This morning, we continue our series, “The Miracles of Jesus.” Before we get into the miracle, let’s look at the foundational scripture I will share with you all year.
(Psalm 126:4 TPT)
Now, Lord, do it again! Restore us to our former glory! May streams of your refreshing flow over us until our dry hearts are drenched again.
This is a season of refreshing and restoring for us. I pray you get refreshed and restored as we study each miracle.
Today we go back to an early point in Jesus’ ministry. One day, before Jesus had formed His team, He was standing by the Sea of Galilee, and a crowd gathered around Him to hear the Word of God. Jesus looked at the size of the crowd and realized that He wanted a better place to address them. As He looked around, He noticed two boats tied up while the owners of the boats, fishermen, were scrubbing their nets. Jesus asked one of the fishermen, Simon (later known as Peter) if He could help him with his boat. Simon agreed. This decision would change Simon’s life forever.
Simon maneuvered the boat, with Jesus in it, to a spot where Jesus had the distance He wanted from which to address the crowd. Jesus then used Simon’s boat as a floating pulpit as He preached the Word of God. When Jesus was done with His message, it was time for Him to provide an object lesson on the principle of sowing and reaping.
Simon, the fisherman, had given up his time, talent, and treasure for Jesus’ ministry. I will expand. After fishing all night long, he had given up his time to help Jesus preach the gospel. He used his talent, rowing the boat into position and keeping it as steady as possible while Jesus performed His ministry. He had given up his treasure by taking assets from his fishing business and using them to support Jesus’ assignment. Jesus, as the Lord of the Harvest, would not allow Simon the fisherman to sow all this seed with no harvest.
Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep water and let down his nets for a catch. This is where Simon almost missed his blessing. He told Jesus that he had toiled all night long and had nothing to show for his efforts. His work that evening and into the morning was fruitless. Furthermore, he was a professional fisherman. Simon knew when to fish in the Sea of Galilee, and he knew that the best time had passed. His head was telling him that Jesus knew nothing about fishing, but thankfully his heart was telling him to listen. Simon made the right choice and followed his heart. Simon said, “Nevertheless, just because you said so, I am going to do it.” But I don’t think Simon really expected to receive anything. Jesus told him to let down his “nets.” Simon only let down one net. As soon as he did, it was like the fish were jumping into the net. There were so many fish that the net began to break, and the boat began to sink. This was a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish! Simon had to call for his partners to help bring in the load.
When Simon finally made it to the seashore, and he processed what had just happened, he knew it was a miracle. He had been on the water his entire life and had never seen anything like it. Simon fell to his knees and worshipped Jesus. From then on, Jesus would make Simon and a couple of his friends fishers of men.
So what does this mean for you today? There is so much to this story. It will take my time and cover it for days. Here are a few golden nuggets this morning.
1. Nothing happens by chance.
— What you may think was an accident or coincidence oftentimes winds up being God’s providence.
— The text tells us that Jesus saw two boats and two fishermen cleaning their nets. Jesus’ just so happened to get into the boat that belonged to Simon (Peter). That was not an accident but rather a divine appointment. God had big plans for Peter, and it all started with a choice between two boats.
— An event can happen today that will help shape your tomorrow. Keep your heart open to discern what God is doing. He sets up divine appointments for you all the time.
— When God sets you up with a divine appointment, and He sets things in motion in your life that usher you into His best, don’t disrespect God’s planning by attributing the event to “luck.” There’s no such thing as luck.
2. Don’t let your intellect keep you from your blessing.
— As believers attempting to live a life of faith, we sometimes overthink things. We think so much that we think our way out of what God is trying to do in our lives.
— Simon Peter knew a lot about fishing, and his knowledge almost caused him to miss his blessing. He was the fisherman and Jesus was the preacher. So when Jesus (the preacher) tried to tell Simon (the fisherman) what to do with his fishing business, the fisherman almost dismissed the preacher. Guess what? People dismiss God’s ideas every day because they think they know better.
— I am a very rational person, and I believe I possess a great deal of common sense, but I also know that when it comes to the things of God, I must be led by the Spirit and not by my senses. God is a Spirit. Therefore, He is Spiritual, not sensual. This means He will tell you to do things that make no sense. But if you listen and obey, you will walk in His best. If you “think” your way out of it, you will be thinking your way out of your blessing.
— Adam never went to school. He received everything from God Spirit-to-spirit. When Adam fell, he fell from discerning to learning. He fell from instinct to intellect. He fell from revelation to education. Jesus came to get us back to where Adam was before the fall. Jesus did not make decisions based on what He learned in this world. Jesus made decisions based on what He discerned from the Father. Simon almost missed out on his blessing because he almost allowed what he had learned from years of fishing to override what Jesus was discerning in the Spirit. Please don’t make this mistake.
3. God is not against natural harvests.
— Some believers have a hard time receiving natural blessings. All their emphasis is on going to heaven, and they shun any desire to succeed in this present world. I think these people have a warped view of the Bible. God wants you to make it to heaven, but He also wants you to enjoy the ride. There are countless people in scripture whom the Lord blessed with material wealth and natural blessings. I am all for pursuing spiritual gifts, and I preach that without reservation, but I am also clear that God is not against earthly success.
— Simon the fisherman contributed his time, talent, and treasure, from his fishing business, into Jesus’s ministry. As a result, Jesus did not pray for healing over his body or for his relationship with God to be closer. No, Simon sowed natural seed, and Jesus provided a natural harvest.
— Simon sowed from his fishing business, and Jesus caused his fishing business to experience the largest haul he had ever seen. My point is that God is not against us experiencing business success, especially when we use our business resources to sow into ministry.
— When you dedicate your business to God and use the resources of your company to support God’s Kingdom plans and purposes, God can see to it that contracts come looking for you. Just like the fish were jumping into Simon’s net, opportunities will track you down and overtake you because you are using a portion of the resources that come in to advance God’s purposes on this planet.
4. Spiritual insight is much greater than natural education.
— When Adam walked the earth he was anointed to rule, lead, govern, and dominate. He did this without education. All he knew, he received by revelation from the Father. But when he was kicked out of the Garden of Eden, humanity fell from discerning to learning. Jesus came to get us back to the state where we can walk with God and discern what He wants us to do.
— What Simon had learned from years of fishing almost kept him from what Jesus had discerned in a moment.
— Discerning is a greater level of insight than learning.
— God can give you a thought or an idea by revelation that you would have never learned through education.
— Simon was operating on intellect, and Jesus was operating on instinct. We see that divine instinct is better. Guess what? Now that you have the Holy Spirit, you can trust your divine instinct as well.
That’s enough for today. We will pick up this miracle from here tomorrow.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, this is a season of refreshing and restoring for me!
I thank You for all You have blessed me to have and oversee, and I take what I have and sow it back into You.
I sow my time, talent, and treasure into Your Kingdom, so Your plans and purposes will manifest in this world. As I do, You, Father, as the Lord of the Harvest, see to it that I reap a harvest on every seed sown.
You set up divine appointments for me, I discern what You are doing, and I am led by Your Spirit concerning what to do during the meetings. You give me creative concepts, ideas, and ways. You do this by Your Spirit, and I am able to discern what You are leading me to do.
As You lead me, Father, I never allow my learning to override my discerning. I never let my intellect to talk me out of what my divine instinct is leading me to do.
Living this way, I get to experience Your best for my life. GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
