A Faith Perspective: Peter-Like Faith — Matthew 14:22–33

God bless everyone. This is Courage Coach Jess here, and welcome to Preach, Preacher Preach, where I listen to sermons, study the Bible, and write about how it relates to my life and experiences.

Preach Preacher Preach’s mission is to create content that feeds your soul, ranks on the internet, and helps people grow closer to God by finding a home or local church to connect to.

This content is for people who want to grow closer to God and are looking for a local church to attend. The hope is that after hearing a preacher preach and seeing how their preaching can be applied in life, you might want to connect with your local church, the Bible, and even God.

About the Writer

My name is Courage Coach Jess, and I am a ministry leader and award-winning business owner. I have been a lifelong believer in God, and I have over 6 years of experience teaching Bible study and marketing, supporting small business owners on their journey of growing closer to God as they grow their businesses. My life’s mission is to help people grow closer to God, in life and business, through Courage Coach Jess Ministries, a nonprofit employment and training center that welcomes Jesus Christ into the workplace and provides people with the skills they need to find gainful employment.

About Pastor Mike Basdeo

Pastor Mike Basdeo is the co-founder and senior pastor of Christ Tabernacle Church (CTC) in Mount Vernon, New York, and co-owner of Queen Joann Towing Company, a Tri-State towing operation he has run with his wife, Joann, for over eight years. Pastor Mike has helped me overcome a lot of trials and tribulations during the pandemic and still does to this day. I highly recommend Pastor Mike for spiritual guidance in Jesus’ name.

Today’s Topic: A Perspective on Faith

Feeding Your Soul: Matthew 14:23–33 Bible Study

Peter-like Faith

Experience

Before listening to this sermon by pastor Michael Basdeo, pastor at Christ Tabernacle Church, I really never thought about being the first in my family to achieve any kind of success. I never truly felt the desire to do any one specific thing. I never even gave a career path honest consideration. I’ve just always done what needed to be done and did it. I did things I enjoyed doing, and in the process, I assisted others with whatever they needed. I didn’t need a training, a certification, or a college degree to be kind and take others’ needs into consideration. However, I did need my prayers and patience because working with others is not always easy. I’ve always been drawn to business, so I knew my field of choice was always going to be business. What I was going to do in business was an ongoing process.

Expertise

Before COVID, I owned an award-winning cleaning company, Roman and Roman Cleaning Services. We won Best for NYC and Best for NYC Changemaker awards for our desire to create employment for the underserved communities while protecting our environment and choosing to use eco & pet-friendly cleaning solutions. I started Roman and Roman Cleaning Services in my sleep. It would have been cheaper to listen to the label when it said, “take one and go straight to sleep”. But I didn’t listen! Instead, I kept working and purchased a $180 ad on Care.com, one for my tutoring company and an ad for my friend Tomas that I met at WIBO. He was the one who wanted to start a cleaning company, I just thought he was a great friend, and I wanted to help. And would you know, through divine intervention and to my surprise, someone called, requested a service, and boom, Roman and Roman Cleaning Services was born.

After the passing of my parents and the Covid-19 pandemic, I decided to close the business. I could not bear the thought of one of my employees dying of Covid because I sent them to work. It was then that my life role switched from employer to spiritual employment specialist. Over this past year, I am honored to report that Courage Coach Jess Ministries was able to offer over 25 SYEP a paid summer internship program where NYC high school and college students receive skilled training by professional business owners in marketing, AI, Cyber Security, networking, and financial literacy. I give God all the glory for my current success. But I believe that I would not be able to achieve this success without stepping out of my cleaning company boat and stepping out into the water and walking towards where my Lord and Savior was leading me. I am so glad I did because

Authority

As it turns out, throughout the pandemic, people would call me for two things: prayer and employment. Suddenly, I found myself praying for people and providing job placement. I had referred my former employees to other cleaning companies in my network that had cleaning positions for anyone willing to work. I was able to transition a lot of my former employees to contracted hospital cleaning positions. They were all happy I was still able to find them work. However, they called me almost every day, crying because they went from residential and commercial cleaning to cleaning up around the dead and dying in the hospitals. This was challenging for them physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually. My career pivoted from booking appointments and signing contracts to praying for people, quoting or reading scriptures, and finding creative ways to help keep them encouraged and employed during such an undeniably overwhelming time. However, after my dad passed away in 2020, I was the one who needed encouragement and employment as I found myself suddenly unhoused and unemployed in the middle of the pandemic.

Trust

I hear stories all the time of people being homeless and fighting their way back out of poverty; that is not my story. My story is this: my parents died, I had to leave my dwelling, and it felt like everyone I knew deserted and abandoned me. So, I clung to my cat and the Bible. During my time in the shelter, I spent all day dissecting and getting to understand the Bible and praying with people who felt overwhelmed during the holidays because it was the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday season. Many people, including myself, felt disconnected from family, so we got together to pray and connect with one another.

These were some of my darkest days, feeling completely alone, with no one to turn to and nowhere to live. But as Pastor Mike said, “Jesus shows up on the fourth watch, your darkest hour”; all I have to do is hear the Word from the Lord, “Come,” and step out in faith.

Mindset Shift

After listening to Pastor Michael Basdeo’s “Perspective on Faith,” I learned:

1. Copying a business process or system is not faith.
2. Faith is doing something that has never been done before.
3. Don’t doubt what the Lord has called you to do.

Stepping Out in Faith

I listened to this sermon on Wednesday and took my first steps of faith on Saturday:

1. I attended my very first in-person WFG Missions Team Elite Circle Meeting, and just like that, I have goals and have given serious consideration to the legacy I want to start in my family. I have faith that I will graduate from Elite Circle with honors.
2. I have faith that I will be the first woman with Cerebral Palsy in my family to start a nonprofit virtual training and employment center that welcomes Jesus Christ into the workplace and gives God glory for their success.
3. I want to give God glory by honoring the life of my mother and father, by encouraging people to adopt instead of aborting children with disabilities. I am a Black businesswoman with a disability who has won awards that any parent would be proud of, and that is because God placed me in the hands of two loving people who did everything in their human power to raise me to be a respectful contribution to society. I could have been aborted, but instead I was adopted. Children with disabilities are worth caring for. If you love them and care for them like you would your able-bodied children, we can and will make you a proud parent too. I am living proof.

Today, Let Me Encourage You To

1. Listen to “A Perspective on Faith” by Pastor Michael Basdeo.
2. Listen to the Word of God: Matthew 14:22–33 (ESV).
3. Think about the legacy you want to create and make a list of your steps of faith.

Peter had enough faith to get out of the boat. He actually stepped onto the water and walked toward Jesus.

I’m stepping out of the boat, taking steps of faith, and following the call of God for my life and business.

Will you step out of the boat and take steps of faith toward Jesus to fulfill your God-given calling for your life and business?

📖 Matthew 14:22–33The truth shall set you free (John 8:32, ESV)

So here’s my question for you:

Which part of Peter’s story are you living right now?

• Stepping out in faith
• Trying to keep your eyes on Jesus
• Feeling overwhelmed by the storm
• Calling out, “Lord, save me”
• Looking back and worshiping God for bringing you through

Tell me in the comments. Your answer may encourage somebody else who is going through their own storm right now.

And if someone comes to mind while reading or watching this, share this message with them.

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