and then of course today I get the great
joy of introducing to you another one of
the gasps who was a part of the
conference who was gracious enough to
stay over and spend her Sunday with us
today I was exposed to the ministry of
Priscilla Shire
several years ago and quickly learned
that she is one of the most gifted and
anointed teachers of the word in the
body of Christ today the Lord has
breathed on her in a very special way
and she travels around the world just
expressing that great gift of the Lord
as she ministers to the body of Christ
she’s a tremendous gift to the body of
Christ and we’re grateful for that
we’re also grateful that last summer we
had the privilege as as a church and
Melanie and I and some of our staff of
getting to know priscilla shirer as the
movie War Room was being filmed right
here and in and around this area and how
many of you have seen that great movie
war room come on let me see Anne what a
tremendous the co-producer of war room
Gary wheeler was in our last service
before he’s a dear friend as well and
and the movie was great got still using
it in tremendous ways and Priscilla
Shire was absolutely brilliant in the
movie she was not just a great actress
but she was anointed in that movie but I
want you to know long before she was an
actress she was a tremendous anointed
woman of God and preacher of the word
and I want you today just in recognition
of the gift of God that’s in her and as
we do here at the refuge we believe
honor is a big big big thing in God
coming in and doing what He desires to
do I want to invite you to just get on
your feet and welcome today priscilla
shirer she comes to minister the word
well amen it’s good to be with you all
you’ll have to excuse me I’ve got a
little bit of a little cold situation
going on but I’m so excited about
sharing the Word of God with you today
and I believe in the power of the word
of God anybody believe that it’s
powerful that it can and does change our
lives and so I’m excited to share God’s
word with you today I will tell you that
it is a thrill for me to be here with
you here locally I know many of you are
joining us online as well glad that you
were here I want to tell you as pastor
Jay just mentioned that my family and I
we didn’t live here the entire summer at
last summer while we were filming war
were in my first introduction to this
church was walking into your foyer which
I am now finding out y’all had just been
in the building for a couple months or
so we did not know that I didn’t know
that at the time walked into the foyer
as we were scouting out the location I
hope you know that some of the movie is
shot right there in the lobby of your
church and several homes including your
pastor’s home and his wife I’ve been all
in my bedroom and a bathroom herself and
and Angela Mitchell and role in their
house as well we filmed in their home
and I remember walking into the foyer
here of this church as we were looking
at this location with Jim and melody
quick who I see sitting here as well as
we just got to know this place we were
gonna be filming in and in those few
moments I had the opportunity to meet
pastor Mel she was here and some other
ladies that are on staff here and they
came out we had a chance to talk and and
just in our conversation I had prayed
before I got here that the Lord would
allow us to have a little bit of a
community of friends you know especially
for my boys who were in your Sunday
school right now and I thought Lord
would you just give us a community for
the summer that we’re gonna be there
some people that are you know our people
and in those moments that I met those
ladies I thought oh we found some of our
people and so I would sneak in to church
during the summer ask that right in this
section in the back couple rows right
there
right here in the center and it was a
thrill to be a part of what was God was
doing in this church throughout last
summer so now to to be asked to stand
and to pour
into your lives after I feel like you
all poured into ours so much during the
course of that season where we were kind
of transplanted and kind of feeling a
little bit like fish out of water I’m
grateful to be able to do that it is a
gift to me I’ve said it and the other
services I’ll say it again it is a gift
to be invited we thank you for the
privilege and I think God for this kind
of leadership that you have at this
church because y’all do need to know
every Church ain’t got it this good it’s
true the truth the heart for you that
I’ve seen in your leaders and their
integrity y’all when you find people who
are the same on the stage and off the
stage and both those two people match up
and they’re one in the same that’s a
gift that you don’t need to take for
granted it’s a shame that integrity and
character is such a rare thing in our
leaders but it is so when you find it
and you have it at this church gosh you
