Launch into the Deep

Isn’t it amazing how God desires to bless us and pour out His abundance in our lives? As children of God, we are meant to enjoy His provision and have more than enough in every area.

Each one of us is an heir to His promise, but it’s also true we must have the correct personal vision of God before we receive that promise. God is a God of maximum capacity. He wants to do something greater in us than we could ever imagine.

But we have to trust Him with everything first … we have to launch into the DEEP waters of our faith … before He can bless us and transform our circumstances.

Let me give you an example …

You may remember in Luke 5 when Jesus was with Peter in His fishing boat. He had just finished teaching the large crowd that had gathered at the Lake of Gennesaret. He looked at Peter and said, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch” (v. 4).

Now on the surface, Jesus was giving this particular bit of instruction only to Peter, but in reality, it could be applied to our lives as well. The Lord is telling us to go DEEPER … to trust Him more … so He can direct us to His coming harvest in our lives. He’s saying to listen to His voice … even amid uncertainty … so He can lead and guide us.

But notice that Peter needed to act on Jesus’ instruction in order to receive the intended breakthrough. He had to activate His faith before He could obtain God’s rewards. If he had insisted on just staying put, he would have missed out on the amazing blessing that was in store for him.

At first, Peter protested, saying, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing.” Yet, despite his frustration over past failures and disappointments, Peter decided to obey Jesus’ instruction: “Nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net” (v. 5). Peter’s step of faith and obedience turned out to be a pivotal moment, transforming not just the outcome of that day, but his entire life after that: “When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking” (v. 6).

What a dramatic turnaround! The story began with Peter and his fishing partners experiencing lack in their circumstances, but then suddenly they found themselves having more than enough! And this remarkable turn of events all happened because they dared to believe Jesus’ instruction to “launch out” into deeper waters.

These fishermen had no doubt had big catches over the years, but nothing like this. They were “astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken” (v. 9). This is God’s message for YOU today: You haven’t seen anything yet! He wants to bless you so abundantly that it far surpasses any blessing you’ve experienced in the past. Just as the boat suddenly overflowed with fish, your life is destined to overflow with God’s blessings when you heed His instructions.

This story ends with a beautiful statement that is often overlooked: “They forsook all and followed Him” (v. 11). Why were Peter and his friends able to take such a bold step of faith to abandon their fishing boats and careers? Because they had seen Jesus’ ability to provide for them when they obeyed Him!

It’s in His Word

But you may be thinking, “How do I know God can do the same thing in my life? How do I know He will bless me and cause me to live in victory?

Because of what the Lord reminds us in His Word. Just look at what Peter wrote to the early church:

His divine power has given to us ALL things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Do you see what power these words have? God gave us all things to live our life in godly abundance and blessing. Although we may complain about what we seem to lack, just like the early Christians, God assures us, “ALL things” are ours!

Likewise, in the book of Ephesians, Paul points out the incredible spiritual riches with which God blesses us:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

That means we have the authority to believe our Father for bigger and better things. We have the right to expect God’s blessing in our lives, but first, we have to maximize the full capacity of our faith. We have to expand our vision so that we can understand and believe God for everything He has for us.

Believe God for More

The Word says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV). Can you think of a more powerful promise of blessings than that? God’s telling us directly that His will is for us to prosper.

So I encourage you, start right now … believe God for more in your life and watch what He does! ALL of His promises to you are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). Don’t be bashful about asking for what you need.

Friend, as this year continues to unfold, you’ll see that your Heavenly Father wants to multiply your blessings. Just like Peter and the other disciples trusted Him for their harvest, He wants us to trust Him for an incredible breakthrough in our lives.

Can you imagine what life would be like if we launched into the deep, cast our nets … and trusted God for more of His favor?

Remember: God’s promises of an abundant life are not based on your worthiness, self-effort, or human ingenuity. They are simply a by-product of who you are in Christ. Only through HIS resurrection power is a life of abundance possible. Yes, you have a role to play, but your main responsibilities are just to TRUST and OBEY.

It’s no wonder we so often struggle to fully comprehend and believe what the Bible says about the astounding power available to us in Christ. As Paul acknowledged, God is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20 NIV).

So, think about the great things the Lord could do in your life – then realize He’s able to do immeasurably MORE than anything you can possibly imagine!

God bless you!

David Cerullo

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