My People

A few months ago I was sitting down with one of my mentors and I was sharing with her some of the experiences Ward and I have had on the mission field. For those of you who know me, it probably didn't take you long to figure out that I am a verbal processor. I tend to talk in circles while I attempt to figure out everything that is going on in my head. Sometimes this will lead me to a dead end or an open ended question, but on the rarest of occasion it will lead me to a profound thought. I am so thankful for the people in my life who will allow me to babble on while they sit patiently and listen.

"If speaking is silver, then listening is gold." -Turkish Proverb

It was just a month after the race riots in Charlotte and we were also in the middle of the presidential campaign, I was sharing with her how I was deeply concerned about the division in our nation and I wasn’t sure what we could do to bring unity. I began to share something that has touched me deeply throughout our time in Cambodia. On many occasions during ministry, people have said to us the exact same thing… “Thank you for coming to help my people”. We’ve heard it a hundred times.

I have a good friend in Cambodia who works night and day at an NGO that deals with some of the hardest situations that you could possibly imagine. She is a fantastic young lady who I assure you has wanted to quit twenty times a day for the last five years, and in the last conversation I had with her, with tears streaming down her face and through an exhausted half smile, she said: “I can’t quit, I am doing this for my people, they need help”. I have always been humbled by this expression of love and self-sacrifice, but it wasn’t until I was back in the U.S. sitting at my friend’s kitchen table rambling endlessly about life that something really significant dropped in my spirit. I have been holding onto this word since November of 2016, and I feel like now is the season to release it.

You see, as I was sharing, I realized something that I had never thought about before. We always talk about America as the great melting pot, the land of opportunity and diversity. Whether you feel like this is true or not, go and visit a third world nation and you will quickly become extremely thankful for our nation even in it's imperfection. However, America has one major problem that other nations don’t face. The very thing we wear as a badge of honor is often our greatest disadvantage. Almost every nation has one major thing in common: ancestry, heritage, culture; and with that comes a unification, a deep sense of belonging and knowing who you are.

America, The Great Melting Pot

America is not the same, not only are we a relatively new country that doesn't have a deep rooted past but also unlike any other country we were founded on diversity. We aren’t made up of one culture, race, religion, or ethnicity. We are made up of many cultures and over the years many of these cultures have washed all together in true “melting pot” fashion to create the American culture that we know today.

We have created American culture, but have we lost our heritage?

What is happening as a result of this washed out heritage? People across America have a great longing that is rising up from within: a need to belong, a search to find “my tribe”, a never ending question of identity. And so I sat there thinking about that, and asking myself “Who are my people?” After a lot of thought, I realized that this is a major component that we are missing as a nation and as a church body. Other than your immediate family, who are the people you do life with, the people who you are intentionally involved with, the people you would go to war for?  Who are your people?

Why Is It Important?

Knowing who your people are gives you a sense of identity. It makes you feel like there is a place where you belong, and with that comes a feeling of safety and security,  a confidence in who you are. From that confidence you go out into the world and accomplish your destiny and purpose. When you are successful, "your people" cheer you on; and when you fail they are there to pick you up and tell you to try again. Knowing who your people are will give you a reason to fight battles that you wouldn't fight just for yourself, and it gives you the strength to press on. 

We see throughout history and even throughout scripture the importance of having "a people". Here are some great examples: 

Moses pursued an impossible journey so that his people would be free. With the famous words: "Let my people go".

"My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge..." Hosea 4:6 

"At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people." Jeremiah 31:1

"Even the stork in the sky knows her seasons; and the turtledove and the swift and the thrush observe the time of their migration; But my people do not know the time of the Lord." Jerimiah 8:7

"Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14

And was it not Esther who approached the king and put her life on the line for the sake of her people?

"Then Queen Esther answered, "King Xerxes, I hope you will show me your favor. I hope you will be pleased to let me live. That's what I want. Please spare my people. That's my appeal to you. My people and I have been sold to be destroyed. We've been sold to be killed and wiped out." Esther7:3-4

There are many more prophets, warriors, and Kings throughout the scripture that fought for the sake of "my people" but for the sake of brevity, I'll let you look them up for yourself.

