Fear isn’t something to ignore—it’s something to confront, prepare for, and reframe. Peter’s bold step out of the boat wasn’t foolish—it was faithful. But the moment he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm, he began to sink. Through this powerful moment in Scripture, we’re learning three truths: fear will sink you, fear thrives when we lose focus, and we win the battle over fear when we shift our “what ifs” into “even ifs.” No matter what storm you're facing today, Jesus is near—and He’s ready to catch you.

Paul was on a mission when he encountered a storm that shipwrecked him. Despite the chaos, Paul remained calm and hopeful, leading others to safety. Even in life’s worst storms, God’s plan for us remains intact. Are you shipwrecked in your faith? God can still use those moments to bring you closer to Him. Themes: Trusting God in chaos, God’s protection, surviving life’s storms, faith in adversity.

In our culture we perceive every situation through the lines of “in-group” and “out-group”. At a football game, who are “my people”? At school, where are my friends? In family gatherings or at work, where are the people on my side of the arguments? Most of the time, we are looking inside of our circle of allies for validation and encouragement while we make every effort to completely ignore those outside. God does not have an “in-group.” He invites everyone to the party. In the story of Cornelius and Peter, the Holy Spirit guides a Jew and a Gentile to meet and interact with one another, totally contradicting the rules of society. The result is the public invitation of Gentiles into the faith. God always sees the current outsider as a future insider. God values the outsider. Do you?