240-Focus on God's Promises#
240-Focus on God's Promises
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
Romans 4:17-21
17 As it is written, "I have made you a father of many nations," in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, "So shall your offspring be." 19 He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb. 20 No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, 21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You, a new week has begun, we look to You for Your promises, focusing solely on Your words. Your promises are what You will give us, and what You have promised will surely come to pass. We come with faith to receive Your provision and blessings, blessing every brother and sister who seeks You, receiving strength to live, carrying Your victorious life. Thank You and praise You! In the name of Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
The topic of sharing is: Focus on God's Promises
Why should we set our eyes on God's promises? Because if we are not focused on God's promises, we are focused on our problems and circumstances. Where your focus is, that is what will be magnified. If your focus is on the problem, the problem will seem bigger. Take a leaf and bring it close to your eyes; it will block out the sun because it is getting closer to you. If it moves further away, the problem will seem smaller. You cannot say the leaf is too big, and today there is no sun; that is not true.
It is just that your eyes have been on the problem, and your heart has magnified it. The devil's trick is to keep you focused on the problems and circumstances; the more you look at the problem, the bigger it becomes, and the more you look at the environment, the more you feel defeated, and you become discouraged. Shift your focus to God's promises; God's blessings and promises will empower you. Some people care too much about how others evaluate them. When others comment on them, they are influenced, putting their focus on those people and things. This will not only not help you but will also hinder you from receiving God's promises. We are all imperfect people, with both flaws and strengths; focus on your strengths, which are the gifts and talents given to you by God.
I wish everyone would stop looking at their flaws, stop putting their eyes on people or things they do not like. You should see how God views you; you are unique. There is no one else in this world exactly like you. Even twins are not the same; their personalities, goals, and pursuits in life are different. Believe that you are a treasure in the eyes of the Father, a unique creation of God in this world. Even if you have problems, they are still unique. The path God has for you is also unique; do not walk someone else's path, and do not always put your eyes on the successes or failures of others; that is just theirs and does not represent what God has for you. You should look to God's promises and walk easily in them, walking in God's words.
Matthew 6:34, "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
Tell those around you, do not be anxious about tomorrow. Also, tell yourself, I will not be anxious about tomorrow; I do not know what will happen tomorrow because tomorrow will never come. You worry today about what will happen tomorrow, and when tomorrow comes, you say, I worry about what will happen tomorrow... Tomorrow will never come, so do not be anxious about tomorrow. Today is the day blessed by God; it does not matter that you do not know what will happen tomorrow, but you know who holds tomorrow. Tomorrow is still under the Lord's control; declare that today the Father's grace is sufficient for me. Do not look at what you currently lack, whether your finances have not turned around, your relationships are terrible, or your children are disobedient. These are the problems you see, but you should look to God's promises; our Lord has the power to change all of this.
Make a correct declaration about yourself: I am a descendant of Abraham; the Bible says God has promises for me; I am an heir. What God has given you, you are an heir of God's inheritance; He will bless everything you do, making you prosper and have abundance in all things. Prosperity does not mean you will not encounter dangers or problems. Prosperity means that when there are problems and difficulties, He will help you overcome. People always expect life to go smoothly without encountering any problems. The strength our Lord gives you is the ability to overcome any problem. This is His promise to you; do not worry.
Though you have tribulations in this world, do not focus on your tribulations; focus on the words of Jesus Christ. He has overcome this world; He has overcome, and He has given you this power, which is to turn your problems to God's promises. It is simple; just change your focus. Previously, you always looked at the issues in your home, always looked at the mistakes and flaws of others; now you should put it on God's promises. No matter what your needs are, do not magnify your problems and inner worries. Consider how many times we have worried in life without achieving anything? Worrying about this and that, worrying about what will happen to the children in the future, worrying about work, worrying about what will happen when I die... Most of the things you worry about never come to pass, always living in worry and anxiety, wasting time.
God wants you to look at His promises, to see how His words speak to you, to find the promises God has for you in the Bible, so you can stand strong. You should often meditate on God's promises. You should know that even though there are problems now, God's grace surrounds me like a shield. What was Job's problem? He did not know that God was protecting him all around. Satan knew; he went before God and said, "Is it for no reason that he is so prosperous? You have put a hedge around him to protect him, haven't you?" But Job did not know. We cannot live so foolishly; we must know that God has also built a shield around you for protection.
If you say, "I do not believe your words; the devil will attack me; come on..." it is like removing that shield. Now you must believe this: there is God's protection around you; God has built a hedge around you like a shield; you are a righteous person, hallelujah! The Bible has promises for the righteous, that the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
We do not pass from day to night, getting darker and darker; God's calculation of time starts from the evening. In the beginning of Genesis, after God created the great lights, He said there was evening and there was morning. The way people calculate time is from the morning when the sun rises until the evening when it gets dark; that day has passed. The path of the world is getting darker and darker. But the path of the righteous shines brighter and brighter until noon. Now we are in this world, and there are still dark times, but in the future, there will be no darkness in the kingdom of heaven; we will always live in the light. This is God's promise to you.
