Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Fishing God’s Way ”

Matthew 4:18-20 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

I can remember going fishing with my dad and grandpa as a young girl.  It was always fun to cast the bait out and immediately catch a fish.  But it got boring just waiting for a fish to bite.  Fishing requires patience and skill. It requires experience to know where the fish like to hang out, like near downed trees and under rock ledges. It was always frustrating when one stole your bait. We used all sorts of things for bait, from minnows to a Velveeta cheese and garlic mixture my dad made. Sometimes, we used artificial bait with shiny spinners and spoons. It all depended on what kind of fish we wanted to catch.

Satan uses all sorts of shiny things to catch us and get us to sin.  He knows just what will tempt us. He custom makes traps for each of us to cause us to sin. As Christians, we are not above falling into a trap if we do not listen to the voice of God.  Especially if you are new to your Christian walk. But if we listen, God will make a way for us to escape falling into the trap in the first place.

When dealing with the lost, we have to understand that they have been trapped by the enemy. We must never go to them with a superior attitude or one of condemnation. They need to see God’s compassion and love in us. We will never reach the lost without God’s love in our hearts.  We will not reach them if we only pray for our lost family and friends. 

 In order to complete the great commission, we have to have a burden for the lost. It is up to each of us to try to bring souls into the kingdom. I went fishing almost every time my dad went until he told me I was old enough to bait my own hook and take off my own fish.  Well, that was the end of my fishing days. I didn’t want to get slimy, and I had seen people get cut badly with fish that bit or finned them.  I wanted to protect myself.

We sometimes want to leave the hard jobs to someone else.  We don’t want to get our hands dirty. We want to protect ourselves from people lashing out at us. When people are hurting or scared, they sometimes say harsh things. It’s easier to just stop fishing for those souls.

Thinking of people as being fish, some are tough, some are clown fish, and some are hiding and need different bait. We each may have different bait in our tackle box because of what we have experienced. Someone that I can reach you may not be able to even get close to witnessing to and vice versa.

There are plenty of lost to go around.  It’s time for us to gather the tools necessary into our tackle box and go fishing.

What do we put in our tackle box? The word of God. Compassion, non-judgmental attitude, God’s love, peace and strength. Before leaving the house, we need to pray that the master of the sea will lead us to the right fishing spot. Ask for His Spirit to give us the right words to say to help heal the brokenhearted.

Many people have been hurt by so-called Christians and are afraid to be vulnerable again. They blame God and QUOTE “church people”.  I don’t ever want to be known as “Church People.”  I want people to look at me and see a Christian.  Not someone bound by an organized religious denomination. I recently shared a story on my blog of a woman at a restaurant that I talk to a lot.  She told me that some of the “church people” got upset on Easter Sunday because they were closing at noon to spend the day with their families. I explained to her there was a difference between a Christian and a “church people.” Church people are all about the church; they are judgmental and rude. They feel like they know everything and that no one is as good as a Christian as they are.  Christians are loving people who attend church. But they are kind.  Be kind to your servers, generous with your tips, and above all, help them see the difference between “church people and Christians.  It may even lead to catching a fish or two. We can reach the lost if we walk in love.  

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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