How To Go Higher With God | Jonathan Cahn Sermon
Rising Above: How to Step Into the Higher Ground God Has Called You To
When Peter stepped out of the boat, he didn’t walk on water because he was capable—he walked because he believed the impossible. Against every record of his past and every limitation he knew, Peter dared to trust the word of Jesus more than the reality beneath his feet. And that’s where the miracle happened.
God is still calling His people to that same kind of faith—to believe beyond experience, beyond logic, beyond fear. You will never rise higher until you decide to trust His word more than your own history.
Jonah found this out when he finally stopped blaming everything around him and took responsibility before God. When you stop saying, “It’s their fault,” and instead say, “Lord, it’s me,” that’s when transformation begins. You cannot repent for what you won’t own. But once you do, God can lift it, heal it, and redeem it.
Mary faced a moment just as impossible. When the angel told her she would carry the Son of God, she didn’t understand how—it made no human sense. Yet her simple answer still echoes through eternity: “Let it be done to me according to Your word.” That is the essence of faith—believing even when you cannot comprehend, trusting the Word over the world.
Scripture declares that you are holy, victorious, chosen. But maybe that doesn’t line up with what you see in yourself. That’s the moment faith begins—not when life agrees with God’s word, but when it doesn’t, and you choose to believe Him anyway. When you start saying, “Lord, I don’t see it yet, but I choose Your word over my weakness,” that’s when heaven begins to change your ground.
The disciples understood this when they dropped their nets. It was a simple act, but a total surrender of their identity, their security, and their comfort. Following Jesus meant leaving behind everything familiar for something infinitely greater. If you want to rise higher with God, you must do the same—make Him your goal above all else.
Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, never stopped seeking to go higher. He said, “I press on toward the upward call.” Even in his maturity, he refused to settle. And that’s the call for us—never stop climbing. Don’t get comfortable on the same plateau where you met God years ago. Keep pressing forward until the last breath, because the destination is the New Jerusalem—the place where rising never ends.
But rising requires something from you. Like the woman who pressed through the crowd to touch Jesus, you too must push through your fear, shame, and rejection. Whatever has kept you down—press through it. Fear doesn’t disappear; it’s overcome. Each time you face it with faith, you rise higher.
Paul began his journey with the words, “Who are You, Lord?” and ended it still saying, “That I might know Him.” That’s the key: never assume you’ve arrived. The moment you think you’ve seen it all, you stop going higher. The humble heart—the heart that says, “Lord, show me more”—is the one God lifts.
And yes, going higher means stepping out like Peter did—onto waters that don’t make sense. The Spirit of God will always call you beyond what you can do on your own. You’ll never walk on water if you keep waiting for it to feel safe. Faith is not about staying afloat in comfort—it’s about stepping out where only His Word can sustain you.
Many believers never rise because they don’t believe they can. They live by an invisible ceiling of their own making. Maybe you’ve accepted a certain weakness, a habit, or a limitation as “just who I am.” But God calls you to see that as your floor, not your ceiling. The victories you’ve tasted were never meant to be rare peaks—they’re invitations to live on higher ground.
When you see yourself as God sees you—free, faithful, victorious—you’ll begin to live it. Picture it. Speak it. Believe that the level you’ve known is not your destiny. Each victory is a step meant to pull you higher. Like a climber who uses the last handhold to lift the rest of the body upward, God wants your life to stand where your faith has already reached.
The people we call “great” in Scripture weren’t born great—they simply believed God enough to step higher. You have the same high calling. You are chosen to live beyond fear, beyond sin, beyond the limits you once accepted.
So take the step. Drop your net. Press through your fear. Believe the Word above all else. And when you do, you’ll discover what Peter, Paul, Mary, and every faithful servant found—that God truly makes you stand upon the heights.