ought to celebrate it and thank the Lord
for it
so it’s a treat the treat from my boys
and I to be back and to be here with you
over the course of the Women’s
Conference in our church and so I’m
excited about what God’s Word is gonna
speak to us encouraging us with this
morning let’s pray together shall we
Lord thank you so much for your word
thank you that it is living and active
and sharper than any two-edged sword
thank you God that you can take one
message you can divide it up a couple
thousand different ways so that every
single person under the sound of my
voice here’s a direct personal word
straight from the mouth of God so Lord
I’m asking for you to do that now
because only you can we are your
servants we are listening Lord we are so
glad that each other is here but we
didn’t come to see each other we came to
see you so speak Lord we’re listening in
Jesus name Amen
as I mentioned I have a few boys Jackson
is our oldest he’s 12 years old Jerry
jr. is 11 years old and little dude our
surprise baby is now just getting ready
turned seven years old here in the next
week actually and so we’re very excited
about that my boys and I I told the
women at the Women’s Conference in the
last few days that we live in a fairly
rural part of the dallas-fort Worth area
Jerry my husband and I and
and the kids we live in that rural area
we like it like that it’s just kind of
quiet kind of lazy close enough to the
city we can get there easily but far
enough away that we just feel like just
a little bit of that relaxed feeling
that we love so much lots of trees space
for the boys to run around honestly that
is why I wanted to live out there
because they you know they’re bugs and
mud and things boys need in their life
out there in the woods we like it like
that I’m one of those Mama’s that just
believe you need to go outside and play
and if you have the nerve to say to me
that you are bored I say oh no you not
you see that tree right there go play
with it so I believe in outside do I
have any mamas that believe in outside
yes so we love living out there one of
the reasons though that we do is because
my neighbor who happens to be one of my
best friends she has a pond that is in
the front of her property so I will grab
the two fishing poles that I bought on
sale at the local super Walmart I also
have a tackle box that I bought on sale
there and we walk across the street and
we fish we enjoy fishing on the pond
every now and then there’s a particular
cove on the edge of the pond that we
will stand on mostly because the trees
shade it over well right there and also
because a lot of little sun perch little
small fish seem to really be drawn to
that particular corner so with the boys
when we put the line in the water within
three to five minutes we not only have a
lot of nibbles but normally within
thirty five minutes we’d caught a fish
so I grabbed the gloves out of the
tackle box because y’all know I have
gloves because I don’t mind going
fishing but I ain’t finna touch no fish
so I get the gloves get the fish off the
line we admire it as kids do then we
throw it back in put the line back in
and within three to five minutes we have
another fish so we go through that again
put the line back in three to five
minutes we’ve got another fish this is
the kind of fishing a six-year-old needs
in his life instant gratification so we
enjoy it I thought that because we liked
fishing so much at home that the boys
Mike must like fishing you know just in
general and so we were at a Christian
camp that I go to have gone to since I
was five years old and now I take my
kids back there and
Tyler Texas and they have a lake there
and the boys were up early one morning
before the dining hall was even open for
breakfast and so I said well boys let’s
grab our fishing gear we brought it the
dining hall is over there by the lake
let’s go over there and let’s fish
together before breakfast so early in
the morning we went out stood on the
dock dropped that line into the water
and we fished and fished and fished and
in the 45 minutes or so that we were out
there not only did we not catch anything
there was barely even even a little
nibble on the on the line I’m it was
like nothing like there was no life
under the water and I got all intent and
intentional about trying to figure out
if I change the bait or maybe I changed
the hook I got real frustrated I was
trying to figure this out and then I
looked up and realized that my kids
weren’t even there anymore they have run
off to a field they are by to play
football has it ever happened to you
where you’re doing something for your
kids and then you just get all serious
about finishing it well that’s what
happened to me and I yelled over to the
boys and I said boys I did not come out
here for my health I came out here for
y’all this morning get over here and
let’s fish one of them yelled back to me
