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Launch into the Deep
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God’s promises of an abundant life are not
based on your worthiness, self-effort, or human ingenuity. They are simply a
by-product of who you are in Christ. Only through HIS resurrection power is a
life of abundance possible. Yes, you have a role to play, but your main
responsibilities are just to TRUST and OBEY. It’s no wonder we so often
struggle to fully comprehend and believe what the Bible says about the
astounding power available to us in Christ. Think about the great things the
Lord could do in your life – then realize He’s able to do immeasurably MORE
than anything you can possibly imagine
by David Cerullo
“His divine power has
given to us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to
us exceedingly great and precious promises” - (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Isn’t it amazing how God desires to bless us
and pour out His abundance in our lives?
As children of God, we are meant to enjoy His
provision and have more than enough in every area.
Each one of us is an heir to His promise, but
it’s also true we must have the correct personal vision of God before we
receive that promise.
God is a God of maximum capacity. He wants to
do something greater in us than we could ever imagine.
But we have to trust Him with everything
first … we have to launch into the DEEP waters of our faith … before He can
bless us and transform our circumstances.
Let me give you an example …
You may remember in Luke 5 when Jesus was
with Peter in His fishing boat.
He had just finished teaching the large crowd
that had gathered at the Lake of Gennesaret.
He looked at Peter
and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (verse 4).
The Lord is telling us to go DEEPER … to
trust Him more … so He can direct us to His coming harvest in our lives.
He’s saying to listen to His voice … even
amid uncertainty … so He can lead and guide us.
But notice that Peter needed to act on Jesus’
instruction in order to receive the intended breakthrough.
He had to activate His faith before He could
obtain God’s rewards.
If he had insisted on just staying put, he
would have missed out on the amazing blessing that was in store for him.
At first, Peter
protested, saying, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.”
Yet, despite his
frustration over past failures and disappointments, Peter decided to obey
Jesus’ instruction: “Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (verse 5).
Peter’s step of faith
and obedience turned out to be a pivotal moment, transforming not just the
outcome of that day, but his entire life after that: “When they had done
this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking” (verse 6).
What a dramatic turnaround!
The story began with Peter and his fishing
partners experiencing lack in their circumstances, but then suddenly they found
themselves having more than enough!
And this remarkable turn of events all
happened because they dared to believe Jesus’ instruction to “launch out”
into deeper waters.
These fishermen had no doubt had big catches
over the years, but nothing like this.
They were “astonished
at the catch of fish which they had taken” (verse 9).
This is God’s message for YOU today: You
haven’t seen anything yet!
He wants to bless you so abundantly that it far
surpasses any blessing you’ve experienced in the past.
Just as the boat suddenly overflowed with
fish, your life is destined to overflow with God’s blessings when you heed His
instructions.
This story ends with
a beautiful statement that is often overlooked: “They forsook all and
followed Him” (verse
11).
Why were Peter and his friends able to take
such a bold step of faith to abandon their fishing boats and careers?
Because they had seen Jesus’ ability to
provide for them when they obeyed Him!
It’s in His Word
But you may be
thinking, “How do I know God can do the same thing in my life? How do I know
He will bless me and cause me to live in victory?”
Because of what the Lord reminds us in His
Word. Just look at what Peter wrote to the early church:
“His divine power has
given to us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness, through the
knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to
us exceedingly great and precious promises” - (2 Peter 1:3-4).
Do you see what power these words have?
God gave us all things to live our life in
godly abundance and blessing.
Although we may complain about what we seem
to lack, just like the early Christians, God assures us, “ALL things”
are ours!
Likewise, in the book of Ephesians, Paul
points out the incredible spiritual riches with which God blesses us:
“Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” - (Ephesians 1:3).
That means we have the authority to believe
our Father for bigger and better things.
We have the right to expect God’s blessing in
our lives, but first, we have to maximize the full capacity of our faith.
We have to expand our vision so that we can
understand and believe God for everything He has for us.
Believe God for More
The Word says, “‘For
I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and
not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
Can you think of a more powerful promise of
blessings than that? God’s telling us directly that His will is for us to
prosper.
So, I encourage you, start right now …
believe God for more in your life and watch what He does!
ALL of His promises to you are “Yes”
and “Amen” (2
Corinthians 1:20).
Don’t be bashful about asking for what you
need.
Just like Peter and the other disciples
trusted Him for their harvest, He wants us to trust Him for an incredible
breakthrough in our lives.
Can you imagine what life would be like if we
launched into the deep, cast our nets … and trusted God for more of His favor?
Remember: God’s promises of an abundant life
are not based on your worthiness, self-effort, or human ingenuity.
They are simply a by-product of who you are
in Christ. Only through HIS resurrection power is a life of abundance possible.
Yes, you have a role to play, but your main responsibilities are just to TRUST
and OBEY.
It’s no wonder we so often struggle to fully
comprehend and believe what the Bible says about the astounding power available
to us in Christ.
As Paul acknowledged,
God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according
to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).
So, think about the great things the Lord
could do in your life – then realize He’s able to do immeasurably MORE than
anything you can possibly imagine!
God bless you!
David
David Cerullo is the founder, chairman, and CEO of Inspiration Ministries, located in Indian Land, South Carolina – a ministry dedicated to impacting people for Christ worldwide through media. The son of international evangelist Morris Cerullo, David took a less traditional approach to ministry, graduating from Oral Roberts University with a degree in business administration and management. He has authored over 20 books, and operates a global media ministry that powerfully impacts the world for Christ. More from David on Inspiration.org.
https://inspiration.org/david-cerullo/strengthen-your-walk/launch-into-the-deep/
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