When I think of my friends in Cambodia who are willing to sacrifice their own comfort, dreams, and desires for the betterment of “my people” I began to ask myself, as Americans who are our people? Yes, we are all Americans, but we don’t typically think of the people around us in that way. Our culture is very isolated with a touch of "every man for himself" mentality. Which is why in times where the pressure is turned up you immediately see the great divide within our people groups.  This divide is loudly shouted across social media and is seen in acts of violence and protests across America..... “Black Lives Matter”, “All Lives Matter”, “Blue Lives Matter”, "Vote Trump", "Vote Hillary", "Not My President", … all of these movements shows a better perspective of where our heart is. So if you examine your heart and are honest with yourself, who are your people?

Misunderstanding who “your people” are will cause you to fight the very people you were called to protect. See, not having this question answered causes division and discord. Are your people White? Black? Liberal? Conservative? Your own generation? Are they people who go to your church? People you work with? People who agree with you? People who look like you and think like you? No. Without knowing who “my people” are,  we will automatically begin to categorize people and instead of developing community you will begin to create division. 

So Who Are My People? 

Jesus came and lived a life on the earth in a passionate pursuit of His people.

"I will sow her for Myself in the land. I will also have compassion on her who had not obtained compassion, And I will say to those who were not My people, 'You are My people!' And they will say, 'You are my God!'" Hosea 2:23

As Christians, whether you live in America or any other nation on the planet your people are those that make up the Body of Christ. Whether they look like you, talk like you, live like you, or vote like you; those are your people. Thick or thin, black or white, peace or war, those are your people. And guess what? Even if they don’t go to your church, those are your people too. As the body of Christ we are supposed to be one unit, one family, with our own beliefs, cultures and traditions. We are meant to be set apart from the culture of the world around us with our own unique language, traditions, and movements. We are His people. A people who are unified as one body serving one God. So as God's people let's stand together, let us honor one another in times of triumph or defeat. When we are pressed in on all sides, let's remember who our people are.

No matter who you are, what you have done or ever will do, you belong...You are My People.

We Are Going Back, 12 Days and Counting

The rumors are true, in under two weeks Ward and I will be making the long awaited journey back to Cambodia. We will leaving out of Raleigh on August 30th and landing in Cambodia 36hrs and 50min later! We will return back to the beautiful U.S.A in two months, arriving on November 2nd. 

It's been one year since we left Cambodia and we have greatly missed our brothers and sisters in Christ that are on ground. We have had a growing excitement about what God is going to do during this trip and we want to share some of the things that we plan to accomplish while we are there.  

- Training 

We will be spending most of September spending time with Lahn, our good friend, spiritual son, and future pastor of the KB Cambodia church plant. Lahn will be starting a 9 month school internship called "Growing Trees" which will begin at the end of September. We want to spend as much time as we can with him before he starts this amazing course. You can hear more about the Growing Trees internship program in our previous blog: School Is In Session.

During this time we will also be training him in Living Waters Ministries curriculum called "Healing the Hearts". Which is a scriptural based and spirit led inner healing course that focuses on healing the pain of unmet needs and learning how to grieve losses. Having experienced Living Waters ministry first hand in our own lives we are very passionate to see it brought to the hurting hearts of those all across the world. Because of the vast amount of devastation and emotional trauma caused by the Khmer Rouge we feel that Cambodia is a prime candidate for this ministry, and we are so excited to be able to bring this tool to the people there so that they can be set free from the pain of the past and be launched into their God given destiny. Lahn will have the opportunity to hear the teachings and work through the curriculum, while Ward and I are able to teach and mentor him on a personal level. Eventually Lahn will help us in translating this material so that the people of Cambodia can read it and experience healing in their own language. 

Lahn washing feet

- Loving

During this trip we have an incredible opportunity to stay with our dear friend Lynn, a crazy Australian who lives life full of joy and is lead completely by the Holy Spirit. Over the past several months Lynn has been developing a beautiful ministry called Wellspring Initiative Cambodia. Essentially she has opened up her home as a safe house, the underground railroad for street families in Cambodia if you will. Poverty is an epidemic in Cambodia and many families do not have homes and often resort to begging or forcing their children to beg on the streets, these are exactly the type of families that Lynn invites over for dinner! She has created a safe place where homeless families and street kids know that they can come to rest, get fed, and get a fresh word from the Father. By meeting practical physical needs and sharing unconditional love, Lynn has created incredible relationships with these beautiful people and has shared the gospel and is discipling many of them. They are hungry for discipleship and many of them want to go to church with her on Sundays, so she goes to pick them up from their cardboard homes and at the moment they are taking FOUR tuk-tuks to church! That's incredible. We will be living in Lynn's home during this trip and we are so excited that we get to experience this ministry first hand. 

