Activating Abundance

From Tosh Young.....

THE WORD: "The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it abundantly." (Jn 10:10)

 "When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break." (Lk 5:6)

MY TRUTH: Sometimes I get frustrated when I come across things in the Word, that don't seem like they actually work or happen.  For instance, Jesus said that he came so that we would have life abundantly.  NIV translation says "to the full".  But what is abundance?  Abundance is like Simon in Lk 5:1-11, when he had more fish than his net could even hold.  Abundance is defined as: oversufficient quantity; overflowing fullness; affluence, wealth.

So if Jesus came for me to have life Abundantly, why am I operating in deficit or lack in so many areas?  I need my family to be saved, my husband to be delivered, my child to be protected, my nation to be healed, my students to be covered.  Not to mention the financial part - while I may not be broke, I'm definitely not living in wealth or overflowing.

But God is not a man that He should lie, and God is Word, so His Word must be TRUTH.  So I found a passage, Luke 5:1-11 where Jesus shows us how to Activate Abundance.  Simon and his fisherman friends had been going out fishing for a while, to no avail.  What have you been trying to Catch, but keep coming up empty? 

This is the truth God revealed to me, to fill our empty net:

1. Be in close Relationship with God (v. 3) - Simon had direct access to Jesus because they were in the same boat.  Are you close enough to God to hear Him when He speaks to you?  Is Jesus even invited in your boat, or are you too busy trying to catch the fish by yourself?
2. Catch His Teaching (v. 4) - Jesus was speaking to throngs of people on the shore, while they were swaying in a boat in the middle of a lake.  There had to have been a lot of commotion - and just so subtly, after He was done speaking to the crowd, Jesus turned and delivered an order to Simon to cast the net into the water.  We have to be sensitive to hearing God speak to us, even in the midst of the commotion of our daily lives.
3. Obey (v. 5) - As soon as Simon Heard the Word, he immediately replied in faith "But because you say so, I will let down the nets."  Despite the fact that Simon had been trying for days without catching fish, he trusted in God.  We are called to believe in our heart (faith) things that we may not yet see, profess and proclaim, and act in obedience.

Lord, help me to draw near to you, to be conscious of your presence, your rebuking, and redirection, and give me the strength, discipline and courage to obey your instruction without delay.