Let Down Your Nets Of Faith
4 “When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” Luke 5:4-5 NKJV
When we read this passage we often overlook the fact that Jesus told Peter to let down his nets, plural not singular. Now, look at Peter’s response to this request by Jesus. He expresses his learned opinion as an expert fisherman, that there is nothing to be caught this day. Nevertheless, because Jesus had asked Peter would go back out and let down his “net”, singular not plural as the Lord requested. Peter obeyed the Lord but he did so with almost no level of expectation that the results would differ from his experience through the previous night.
We always need to remember that Jesus is a God of abundance. He does not just meet the need in your life, He exceeds the need! We are so often just like Peter when living out our lives in the Lord. We may obey, but it is not with any real level of expectation so the result is that we miss out on the abundance that He has planned for us, the abundance that is ours according to His Word and promises.
As you take the time to read the Word of God daily in your life, read the promises that are there for you and apply those specific promises to your situation. Then after you have stood on the Word, regardless of how things may appear, expect that there will be an abundance in your answer. Jesus is the Word, so when he spoke and told Peter that if he let out his nets he would receive a great catch. It was a promise Peter could have held onto with expectation. In the same way, when we read the promises in the Word it is Jesus speaking those very things in your life, just as He did to Peter. You can hold onto them as assuredly as Peter could. You can expect the same abundance that Peter received.
Remember the end of that story with Peter was that the catch was so great that his nets started to break. Peter signaled for his friends to bring the other boat out to help bring in the catch. The haul was so great that both boats began to sink from the abundance of their blessing.
Read the promises from the Word and know they are for you. Then raise your level of expectation and let out your nets to receive all that He has provided for you.
J Todd Hostetler