Satan has a big problem and it’s getting bigger
everyday. Like the line from the movie, The Sixth
Sense, Satan only sees dead people. spiritually, emo-
tionally, financially, and physically; he cannot see
anything else. As Christians, the light in our lives is
blinding to the Prince of Lies. The Holy Spirit that re-
sides in us as a counselor, guide, friend, and protector
is beyond Satan's understanding and grasp.
When we walk according to God’s plan for our
lives it baffles, befuddles, and totally frustrates Satan.
When we live God's way we are closer to him, thus
Satan cannot touch us even though he tries. Our reli-
ance on God's plan for existence shields us from any
harm. The devil cannot come near where God resides,
he cannot stand it because the light is too bright for his
darkness. As we go about our daily lives, we must
aspire to gravitate towards that light, then we will be
able to shake the devil at every turn. When looking at
others we must not see the worst in people, we must
choose the route of Christ and see the beauty in them.
Don't say I see dead people, say I see living people.
Everyone of us has it in us to aspire to the highest
realms of lip service. We can all talk the talk, but how
many of us can walk the walk? How many of us
know how to walk the Christ walk?
To walk the walk one must become a Disciple
of Christ. The definition of disciple is: "To become a
student." Discipleship requires being told by a higher
authority what to do. For some of us that presents a
problem, but we have to realize that we are not all of
that! Some of us like to envision ourselves as masters
of our fate and captains of our ship. Yet, we are quick
to blame God, Satan, or someone-anyone else when
we enter stormy seas. Fol-
lowing Christ cannot be a
half hearted decision. We
cannot allow ourselves to be
taught when we are at the
end of our own cleverness.
Christ and only Christ can
only be the head of our lives
in our Christian walk—He
can never be the tail, or an
appendence. Look at the
example of Peter, a disciple
of Christ in the Bible. Luke
gives us a fascinating and
in-depth description of Peter’s moment of decision: a
moment to which other Gospel writers refer to only
briefly.
In Luke 5:1–11 Jesus was preaching by the sea-
side, so pressed by the crowds that He asked Peter to
push his boat out into the water so that He could speak
from there. After He finished speaking, Jesus told Pe-
ter to push his boat deeper into the water and let down
his nets for a catch. Peter was reluctant. He and his
partners had fished all night and had caught nothing.
As a professional fisherman, Peter fished only at night
and then near the shore where schools of fish came in
to forage. Peter agreed reluctantly saying, “Master,
we have toiled all night and caught nothing,” an objec-
tion which is clearly an implied rebuke. “Nevertheless
at Your word I will let down the net (Luke5:5).” The
Greek word translated “master” is found only in Luke;
while it is a term of respect, it is also somewhat slang,
rather like our term “boss.” Peter respected Jesus, but
Peter was also an exceptional and successful fisher-
man. He had earned enough money at fishing to move
from his hometown of Bethsaida (John 1:44) to the
provincial capital where he built a large home on ex-
pensive land. It’s likely that Peter and his partners
also distributed their catch in Jerusalem itself, where
they were well known to the high priest’s servants
(John 18:15). Yes, Peter respected Jesus, but Peter
thought of himself as the expert when it came to fish-
ing! when he let down the nets they were suddenly
filled with so many fish that Peter had to call for his
partners to bring another boat. Peter realized that Je-
sus had performed a miracle. It apparently was one
thing for Peter to see Jesus perform miracles for oth-
ers, but another for Jesus to perform a miracle for him.
Overwhelmed Peter fell down before Jesus and ex-
claimed, “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man
(Luke 5:8).” Peter’s whole attitude underwent a strik-
ing change. We see it in the word he now uses to ad-
dress Jesus. “Lord” (kurios) was used in ordinary
speech to express respect, much as we say “Sir,” but
Lord was also used of God as the object of ultimate
respect. It was in this sense that Peter used it as he
called Jesus Lord, begging Christ to leave him saying,
“I am a sinful man.”
Suddenly and unexpectedly Peter had an over-
whelming awareness of just how great the gap was
between himself and Jesus. Humbled, Peter confessed
that he was unworthy of associating with Jesus, the
Lord. Jesus’ response must have been just as comfort-
ing to Peter as it is to us. “Do not be afraid,...” Jesus
told His friend. “...from now on you will catch men
(Luke 5:11).”
No matter how good we are at what we do, no
matter how accomplished we may be, or conversely
how far we have fallen or what we have done, we
must know this: we are but specks of dust alone with-
out JESUS in our lives. The old saying is," Dust thou
are, dust thou art return to." The Lord I serve may
have used the materials of earth to make me, but he
made me in his own image! The Lord I serve isn't
dust, he is the Alpha and the Omega, The Prince of
Peace, Elohim , the one true God. It is in his image
alone, not our own, not our parents, or friends that we
are made. When people say they can't find them-
selves, they are looking in all the wrong places. Jesus
said in Matthew 7:7,“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life,
there is no way to the father but through me (John
14:6).” God knows the greatness he has placed within
us and the only way for that to manifest is to submit
to the divine authority that Jesus has in our lives. Sub-
mit, accept, receive, believe, grow, and experience the
overflow of Christ in your life. To realize that we
don't have all the answers, to know that we cannot be
a master and a servant, to accept that Christ only
wants our best is the first step to walking the walk.
everyday. Like the line from the movie, The Sixth
Sense, Satan only sees dead people. spiritually, emo-
tionally, financially, and physically; he cannot see
anything else. As Christians, the light in our lives is
blinding to the Prince of Lies. The Holy Spirit that re-
sides in us as a counselor, guide, friend, and protector
is beyond Satan's understanding and grasp.
