Series 3.2.22 - #53

 

Words of Light Upon the Face of Lust, Pride, and An Erroneous Direction

 

February 22, 2005

 

Today Jesus took me on a journey where fish reside. I am a fisher of men. He has called me to catch men. I will not catch them if I do not fish. Fishing requires purpose and patience. Fishing is only boring to those who do not love it. It is boring to those who have no purpose for fishing. I have a purpose for catching men. This is the occupation that God placed me in. As he created Adam and placed him in the occupation of a gardener, so has he placed me in the occupation of a fisherman.

I never stopped to wonder if Adam was a good gardener. I think the Lord knows that my fishing is ineffective. I believe that the Lord is not pleased with my fishing of men. I do not think that I am a good fisherman. At times, I have quit my occupation as a fisherman and entered another occupation of my own choice. I have not spent my time wisely as a fisherman. I have spent much more time tending my own personal gardens in this life. I look upon the many man-made gardens of this life, and I behold the numerous ponds, lakes, rivers, and oceans full of men. I am determined not to continue to spend my time tending the flowers and the trees of life and not take time to fish in these places that I pass by daily. The fish are so plentiful that I may catch them by any means. The Lord needs willing, available vessels for instruments for his fishing. He desires to use me that I might catch men and bring them out of these waters. As I walk by their places of habitation, I do not always observe the many fish that are in trouble. Although I realize that many of them do not know that the sin all about them is not food for them. They swim about in the waters of sin. They breathe the poisonous fumes from the plants of sin. They eat and drink sin as a regular diet using an appetite that will never be satisfied. God has called me as one who will go and plant the word of God in the midst of this sinful environment.

The enemy continues to plant new foliage and new plants of sin in the ponds of life, but I will go and plant the knowledge of the tree of life. They need the Lily of the valley instead of their lilies of corruption. They need the Rose of Sharon instead of their roses of vanity. They need the tree of life instead of the trees of pride. They need the fresh waters of life instead of the waters of lust. The Lord has stocked the waters in my city with men from all nations. I do not have very far to travel to fulfill his commission to go and preach the gospel to every creature.

I will not tarry any longer before I journey to Africa in my backyard. I will not wait any longer before I preach the gospel to Asia next door. I am awakened out of sleep now to proclaim the good news to Europe in my front yard. I will no longer halt before I declare the truth to Germany in my own marketplace. I wait no longer before I fish. I look upon the men in the waters of life and behold their unceasing hunger for bread. I know that God's bread is appetizing to those that he is drawing from these waters. I recall the fish that I have seen up close. They are biting right now, and they were biting when he brought them face to face with me. I used the gospel as bait. I must use the "good news" bait which is encased in love instead of good news packaged within condemnation and insincerity.

I determine not to catch fish and bring them to the pond of life only to wake up one morning and find them dead in the pond of life. If they are dead in the pond, then I killed them, or I did not watch for them. Jesus will not give me the beautiful and precious fish of the earth if they will only die again in my garden of unconcern. He is looking for healthy waters to place precious fish. I will clean up myself that the fish may live and not choose to be an unfaithful caretaker who ministers death instead of life.

All the fish of the earth are important to God. He died for all. I must fish to catch all that he died for, not just those of my own nationality. I must fish for every creature in the waters of sin. I am becoming aware that many of another nationality would respond and be willing to be caught by me if I only fish for them. I cast my bread in the waters that I have not fished in, and I will draw out a big catch. I hear the Lord's voice, and I come from my favorite comfortable fishing place. He will show me new waters where there are easy catches.

I purpose to learn lessons from the enemies in the waters where these fish dwell. I will go to the frogs and learn of their wisdom. They eat any moving thing that is small enough to swallow. I have not fished for the young. I will not only fish for grownups while the frogs of these waters devour and eat the young. The alligators, the snakes, the wading birds, and the animals that eat fish all come to the waters where the fish live. They journey there to catch fish. In recent times, I have not been to the waters where men live, and when I did go, I wasn't always there to catch fish. When God called me, he empowered me with fish catching ability. I asked, "Who will teach me to fish?" Jesus says, "Who taught the frogs? Who taught the snakes? Who taught the fish eating birds? Who taught the raccoons? Who taught the bears?"

When I am hungry to fulfill my purpose in this life as a fisherman, the natural God-given abilities within me shall be activated to enable me to go to the waters and catch fish. I must hunger to do the will of God. A hungry bear will fish until he has caught a fish to satisfy his hunger. I have not directed my hunger to fishing. I have allowed life's cares and busyness to spoil my appetite for fishing. A hunter must hunt. A pilot must fly a plane. A teacher must teach, and I must be a fisherman who fishes. The Lord has come to me today to revive my natural God-given love for fishing. I must accept this reviving. I may choose to be restored back to my natural occupation. I am weary because I am attempting to employ myself as an entertainer. I will starve in this occupation, for the salaries of fisherman posing as entertainers of the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life are not sufficient for me. The currency paid these entertainers of lust and pride has no value in God's kingdom. I resign from my failing business in entertainment and come back to the Father's prosperous business of fishing. I have said, "I am not an entertainer," but then I realize this is how I have spent my time. I have spent my time laboring to please the lust of my eyes, the lust of my flesh, and the pride of life and not fishing for men.

I say, "I must work." The Lord says, "Yes, or you should not eat." I must work that I might eat, but I am determined to cease my working to entertain my lust and my pride. I turn in my resignation at the entertainer's headquarters, and I come immediately to the business that I am naturally equipped to succeed in. This is my Father's business. I come back to the Lord's successful business. This business shall grow and fill the whole earth. He invites me again to labor with him and be successful. If I continue to labor as an entertainer of lust and pride, then I will labor for meat that will perish. The Lord has not come to condemn me for my failures, but he has come to rescue me from the perishing employment by lust and pride, whose entire establishment lies in wickedness and shall be cast into the lake of fire. Love beckons me to be reinstated as a fisherman in God's business. I come to the Lord and follow him.

 

 

Hebrews 10:22 - 23

Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)

 

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

 

 

 

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