Fishing Stories Pt.1 "Offensive Obedience"

I don't know about you but I have been in a bit of a dry season lately. It has seemed harder to hear the Lord and to receive revelation about the things God is doing. I feel so strongly that just as the season is changing in the natural it is also changing in the spiritual. Be encouraged if you have been having a hard time receiving from the Lord, we are entering into a new season where it will be easier to hear His voice. He is also beginning to move and align things into this season, He is releasing Kingdom strategies and plans and re-aligning a lot of things! Be encouraged, Spring is coming!

For the past week I have been getting up and taking my cup of coffee outside for my quiet time. The new flowers blossoming, the warm air coming in, and the birds chirping always make me happy and encouraged. This morning as I was sitting outside on the porch I felt led to read Luke 5:1-11. As I began reading, the Lord began giving me revelation upon revelation regarding these verses. I wrote down these revelations and will be putting them into a series of posts titled "Fishing Stories" which I will be posting over the next several days. As I mentioned above, we are entering into a new season and I feel like these revelations are to prepare the body of Christ to move into this new season of going deeper with the Lord. 

Luke 5:1-11 

1One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. 2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 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.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 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.”6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 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.8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 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 fish for people.”11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Offensive Obedience 

Simon (Peter), James, John, and their fishing crew fished all night.  They were probably exhausted both mentally, physically, and emotionally (anyone who has ever worked third shift can sympathize). After their long night of fruitless work, they pull up on shore and begin washing their nets. . . Suddenly this Teacher comes up and asks to use their boat in order to teach the crowd from the water. They agreed. After teaching Jesus tells them to take their boats out to deep water and to put down their net on the other side of the boat. 

... Hold on. They've worked all night. Caught NOTHING. They cleaned their nets! (Cleaning the nets was a critical step, as the nets were made of linen and the sea salt would damage the nets if left uncleaned). These guys were ready to go home for the day! Have you ever been closing up shop and a customer walks in at the last minute? I mean you've already swept and mopped and shut everything down, but suddenly someone walks in wanting something? Having worked in retail myself I understand the agony of that customer that walks in at 7:58 and takes their time looking around the store... 

Can I just be honest right now? If this were me, my thoughts would be something along the lines of: 

"Are you serious?...I want to go home!"  

"Who does this guy think he is? How is he going to tell us how to catch fish!" 

 " We JUST finished washing the nets, if we put out we are going to have to wash everything all over again. And we aren't even going to catch any fish!" 

Anyone else agree? But instead of this attitude Peter's response was simply: "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets."

This was a test of the heart. These men made their living catching fish, Jesus was a carpenter and a teacher. I'm not sure how many Teachers were familiar with fishing back then but my guess would be very few. Also Peter had already finished for the day, cleaned up, clocked out of work, and pulled his boat up on shore. I can only imagine that the request to put your boat back in the water and simply put your net on the other side sounded a bit crazy. These men had so many opportunities to choose offense in their heart yet they responded out of obedience. If Peter had chosen offense, it could have robbed him of his calling to be a disciple of Jesus and later to take the gospel to the nations. How great the reward is of obedience!

I've heard a joke told that if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plan. This is a funny statement but it can be very true! So many times God instructs us to do things that don't make sense to us at the time. We may have a plan and God can come right in and blow all the cards right off the table. It can be difficult at this time to choose to act out of obedience. As I mentioned earlier I believe that we are entering into a new season where God is shifting and changing many things. I want to challenge you that as you start to hear the voice of the Lord and as He begins to give you new direction, choose obedience over offense!

"Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all the nations you will be my treasured possession.... " Exodus 19:5