I almost caught that one!
Fish stay in their element (water), and their life is in the water. You can’t see all the living things under that water, and to look at the surface, it may seem empty.
Same water, Same boat, Same fish, Same bait, Same net.
Things can change, but you must be willing to obey the Lord’s leading.
Right in the middle of the same thing all night, nothing changed, the same old routine of mundane ways, like never catching a fish with the same bait.
When the Lord speaks a word of direction, it takes action to cast the net on the other side.
When all that was needed was obeying His words.
Did you know that water represents the Holy Spirit’s ability to refresh us, quench our spiritual thirst, cleanse us, and bring forth life wherever He flows? He is the rain of Heaven and the living river flowing from within, always bringing us to the Father and the Son, (remember the same Spirit) moving in diverse ways, the trinity stays in complete unity.
Like thirst on a hot summer day, you thirst for ice in your water. My mom shared stories of her childhood days when ice trucks would chunk off pieces and put them through a specific ice door in homes. She said that she and other children would follow those ice trucks for a sliver to cool themselves off from the heat of the summer days. ( For some of you, this was before air conditioners)
The elements of the Holy Spirit are of the same purpose as the (effect is for the need).
Water is water; ice is frozen and is water.
What do you need?
Are you super hot and you need some ice, or do you need to drink cause you’re thirsty,
John 4:13-15 ( the effect of the living water)
Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
✔️Thirst is a picture of the spiritual need and longing that everyone has.
It isn’t a one-time sip of Jesus that satisfies forever, but continual drinking of his words and communion with Him.
We have certain purposes for specific needs.
And the physical mirrors the spiritual; if you thirst for the living water, your thirst will be quenched.
It’s common for people to try and satisfy their God-created inner thirst through many things or through anything except for what Jesus gives.
“What does a thirsty man do to get rid of his thirst? He drinks. Sadly, from the hand of the enemy, a substance that will kill, steal, and destroy. The enemy uses alcohol or any substitute to do that.
The devil knows what bait is tempting enough as he lures you out of the living water, leaving you dying of thirst.
- Discernment is a gift from the Holy Spirit
- Discerning shuts the worry up
- Discerning destroys deception
The Holy Spirit’s discernment tells us to be ready. Here comes your solution. Your specific need. But it would help if you took action.
Jesus shows up at their work, things change, and miracles happen. They were fishermen by trade.
But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Then Jesus asked them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.” And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
Jesus made a strange suggestion to His disciples. Logic reasoning would say,(can’t you hear those fishermen carrying on)
“There is no reason fishing on one side of our boat would be better than this.”
Can you imagine hearing a voice calling out fishing instructions from the shore? Cast your net on the right side!
We should never be afraid to change our method as long as it is in the direction of Jesus.
Obeying delivers his promises beyond our expectations.
Remember, there are moments, months, and even years of nothing.
John 21:3 – Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said, “And we are coming with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.
Jesus in the morning: “There was Jesus.”
As morning was breaking, Jesus [came and]stood on the beach; however, the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
He said they did it.
So they cast [the net], and then they could not haul it in because of the enormous catch of fish.
John 21:11 – So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net to land, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three [of them]; and although there were so many, the net was not torn.
I kept thinking about the word Naomi. One day, I couldn’t stop wondering why because I didn’t know any Naomi. Holy Spirit was leading me to look up Naomi in Hebrew, and it means delightful, pleasantness, sweetness, and happiness; her story tells that she purposed and positioned herself only until she journeyed to the place that God called her to obey and only then did the miracles begin to work in her life only when she heard, only when she listened only when she put forth action on what God was saying, I could hear the Holy Spirit telling me the same thing the same spirit that was poured out in certain areas just as the word says it in the book of Amos.
Even when there was drought, and in those dry times, certain others would run to the watered areas to find refreshment for the weary souls back and forth, missing God’s point entirely.
Amos 4:7-8
I sent rain on one town, but withheld it from another. One field had rain; another had none and dried up. People staggered from town to town for water but did not get enough to drink, yet you have not returned to me,” declares the LORD.
I made it rain on one city; I withheld rain from another city
God made the provision of rain so specific in certain areas; they would know and have no way to explain it away, for it was undoubtedly from God’s hand. Yet the message did not get through to them.😔
God was pleased to make evident distinctions to prove to them that this rain did not come fortuitously or of necessity. One city had rain and could fill all its tanks or cisterns, while a neighboring town had none… in these instances, a particular providence was most evident.” (Clarke)
It wasn’t about the water 💦 it was about the right thirst.
God says, “But you never got thirsty for me. You ignored me.”
Yet you have not returned to Me
This was the greatest tragedy.
We all can stumble into sin and feel the correcting hand of God, conviction that leads to repentance.
But here is the trouble: when we feel God’s correction and have conviction, we still will not return to Him.
Suppose you’ve heard his voice calling you to return?
The old song “Fill my cup, Lord.”
I always said not like a little styrofoam coffee cup, but like the water tower on…
