In my recent research, I’ve had to do some studying in the Gospels. I always knew that Jesus frequently and commonly spoke to crowds by the shores of waters, but I didn't realize His intentions in doing so. Jesus was the most popular person in His time during His three year ministry on earth. So naturally, when He would arrive at a new destination by sea, He already had a host of people swarming the shores awaiting His approach. When Jesus arrived, He would often STAY in His boat and preach the Good News from there. He didn't, in fact, run to Starbucks, get a coffee, freshen up in the bathroom, check-in on Facebook and tweet out something in hopes to get a trending hashtag going.

#Wrong #NoHeDidnt #Sorrynotsorry. He stayed. He preached. In His boat.

He stayed near or in the waters so His voice could be HEARD. The water created an amplfying affect so hundreds could hear His voice and hear the WORD of God. I found this fact to be fascinating. “How practical Jesus was,” I thought. After musing in my amazement of Jesus and his “self-made microphone” idea, something triggered in me and rang in my Spirit. God spoke to me and asked me, "What is the platform and position in which you're speaking ?”

Sometimes, we need to reposition ourselves spiritually to actually be heard.

I believe it was intentional that Jesus positioned Himself in the waters, because many times in the Bible water metaphorically represents the Word of God (see Jeremiah 2:13, Proverbs 25:25 & Psalm 65:9). Jesus spoke from the water, and the water would magnify His words, so all could hear.

After some chit-chat back and forth with my Abba, He revealed to me that my platform or position should always be rooted the in the Water, the Word of God. If it's not, I risk the chance of missing what God desires for me to share. So often, I find myself to be positioned in my own pride, my own selfish ambition and my own alternative motives. Upon that platform I have NO VOICE in truth or love. I dethrone God, I crawl up on my stage of pride and I scream my selfishness in vain. Then a godly conviction disrupts my parade and the Spirit moves and speaks, “Daughter, your actions and words need to align with God’s Word.”

If God’s Word says I am a co-heir of Christ and a daughter of the King (Rom 8:17), do my actions reflect that? God’s Word says that I am an overcomer by the word of my testimony, and that my words have the power of life and death (Rev 12:11, Prov 18:21), am I overcoming or speaking life? These are things I cautiously had to consider. This is a sobering reminder that we should remember to plant ourselves in the waters of Truth and to use any platform or position God gives us wisely. Let us all, stay in our boat, stand up in the water, and let God’s Word be amplified.

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers. -Psalm 1: 1-3

Deanna Brooks