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
聆听并顺服
路加福音5:4-6讲完了，对西门说：把船开到水深之处，下网打鱼。西门说：夫子，我们整夜劳力，并没有打着甚麽。但依从你的话，我就下网。他们下了网，就圈住许多鱼，网险些裂开。
作为信徒，我们应当行在神的旨意中，这样我们才能在生命的风暴有确信、坚强和勇敢。除非我们知道自己正处于神的旨意中，不然我们很难在风暴中坚持我们的信仰，是神的话语给了我们稳固的根基。
渔民通常在夜间出海捕鱼，但彼得和他朋友的渔船在前晚都一无所获，当他们正在清洗渔网的时候，耶稣来了。彼得和他的朋友是专业的渔民，但他们的任务却失败了。我们经常也会发现自己处于这种令人自卑和沮丧的境地，试图靠自己的努力使事情有所起色，但却毫无果效。
约翰福音21:6耶稣说：你们把网撒在船的右边，就必得着。他们便撒下网去，竟拉不上来了，因为鱼甚多。
即使我们已经寻求过神并且正行在上帝的旨意中，但继续寻求神仍然是明智的，因为行在神完美的旨意中并不意味着我们的生命不再会有风暴。 好消息是，由于我们与主有着亲密的关系，祂将持续引导我们，并在必要时进行调整，就像祂给彼得非常具体的指示，让他把网撒到右边一样。我们中的一些人可能会对这样简单的指示感到困惑，因为我们认为神不会关注我们生命中的这些小问题，但我们需要向彼得学习，只需聆听并顺服。
约翰一书5:14-15 我们若照祂的旨意求甚麽，祂就听我们，这是我们向祂所存坦然无惧的心。既然知道祂听我们一切所求的，就知道我们所求於祂的，无不得着。
凭着信心祷告并不总是那么容易，因为我们常常不确信祷告会被应允，但当我们知道神的旨意时，我们就可以凭着信心和坦然无惧地祈求。 因此，我们有责任寻求神对我们生活的旨意和计划。即使我们行在祂完美的旨意中，道路也可能不会一帆风顺，但主应许我们，祂听我们的祷告，并赐我们所求的，尤其是我们在生活中行出祂的旨意时。 当我们意识到并且确信我们行在上帝的呼召中，并且认可祂为我们所作的工时，我们的信心就有了实底。
讲章系列：是2023年1月1日！
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