In John 21, we are taken to a scene where Simon Peter and a few other disciples are fishing and to no avail, they caught not one fish. In the early morning a man (who they later recognized was Jesus) called out to them from the shore telling them to throw the net out again on the right side of the boat and they shall catch fish. After their obedience to this request, they end up catching more fish than they could haul into the boat.
I have often found myself in this situation. Trying to forge my way toward my God-given destiny and after much striving, just like Simon Peter, I come up short. I have found that God often has to slow us down in order to do something even more important than reaching the mountain top moments where we achieve such goals. God wishes for our character to be developed so that we can become strong Christians who do not waver in our faith and convictions because of a little opposition. As we allow God to strengthen our character, we begin to rely more on the Word of God and less on our feelings and emotions that often cause us to make painfully horrible decisions.
Striving in our own might to obtain God’s destiny for ourselves often causes us to come up short. We not only need the supernatural power of God in order to reap the harvest God has declared over our lives, but we need those valley moments. It is in the valley where we are faced with our demons, insecurities and mindsets that are in constant opposition to God. It is in the obscurity of waiting that God refines our character, melting away the sins that so easily entangle us. It is in the constant obedience to God that we reap blessings. But many times we are quick to give up and quick to say, “I’ve been doing this for a while and I don’t see God working so I give up.”
Life on this earth should be about the inward growth of a Christian and being able to grow our roots down deep in the foundation of Christ. So let’s stop looking at the mountain top and lets begin to focus on the value of the valley.
Listen to my latest podcast to learn more about how to stand strong in your trial. {eoa}
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