Mama Lynn eating with street kids in her home

-Connecting

We will also be taking advantage of our time on ground to reconnect with old friends and also forge new relationships. We will be meeting with members of XP Missions, New Life Fellowship Church, Wellspring Initiative Cambodia, IHOP Cambodia, as well as a few others. These organizations are making such an impact in Cambodia and we want to glean all the wisdom and insight that we can so we can partner with them in the future by co-laboring to bring Jesus to the nations. 

We cannot convey the excitement we are feeling in our spirit for what God is going to do during this trip. We know God is going to do incredible things and we want you to be a part of it. Please find a way to stay connected with us while we are away, and even when we're back in the U.S.A. There are several ways to do this but the best way is through email and Facebook. By signing up to be part of our ministry email list you will receive private updates, weekly prayer directives, and stories that we won't post publicly on our blog or Facebook. 

To do this simply send an email to: farriorfamilymissions@gmail.com with the subject "Sign Up for Email List". When I receive your email you will be added to our list and will be able to stay in touch with what is going on at a greater level. 

You can also add us on Facebook, join our page: Farrior Family Missions Facebook where we will post pictures, updates, and even live videos from on ground in Cambodia. 

Thank you for being part of this journey with us! 

Blessings and Love, 

Arie Farrior

School is in Session (Almost)

We have been so blessed that most of our readers have been on this journey with us since day one and we wouldn't want this special moment to be any different. Most of you know the story of Lahn our spiritual son in Cambodia. You might have read the blog about how we first met and followed his journey of transformation over the past year.

If you haven't heard this incredible story, click here: Lahn's Story

We have continuously been astounded at his rapid growth and his ever increasing hunger for more of God. Last year Lahn wanted to attend Growing Trees Internship, a program offered at New Life Fellowship (an incredible church located in Phnom Penh). Unfortunately the school was full at that time, but that didn't deter him from his passion. Lahn created relationship with one of the pastors and has been volunteering his time helping the church in many ways. It has been an incredible year of learning how to serve leadership, as well as what it takes to be a pastor in day-to-day life. We know that this year was essential to his growing process and we are so thankful that he has had the opportunity to be mentored under such great leadership.

However, as summer starts to wind down and the school year draws closer we have some very exciting news. Lahn has been accepted into the Growing Trees class of 2016. Starting this September just as all your kiddos start back to school, Lahn will get the opportunity to attend this incredible school as well. Growing Trees is a course designed to give the Cambodian people a solid Biblical foundation, teach practical ministry tools, and create a place to learn core values that will shape their lives forever. We are so excited that Lahn has the opportunity to take this course, we know it will be a great step in launching him forward into his calling.

As we approach this school year we would so appreciate your prayers as he begins this new endeavor. If you feel led to join us in prayer: Pray for the teachers and staff of Growing Trees and New Life Fellowship, pray for the students who are signing up for this years class, and pray that these students will transform their culture from the inside out.

Check out the video below to learn more about the Growing Trees course and the things that Lahn will be learning this year. Again, thank you for partnering with us.

Love and Blessings,
Arie Farrior

What Does God Call You?

What does God call you and why does it matter? What God calls you is what you will become.

" Abraham who was called "Father" and then became a Father because he dared trust God to do what only God can do..."- Romans 4

God's voice has creative power, He spoke the world into existence, and He is speaking over you. Whatever God calls you is what you will become. There is a call to action that we must participate in, like Abraham we must dare to believe we are what God calls us to be. If we don't we will end up chasing after and creating our own Ishmael's of unbelief out of what was meant to be our destiny.

We were made in His image, with His likeness, and with His nature... so that means our words have creative power as well. Whatever He is speaking over you may not exist in the natural (yet) but as He declares it over you and you partner with Him and begin to declare it over yourself, you begin to co-create with God as He shapes you into what you were put on this planet to do.

Have you ever stopped and asked God what you were created for? What name does he call you by? We see in the Bible many times when God changes a persons names and in doing so dramatically shifts their destiny. This may not be a name like John, Sarah, or Elizabeth, though it definitely can be,  but is more likely something that the Lord is declaring over you, almost like a job title or a description of who you are from a heavenly perspective. Each one of us has a heavenly name, something that the Lord is speaking and declaring over us, I encourage you to ask Him what that is and when He tells you, choose to believe it.

What Does God Call YOU?

