HOW TO FIND THE STRENGTH TO CAST YOUR NET, AGAIN.

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Have you grown weary that you don’t even desire to cast your net again? The world constantly tells us it is pointless to keep doing the same thing repeatedly and expect a different result. But what happens when it is God telling you to? In Luke 5:2-11, the Bible tells us that Jesus was ministering to a large crowd, and because of how much they were pushing to get close to Him; He saw a boat and wanted to get into it. The boat He picked belonged to Simon Peter. Fortunately, Peter said yes, and Jesus could minister to His crowd. Once He was through, He asked Peter to take the boat into the deep waters and there he would catch fish.

On one occasion, Jesus was preaching to a crowd on the shore of Lake Galilee.  A vast multitude of people was pushing to get close to Jesus to hear the word of God. 2He noticed two fishing boats at the water’s edge, with the fishermen nearby, rinsing their nets. 3 Jesus climbed into the boat belonging to Simon Peter and said to him, “Let me use your boat. Push it off a short distance away from the shore so I can speak to the crowd.”4 Jesus sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished, he said to Peter, 

“Now row out to deep water to cast your nets and you will have a great catch.”5“Master,” Peter replied, “we’ve just come back from fishing all night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you insist, we’ll go out again and let down our nets because of your word.” When they pulled up their nets, they were shocked to see a huge catch of fish, and their nets were ready to burst! 7 They waved to their business partners in the other boat for help. They ended up completely filling both boats with fish until they began to sink! (Luke 5:1-7)

But notice Peters’ response,” Master, we have toiled all night and did not catch any fish.” Peter was speaking from a natural perspective. Peter had toiled all night, and he had caught no fish. The thought of having to do it again was not only daunting but also frustrating. Can you relate to Peter? Is God asking you to go around the same mountain again? Is the thought of failing again scaring you? In which area is God asking you to cast your net again?

Peter had not realized that the One who was telling him controlled even the animals in the sea. Although Peter was weary, his next response exemplifies a top level of faith. Peter told Jesus,” But since you asked, I will do it again.” The chapter tells us that Peter’s obedience led him to catch so many fish that he had to ask other boats to join in. Despite the tremendous catch of fish, the nets did not tear. Will you, like Peter, cast your net again? Will you try this last time because God is asking you to?

How do you know God is telling you to keep pushing despite the failures? How can you tell when God is asking you to cast your net, again?

• God will never contradict Himself, and so His will always align with His word. When it is God telling you to do something, it will always align with what He says in His word.
• You cannot shake the desire off of you, no matter how much you try. No matter how far away you run from it, you keep coming back. Have there been moments where you circle back to the same thing repeatedly? Does the desire to pursue a certain project keep coming back to you regardless of the fact that it has failed before? Maybe it’s a business idea that has failed before, but now you feel the desire to pursue it again. Could it be God that has put that desire in your heart and is asking you to try again?
• You hear that small, still, voice telling you to keep going despite the dead ends. To be clear, the still small voice is The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is your encourager. He will nudge you to try again, even when it looks like all hope is gone. He will ask you to try it yet again.
• You still have faith, even when all hope seems lost. Have you had moments where you still have faith in something that in the natural makes little sense? Don’t get me wrong, you will experience doubts and even want to give up. But there is always that flicker of faith that bursts forth in the middle of doubt and fear. Maybe you are going through a season where both fear and doubt seem to fight for your attention. This could be a sign that God is asking you to cast your net again.

So how do you cast your net?

• Focus on God
• Obey
• Go deeper.

Focus on Jesus.

Although Peter had grown weary from not catching any fish and toiling all night, he availed his boat when Jesus asked him to. Those seasons that seem unproductive are the ones that Jesus wants to use. If you hit a dead-end and are not sure what to do next, why not use the time to focus on Jesus? That can be as little as using that time to deepen your relationship with Jesus or volunteer in church or community. Whatever you can do to get your mind off of your situation and on to Jesus, do it. Prayer, praise, and worship are other things you can do. When you focus on Jesus, He takes care of your needs. Jesus is looking for someone who will allow Him to use them.

Peter allowed Jesus to use his boat to minister to the multitude. Maybe Jesus is asking you to allow Him to minister to others through you. It is in the season of despair and disappointment that God wants to use. The Shunamite woman used to give Elisha a place to stay. She set aside a room for him despite her lack of not having children. She did not stop extending her generosity because of how unfair life had been to her.