and said mom we don’t like fishing like
that my second son yelled at me and said
yeah mom fishing ain’t supposed to be
that hard so I sat there with the line
in the water for just a little while
longer thinking and laughing about what
my second son had said fishing is not
supposed to be that hard it occurs to me
that in a group this size there are some
of you here today that feel just like my
boy did that although you might not Boca
lies it in the exact same words that he
did in a group this size there are some
of you who in your own fishing
expedition of life because all of us
have one it’s the marriage that you’re
investing in it is the business that
you’re building it is the ministry God’s
called you to it is the book that you’re
writing it is whatever endeavor you have
been pouring yourself into there are
some of you this morning who maybe are
meeting this Sunday morning a little bit
irritated cuz honestly you have been
fishing
and fishing and fishing investing your
time your money your energy your
emotional effort into that relationship
but you feel like for all you’ve been
putting in you haven’t been pulling out
the benefits that you think are equal to
that investment my boys know how it
feels to pour in everything and feel
like you were getting so little they
know what it’s like to have a fishing
trip gone bad and I suspect in a crowd
this size there are some of you who know
that as well because you put in your
time and you put in the money and you
put in that effort you’ve invested that
emotional energy into that relationship
you pour it into that kid you have
poured into that ministry or that
organization or that business and you’re
a bit saddened by the fact that you feel
like for all you’ve given you have
gotten so little there’s a fisherman in
scripture who knows how that feels I
think that there is encouragement in his
story for any of us in the room today
who have ever had a fishing trip gone
bad his story is found in the fifth
chapter of the Gospel of Luke if you
have your Bible and you want to turn
there with me excuse me to Luke chapter
5 beginning in verse 1 we get to meet a
fisherman who was put in everything and
this brother he didn’t just fish for 45
minutes uh he fished all night long
y’all and still caught absolutely
nothing his story begins in Luke chapter
5 verse 1 it says now it came about that
while the multitudes were pressing in on
him that is Jesus and listening to the
Word of God he was standing by the lake
of Geneva ret
that’s another phrase for the Sea of
Galilee verse 2 says and he saw somebody
say he saw he saw two boats lying by the
edge of the lake but the fishermen had
gotten out of them and they were washing
their nets let’s just start right here
y’all in these first two verses that the
officer really it seems to me has gone
out of his way to make sure we’ve got
all the juicy details of what this scene
looked like on this occasion when Jesus
showed up after Simon had been fishing
all night long
this point Simon had already been
fishing all night long hour after hour
pulling in nothing and when Jesus shows
up on the scene Simon has already gotten
out of the boat and he’s washing his
nets he has gotten out of that which
represents his discouragement his
disappointment his irritation his
frustration he has gotten out of it he
is washing his net the author has gone
out of his way to make sure you know
exactly what is happening when Jesus
spots this he says that a multitude were
gathered around Jesus not a handful of
people not just the 12 disciples not
even a couple of hundred scholars say
that there were likely thousands of
people who were gathered around Jesus on
this particular occasion thousands of
people who were hanging on his every
word because wherever Jesus went there
was a mass of people a crowd of people
who gathered around him and these people
they weren’t quite sure he was the
Messiah they did not know yet about all
of this salvation business but what they
did know beyond any reasonable doubt
that wherever this man showed up blind
eyes could see that’s what they knew
they knew that when Jesus showed up deaf
ears started hearing and the lanes
started walking they knew when this guy
showed up dead were raised and so
wherever he was a crowd came and they
pressed in upon him they brought their
leaves with them those who were ailing
those who were unhealthy those who had
broken hearts or fissured Minds they
brought their needs financial and
otherwise with them and the author says
they were not calmly casually sitting
and listening to him share the Word of
God like you are this morning the
setting wasn’t like this morning y’all
these people he writes were pressing in
on Jesus Jesus is back up against the
shoreline of the Sea of Galilee because
there are thousands of people vying for
his attention
they are elbowing their way through the
crowd they are pressing past people they