              - Beloved?      -Peace Maker?        -Father?         -Mother?         -Teacher?      -Leader?       -Forerunner?         -Warrior?         -Lover?

I encourage you to take some time today to sit and listen to what God is declaring over you, remember that what God calls you is what you will become!

How to partner with your destiny:
1. Believe it
As the Lord speaks to your heart, let His words soak in and choose to believe that what He is speaking over you is truly who you are.

2. Declare it 
Write down what He tells you, begin to declare it (speak it out loud) everyday. I mentioned earlier that our words have power, by speaking this identity out loud you are literally partnering with Heaven in your life.

3. Make Destiny Decisions
When you know who you are, then you can begin to live life according to purpose. This means when you are given opportunities to make life decisions you can do so with your purpose in mind. For example, if God tells me that I am a leader then I may begin to take practical steps to becoming a better leader by listening to teaching, reading books, or even going to school to learn about becoming a good leader. Or perhaps I would ask Him who I am supposed to lead and then begin pursuing that. When you begin understanding who you are watch as God opens doors that set you up to fulfill your destiny.

I once heard and amazing teacher about how "people act within their nature". It is the nature of a dog to bark, so you are not surprised or concerned when a dog barks because they are acting within their nature. However if a dog starts to talk like a human then it would more than likely cause concern because that is not a dogs nature. In the same way, when you know what it is that the Father calls you, you begin to act and make choices that line up with who you are, your heavenly nature. Gideon was called "Mighty Warrior" and because of this he led his people to freedom. For him to continue to hide in the wine press would not be in the nature of a mighty warrior.. but what honestly changed between him being called Gideon and being told he was a mighty warrior? The moment he believed the thing that God called him to do, the creative word took root and the thing that was spoken into existence is what he became.

4. Stay Encouraged
As you begin to walk into the fullness of who you were created to be, be aware of the snares of the enemy as he will try everything in his power to distract you from entering into your purpose. The enemy's tactics are the same throughout history. His number one tactic is to get you to doubt what God says about you, we see this multiple times throughout Scripture and it is still used today.
Here are some examples: 

• In the garden after God told Adam and Eve "Do not eat of this tree", Satan immediately came and said "Did God really say......?" 

• When Jesus was baptized God declared over Him "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased", then immediately after Jesus went into the wilderness and Satan said "IF you are the son of God..... "

• Abram and Sarai, God literally gave this couple a name change to Abraham and Sarah which literally meant father of many and mother of nations. These two created Ishmael out of doubt and unbelief instead of waiting of the Lord to fulfill what He promised to be true.

If you refuse to budge on your identity and know that what God says about you is truth then the enemy has no foothold to plant lies. This is where Abraham failed, there are seasons of life that we go through where God is silent. It's in these seasons where the enemy tries his hardest to get us to doubt what God said to us. God told Abraham he was going to be the father of many, but then God was silent. It doesn't say God was silent, but I guarantee you that Abraham was praying a lot and asking God a lot of questions as he was trying to figure out whether or not he should sleep with his servant.. but God's expectation was that Abraham would hold onto the promises of God even when it was the season of silence... HOLD ON! Continue partnering with heaven and declaring who you are, God's word cannot return to Him void.

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so my word that foes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." -Isaiah 55:10-11

Blessings and Love,
Arie Farrior

Facing Fear and Pursuing Purpose

Over the past week I have spent a lot of time reflecting on what God has done over the past year. When I think of where I was last year, I never would have imagined that I would be where I am today. On this day last year we had the fantastic opportunity to baptize Timothy* who has now become a spiritual son to us. This morning when I woke up I read my blog post from that day last year and I spent some time in reflection of all that has taken place since then. As I did so I was both humbled and excited about what God has done in the life of Timothy and I wanted to share an update on where he is today so that you can see how powerful our God is!

If you missed the post about how we met Timothy* and his radical story I highly encourage you to take a moment to read it. You can click on the link here: Six Years and Counting. 

The few weeks following Timothy's salvation and baptism were very interesting. There are two things that stood out to Ward and I the most.

1. Timothy lived in fear of everything around him.
He was 17 and was living in the home of two devout Buddhist parents. His mom visited the monks a few times a week and would bring home food that had been offered as a sacrifice for the family to eat. She was very involved in her religious activities and his family hated Christians. Timothy was terrified that his mom would find out that he was a Christian. He knew that if she found out then he would be kicked out of his home, and that thought invoked panic and fear into everything he did. When we would go out to study the Bible together he would make sure we sat far away from the windows for fear that someone he knew would see him with us. When we would walk down the street he would follow about twenty yards behind us so that no one would think we were together. No matter where he went there was this lurking feeling that at any moment he would be caught. This is how it was for quite awhile, but there was something else we noticed too...

