I am who I am implies that he is a God of no limits. This is demonstrated all through out the bible.

According to Dr. Daniels, we need to be able to distinguish between Exceptionalism and being exceptional. He argues that being exceptional is not a declaration of superiority but rather a declaration of distinction. This means that other people may have been through a situation and failed at it but you may go through a similar situation and come out a different way (successful). He stresses that this doesn’t mean that you are superior to these people, it just shows that God can make exceptions. He further believes that as Christians, we look at the concept grace and understand what it means but we refuse to accept it. He also believes that this may be why we struggle with condemnation. Therefore, he says, “don’t only understand the principle of exception but embrace it.” According to him, you can be a water walker if you want to. He also explains that water walkers are “those that walk on what other people drown in.” Peter is an an exception in the bible because other than Jesus, he is the only person that walked on water.

In exploring the context surrounding the text from today, Dr. Daniels further stresses the importance of prayer. He reminds us that Jesus after performing the exceptional miracle of feeding the 5000 men sent the disciples ahead of him on the boat and went to a lonely place to pray (Matthew 14: 22). He argues that this gave the disciples a head-start ahead of Jesus. However, while their journey to the other side entailed struggle (i.e. they had to row the boat through a storm which required so much energy), Jesus simply walked on water towards them because he had spiritually reset himself which allowed him accelerate himself in the natural. Now, I know that Jesus is Jesus and that we cannot compare ourselves to The Christ our Lord. But what I believe Dr. Daniels is trying to say here is that we really need prayers to be a significant part of our day because time with God can make a huge difference. Moreover, some battles in our lives do not require us to waste our energy but rather they require us to fight them on our knees. I have found myself burnt out on multiple occasions, trying to fix a situation which was later fixed by me simply surrendering to God and putting my focus on him. In this moment of surrender, I acknowledge that I am powerless without him and that He alone can help me. When I do this, I often get a peace of mind which allows me to see clearly how to move forward. In many cases, I am expected to wait on God and not do anything. I have started to appreciate my peace of mind in trusting God. Wasting my energy to do it all by myself has in many cases led me to almost lose my mind.

Furthermore, Dr. Daniels explains that “God doesn’t always show up looking like God in a storm” and that “In a storm, you will prematurely label something one thing and when the storm is over you will look back and say that that was God.” Peter and the rest did not recognize Jesus, they thought he was a ghost! It was probably their fear caused by the storm they were experiencing. We are reminded not to forget God when we are faced with the worst situations such as pain, rejection, breakups, loss of jobs, etc. God will show up, just be open to how. He may show up through a friend or someone you least expect. After recognizing Jesus’s voice, Peter took a bold step and got down from the boat towards him. Jesus told him, “come.” Dr. Daniels believes, “we’ve got to learn how to go on come.” It is a vague response that Jesus gave. He didn’t tell Peter the details. God gives you the information that he knows you need, not what you want. Dr. Daniels also believes that Peter, in this moment wasn’t focused on what others were saying or what they thought, he didn’t do it to show off. He says, “Peter wasn’t trying to walk on water just to walk on water, he was trying to walk towards Jesus.” According to Dr. Daniels, Peter coming down the boat represents humility. This means that we need to put our egos aside, humble ourselves and walk towards Jesus. Even if this means that we are the only ones amongst our friends, family members, our clan, our country, etc. Similarly,

“You’ve got to be ok, sometimes being the only one that’s not in the boat…you can’t be number 12 if you are not ok being the only one…the struggle that number 12s have is that they don’t want to live the 11 in the boat but they can’t live with themselves if they don’t go towards Jesus…this tension (which he calls) the pressure to fit in and stand out at the same time,” says Dr. Daniels

To do this, we need to stop pretending to be something that God did not make us. He created each of us in a unique way and therefore we are called upon to stop trying to fit in and be who God created us to be, not who he created others to be. Keyword here is authenticity. Stop trying to fit in when God created you to stand out! He tells us not to miss out on the opportunity of walking on water. Get out of the boat (this can be your way of thinking that has been implanted in your mind by others). To be water walkers, Dr. Daniels points out three things that the scripture (from today) highlights;

1. Embrace Your Uniqueness; God designed every little bit of you for a reason. It might not make sense to you right now or to anyone around you but you have to believe that you are not a mistake. Your resilience, your passion, your unpredictability, your awkwardness, your body structure, your voice (I personally have a hoarse and sometimes loud one lol), every little thing about you is for a purpose. Dr. Daniels says that just like Peter who was irrational, volatile, God will bring you into a season where your character makes sense to you. God used these qualities in Peter to make it possible for him to get out of the boat and walk on water. You are unique for a reason, embrace you!
2. Walk in the Wind; The scripture says that Peter saw the wind which made him to take his focus off of Jesus and he started to sink. Because we all know that wind is invisible, Dr. Daniels says, “you can only see what the wind is affecting.” Some invisible things will work against you, but you need to remember to keep your focus on Jesus, do not let the things happening around you to take away your faith and trust in Jesus who has called you out of the boat. We are encouraged to keep walking even if we are scared with confusion, pain and with tears in our eyes.
3. Scream for Jesus; Peter screamed for Jesus as he began to sink and this led Jesus to take him by the hand and lead him back to the boat. Although Peter’s faith was little, Jesus saved him because he already knew that he would need to save him. Jesus just wanted Peter to try so he can see the possibilities of his faith. Dr. Daniels says, “water walkers may sink but they don’t have to allow their pride to cause them to drown.” Scream (which is praising God) at your failure, scream when you are scared, scream at your confused state. Just scream! He goes further to mention various people who screamed (which he considers an expression of faith) in the bible such as, the woman who cried to Jesus for him to save her daughter (Matthew 15: 21-28), she did not let the ridicule of the disciples who begged Jesus to send her away stop her. Another example used is of blind Bartimaeus who shouted for mercy. The bible says he was also ridiculed but he shouted even louder until Jesus noticed him and healed him (Mark: 10: 46- 52). Dr. Daniels says, “his (Peter’s) screaming for the Savior was a revelation of his reliance on God and not just his own steps.” We will sink when we attempt to walk on water but we have to remember to express our faith by giving praise to the maker. Quoting Psalm 8: 2 which says, “through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger” Dr. Daniels adds, “my praise reminds me of who God is, and when I am reminded of who God is, that produces a fence which is a stronghold” which prevents the negativity (hopelessness, doubt) from getting through to your mental state. “Your praise reminds you of who God is,” he says. Finally, he encourages us to pray for two things that we need to move into our purpose and that is; courage and resilience.

I have found myself (on may occasions) questioning my personal qualities and unique character. I guess this is the struggle of being human. However, this Message has reminded me of the times where my stubbornness, my persistence, by boldness, my strong hoarse voice (among so many other qualities I have), have been the reason why I made it out of some situations. It is after you go through the storm that you remember what’s special about you. I am learning to stop letting people dictate what my purpose is going to be and to always remember that every little detail about me, even those I see as weaknesses have been designed for a purpose. Just as Dr. Daniels has encouraged us, I call upon you to embrace who you are and face everyday with a bold faith like that of Peter and so many others. Don’t live your life wondering what could have been, take the bold step now. In Joyce Meyer’s’ voice “Do it Afraid!”

I pray that God may give you a spirit of discernment to be able to make unbiased (by the wrong people) decisions that will help push you forward towards him. Amen!

With love and prayers,

Resty Kansiime

Here is the sermon from Today; I Am Number 12 | Dr. Dharius Daniels | Elevation Church – YouTube

You may also want to listen to Joyce Meyer’s messages. Do It Afraid! | Joyce Meyer – YouTube