"When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, " Put out into the 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." Luke.5:4-7.
I have said so much about this passage of the Bible in my previous articles, especially the one I titled, "Maximizing Divine Opportunities." But how I would have avoided sharing this again, my re-encounter with the same portion of the scripture startled me and made some tears that have waited dangerously close behind my eyes surfaced without warning, mainly how our disobedience sometimes pushed us toward another cruel milestones and played a cruel prank on us.
Notwithstanding, I wouldn't bother to start again from the first verse but skip to verse four(4) as it appeared on the golden text above in order to safe time. Our reactions to divine instructions that come to us as Christians will determine our life outcome. It is not only a rule, it is a principle that has survived many infallible proves.
God does not impose or force anything on anyone as touching divine instruction, He respected our willing power so much that He must consent it before doing anything with our life. I have searched through the scriptures and observed, that, every characters that surfaced in the Bible obtained their lots based on their responses to divine instructions that graced their day, either positively or negatively. In other words, it is a time tested principle that define our destiny in God's master program.
I don't know the gravity with which you handle anything that comes from the mouth of God, either through personal revelation, a minster of God or the Bible, but if you have not been taking the Word of God serious, it is an understatement to say: you are doing yourself a great harm, in fact you are digging your grave. God is not your earthly or biological parents; He is not your boss in the office; He's not your marriage partner, neither is He the President of any powerful and influential nations in the world. He is the I am that I am; the Almighty God; the ancient of days; and the God of the whole universe. His kingdom, power and influence is not limited to a particular territory or the whole world put together, His kingdom, power, influence, reign and dominion cut across the heavens.
In fact, I have few names I personally extracted from the Scripture of God:
- He is the Lord our God.
- The Lord our resting place.
- The Lord our true pasture.
- The Lord the hope of our fathers.
- The strength of Israel.
- He is the habitation of Justice...
"Now therefore, listen to me, my children, for blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not disdain it. Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoever finds me finds life, and obtains favor from the Lord; but he who sins against me wrongs his own soul; all those who hate me love death." Proverbs. 8:32-36.
In reference to the first three verses of the chapter of text I employed in this article, you would assume it was Peter's kindness to Jesus on their first encounter that made him what he was in God's master plan. No! It only helps what heaven intended to do with him, but that is not the big deal.
Of course, they were two at that side of the sea washing their nets, and there were two boats at the sea shore. Jesus had already entered into Peter's boat before entreating him to pushed it offshore to preach the Gospel. This implies that, God had already predestined Peter for a definite and spectacular purpose in His kingdom. Otherwise, why was it Peter's boat and not the other man's?
The primary response of Peter to Jesus demand only pave way for what Jesus intended to do with him, and ease the working process of divine intervention in his destiny. Nevertheless, there is something very vital that must play a significant role in the fortune of Peter, and any one who luckily attracted divine attention and intervention in his life and destiny. For any and everything worthwhile God will do in your life and with your life, there is a responsibility on your part to obey whatever instructions He pose to you.
Certainly, God must release instruction through His doors, that is, His messengers whom He has consecrated and assigned to speak on His behalf, but your response to their voice will determine whether you will be relevant with God's plan for your life and have your desires granted or not.
Jesus appeared to Simon like any other natural man, calmly whispered a word of life into his ears and altered the course of his actions from washing and folding the nets with a view to returning home empty and hopeless, to launching out into the deep for abundant catch the same hour. This was at a time when he had exhausted all the technical know-how of the profession he could employ. Every ruse of the game Peter adopted pushed him far behind his desired dream until Jesus approached him with the timely and appointed instruction he needed to come out of his devastating end.
If Peter knew Jesus for anything before this time, perhaps as a preacher who simply had interest in his boat, but his simple obedience to an instruction apparently weak, casual and void of undue exaggeration and charisma, altered his experience that night from a failure and loser to a most fortunate man among his peers. It further transformed Simon from a mere Fisherman, who live all his life serving himself and his immediate family members, to a kingdom general who moved heaven on earth, and whose trace cannot be erased in bible and contemporary history.
We might be in the time of the end where a lot of fake clerics abound, yet God has His faithful mouthpieces and doors through which He passes His instructions across to men in this generation. However, it would be a gross misconception to assume that every ministers of God who approach you with the counsel of God is after your gold, and one of the fakes. More so that you are accessible to the Holy Spirit and the word of God(Bible) now to judge, examine, and discern the truth of their instructions.