are hollering out they are screaming
they are trying to get the attention of
this Jesus they want to be like the
woman with the issue of blood who was
able to force her way through the crowd
so much so that she got closer
to reach out and touch the hem of his
garment and when she did power and left
Jesus and went to her y’all remember
that these people wanted to be close to
Jesus they knew that this guy had
something special and they were not
casual and calm about it they were
pressing in on him trying to get close I
want you to think about how you would
feel if Jesus were your Bible study
teacher these people wanted to get close
to Jesus and in the midst of all of that
chaos in the midst of all of that
confusion in the midst of all of that
that that brimming of noise and and
confusion and chaos around them the
author writes that as a backdrop so that
you can see clearly the power and the
impact of verse 2 because in verse one
its noisy and there’s a multitude
crowding around Jesus but in verse 2 it
says he saw one man who’d had a bad
night fishing
I got encouraging news for you today but
it doesn’t matter how big the crowd gets
y’all it doesn’t matter how many other
needs are God also has to contend with
it doesn’t matter how big the Refuge
Church ever becomes it doesn’t matter
how many services y’all have to have to
contend all to contain all of the people
and all of the needs it does not matter
how much chaos and confusion is swirling
around you you need to know that we
serve a God who sees you that you are
not lost in the crowd that even if your
spouse does not know when your mom does
not know when your dad doesn’t care and
your kids are unaware and your bells
your boss does not know you need to know
that you and I we serve a God who sees
everything that happens not only in our
lives but in our hearts and in our minds
your God sees you listen to me there is
not one tear you have cried that has
gotten lost in the carpet carpet fibers
of your bedroom floor every single one
of them has been captured in the palm of
Almighty God
you need to know there is not one bead
of sweat that has bubbled up on your
brow as you pondered what to do about
that fishing trip of yours that your God
has not taken note of your God sees you
you are not lost in this crowd I mean
you can sit up in the last row of the
balcony and you are not lost in this
crowd God’s got his eyes on you he sees
everything that happens he knows about
your fishing trip friend he knows about
the investment that I’ve given he knows
about the one you’ve given he knows
about how much talent and skill or your
ideas and your creativity or your money
or your emotions the tears the prayers
everything you poured in he knows and he
knows how discouraged you must feel at
all that fishing and so little fish he
sees never in a million years should we
allow this fact that our God sees us to
roll off of our shoulders casually as if
it’s no big deal
God what is man that thou art mindful
and the son of man that you would even
take note of who we are y’all know he
don’t need us right the fact that he
would not only died on the cross send
his son to die on the cross so that you
and I could have a ticket to eternity so
that we could spend eternity with him if
he had only done that that would have
been enough for us we could have
celebrated him for the rest of our days
but when that would have been enough for
us it wasn’t enough for him he chooses
to engage in the details of our lives to
talk to us through his word to see us in
our difficulty to meet us at the point
of our need never in a million years
should we let the fact that our God is
near roll off of our shoulders as if
it’s no big deal our God chooses he
cares about my fishing trip I’m so glad
about it God cares about me
the one who he’s the one y’all who made
the moon swap places with the Sun so
that we could see it this morning he’s
the one that will hold the Sun in its
place until it swaps places with the
moon later on tonight he is the one who
hangs every single star in the sky and
even when we can’t see it because of
cloud cover like last night they are all
still there because God said they should
be and he knows them all my number and
he knows them all by name he is the God
who is controlling the throes of the
universe I’m talking about the
neighborhoods in the universe that the
scientists have not even yet discovered
he is making sure that they say steadily
in their place he knows everything about
the throws of this entire world he is
the one who holds this planet right now
while we sit comfortably here in the
palm of his hand
he is making sure that it rotates at
just the right speed not too fast nor
too slow that we can’t sustain life here
and in the midst of controlling all of
that he sees you it’s huge
teach I was watching a news story this
is years ago of the Today Show at the
