To live life with intentionality, you must be decisive. Indecisiveness prevents action and kills opportunity. Analyzing every detail stalls forward progress. William Arthur Ward said, “The optimist lives on the peninsula of infinite possibilities; the pessimist is stranded on the island of perpetual indecision.” Many people are stuck in the paralysis of analysis. They are drowning in a sea of distractions. We are not called to be a Las Vegas odds-calculating analyst. We are called to be faith-filled, risk-taking, obedient disciples of Jesus. But it is very difficult to be decisive when we are preoccupied with trying to figure out every reaction to our actions before we make a move. I am not saying we should act hastily, but most of us make excuses and talk ourselves out of acting altogether. In the following passage, we see how the Apostle Peter took decisive action requiring bold faith, which resulted in the impossible becoming possible.

Matthew 14:22-32 (NIV)

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. 23 After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

29 “Come,” He said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

31 Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?”

32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Jesus didn’t tell Peter to mull over every detail and calculate every risk that could come along with stepping out of the boat and walking on water. He just said, “Come.” Like Peter, we don’t always know how it’s going to work, but that should never keep us from trusting God’s plan. We won’t always know how God’s plans are going to work on the front end of faith. Remember, 2/3rd’s of God’s name is GO. Notice that Peter was in good shape until he took his eyes off Jesus. He got distracted by the circumstances, and his faith faltered. Distractions breed doubt. Doubt breeds discouragement. And discouragement breeds faithlessness. 

Let your faith be decisive and intentional through all circumstances!