God’s word works. Whatever the devil does to distract you from focusing on the word of God is in order to destroy you. Satan and his cohorts have always fought man’s reliance on God’s word. This is the reason why when God has  spoken to you, satan comes to question the validity of the word. This has been his long-standing practice against mankind. Let’s see an instance in the Bible, in which he effectively deployed this tactic.
   The account of Peter’s walking on the water,as recorded in Matthew’s gospel  chapter 14:22-32, serves as a fitting Biblical illustration of the aforementioned diversionary tactic of the devil at work.
   Peter was in a boat with the other disciples, headed for “the other side”, as Jesus had instructed them to. However, they encountered a heavy storm in the course of their journey. Their boat was tossed by the waves because the wind was contrary. In the midst of this situation, they saw Jesus walking towards them, at the fourth watch of the night. Needless to say, they were terrified at the sight and cried out for fear. Jesus spoke to them at that point, assuring them that it was He and that they should not be afraid.
   It was at that point that Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water”.what a request! However, given Peter’s impulsive nature, it is not such a surprise. Nevertheless, Jesus obliged him by commanding him to “come” (Matt 14:29). The Bible records that Peter came down out of the boat and WALKED ON THE WATER to go to Jesus. Truly awesome!  The other disciples must have been awestruck as they watched Peter perform a feat which, other than Jesus, had no antecedent in human history. Peter was actually walking on the water.
   His success was shortlived, however, for we are told in Matt 14:30 that he began to sink. What could have led to his beginning to sink, when he had not reached Jesus? After all, the command he had received to “come” was intended to take him as far as to Jesus. How, then, could he have been walking on the water one moment and sinking the next, under the same circumstances? The answer to the questions above reveals the power of having and maintaining the right focus on the one hand, and the destructive nature of satanic distractions on the other.
   It is pertinent, at this juncture, to remember that Peter had been able to walk on the water, only because Jesus had commanded him to “come”. Peter could never have taken a step successfully on the water, had Jesus not invited him. Therefore, the word “come” from Jesus to Peter was the basis of Peter’s success in walking on the water. Similarly, only on the basis of God’s revealed word, can you and I do the humanly impossible. Like Peter who would not venture out on the water, until Jesus had granted his request for an invitation, the indispensability of God’s word as the basis for achieving the miraculous, should never be lost on us. For, only if He calls, does He enable.
   Peter’s failure to reach Jesus, while walking on the water, was because he had succumbed to the devil’s distraction. Remember that before Peter ever took his first step on the water, both the wind and the waves were boisterous. In other words, the condition of the sea was the same, when Peter began to sink, as it had been while he was walking on the water. The only thing different when he began sinking, was that the actions of the wind and the waves had replaced Jesus and His word “come”, as Peter’s focus. The moment we substitute satan’s activities for Jesus as our focus, failure becomes inevitable. 
      There  are certain other important things to note about the whole narrative. The first of which is that, though Peter did not make it to Jesus on the water, his call by Jesus was valid. The reason why it is imperative to note this, is that people sometimes jump to the premature and erroneous conclusion that, the fact that they failed in an endeavour, must mean that the call they felt they had received from God to that effect, must not have been from Him, after all. It is possible to have a valid call or idea from God and yet miss the mark or fall short of the intended goal. Failure, in itself, is not a conclusive evidence of the authenticity or otherwise of a call or an idea from God.
   Secondly, though Jesus had called Peter to join Him on the water, it was Peter’s responsibility to obey the command, while keeping his eyes fixed on Jesus. Peter retained the right to his choice of focus. In the same vein, in spite of God’s call on our lives, we reserve the right to choose between focusing on the word of God and focusing on satanic distractions. However, just as in Peter’s case, whatever choice we make, will certainly have ramifications. Accordingly, we should decide the object of attention carefully, as it will determine our outcome.
   Finally, that word “come” which Peter had received initially, remained potent, even while he was sinking. It is this writer’s conviction that, on getting distracted from Jesus by the actions of the wind and the waves, Peter disobeyed(though unintentionally ) the command to “come ” and for that reason began to sink. This deduction is based on the fact that the Bible records that, “…when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid;…” (Matt 14:30), and knowing the transfixing nature of fear, it is safe to say he (Peter ) stopped to assess the the danger the condition of the sea posed to him. We should never forget that once God has spoken, it is settled. However, our attitude to the word will determine whether it works for us or not. Therefore keep your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus.   
Shallom.