time Campbell Brown was the reporter on
The Today Show
she was doing a story that particular
day on religions of the world every day
for this particular week she would
choose a different religion of the world
to do a story on I remember I was
folding clothes on the edge of the bed
that day and I was taken by the fact
that they were doing this series and I
remember that day
that the series for the day the topic
was the Buddhist face stopped me in my
tracks from folding i sat down on the
edge of the bed listened to this
particular news story didn’t know much
about the Buddhist faith so I was
intrigued Campbell Brown and her camera
folks they were on the side of a
mountain in Hong Kong standing in front
of one of five of the Buddha statues
that are there in Hong Kong she
described the Buddhist faith and also
talked about how people who subscribe to
that face what they will do is save up a
lifetime’s worth of money so that at
least once in their life they can make
the pilgrimage from wherever they live
halfway across the world to Hong Kong so
that they can have the privilege to come
to one of these statues climb up the 268
stairs that she and her camera crew had
to climb up to get to this statue so
that they can just pray and as I was
watching that I thought many things but
one of the things I thought to myself
was now if I had to save up all that
money and fly halfway around the world
and climb up 268 stairs to pray I would
never pray anybody ain’t nobody got time
for that but while they’re climbing up
to talk to their God little G our God
capital G the one true God he comes down
to see about us
the fact that he would condescend to us
John chapter 1 verse 14 the message
Bible puts it this way the word became
flesh and moved into the neighborhood
and this day Jesus saw a guy who’d had a
bad night saw a fishing trip that had
gone wrong I want you to be encouraged
today that your God’s got his eyes on
you it has not been lost on him he sees
you verse 3 tells us what happens next
it says he Jesus got into one of the
boats which was Simons listen to that
again he verse three got into one of the
boats which was Simons Jesus got into
one of the boats Simon’s boat and he
asked Simon to push out a little way
from the land and then Jesus sat down on
that boat and he began teaching the
people who were on the shore I will tell
you that one of the things in my quiet
time that helps me to be able to hear
what God might want to say to me through
the Scriptures is that if I’m reading
through scriptures and something is
repeated in a very short space of time I
know that that God didn’t repeat himself
just because he likes to hear himself
talk I know if it’s repeated that’s
because I’m supposed to lean in and take
note the same thing is true if something
is contrasting in a very short space of
time I know the Bible is inerrant it is
infallible it is completely accurate so
if there’s something that looks like
it’s contrasting I need to lean in and
see why so what’s most intriguing to me
about verse 3 it’s not just verse 3
what’s most intriguing to me about verse
3 is that right next to it is verse 2 in
verse 3 Jesus gets into the boat that’s
interesting because in verse 2 Simon got
out of that boat and verse 2 Simon’s out
verse 3 Jesus is in
y’all what was so frustrating and
overwhelming and irritating to Simon
that all he wanted to do was get out of
it was the very thing in verse three
that Jesus sees as the purpose perfect
thing for him to get into to turn into a
pulpit so he can proclaim his message in
other words not only does Jesus see you
but he will use the part of your life
you think is useless the part that you
want to abandon because it’s so
frustrating and irritating and you’re
wondering why this season of life even
exists and you’re wondering if God can
do anything useful with it very likely
when Jesus is looking for a place to
display his power and his glory and help
his word be known to the people in your
sphere of influence he will choose the
empty platform the abandoned boat of
your experience
he will plant his feet there and through
your life declare his glory to those who
are nearby he will use the part of your
life you think is useless there is
nothing that is in vain all things work
together for the good of them that love
him and are called according to his
purpose all things all things are not
good all things work together for your
good my friend he will stand in your
emptiness and declare his word to those
who are nearby the message that the
people on your job or in your
neighborhood or in the PTA or in your
high school or university campus the
message that they will hear most clearly
about how powerful our God is will not
come from the words we say out of our
mouths it’ll come from emptiness in our
life where we can point to them and show
them how Jesus stood in that emptiness
and made his power and his greatness