2. Timothy had an unquenchable hunger to learn more about the Lord. 
Despite all of his greatest fears, Timothy refused to let them stand in the way of his pursuit of the Lord. He stayed up late waiting for his parents to go to sleep and then he would read his Bible all night. When his parents would leave the house he would anoint the doors of his house with oil, and pray for the blood of Jesus to cover his home. He met us everyday for Bible study and was passionate to learn everything he could as quickly as possible.

Several months later there was a moment of collision between these two beliefs. Timothy was faced with a decision that he knew would change his life forever. At the end of the school year, when the exams are given (the equivalent of our SAT's) parents will take their children to the temple to be prayed for by the monks or by a "seer" (psychic or black magic) so that they would be blessed to do well on their exams. Timothy did not want to go to this ceremony, he said that he was a Christian and he did not want to submit to the black magic anymore, but he knew his mom would ask him to go. He had discussions with us about this and we tried to seek the Lord for wisdom. Because Cambodian culture is very different than American culture, it was not as simple as just saying no. In their culture you are to honor your parents (no matter your age) and do what they ask, to say no to something is extreme dishonor. So this was a very sensitive situation.

However! Timothy heard the Lord for himself. He felt like he was to tell his parents that he was a Christian, which meant he had to confront one of his fears head on. We were all expecting a strong reaction of rage and that he would be kicked out of his home. Yet he obeyed the Lord, and he told them. God told him that he was to show his parents unconditional love and honor. He did this by cleaning the house, being obedient to his mother, and blessing them financially when he could. At the time of the ceremony Timothy felt that he was supposed to be obedient and show honor by going with his family to be blessed. When he did so, he prayed the whole time. They went down the line and blessed and predicted the future for each of his family members. When they got to Timothy, the man said that he could not see anything because there was a bright light that was blocking him from being able to predict anything for him! How good is our God!!! God allowed Timothy to be obedient and honor his parents, but also protected him and allowed his family to see that the power of our God is greater than any power of darkness! God's glorious light shines brighter.

This was a huge turning point, Timothy's parents now knew that he was a Christian and though they didn't support it they respected his decision. Another miracle!

I felt led to share this because I want everyone to see the power of our relationship with God. The Bible tells us that perfect love casts out fear, and we have been privileged to watch this first hand though the life of Timothy*. Where fear once consumed everything, love now abounds!

Since the day when we first brought Timothy* to church it has been one year...
He now works for us as an ambassador of the Kingdom in Cambodia. He volunteers assisting one of the pastors of that church learning how to do pastoral care for people in his community. He is no longer afraid to speak to people or to share the love of God with any and everyone he meets. As a matter of fact he has led outreaches in the slums, schools, and even prisons. He is so passionate about his relationship with God and he longs to see God's love shape and transform Cambodia. The greatest testimony of all is that he continues to honor and share the love of God with his family. We are continuing to partner with him in prayer for the salvation of his family, and the outpouring of God in Cambodia.

We are so blessed to be able to know and to work with Timothy* as he works out his salvation. His hunger and passion for the Lord inspires us constantly. There is so much available to us when we pursue the Lord with reckless abandon, leaving behind every fear and every worldly expectation that is put on us. If you are struggling to follow what the Lord has called you to do because you feel the pull of worldly expectations holding you back.. (job, finances, family, etc.) just know that God is bigger than any obstacle that you might face. His plans often make no sense to us but the end result is something so much better than we could have ever imagined on our own. I hope that this testimony encourages you to take the step of faith even in the face of your greatest fears. He is faithful, and I promise that as you lean into His calling and plans that He will never let you down!

Timothy* on outreach

Timothy* with the Pastor of New Life Church in Phnom Penh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Timothy* eating with our missionary friends in Cambodia

Timothy*= Name changed for protective purposes



With much love and many blessings,
Arie Farrior

Fishing stories Pt. 3 "Leaving the Boats Behind"

This is my last post on Luke 5, we are going to look at the last three verses of this passage and see what it looks like to walk in radical Christianity like the disciples did! 

Luke 5: 1-11

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] 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.

