But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

 “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. But 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?”

Matthew 14:27-31 NIV

Ok so you’ve made it through the strongest throes of anxiety or depression and you’re going along living life well. Your thoughts, body, and emotions are all in a healthy place — and then all of a sudden something hits you. A conversation about suicide, a scary scene in a movie, or hearing some horrible news on TV and it sparks a thought within you that you can’t seem to shake. Maybe you’ve been thinking, “I’ve been doing so good! Why am I suddenly battling these thoughts again?”

Like the story above from Matthew, Peter had started walking towards Jesus (doing great and having faith!) then all of a sudden he looked around at the waves, probably felt a few drops of water on his face, and panicked! He was right back into the throes of fear.

“Lord save me! Again!“

As frustrating as those moments are–they are signs of growth. The devil knows that you’ve been doing the work casting thoughts down and putting your relationship with Christ first, but in his devious way he knows that your mental health was once a weak point so he will continue to attack it!

He knows the areas of vulnerability in our lives and seeks to exploit them. I’m not saying this to scare you, I’m telling you this to be on guard.

Be alert, be on watch! Your enemy, the devil, roams around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8 GNT

The good news is, Satan is not powerful enough to devour you. Jesus has defeated Satan and stripped him of all power and authority here on the earth. He handed that power to YOU and expects you to use it!

Those bad thoughts that seem to come back, again and again, are merely drops of water hitting your face as you’re walking on the sea out to Jesus. If you keep your eyes on Him, cast the thoughts down, and press onward you will reach your destination of the loving savior’s arms.

Those bad thoughts are merely drops of water reminding you of the storm you’ve already conquered.

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Reflection Time:

If you know your eyes have been distracted by the drops of water on your face or the waves raging around you, it’s ok! Jesus is always there to lovingly save us from sinking back into the sea of depression or anxiety. All we need to do is cry out, “Lord, save me!”

Take a moment today to utter that cry and cast down any thoughts that haven’t been mirroring God’s truths. Find scripture that reflects the truth of God’s word in that area and begin to confess it over yourself.

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