known yo people need to see a marriage
that was on the brink but Jesus stepped
in and turned everything around people
need to see someone’s life that was so
bound in illegitimate relationships and
emotional attachments and substances and
habits and lifestyles but then Jesus
stepped in and set them free and opened
up their bonding eyes they need to see
lives that have been invaded by this
Jesus that we say can
five red seas and cause Lazarus to be
raised from the dead they need to know
that his power was not just good back in
biblical days but that his power still
works today and if you want to see him
like I do you know I don’t want to just
here I’m so glad that I go to a church
where I can hear about the Lord I love
hearing about the Lord I love his word I
want to know what he did what he said
who he is I love all that good stuff I
can’t wait to get to heaven because I
got some questions for him because I
want all the details filled in I love
hearing about him but if I just hear
about him and I never hear his voice
with my own ears if I’ve always
spoon-fed truth but God never speaks to
me if I never see him in my marriage and
in my finances and in my house and in my
body and in my job and in my work then
what good are his promises if everybody
in the book is exceptions to the rule as
opposed to examples for us how God wants
to invade our experience then what is it
all worth so it is in our emptiness
often times that we most get to
experience him so about my early 20s I
prayed and I said Lord look I’m so glad
to know you so glad you have allowed me
the privilege to know your word
throughout most of my childhood I’m so
grateful but Lord I’ve got this little
unrest in my heart because I’ve heard
about you so long I want to see you for
myself has anybody ever prayed that
prayer Lord I want to see for myself
most of the time when you pray that
prayer his answer is emptiness he puts
you in a position where there’s going to
be room left for him he allows us to be
in a position where it doesn’t matter
how much skill how much talent how much
money how many connections how many
diplomas how much you’ve achieved he’s
gonna put you in a position where don’t
matter what you do how much fishing you
do you are not gonna catch fish because
then there’s space for him I believe
that our God is sovereign anybody
believe he’s sovereign
okay sovereignty means that he stood
before time that’s pre Genesis 1:1 the
only reason there is a Genesis 1:1 is
because God was already there so he
could say let there be and there was and
it was good so he existed before time
sovereignty means he has seen eternity
past he has seen all of time from
Genesis 1:1 through the entire spectrum
of time that you and I are living in now
all the way to the end which we have not
yet seen and he has also seen into
eternity future sovereignty does not
just mean though that he’s seen it
sovereignty means that the whole thing
is in the palm of his hand
sovereignty if you believe it is what
allows you to do and me to do what
Psalms 46:10 says be still see striving
chill out relax and know that I am God
it means that what happened to you last
week shock to you but God was not in the
heavens going oops that one slipped past
me because he’s sovereign he’s got your
back if we believe it and we believe it
right we’re gonna apply that sovereignty
to this passage Simon is not sovereign
he’s human like us so he’s fishing and
every time he pulls in that net and
there’s nothing he’s discouraged and
disappointed and shocked because he’s an
experienced fisherman and one o’clock in
the morning rolls around and two o’clock
in the morning rolls around in the
midnight hours are covering him and he’s
discouraged and overwhelming can’t
believe that this is happening but what
he could not know in his humanity is
what Jesus knew in his sovereignty Jesus
knew there was a morning coming jesus
knew in the morning there were gonna be
thousands of people who were gonna need
to hear every word that was gonna come
out of his mouth he knew he was gonna
need a place to stand he knew that if he
allowed Simon to catch all of those fish
and to have the platform of that boat
filled with a bunch of flipping flopping
fish there would have been no room for
his feet so he allowed Simon not to
catch anything because then there was
emptiness and space for Jesus to turn
that empty platform into a pulpit
so your God my god well very frequently
put us in positions in fact that’s one
of the ways sometimes I know I’m exactly
where God wants me to do cuz it doesn’t
matter how much fishing I do I cannot
yield with my own skill talent resources
I cannot yield any results it’s going to
take a supernatural move of God that’s
how you know you’re where God wants you
that means if you’re in a place right
now in your life where you were fishing
and not catching anything it means that
the last emotion you should feel is
