Let’s Cross Over

The ‘other side’ represents our destinies, the plans and purposes of God for our lives.
At one point when Jesus was teaching His disciples about the kingdom of God, He said to them, “‘Let us cross over to the other side'” (Mark 4:35, NKJV). He wanted to take them through a transition.

The Holy Spirit wants us to make the same transition. The “other side” represents our God-given destinies, the plans and purposes of God for our lives. God wants to take us over to the other side.

In Mark 4:35-41 Jesus gives us the pattern for transitioning into our God-given destinies. It involves six steps.

Follow the right leaders. When Jesus said, “Let us cross over,” He was implying that the disciples must follow Him to transition to the next place. Jesus always led and the disciples always followed.

The pattern is the same for us. We must learn to follow the right leader—Jesus. He is the only one who knows where you are going and how to get you there.

Leave the multitude behind. The disciples left the multitude behind and followed Jesus (v. 36). They left the safety of the crowds because they wanted to be part of something bigger.

The multitude mentality is one of mediocrity and negativity. The multitude is more concerned about conformity than commitment. It is not easy to be different and go after something better than the norm, but God is calling us to step out and leave the multitude mentality behind.

Get into the boat. A boat is a vessel that enables you to do something you could not do in your own ability. The disciples had a physical boat, but our boat is the local church.

The local church is the vessel God has constructed to help us reach our God-given destinies. It is the vehicle that provides protection, direction, encouragement and accountability. The church is a place where people’s gifts can be released to expand God’s kingdom.

Go to a church that has Jesus right in the middle of it. Go to a place where they preach Jesus, worship Jesus, follow Jesus and live according to the teachings of Jesus. It is time to get into the boat.

Watch your confession. The disciples got right in the middle of a fierce storm and began to declare they were going to die. Yet Jesus said they were going to go over, not under. The disciples were contradicting the words of Jesus Himself!

We must be careful about what we declare, especially during the storms of life. Remember to say what God says about a situation; don’t let the situations tell you what to believe. Find a promise in the Word to stand on and believe that it will be fulfilled, no matter what you are going through.

Learn to handle the storm. The Bible tells us the boat was filling up with water during the storm. The situation was getting worse, and Jesus was asleep!

What do you do when the Savior is seemingly silent in the midst of your storm? I have learned to remember the last thing God spoke to me and hang on by faith until I hear something different from Him.

God is not shaken when your storm hits. Notice what Jesus finally did. He got up and rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea.

The wind represents the unseen forces, and the waves represent the seen forces. Not everything is caused by the devil. However, some situations do require spiritual warfare, and we are called to take authority over the forces of darkness that are at war with us.

Allow your faith to grow. Jesus looked at His disciples and said, “‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?'” (Matt. 8:26).

Don’t let the storms of life steal your faith and prevent you from reaching your God-given destiny. Get to know Jesus during the quiet times of life so that you can trust Him in the storms.

Get a greater revelation of who Jesus is and where He wants to take you, and follow Him when He says, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

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Benny Perez is pastor of The Church at South Las Vegas (thechurchlv.com), one of the fastest-growing congregations in the country. He recently was recognized by Charisma as being among the top 30 emerging voices in the church. He and his wife, Wendy, live in Henderson, Nevada, with their two children.