There is a long-time member of Lakewood that I met years ago when he was going through a divorce. He had served God faithfully, but then drifted away from church and experienced a lot of heartache in his life. He came to me and said, "Lisa, I want to repent because I have been away from God and did things that I am not proud of." I replied to him, "Jim, we forgive you and bless you! We're glad you are back at Lakewood." Ever since then, he has been faithful through the years and serves in one of our ministries. But deep down inside while serving at Lakewood, he still had a desire within him for God to use him more. He didn't know how God was going to use him; he just knew he wanted to be used!

One of his skills is speaking Spanish fluently. And he is as gringo as you can get! One day, God opened a door for him to go to a Spanish-speaking country, and he was able to preach in an all Spanish-speaking church service. Since then, God has continued to open up more doors for him to preach. He is a businessman, but takes his vacations to go and preach the Good News to people in Central and South America. He told me one day, "Lisa, I am amazed how God is using me!"

As I think about his story, I think about how he could have easily let his heartache and past circumstances keep him from serving God and traveling to other countries preaching, but he knew God had a destiny for him to reach. He knew he had potential inside of him. He knew he had to step out in faith and believe in God's gifting in him regardless of the "hows" and past mistakes. As he reached for his destiny, God began to unfold His plans and open up doors of opportunities for this man.

It's like Peter in the Bible. He stepped out of the boat to walk to Jesus on the water. You may be thinking, "But Peter fell…" Yes, but he also walked on water. And when he fell, Jesus picked him up, and they walked on the water together. The Bible doesn't say that Jesus carried him back to the boat. No, they walked on the water together.

See, when you step out of the boat, Jesus steps out with you. Don't be afraid to fall - we all do it! Just know that Jesus is there to help you. He is a very present help in time of trouble, and He will walk on the water with you. That means He will help you rise above any circumstances.

Because Peter was willing to stretch himself, he experienced something new; he stepped out into his destiny and was able to discover the potential he had in God. In your own life, there is so much potential locked up in you, but you must believe it's there inside. You must step out of the boat, out of your comfort level, past your fears, your past, and believe in the God-given destiny that God has for you and reach for it. Step out and see the amazing plans God has for you!

And like Peter, when you step out of your comfort zone and begin to do your part, God meets you where you are and amazing things happen. There is so much in you that God is waiting to release. You have a wealth of God-given potential on the inside if you will reach for it and step out of the boat!