THE GO SERIES is designed to encourage you into action. In the bible, Paul says in his last days, I’ve fought a good fight and I’ve finished my course; but Forward Thinkers, today, too many Believers are not fighting the good fight of faith. Forward Thinkers, look around you. This is not the time to be still or silent but this is the season we must release enough faith to go deep and do more than we’ve ever done before.
Luke 5New International Version (NIV)
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
5 One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret,[a] the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God.2 He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
Forward Thinkers, let’s focus on the dry nets and remember the dry nets are only as powerful as we allow them to be. In life, we can’t control the circumstances we face but Forward Thinkers, we can control our reaction to circumstances of life.
“You’re going to struggle. You’re going to do well. You can’t really let the past or the day before – whether you had a good day or bad day – dictate the day you have that certain day.” Andrew Benintendi
Forward Thinkers, we meet Simon on a bad day at the office. Imagine a professional fisherman works all night and catches no fish and now he is cleaning his empty nets and preparing to head home unsuccessful.
Forward Thinkers, don’t let a bad day define you—a week, a month, a quarter, or even a year is nothing more than one day added to another day. Make up your mind today to never allow a bad day to define you.
Forward Thinkers, on a bad day, keep your mind and your words on the Word of God and remember you are more than a conqueror; you can do all things through Jesus Christ which strengthens you; and with God on your side, all things are possible.
Forward Thinkers, don’t let people box you in a dry nets day. There are some people who will never remember how many fish you caught in the past and there are some people who will never mention your comeback story. Forward Thinkers, those people want to box you into a dry nets day and will always refer to you as the fisherman with the dry nets because Satan is using them to try to break your spirit and crush your willpower.
Forward Thinkers, let me share this with you. There are some fish that are so small, they are called minnows and a true fisherman throws them back into the water because they are not worth carrying back home.
I even looked up the definition of a minnow: a person or organization of relatively small size, power, or influence.
Forward Thinkers, it’s time to throw those small-minded minnows overboard and get ready to go deep. Minnow-minded thinkers and believers will talk you out of going deep because they don’t believe they can survive in the deep.
Forward Thinkers, don’t even negotiate with the minnow-minded this season because time is too valuable to spend convincing minnow thinkers that there are unlimited possibilities out in the deep.
In the midst of your nets being dry, you’re about to be chosen by God. Forward Thinkers, notice in the text there are two boats and Jesus chooses Simon’s boat, even in the midst of all he was going through. That’s great news. Jesus does not choose us because we are perfect; He chooses us because we are chosen. Forward Thinkers, pick your head up. Jesus is getting ready to call your name and release a greater assignment into your life.
Forward Thinkers, there is no greater feeling than to be chosen by God and endorsed by Jesus.
Forward Thinkers, we must listen to the voice and instructions of God if we desire to leave the swallow water and launch out into the deep. Jesus instructed Simon to take his boat back out but this time to take his boat out into the deep. Forward Thinkers, stop focusing on what the dry nets and the minnow thinkers are saying and obey the voice of God and go deep. It’s in the deep end that you’ll discover your greatest success.
Forward Thinkers, we must leave the swallow water if we desire to reach our full potential in life. The swallow water is very crowded and full of minnow-minded people who want to keep things safe. Forward Thinkers, notice in the swallow water you can still see the bottom and Satan desires to constantly remind you of your dry nets day. Forward Thinkers, I’m declaring it’s time to go deep and move from tail to headship.
Forward Thinkers, God desires to show you how BIG HE IS this season if we obey His Words and go deep.
Simon says we’ve worked hard all night and caught nothing but Forward Thinkers, there are three things we can learn from Simon’s experience.
- God will humble us before He pours His favor on us.
- God needs us to recognize His Power.
- God has to see if we’re going to quit during hard times.
Simon says but because Jesus says so, I will do it and Forward Thinkers, there are two more lessons we can discover from Simon during this exchange with Jesus.
- Faith must be bigger than our circumstances.
- Faith produces big catch.
Forward Thinkers, God desires to position us to partner with others because as Simon’s nets began to overflow he was able to call the other fishermen out into the deep and everyone associated with Simon participated in the big catch. Forward Thinkers, God does not bless and favor us to be selfish; God blesses us to be a blessing to others.
Forward Thinkers, in conclusion, Simon couldn’t believe God had chosen him and he becomes overwhelmed with favor that God has placed on his life. Simon tells Jesus, go away I am a sinful man and Jesus replies, I know but your past can’t deny your future another day. Forward Thinkers, that’s great news. God can turn your “I Am” story into your “I Was” story and Simon goes from Sinful man to Fisher of man and started following Jesus.
Pastor E. A. Deckard is the Senior Pastor/Founder of the Green House International Church located, in both Houston, Texas, and the Woodlands, Texas. Pastor Deckard is also the Co-Founder of the No More Bloodshed Movement. To contact Pastor Deckard for speaking engagements contact him at pr.ghic@gmail.com, follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Periscope @ Pastor E A Deckard or the church website www.ghic.net.