We have been given a picture recently a couple of times and then again it came on Wednesday night another confirmation of basket loads of fish, a catch so huge. This same Wednesday I had also read the scripture from Luke 5: 4-11 "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 humber of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled 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.
I believe there is a fresh call to put out your net, not only for Jim and I and for the ministry the Lord has given us, but also for each one of you. You may have been fishing for a long time and felt like you had caught nothing, you may have been working hard day and night and feel tired and ready to give up, but there is a call going out today to put down the net again and you will see a catch you have not ever seen. And encouragement to step out again not in our own strength this time but because the Lord has said so, and because he has said so, he will do it.
My question as I ponder this in my heart is, "okay Lord I believe this is what you are saying and so how am I to do that? How am I to put out my net?" And so I ask of the Lord and I ask you too, if you pray for this ministry to pray with us in this, but also to ask the question to the Lord in your own life, how you are to put the net out in your own life. It may be as you always have done before but with a fresh expectancy and excitement of more coming into the net and that being the case, be prepared for the more that God wants to bring the best you can.
The past year God has been saying to us to be prepared for expansion and so we had first moved out from meeting in our lounge into our double garage as things grew and then to Puketaha Hall in preparation of the more. Even though we didn't see the growth and in fact we saw less, we also knew in faith we were doing what we believed the Lord was saying and that was preparing for expansion even if we didn't see it yet. So what is it that God would be saying to you in preparation for all those fish that are going to come into your net? And to be expectant that the fish will come, you just have to be obedient and put down your net in whatever way that may look for you.
Also when you put out into the deep, it is often a place of the unknown, it can be a scary place seemingly unsafe place but that is the place that God meets you, it is the place of the miraculous where only God can do what he wants to do, when we are not holding onto anything and are dependant and reliant on Him to do what He said He will do :)
I believe there is a fresh call to put out your net, not only for Jim and I and for the ministry the Lord has given us, but also for each one of you. You may have been fishing for a long time and felt like you had caught nothing, you may have been working hard day and night and feel tired and ready to give up, but there is a call going out today to put down the net again and you will see a catch you have not ever seen. And encouragement to step out again not in our own strength this time but because the Lord has said so, and because he has said so, he will do it.
My question as I ponder this in my heart is, "okay Lord I believe this is what you are saying and so how am I to do that? How am I to put out my net?" And so I ask of the Lord and I ask you too, if you pray for this ministry to pray with us in this, but also to ask the question to the Lord in your own life, how you are to put the net out in your own life. It may be as you always have done before but with a fresh expectancy and excitement of more coming into the net and that being the case, be prepared for the more that God wants to bring the best you can.
The past year God has been saying to us to be prepared for expansion and so we had first moved out from meeting in our lounge into our double garage as things grew and then to Puketaha Hall in preparation of the more. Even though we didn't see the growth and in fact we saw less, we also knew in faith we were doing what we believed the Lord was saying and that was preparing for expansion even if we didn't see it yet. So what is it that God would be saying to you in preparation for all those fish that are going to come into your net? And to be expectant that the fish will come, you just have to be obedient and put down your net in whatever way that may look for you.
Also when you put out into the deep, it is often a place of the unknown, it can be a scary place seemingly unsafe place but that is the place that God meets you, it is the place of the miraculous where only God can do what he wants to do, when we are not holding onto anything and are dependant and reliant on Him to do what He said He will do :)