BEFORE YOU QUIT (4) – THE GREATER PURPOSE

Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”.  Luke 5:10

You’re back! yayyy welcome back to the last article on this series. I’m so excited to have you back. Victory, victory, with Jesus we are always on the winning side.  Peter did experience this victory after a night of failure and so can you. Peter obeyed Jesus’ instruction he went deeper and let down his nets. The bible says

  ⁶ And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear! ⁷ A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.  Luke 5:6-7 (NLT)

Can you imagine that? Peter had the biggest catch ever, he called for help.  Lord I receive such harvest!  Jesus did not just give Peter the greatest harvest so he could boost Peters’ fishing career, no He had a reason. Jesus said to Peter, from now on you will be fishing for men.

What has this got to do with fishing for men? Why did Jesus show up at this moment in Peter’s life, give him such great harvest of fish and then call him into ministry? The Holy Spirit helped me to see just one reason. He said to me that Peter was able to press pass his failure, feeling, reasoning and obey the word. He acted on the word even though everything in his environment seemed contrary to the word.  That was what Jesus wanted to see. Do you have the capacity to respond to my word, to obey my word, to honor my word above everything else?   That is what qualified Peter for his next dimension, that is what brought peter in to the place of destiny.

Jesus knew that Peter would experience failures and setback, but he also knew that if Peter would continue to place His word above all, If at those places he would say – Nevertheless at your word, and obey, He knew Peter would experience the same harvest of men.

In the book of Luke Chapter 22, Peter denied Jesus three times. Not once but thrice. And afterwards Peter wept, he felt bad for what he had done. Despite how Peter felt, he still stayed with the other disciples. Can you imagine what kind of thoughts would have plagued his mind? He would have thought, I’m the only one who denied Jesus, I should no longer be one of His disciples. Judas killed himself, maybe I should too. I’m sure Peter would have struggles; how would I call myself His disciple after denning Him. We see that even in ministry Peter experienced failure. But he did not quit, he pressed past those feeling and thoughts and choose to believe he was still a disciple because Jesus said so. He went past the guilt, shame and failure, he stayed in the upper room like all other disciples and guess who God used to bring in a great harvest of men? Peter. The very first sermon Peter preaches, his very first attempt to fish for men after his failure bought in a great harvest like he experienced in Luke chapter 5.

⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:41(NLT)

Three thousand soul! Wow! What a great harvest for someone who denied Jesus. So, I ask you the same question I ask myself – Can you press pass your failures, mistakes, pain, hurt and take God at His word? Can you go just because The Word says so even when your feelings and thoughts do not agree?

Capacity. Capacity. If you don’t have the capacity to carry something, the weight of it would destroy you. Jesus would never put on you a blessing that would destroy you. Has failure positioned you to increase your capacity for your next dimension like it did for Peter?

At this place where you are about to quit, God has you set up to increase your capacity so you can fish for men. It is always about the kingdom, there is always a purpose. God wants to give you the breakthrough you desire, if you go deeper and let down your nets, if you take Him at His word, not only would you receive His provision but the process builds capacity in you to step into your destiny. Don’t quit, God has you set up for greater.