Let Down Your Nets!
I am so very excited to bring this word to all of you this afternoon. It is something that is fresh revelation to me, and its prophetic foresight to what is getting ready to happen in the body of Christ. On Friday, I sat down to study the Bible, and I felt the Lord tell me to go to the beginning of Luke 5. This is the story of Jesus calling his first disciples. Verses 1-11 in the Message Bible reads, “One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, he saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
So Simon and his crew have been laboring at their work all day. Their getting ready to go home for the day and their tired. Their cleaning up their nets, and I am sure their feeling a little defeated because they did not catch any fish that day. Jesus shows up, preaches and tells Simon to go back out on the water and fish again. You can hear the frustration in Simon’s response. “We’ve been at this all day, but fine if you think it’ll make a difference we’ll try.” They fish and their catch is SOOO huge that they cannot even bring it in on their own. It is so much that he calls in another boat and both boats begin to sink. It is after this that Jesus calls them to follow him in his ministry. As many times, as I have read this scripture before there is something very significant that goes on here that never occurred to me until I began to ponder on this scripture. These men were fishermen by trade. They lived off what they caught. They sold any of the extras. When Jesus caused all of those fish to be caught by them, he was doing more than a lesson here. He is financially providing for them, so they can quit their trades and go and follow him into the ministry. He is providing for them financially so they can go forth into the will of God.
What I felt the Lord speak to me is, “It’s time to put down your nets!” I don’t know about you, but personally I can say how frustrating it is when God calls you to do something and you work and labor for it for years and don’t feel like you’re going anywhere. It is a constant step of faith. But just like Simon God is telling many of you today to cast that faith out there again. Trust in Him! Trust that this time it will be different. This time new things will spring forth! In Malachi 3:10 in reference to tithing, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” God is saying if you do what I am telling you to, it is my desire to pour out such a blessing to you that you cannot contain it.
I believe that we are about to experience such new things in the body of Christ that it is exciting. Some of you are about to see the biggest breakthrough you have seen to date. Be obedient in what He is telling you to do! When He tells you to put out your nets, it does not matter how many times you have tried before and did not go anywhere, this time you will! This time it will be different! This time will be right on time. God is taking you to a new place so you can continue to fulfill His will for your life. Keep trusting in Him, and know that He is God. Be excited and cast out your nets!
When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”
So Simon and his crew have been laboring at their work all day. Their getting ready to go home for the day and their tired. Their cleaning up their nets, and I am sure their feeling a little defeated because they did not catch any fish that day. Jesus shows up, preaches and tells Simon to go back out on the water and fish again. You can hear the frustration in Simon’s response. “We’ve been at this all day, but fine if you think it’ll make a difference we’ll try.” They fish and their catch is SOOO huge that they cannot even bring it in on their own. It is so much that he calls in another boat and both boats begin to sink. It is after this that Jesus calls them to follow him in his ministry. As many times, as I have read this scripture before there is something very significant that goes on here that never occurred to me until I began to ponder on this scripture. These men were fishermen by trade. They lived off what they caught. They sold any of the extras. When Jesus caused all of those fish to be caught by them, he was doing more than a lesson here. He is financially providing for them, so they can quit their trades and go and follow him into the ministry. He is providing for them financially so they can go forth into the will of God.
What I felt the Lord speak to me is, “It’s time to put down your nets!” I don’t know about you, but personally I can say how frustrating it is when God calls you to do something and you work and labor for it for years and don’t feel like you’re going anywhere. It is a constant step of faith. But just like Simon God is telling many of you today to cast that faith out there again. Trust in Him! Trust that this time it will be different. This time new things will spring forth! In Malachi 3:10 in reference to tithing, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” God is saying if you do what I am telling you to, it is my desire to pour out such a blessing to you that you cannot contain it.
I believe that we are about to experience such new things in the body of Christ that it is exciting. Some of you are about to see the biggest breakthrough you have seen to date. Be obedient in what He is telling you to do! When He tells you to put out your nets, it does not matter how many times you have tried before and did not go anywhere, this time you will! This time it will be different! This time will be right on time. God is taking you to a new place so you can continue to fulfill His will for your life. Keep trusting in Him, and know that He is God. Be excited and cast out your nets!
Comments
Post a Comment