discouragement it means really that you
should be sitting on the edge of your
boat swinging your feet looking towards
the shore because you know if he’s
allowed that emptiness that means he’s
on the way that means he is making room
for his feet in your life to show up and
show himself strong so don’t despise the
emptiness don’t despise the emptiness he
sees you and he will use the part of
your life you think is useless
so y’all he sits on that boat he
proclaims a message from the emptiness
of Simon’s experience they hear a
message because of Simon’s emptiness and
after he finishes the message he turns
one on one to Simon and he says to Simon
basically I’m gonna see if you believe
this message that I just preached he
says to him in verse four now let’s push
out into deep water and let’s let down
your nets for a catch in verse five
Simon answers him and says Jesus you
know we have already tried that right
that’s my translation actually he says
master we worked hard all night long and
we caught nothing in other words this
makes absolutely no sense in fact on two
levels Jesus’s instructions made
absolutely no sense as an experienced
fisherman on the Sea of Galilee Simon
knew that where you fished was in
shallow water that’s where they caught
fish Jesus is saying let’s go deep also
as an experienced fisherman Simon knew
that when you caught fish was in the
middle through the middle of the night
that’s why he had been out the night
before but but when Jesus finished
teaching scholar said it was like high
noon and Jesus is saying let’s fish in
the middle of the day and let’s go to
deep water this is I’m sure that Simon
wanted to say look Jesus how about you
stick to print preaching I’ll stick to
fishing you don’t know you don’t know
what’s going on and how often is it that
we do that we hear God telling us to do
something you know what God how about
you stick to Sundays in my life I’ll
take Monday through Saturday but Simon
Jesus says to Simon if you trust me go
to the irrational nonsensical place of
risky faith faith is always deep water
I prefer shallow water because in
shallow water I can stand up on my own
two feet
the problem with deep water is that I’m
in over my head and if I don’t have a
Savior I have absolutely no hope he
calls you to the risky place of faith
because it’s in the risky place of faith
you get to experience him in a way you
would not otherwise have the opportunity
and the problem with us y’all is we like
to play it too safe we like it safe we
pray and we say Lord I want to see a
miracle Lord let me see a miracle and
then in the next breath we pray but lord
please keep me out of any situation in
which a miracle would actually be
required don’t we yeah because we don’t
want the risk of deep water where we
just can’t see how it’s all gonna work
out but listen the shallow water was
where Jesus taught the people the
shallow water was for the people the
deep water was for Simon so you stayed
in the shallow all you want yeah God can
say some things through your life to
other people all you want but if you
want your own personal intimate
experience with God then when he calls
you deep you say it doesn’t make sense
but yes sir I don’t get it but yes sir I
can’t rationalize this yes sir I am
going because at your word I believe
you’re going to make good on every
single promise you’re gonna give me out
here in this deep water
so the waters that the night before had
been totally fruitless and void of life
all of a sudden y’all now those waters
are just teeming with fish fish are
everywhere because it says in verse six
that when they went out to deep water
they enclosed a great quantity of fish
so much so that they’re not to begin to
break open verse seven says it was so
much that they signaled Simon signaled
to his partners in the other boat for
them to come and help them and they
filled their both boats and most of the
boats begin to sink y’all that’s a lot
of fish right there all of a sudden
because Jesus is in the boat in the deep
water there are fish everywhere more
than Simon can even imagine can you can
you just put yourself in his shoes for
just a moment having gone from nothing
to something from death to life from
discouragement to encouragement from the
natural to the supernatural that only
happens in deep water and it says he was
so overcome with the abundance of God’s
miracle verse 7 says he signals excuse
me
he’s signaled to his partners in the
other boat
I love when authors are this specific he
wants you to know he did not call out to
them he signaled the scripture does not
tell us exactly why he did not use words
cuz y’all if it hadn’t been me I am sure
I would have said at the top of my lungs
I get over here and see this you are not
gonna believe this but not Simon he just
and I just wonder I wonder if the reason
why Simon signaled is because he was
speechless I wonder if when his brain
