I'm really not 100% confident He wants me to write about it, but here goes..
After my last blog, I've been "at peace". It felt so good to know God was able to flow through me to get His message out. It's been so much easier knowing that my trust in Him has gotten stronger & I'm actively practicing to give Him 100% of it.
I have had so much of an easier time-dealing with whatever life (and Satan) has tried to throw at me.
I haven't had much else to talk about since.. except fishing. (haha)
I'm a 100% believer that God speaks to us --individually-- in ways only we'll understand when we have a growing personal relationship with Him. Yes, the Word is the same. Scripture is the word in which we all believe and can find TRUTH, but when it comes to the whispers of the heart -- I believe He orchestrates it so that -we, as individuals- can truly understand and listen and KNOW it's Him.
Inside of me, for almost two weeks, I've been singing a Sunday School song called "fishers of men".. why? So.. I went to Scripture...
Matthew 4:18-21
Four Fishermen Called as Disciples
18 And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 They immediately left their nets and followed Him.21 Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed Him.
Now.. as a fishing enthusiast- of sorts -this scripture speaks volumes to me. This is after Jesus was in the desert to be tested by Satan for 40 days. So, after a "battle", Jesus did what???
HE WENT FISHING!
Now, in this case He was fishing for men: fishing for men worthy of carrying on His work after He fulfilled prophecy--to be crucified & ascend into Heaven. Fishing for men that He knew would be able to approach people & speak the Word for Him in ways that the masses would understand and accept.
Ok.. so now - I'll give you a glimpse into where I've found a bit of peace, comfort, and dare I say.. understanding.
I know that Jesus knew these men would have the ability to follow through. (Scripture proves this.) I believe these men were just your average, everyday laboring men that had what it takes. **(Just like all of us)**Jesus called them & they followed. He knew they'd understand the mission. Why? because it's fishing. Why else would He have said "I will make you fishers of men."? ? They didn't even hesitate to leave their boats. They just left & followed Him. They knew.
They knew fishing takes practice, patience, and knowledge.
You have to be willing to seek out the places where you can find harvest, use the right bait, and wait for the right time to cast out your net (or line) for the fish to come. You have to have faith that any amount of effort you put out is GOOD EFFORT. The fish will come. You have to trust in that. It's complete dedication. It's no wonder (at all) to me why Jesus called these men for His mission.
I truly believe that Jesus is the water, the line, the hook, and the bait.
In my last blog, I wrote about discrediting the "what ifs" in life. God is already there - that opposition will be "as nothing at all" - why should we worry? **I've been practicing this**
Alas, we are human. It's in our nature to fall prey to things we can't understand.
Sometimes we're in the boat, floating along in faith, letting God control where the current takes us- happy to be safe in the boat.
Satan likes to throw "rocks" (such as doubt, worry, fear & the like) into the calm flow of life- trying to ripple the waters- rock the boat or throw us into the water to make us feel as though we could drown.
This is a set up for failure......for Satan.
Jesus IS THE water. He's not going to let us drown. If we start to struggle, we have a choices to make. We can be like a fish. We can swim away from Satan, deeper into the pool of the Living Water OR we can latch onto the hook(which is Jesus) and He can reel us into God's everlasting protection.
It's a WIN WIN. We do NOT have to worry. He's already there.
My mind and heart just exploded. Did yours?
**sidebar**
Yesterday was a "no day" for me. I was still, I was almost numb, going through the motions, and just.. "no". I didn't feel like I had tolerance for much of anything. Part of me just wanted to stay in bed. Part of me was just.. almost irritated by the thought of getting up and having to endure another day - even though I was thankful for the opportunity.
haha! I know that may not make any sense but that's just how it was. I know God was there the whole time. I was speaking to Him and reflecting on things. I wasn't really down or sad or happy or anything.. I was just "no". (*insert Beatles tune: he's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land, making all his nowhere plans for nobody*) All the while, I've been feeling this 'fishing blog' and trying to make heads/tails of it. Fishing has grown into a larger part of where I am these days and I can't help my passion for it.
For me: fishing = example of faith.
Jesus is the ultimate angler.
I will always need more practice, but with His perfect example to study & follow--I can't fail.
Just a closer walk of faith that's all.. Be it fish or fisher of man.
<3