Dharius Daniels - Walking in the Wind

Okay, let’s go to the book of Matthew, chapter 14, verse 29. Matthew 14:29, everybody. Here it is; it says in verse 29, «Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water, and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind"—everybody say «saw"—"he was afraid, and beginning to sink, cried out, 'Lord, save me.'» I want to talk from this subject in our time together. The subject is simple: «Walking in the Wind.» We are in a series of sermons here that we’ve affectionately entitled «Water Walkers.» I want to know if there are any water walkers listening to me. Water walkers is simply a description that we have given to persons who embrace and attempt to implement this principle called the «Principle of Exception.» This principle is rooted in the revelation that you are not mass-produced, but you have been customized by your Creator. That literally, when God made you, He did break the mold. There is one biblical writer who defeated Goliath, named David, who had this level of awareness about his own identity, and he said, «I’m fearfully and wonderfully made.» That God knew exactly what He was doing when He made me. I am NOT a mistake. My parents may have been surprised by my arrival, but God was not. My parents may not have even intended for me to be here. I may not have been a product of their purpose, but God had purpose for me and somehow, someway arranged for my existence in this place called Earth. You are not a consequence of some coincidence; you have been strategically and intentionally placed here by your God for such a time as this. You were born when you needed to be born, where you needed to be born, and how you needed to be born. So, when you look in the mirror, you need to look in the mirror and say, «Oh, I think I like me,» because God knew what to do with me, and He didn’t leave anything out of me to be who He called me to be and to do what He’s called me to do. I am NOT deficient; I am not living with deficits, because embedded inside of me are the competencies and capabilities to do what He’s called me to do and to be who He has called me to be. If He wanted me to be lighter, He would have made me that way; if He wanted you to be darker, He would have made you that way. So, you need to look in the mirror, and if you have a whole bunch of melanin or if you have none at all, say, «God made me just the way He intended.» And if He liked it, I love it. If people have an issue with how God made you, make sure you put «return to sender» on that opinion, because your problem with me is not my problem. That doesn’t belong to me. I’ve got to give that back to you, because He made you the way He wanted you, the color He wanted you, with the strengths that He needed you to have to do what He’s called you to do. Are you hearing me? A person must understand and embrace that if they are going to walk in the reality of this Principle of Exception, which says what happens with them does not dictate and determine what happens with me. If you’ve been customized by your Creator, if you’re operating in your own unique identity, it means that you cannot look at what happens with others and allow that to limit what happens with you. You are not limited by the limitations of others—that God can empower and enable you to exist as the anomaly, as the exception, as the one who walks on what other people drown in; as the one who is on top of what is normally on top of. You, sir, you, ma’am, can be and should be a water walker. I want to know, do I have any listening to me today? Over the course of the past several weeks, we’ve talked about how a water walker is not literally a person who walks on water, but they are a person who walks by faith. Our text is tailored to teach us today that not only must a water walker have strong faith—are you ready for this? I said, are you ready? A water walker must also have long faith. Last week, we taught you the levels of faith to help get your faith strong; today, we need to talk about the length of faith to help you get your faith long, because a water walker must learn to walk in the wind. Because I don’t know if you know this, there’s wind on the water, and when you’re on the water, you experience wind in ways you don’t experience it when you’re on the ground. See, when you’re in the city, the wind is inhibited by and obstructed by buildings that prevent you from feeling the full force of the wind. But once you get on the water, there are no buildings there to inhibit you from experiencing the full force of the wind. And while people are admiring those who are walking on water, the people who are walking on water want to give you a warning: «It’s windy out here!» I can’t hear my church! I said, «It’s windy out here!» There are people who are aspiring to entrepreneurship, and they want the freedom to create and to make full use of the gifts that are on the inside of them. They want flexibility of schedule; they want to make a contribution to the earth that is not.