“These who have turned the world upside down have come here too.” (Acts 17:6b NKJV)
Lord, I want to turn the world upside down for You. I want to be known as a world changer, someone who makes things happen, so I can fulfill the purpose for which I was created and contribute my gifts to my area of influence.
“All change will cost something, even if it’s just the loss of the familiar. We must be willing to let go of what isn’t working for us in order to pursue what is best for us.” (Dr. Myles Munroe)
I am willing to pay the price for change. At Your direction Lord, I will let go of the familiar to embrace the unknown. I’m ready to let go of what’s not working in my life to pursue vision and follow Your instructions.
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 5:5 NKJV)
The usual way netted nothing. Here comes Jesus with an unusual way, fishing in the morning. And we learn in the next few verses they caught so many fish they needed help gathering them up.
Like Simon, I must be willing to try something different, even if it doesn't make sense. Fishing during the day was not the norm, you caught more fish at night. After fishing all night they’d caught nothing and were in fact washing their nets when Jesus got in their boat and had them put out a little from land and taught the multitudes from the boat! When He was done Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep and let his nets, the nets they’d been cleaning, down for a catch.
Simon was an experienced fisherman. Jesus was not. This is what made Jesus’ instructions and Simon’s obedience a great story and a reminder to us to trust Jesus even when it doesn’t make sense, and be to be willing to try something different, unusual even, when Jesus gives the directive.
Simon had to initiate change, doing something different than he usually did and was comfortable doing, and knew worked, to obey Jesus. The result of obedience was increase!
Am I willing to use what I’ve cleaned up and put away in a different manner with a nevertheless response to Holy Spirit’s direction? There’s a cost to doing things differently and I must count the cost between being satisfied with enough and sometimes not enough, to risk receiving more than enough. These are some good questions to ask ourselves as we pursue the vision God has given us.
Be Encouraged! ❤
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