Notice that up until the end of the passage this event was mainly between Simon and Jesus. It was Simon who allowed Jesus to teach from his boat. It was Simon whom Jesus commanded to go back into the water, and it was Simon who obeyed him. However because of his faithfulness, James and John also experience the miracle and the breakthrough. Then, we see that in the following verse Jesus says that they are all called to leave behind their nets and to be fishers of men.

Just as Simon's obedience brought in bounty and blessing for he and his friends, as you walk in obedience to the Lord your breakthrough will affect those around you. You will bring those around you into an encounter and ultimately a relationship with Christ. Are you being obedient despite how crazy it sounds? If not you may not only be holding yourself back from your destiny but also those around you. Your obedience has the power to create an encounter that not only changes your destiny but changes the destiny of those who you surround yourself with. Had Simon not been obedient would all of the men simply continued to be fishermen? We don't know, but we do know that because Simon listened and obeyed he witnessed a powerful miracle before his very eyes, not only he but all of those around him saw it and were amazed! As a result every single one of them decided to follow Christ.

We are in a season where just as Jesus told the men to leave their nets and follow him, God is calling people to begin walking in their God given destiny. If you are hearing the Lord asking something of you be careful to listen to His voice, you never know when your obedience to the Lord will prompt Him to open a new door in not only your life but those around you. Maybe you are reading this today and you feel like you missed the call of the Lord for your life, repent for not being obedient to His voice and ask Him to begin re-positioning you to walk in the fullness of who you were created to be.


As we look at the last part of verse 10, Jesus speaks identity and destiny over these men. He says "Do not be afraid; from now on you will fish for people". I have heard this point preached on a few different occasions but I am not sure we take it to heart like we should.

Think about this..
As they obeyed they pulled in a multitude of fish so great that it tore their nets and their boats began to sink. This is a professional fisherman's dream come true! What more could they have wanted? I'm sure as they pulled in those fish they were counting the dollars they could make with this catch.

Imagine yourself at your own job, all of a sudden you get promoted to the position you have been dreaming of! How exciting! Higher salary, benefits, paid vacation, the whole package! You're probably already planning that trip you've always wanted to take with your family.... What would your response be?

But what do these men do? As soon as they haul in this massive catch they dock their boat and Simon throws himself at the feet of Jesus and says " Go away from me, Lord. I am a sinful  man."

Why?... Blessing should always bring humility and gratitude. We often struggle with this. We may tend to hold our head a little higher and think "Alright! Finally things are starting to go my way." We've all done it, but this is a dangerous attitude. This attitude is the fruit of an entitlement mentality. Beware (BE- AWARE) of thoughts like this because it reveals that in our heart we feel like we deserve for things to go the way we want. As Christians we often fail to seek the Lord in blessing. When life is hard, we scramble to our prayer closets and seek the Lord for breakthrough. But when the Lord finally does bring us out of our season of hardship how many of us are still hitting our knees like we should be? I know I struggle with that myself. Peter shows us in this passage what the correct response is to a season of breakthrough. He bows before the Lord and he is brought to humility by this blessing. Instead of the entitlement mentality he actually points out how unworthy he is because of the sin in his life.


Breakthrough should yield two things in your life...
1. humility and repentance
2. new levels of obedience


Just after this conversation with Jesus the guys leave their big catch and their entire lively hood on the beach. Boats, nets, and a mountain of fish just left on the shore... Are you ready to leave it all behind if the Lord says to you "Come follow me"? They didn't say "Hey wait, let me sell all this fish you just blessed me with. And let me sell my boat or find a friend to give it to." They had no fallback plan, they simply left it there on the beach. This was their response in verse 11..." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything, and followed him". This is that new level of obedience I mentioned above. Jesus said to them "Do not be afraid. From now on you will fish for people". Why did this require a higher level of obedience? Because this made absolutely no sense to them! They left everything they owned, everything they had to go do something that made no sense to them at all!

I want to encourage some of you and challenge others. Just like these men, God is calling some of you to do things that make absolutely no sense in the natural. Ward and I experienced this ourselves after we spent six months remodeling a house and were then called to move full time to Cambodia. We sold our new car, and left the house that we had just invested so much time and money into, but it was all part of God's plan to get us where we needed to be.

God is calling people into "deeper water", to do things that you don't yet understand. Do not worry what others say or think. You have to answer to the Lord for your own life, so step out in obedience if you are hearing His voice. I can promise it's a wild adventure but it's worth every moment!