tried to come up with the right words to
feed to his mouth so that he could have
something to say that would actually
describe this miracle in front of him he
could not even find the words so the
best he could come up with was a signal
and I just wonder if the reason why you
were here on this Sunday morning and
that the Holy Spirit of God would want
to encourage you on your fishing
expedition and on mind and why he would
want to say to you right now on this
Sunday I’m getting ready to call you
deep over the next couple weeks you
brace yourself and make a resolve right
now to say yes because he’s listened
this morning is a divine setup y’all
he’s trying to tell you right now if
you’ll say yes and come to deep water
he’s going to do something in your life
that is going to render you speechless
and I want to know when is the last time
you just couldn’t even describe what
your God did in your marriage or in your
job or with your kid I just met a woman
backstage in between behind the platform
in between services and she was trying
her best to get out the words to me of
something that has happened in the life
of her daughter her five-year-old that
she loves so much and how she’s seen God
move in her life and she was trying to
describe it but I could barely talk
because the tears were falling from her
eyes and I said this is what we’re after
we’re after God moving so much that we
can barely talk because he has not just
done a regular old miracle he has done
in Ephesians 3:20 and 21 miracle now
unto Him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above and beyond anything
that you can ask to think to that Great
God be the glory both now and forever
amen
y’all he can do it and deep water is
where he does it best
I’m begging you don’t sell yourself
short by saying no when he calls you
deep
and I want you to be encouraged if
you’ve been fishing a long time and
you’re you’re thinking there will never
be a chance for anything useful to
happen out of this season of my life for
this tragedy that we’ve had or this
struggle that I’ve been going through
nothing good could ever come at this
everything changes when Jesus shows them
and the only reason he’d want you and me
together in this room on this Sunday
morning over Luke chapter 5 is if he
wanted those of us here and online to
know that we’re the ones he’s getting
ready to call deep I’m ready to say yes
I’m ready to say you want to pray for
you I want to pray courage over your
life I want to pray that the Holy Spirit
will give you so much of a holy spirit
infused courage that no matter how deep
the water your God is calling you to
that you will have a resolve and a
boldness to go to have your arms
surrendered your palms up in
anticipation your friends nearby and
ready for the signal that you’re gonna
come give them to come in and help to
fill up even their experience with the
abundance that your God is gonna pour on
you I want to pray for encouragement for
any of you that are discouraged because
honestly you’ve been fishing a long time
and you’re tired you’re just ready to
throw in the towel your God wants you to
know he sees he’s got your back and he’s
gonna use even the useless places so I
want you to bow your head and if it’s
all right with you I’ll just pray over
all of us
that okay Lord Jesus I thank you so much
for your word I thank you God that
you’ve spoken to us so clearly today I’m
praying for all of the floor who are in
fishing trips Lord expeditions in our
life where we are discouraged and we
feel overwhelmed we feel a little under
appreciated Lord we don’t feel like all
of our effort is being noticed it’s
certainly not achieving what we thought
it would God I pray right now in Jesus
name that you would exchange
discouragement for encouragement would
you blanket your people and
encouragement that can only come from
the Holy Spirit help them to know Lord
that your eyes are on them in fact that
I’m gonna be bold and ask you would you
do something this week that lets them
know it just just like a little wink
from heaven Lord that lets them know you
see them today God encouraged them by
making your presence tangible with them
with just a surprise blessing that
encourages them along the way and then
God thank you that you use even what we
think is useless and Lord we are going
to say yes when you call us deep Lord I
make a personal resolve my answer in
advance I’m telling you my answer is
gonna be yes somebody say yes Lord
come on say yes Lord Lord wherever you
ask us to go whatever you ask us to do
however you ask us to do it we don’t
even have to know the details in advance
as long as you’re in the boat our answer
is gonna be yes so Lord we are going to
the same field place where we fully
expect that you are going to do
immeasurably more than we could ask for
think and it is in Jesus name that the
Church of God agrees with me and says
amen