Listen and Obey
ICS Daily Devotions
Luke 5:4-6 (NKJV) When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
As believers, we should walk in the will of God so that we can be confident, strong and courageous in the midst of the storms in our lives, because it is very difficult to anchor our faith in the midst of storms unless we know that we are in the middle of God’s will, and what will give us a firm footing is a Word from God.
Fishermen normally set off for their fishing at night but both boats had fetched nothing from the previous night and they were washing the nets when Jesus came. Peter and his friends were professional fishermen but they have failed in their jobs. We often find ourselves in this humbling and frustrating situation as well, trying to find ways to get things off the ground with our own effort, but with no success.
John 21:6 (NKJV) “And He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.”
It is wise to seek the face of God even if we had already sought His face and are walking in the midst of His will, because walking in His perfect will doesn’t mean there won’t be storms in our lives. The good news is that because we have a close relationship with the Lord, He will lead us continuously and to make adjustments where necessary, just like He gave very specific instructions to Peter to throw the net on the right side. Some of us may struggle with such simple instruction because we think God won’t bother with such minor issues in our lives, but we need to learn from Peter to just listen and obey.
1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV) Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Praying in faith isn’t always easy because we are often uncertain or have the assurance of answered prayer, but when God’s will is known, we can pray in faith and confidence. Therefore, it is our responsibility to seek out the will and the plan of God for our lives. Although it may not be smooth sailing all the way even when we are walking in His perfect will, the Lord promises us that He hears us and will give us our petition especially when we are walking out His will in our lives. What gives substance to our faith is when we are aware of and confident that we are walking in His calling and He has endorsed the work that He has for us.
Sermon Series: It’s January 1st 2023