So to recap our Fishing Stories from Luke 5 1:11

- Obedience is a Test of the Heart, don't allow offense to keep you from walking in obedience to what God is asking of you.

- Obedience Positions you for Breakthrough

- It's Time to Prepare our Nets for Harvest, don't let your nets tear or the boats sink with the soon coming harvest.

- Obedience has the ability to bring both us and those around us into our God given Kingdom Assignment

- Breakthrough should Produce Humility and Repentance, beware of the entitlement mentality.

- Breakthrough that comes from an act of obedience requires greater levels of obedience in the future.




In my next blog I am going to share one last fishing story, but this time we will be looking at the very similar fishing encounter found in John 21. Thank you for reading! I hope that the Lord met you and spoke to your heart as you read this series!

Much love and many blessings,
Arie! 

Fishing Stories Pt. 2 "Have You Prepared Your Nets?"

Fishing Stories Pt. 2

Did you miss Part 1 of the Fishing Stories Series? If so follow this link to check out yesterdays post, Offensive Obedience before reading on.

Luke 5: 1-11

5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] 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.

It's Time to Prepare the Net

Have you been waiting for God to meet you in your current circumstances? Have you been seeking for breakthrough in your job, family, or finances? God makes it clear in the verses above that He is able to supply exactly what we need at our most critical hour. 

Remember that Simon (Peter) was a business owner, he owned and operated a professional fishing business. At this particular time his business wasn't doing so well. He had a crew which he probably paid all night to fish with him and they literally caught nothing. Im sure business days like this were pretty devastating.

After his long day (night), he stops to hear Jesus teaching at the beach. As I mentioned yesterday, Jesus tested Peter's heart by telling him to go back out on the water and try fishing on the other side of the boat. We took a closer look at how Peter stepped out in faith and obedience despite the fact this sounded like a crazy request. Then out of nowhere something crazy happened, the entire net was swarming with fish! So many fish that he had to call the other boats in his crew to come and help him haul in the load...Once James and John, along with the other crew members, come on the scene they are all working together in order to haul in the nets with all the fish. As they do so the nets begin to tear, and the boats become so full of fish that all of their boats are nearly sinking.

There are two IMPORTANT things God has highlighted right now. 

1.  Obedience Positions you for breakthrough...

We looked yesterday at how Peter acted in obedience to Jesus, as we look today we see the reward of his actions. Obedience positions you for breakthrough! I love how Jesus met Peter's need in such a practical way. He provided breakthrough in an area that was close to Peter's heart. He also didn't drop a million dollars in Peter's lap, he activated Peter by having him step out in order to receive his breakthrough. Many feel like they are in a season similar to Peter's night out on the boat. In a season like this it is very easy to become discouraged. Jesus knows exactly where you are and the struggles you are facing, better yet He knows exactly how to meet your greatest needs. Just as Peter's obedience to the Lord yielded life changing breakthrough, I want to encourage you to keep moving in obedience to the Lord because He is positioning you for breakthrough as well. Jesus knew exactly how to meet Peter's need way beyond what Peter was prepared for and He is able to do the same for you too. Remember that stepping out in obedience activates your breakthrough. 

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. " - Ephesians 3:20-21  

 2. Prepare the Nets!

We also see in this passage that as they are trying to bring in the fish, the nets begin to tear. So if obedience positions you for breakthrough, are you prepared to hold the blessing when it comes? I believe this applies to both a personal breakthrough and also for the church. Prophets from all over the world have been prophesying for years about a great harvest of people who will be coming into the church. I feel such an urgency in my spirit that we are in the season right now and God is telling His people to get ready. Are your nets prepared to pull in such a harvest? Like Peter, will your boat (ministry) sink in the middle of great revival? God is urging all of us to go deeper with Him so that we are able to sustain the things that are coming. 

Over the next few weeks, set aside intentional time to spend with the Lord and allow Him to speak to you and prepare you for what is coming. Pray that He will reveal anything in you that needs to be removed in order to walk in who He has created you to be. Invite Him to heal any broken places in you that would hinder you from pouring out His love to others. If you are in a season like Peter where nothing seems to be working, encourage yourself in the Lord daily by spending extra time in worship and prayer. This is a test of the heart just like Peter. Be faithful, continue to walk in obedience, and know that breakthrough is just around the corner.

Check out Fishing Stories Pt. 3 Coming Soon!

Love and Blessings,
Arie