Permit me to imprint this on your subconsciousness, that, God is not happy and glorified with your ugly, unfriendly, and unfair condition whatever it may be, and His daily desire and heart cry is to bring you out of it triumphantly. Yet He can't do any thing formidable in your life against your willingness to be obedient to His instructions. That is where God has problem with many of us believers.
Peter's kind gesture wasn't the major thing that brought him a good break and afforded him the abundance, it was his obedience to instruction that has divine undertones. Don't be surprised, you may be apt to your religious and spiritual obligations and still suffer some major needs, especially when it is not in consonance with divine directives. It is only the assignment you undertake and execute out of clear divine instruction that has a great recompense of reward.
I believe in diligence or hard work as the case may be, but i always emphasize on being hardworking wisely. Not every dream, vision or goal you carve for yourself has divine support, even if it seems to be working, and whatever God does not initiate does not have future. You can't know yourself better than your creator, neither can a stream survive against its source. God is our source and sustain-er and knows far better than we do about ourselves. If you allowed to be carried away by your head knowledge or professional expertise against the timely instruction from the mouth of God, you will become a mad man and tarry too long in your problem, if you ever find a way out at all. It has nothing to do with your personality, status, or experience in Christ, until you open up to divine directive, you are going no where.
The response of Simon to Jesus instruction in verse five was quite instructional and demands paying a careful attention: "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."
The first thing I will advise you to do today is to make Jesus the master and coach of your life; the one you consult before taking any decision, otherwise, your life might be full of ups and downs, and you might sustain many scars than you can ever imagine. He is the one that has the details of your life in His palms. He knows the way through the wilderness of your life. Any attempt to wrest power with your Maker and helper will end you in sorrow and grieve of heart.
The whole world and all his mighty men are in the palm of God's hands, and just like a drop in the bucket that is insufficient to destroy is the whole world in His hand. How much more you who is unrecognized in the multitude of men like the sand of the sea to lobby the steering of your life with Him. Then you are indeed in sane!
"Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit, there is more hope of a fool than of him." Beloved, Jesus is interested in your victory and flourishing than you think. He said in His word, "I wish above all things that thou may prosper and be in health even as thy soul prospers." 3John.2
Why can't you pray like this: "Oh Lord, I am ready now to obey every instructions you give me, what I need to do to come out of my challenges, Lord tell me today. Tell those challenges to God and expect Him to speak to you...
"Oh Lord, the exact instruction I need to obey to enter into my share of divine inheritance, abundance, and prosperity, please tell me now." I know you too must have labored so hard like Simon, adopted every strategies known and read of from motivational speakers, yet your life is not better off, you can do like brother Peter who graciously encountered Jesus as you do now through the message of this article and tell Him, "...because you say so, I will let down the nets." I will obey, even though I have done that several times without result, I will do it this time not at my will and wish, but at the word of your mouth my Master and Maker.
It wasn't Peter's action that brought him such an amazing break, it was the voice that motioned him to action. Through Him was all things made and nothing was made without Him. So every situation obey and cooperate at that voice. You had better go and stop receiving counseling here and there from people who don't have blue print of your life; people who can never help your destiny, or better still present their counsel before your Maker before you plunge into action. Take enough time to listen to the Counselor, Jesus Christ Himself; The word of God. The bread of life, and the wisdom of God. Let Him speak sense to your brain so that you don't tarry too long in your problem and waste your entire life.
There is another very vital point I want to draw your attention to in verse seven(7) of that text, "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."
Your attraction of divine attention is not only for you, neither is your disobedience to divine instruction only affect you. There are many destinies who will either benefit from your obedience or suffer from your disobedience, depending on the choice you make.
The obedience of Simon to Jesus instruction restored him and his neighbor's hope that has once dashed out. Both of them were left without hope of taking anything home for the night until Jesus through the channel of Peter intervene and brought them amazing break by virtue of Peter's obedience.
Peter was godly enough to know that the blessing is not for him alone, and had to call on his neighbors too to come and partake in the blessing. It is one of those qualities Jesus noticed in Peter to give him a special call, if not, there wouldn't have been any difference between him and his partners.
I pray for you today, everyone that need to obey God in order for you to experience divine touch of abundance, exploit and breakthrough will have no choice than to do so in Jesus name. Every instruction divine you too need to obey to draw men out of poverty, hardship, reproach, shame and ridicule you will not disobey in the mighty name of Jesus.
"... Hath the Lord as delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." 1Samuel.15:22. This is the counsel of God through one of our elders in the race. I pray God to give you the heart to yield divine counsel in Jesus name.
God bless you.
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