Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing. But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
Have you ever felt so frustrated trying to follow God’s plan and purpose for your life until you got tempted to throw in the trowel? Many believers find themselves in that arena after failing at several attempts to succeed.
Simon Peter was there. He had followed Jesus and had left his fishing vocation to be a part of Jesus’ ministry. However, Satan tried to destroy Peter’s life just before the crucifixion. Jesus picked it up in the Spirit and prayed for Peter accordingly.
Peter came under a heavy weight of condemnation as a result of his denial of Jesus Christ before the crucifixion. This condemnation made Peter decide to quit his calling and go a fishing even though he knew that Jesus had risen from the dead. Quitting the ministry was all that Peter felt he could do at a time when he felt so unworthy and unqualified to continue to serve God.
Have you failed God in anyway? Do you feel the weight of condemnation over what you have done wrong? Are there things pressuring you now to quit your service in God’s house?
One of the strategies of Satan is to use anything he can to make you quit your service to God. He will try to use discouragement and bring an overwhelming burden of guilt upon you concerning your faults and errors to the point where he convinces you to quit being involved and going back to your former life. You must never yield to His temptations.
It is interesting to note that when Peter tried to go back to fishing, he caught nothing. Jesus in his loving nature was waiting for him right at that spot and came back to renew Peter’s commitment.
Jesus never said anything to Peter about his failures. It is important to state that God does not keep a record of your failures, rather all He wants to know is whether you love Him enough to pick up yourself and yield to His service. Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me more than these?” The question Jesus asked Peter then, He is asking you today. Do you love God more than the things around you?
Do you love Him enough to despise your failures just to stick with Him? Do you love Him enough to walk away from those sinful habits and sins which easily make you backslide? God wants you to re-consecrate yourself to His service today.
James 3:3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. As a Christian who has been called of God,you cannot guide yourself. This is where the example of the horse comes in.
The bit in the mouth of horses is what makes them obey and go in the right directions. The horse rider pulls the bit in the direction in which he wants them to go and the horse obeys.
You become obedient and your life goes in the right direction when you learn to submit yourself to God’s word and make it your confession all the time, instead of speaking or acting upon your own words.
The horses’ mouth is tied with bits to bring it into obedience; the horse is not allowed to speak its own words. The tamed horse is taught the lesson of the importance of governance.
God’s word is the spiritual bit that brings us into obedience and makes us go in the right direction.
A bit is a restraining, control or governance tool. It prevents the horse from doing as it wishes. Initially it may be uncomfortable to the horse hence an untamed horse resists the placement of such bits on them.
Similarly, every believer needs to tie their mouth and mind with the bit of God’s word. Do not allow thoughts outside of God’s thoughts in your mind and never speak any word outside of God’s word.
Only do things when you read it in the word because that is God pulling you in the right direction like the horse rider pulling the horse with the bit.
We learn that to go in the right direction, you have to allow the Holy Spirit and God’s word to be the sole voice in all your actions and deeds.
Also because we are on different levels of ability to hear God’s voice or understand scriptures, God has given us pastors and leaders to play the role of mentors to us. God has placed a special anointing on spiritual leaders so that they can bring leadership to followers.
If you study horses, especially the horses in the bush, you will discover that horses have a mind of their own. They usually do not want anyone to ride on their backs. However, a horse that is tamed usually allows their owners dictate to them what to do. God never planned for men to live without being under authority or governance. He planned that a father should give directives to his household and for the children to be subject to the authority of their fathers. People who grow without fathers tend to be like horses in the bush who have independent spirit except they have the wisdom of finding someone to play the role of a father to them. God provided pastors to play the spiritual role of governance to His children because He wants us to go in the right direction all the time. To enjoy this provision of God, we must yield ourselves to our leaders for governance. Let them know what you want to do before doing it and if they give you a directive be willing to follow their advice. Most believers hide from their pastors because they want to do their own things and do not want to be questioned. That is a characteristic of a horse in the bush. The horse in the bush is subject to the danger of being eaten by wild animals while the horse at home is protected by its owner.
Last Line: Have you ever wondered what it means to give your life to Christ and be saved? Are you born again? God sent Jesus to die for all your sins so that you will not have to be punished for the same. To be saved means to simply accept Christ Jesus as your substitutionary sacrifice for your sins and to make him lord over your life. Surrender your life to Christ today by asking Jesus to forgive you your sins; ask Him to come into your life and to make you a new person. If you are facing challenges and require counseling/prayers do not hesitate to contact me. I will be willing to assist as much as I can.