When we walk according to God’s plan for our
lives it baffles, befuddles, and totally frustrates Satan.
When we live God's way we are closer to him, thus
Satan cannot touch us even though he tries. Our reli-
ance on God's plan for existence shields us from any
harm. The devil cannot come near where God resides,
he cannot stand it because the light is too bright for his
darkness. As we go about our daily lives, we must
aspire to gravitate towards that light, then we will be
able to shake the devil at every turn. When looking at
others we must not see the worst in people, we must
choose the route of Christ and see the beauty in them.
Don't say I see dead people, say I see living people.
Everyone of us has it in us to aspire to the highest
realms of lip service. We can all talk the talk, but how
many of us can walk the walk? How many of us
know how to walk the Christ walk?
To walk the walk one must become a Disciple
of Christ. The definition of disciple is: "To become a
student." Discipleship requires being told by a higher
authority what to do. For some of us that presents a
problem, but we have to realize that we are not all of
that! Some of us like to envision ourselves as masters
of our fate and captains of our ship. Yet, we are quick
to blame God, Satan, or someone-anyone else when
we enter stormy seas. Fol-
lowing Christ cannot be a
half hearted decision. We
cannot allow ourselves to be
taught when we are at the
end of our own cleverness.
Christ and only Christ can
only be the head of our lives
in our Christian walk—He
can never be the tail, or an
appendence. Look at the
example of Peter, a disciple
of Christ in the Bible. Luke
gives us a fascinating and
in-depth description of Peter’s moment of decision: a
moment to which other Gospel writers refer to only
briefly.
In Luke 5:1–11 Jesus was preaching by the sea-
side, so pressed by the crowds that He asked Peter to
push his boat out into the water so that He could speak
from there. After He finished speaking, Jesus told Pe-
ter to push his boat deeper into the water and let down
his nets for a catch. Peter was reluctant. He and his
partners had fished all night and had caught nothing.
As a professional fisherman, Peter fished only at night
and then near the shore where schools of fish came in
to forage. Peter agreed reluctantly saying, “Master,
we have toiled all night and caught nothing,” an objec-
tion which is clearly an implied rebuke. “Nevertheless
at Your word I will let down the net (Luke5:5).” The
Greek word translated “master” is found only in Luke;
while it is a term of respect, it is also somewhat slang,
rather like our term “boss.” Peter respected Jesus, but
Peter was also an exceptional and successful fisher-
man. He had earned enough money at fishing to move
from his hometown of Bethsaida (John 1:44) to the
provincial capital where he built a large home on ex-
pensive land. It’s likely that Peter and his partners
also distributed their catch in Jerusalem itself, where
they were well known to the high priest’s servants
(John 18:15). Yes, Peter respected Jesus, but Peter
thought of himself as the expert when it came to fish-
ing! when he let down the nets they were suddenly
filled with so many fish that Peter had to call for his
partners to bring another boat. Peter realized that Je-
sus had performed a miracle. It apparently was one
thing for Peter to see Jesus perform miracles for oth-
ers, but another for Jesus to perform a miracle for him.
Overwhelmed Peter fell down before Jesus and ex-
claimed, “Lord, depart from me, for I am a sinful man
(Luke 5:8).” Peter’s whole attitude underwent a strik-
ing change. We see it in the word he now uses to ad-
dress Jesus. “Lord” (kurios) was used in ordinary
speech to express respect, much as we say “Sir,” but
Lord was also used of God as the object of ultimate
respect. It was in this sense that Peter used it as he
called Jesus Lord, begging Christ to leave him saying,
“I am a sinful man.”
Suddenly and unexpectedly Peter had an over-
whelming awareness of just how great the gap was
between himself and Jesus. Humbled, Peter confessed
that he was unworthy of associating with Jesus, the
Lord. Jesus’ response must have been just as comfort-
ing to Peter as it is to us. “Do not be afraid,...” Jesus
told His friend. “...from now on you will catch men
(Luke 5:11).”
No matter how good we are at what we do, no
matter how accomplished we may be, or conversely
how far we have fallen or what we have done, we
must know this: we are but specks of dust alone with-
out JESUS in our lives. The old saying is," Dust thou
are, dust thou art return to." The Lord I serve may
have used the materials of earth to make me, but he
made me in his own image! The Lord I serve isn't
dust, he is the Alpha and the Omega, The Prince of
Peace, Elohim , the one true God. It is in his image
alone, not our own, not our parents, or friends that we
are made. When people say they can't find them-
selves, they are looking in all the wrong places. Jesus
said in Matthew 7:7,“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find; knock and the door will be
opened to you.” “I am the way, the truth, and the life,
there is no way to the father but through me (John
14:6).” God knows the greatness he has placed within
us and the only way for that to manifest is to submit
to the divine authority that Jesus has in our lives. Sub-
mit, accept, receive, believe, grow, and experience the
overflow of Christ in your life. To realize that we
don't have all the answers, to know that we cannot be
a master and a servant, to accept that Christ only
wants our best is the first step to walking the walk.
No comments:
Post a Comment