The widow of Zarephath prepared a meal for Elijah despite the fact that that was all she had left for herself and her son. The truth of the matter is that you might think that you are fully depleted, but there is always something that you can give. You are not running on empty. God will use you in your lack to encourage someone. It was in that place of lack that Jesus used Peter’s boat to bring redemption to others. Peter had to go back to the place of disappointment again because Jesus had asked him. It is also important to note that as Jesus climbed the boat; He asked Peter to take his boat a little bit deeper.

Jesus was asking Peter to take the boat toward his disappointment. Can you relate? Has Jesus asked you to go back to that place of disappointment? Is God asking you to go back to the place where you experienced the pain, hurt, and pain? The place where Peter’s boat was a constant reminder of his past failure. Wow! And here was Jesus ministering to others first instead of his situation.

It can seem unfair when what Jesus is asking you to do benefits others when you need healing and help yourself. Peter had to overcome the desire to have his need met for the benefit of others. He had to overcome his discomfort because Jesus had asked him to. Jesus might ask you to help someone else while you are in the midst of your problem. And the question now becomes, will you obey? This introduces our second point.

Obedience is key when God is leading you to cast your net again.

Peter was quick to respond to Jesus’ instruction. The thing I want you to realize is, he repeated the same action he had been doing just because Jesus asked him to. Jesus’ instruction will sometimes require you to go back to that place of disappointment and pain. But if you obey Him, you will not only get refreshed, but you will also get your miracle. http://bible.us/1/pro13.12.amp. Jesus knew Peter’s disappointment, and He wanted to heal his sick heart. So he asked him to go to the same river he had toiled all night to get his miracle.

We have heard people’s stories who persisted and chased their dreams despite the failures, rejections, and no’s. But because of not giving up, they achieved their dreams. An example would be Tyler Perry, he quit his job so many times just so he could pursue his dream. Every time God told him to do it again, he did. He held on to the dream because he knew God had given it to him. Now, he gets to enjoy the fruit of his labor. All this stemmed from his obedience to God. When you say yes to God, He will come through. Are you willing to back to that place of bondage because Jesus is asking you to? Will you obey when Jesus asks you to go back to that place of hurt, pain, and turmoil?

Often we think our breakthrough comes from sacrifice, but in most situations, our breakthrough will come from our obedience. Even the Bible tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice. Have you been experiencing a cycle of defeat and stagnation? Do you feel you are going around in circles? Maybe what Jesus wants you to do in order to experience your breakthrough is to obey what He is asking you to do. Your breakthrough could be in your place of disappointment. The thing is Jesus wants to bring wholeness to your life, and He does that by first taking you back so that He can free you from disappointment by bringing healing in that area of your life. Maybe it is time for you to go back so that Jesus can move you forward.

READ ALSO: 3 KEYS THAT WILL HELP ENCOURAGE YOU IF YOU HAVE BEEN TOILING WITHOUT SEEING TANGIBLE RESULTS.

Go deeper!

Peter would not have caught the tremendous catch of fish if he had stayed in the shallow part of the sea. His miracle was on the deep end. When Jesus asks you to take a risk, will you do it? Maybe it is quitting your job and starting a new business. Or moving to a new country. Will you say yes and give it your all? All or nothing. God is asking you to jump into the deep end. He is waiting for you to act, will you? Coz when you do, you will receive a miracle so big, it will blow your mind. In fact, it will cause you to be a blessing to the people around you as well.

Going deeper could mean cultivating a deeper relationship with Jesus. Going deeper could also mean doing things in a way you never have before. Before Peter could cast his net. Jesus asked him to go a little deeper. In what area is Jesus asking you to go to the deep end? Maybe you have been swimming in the baby pool, but now Jesus wants you to take the leap and go deeper. It is possible that Jesus wants you to try something new. Maybe He wants you to do something you have never done before.

Have you been playing it safe? It could look like writing a book or switching careers or moving to a new place. Or maybe Jesus is asking you to open yourself up and let people see the areas you have been afraid to let others see. Maybe Jesus is asking you to open yourself up and this time actually, go all in instead of just taking tiny calculated risks. Going deeper will look different for each one of us. The truth, however, remains that Jesus will take you out of your comfort zone.

• JESUS WANTS TO STEP INTO THE SCENE TODAY.
• WHAT WILL YOU DO WHEN GOD CHALLENGES YOUR BELIEFS?
• Want To Give Up On God? Try Him One More Time!
• ENCOUNTERING JESUS AT THE WELL
• SELF DOUBT: HOW CAN YOU OVERCOME IT?

Conclusion

You will find your miracle in intimate places with God, basically the secret place. The deeper you go, the bigger the reward. God is calling you to take that leap of faith so that you can experience Him in ways you never did. He wants you to receive your breakthrough, but it will only be found in those deep places. So maybe it’s time for you to say this prayer.