You should see that your path should also shine brighter and brighter until noon. Please remember one thing, which I want to advise everyone: God is not obligated to fulfill the words you speak, but God is absolutely obligated to fulfill His promises, that is, the words that come out of His mouth. If God fulfilled what you said, you would have been gone long ago. God does not fulfill what you say; He fulfills what He has promised. You should believe not in what you say, but in His promises, His words.
Why does God not fulfill our words? Think about it; most of the time, what kind of words do we say? Generally, we curse ourselves and others. When it is too hot, we say, "I am dying of heat"; when it is cold, we say, "I am freezing to death"; when others make us angry, we say, "I am dying of anger." If God fulfilled what you said, would you still be here? You would have long been cursed to death in this world.
God does not fulfill what you say; He fulfills His promises. You need to learn to speak God's words with your mouth; your words are useless. Many people say, "Why doesn't God fulfill my requests?" You should say that God has already given you promises, and He will definitely fulfill His promises to you. Let me give you a practical example: if someone has insomnia, you cannot say, "That's it; I won't be able to sleep again tonight." If God fulfills your words, you can forget about sleeping. The pressure is getting bigger; many people have insomnia, and it is too hard to get a good night's sleep. If you are having insomnia, how should you speak to yourself?
Look at Psalm 127:2, "It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep."
Isn't this God's promise? Isn't this what God is saying to you? Are you not beloved by the Lord? You must believe you are loved by God; if you say God hates you, then you should not sleep at night. Since you know you are beloved by the Lord, God has a promise for you that He will give you peaceful sleep. Those who have insomnia should declare this to themselves: "Tonight, I believe I will definitely sleep well because You have promised me; You said I am Your beloved, and I will definitely sleep well."
Do you all remember the testimony of a brother? His wife had a disease similar to a blood disorder; do you remember how he prayed to God? This disease is very difficult to treat and can be fatal. He testified that he prayed, "Lord, she is Your daughter-in-law! I believe You will definitely heal Your daughter-in-law." We might say, "What an interesting prayer!" When he said she was Your daughter-in-law, he was the son, so this was a promise; he was praying with God's promise. No matter what problem you have, you should find God's promises in the Bible and use that promise to speak to yourself: "In the name of Lord Jesus, this word will definitely come to pass in my life."
Christmas is coming soon. When the angel found Mary, what did he say to her? "O favored one, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." At that time, Mary did not understand and said, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The power of God will overshadow you; this is something you cannot understand; you just need to believe. At that time, Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and let it be to me according to your word." This word came to pass; she believed this would come to pass in her life. So Mary did not doubt and say, "Why is my belly growing day by day? I need to see what is inside." Because this is God's promise. She believed that this was Jesus because the angel even named Him.
When you do not see your results, you must first believe. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. It proves that you do not see the reality now, but in faith, you have already seen it. The evidence of things not seen proves that although your eyes do not see it, you already have assurance: it has already been given to me. This is called faith. Hallelujah! So we should focus on God's promises; not seeing it now does not mean you will never see it; it just means the time has not yet come. Thank and praise the Lord! Change your focus from the problem to God's promises; no matter what you need, do not magnify your problems, do not let your heart worry anymore, find God's promises in the Bible, and meditate on them often. The example I just gave you was about insomnia, but in other aspects of life, as long as you have needs, God will give you promises in the Bible.
We are talking about Abraham's faith; he believed in the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. Calling into existence the things that do not exist means that what was originally impossible and nonexistent is now made real by God's words. This is the Lord Abraham believed in; he is our father before the Lord. Brothers and sisters, is this not God's promise to him? At that time, God found Abraham and said, "You will be the father of many nations." At that time, he had no children. If he already had a dozen children and God told him he would be the father of many nations, Abraham would surely say, "No problem."
But at that time, he did not have a single child; to be the father of many nations, does that not require faith? Many times we look at what is not there. If Abraham looked at what he did not have, he would have weakened. Many times, people say, "How good is it to believe in Jesus? I see you are not doing well." Are they looking at your flaws? If you look at yourself through their thinking, you might say, "Yes, I am like this; what can I say?"
Once, Abraham's wife was taken away by someone because she was too beautiful; he said she was his sister and did not dare to say she was his wife, fearing that others would kill him. That night, Abraham prayed at home, and God personally spoke to that king, saying, "You dead man, that is another man's wife; do you dare to touch her?"
God caused that king and all the men and women in his family to become ill, and the women could not conceive. The next day, the king found Abraham and said, "Pray for me, so that all the women in my family can conceive." Brothers and sisters, think about it: if Abraham had said, "I cannot conceive either; how can I pray for you?" Would he have had the faith to pray? No. God said, "That man is a prophet; let him pray for you, and he will heal you." So the king found Abraham and said, "Please pray for me; heal my family; the women in my family cannot conceive." Abraham did not say, "My wife cannot conceive either; how can I pray for you?" "Let no one give birth."
He did not look at his lack; he believed: since you have come to me, I will bless you with prayer. Because of Abraham's prayer of blessing, God healed all the women in that king's family, allowing them to conceive. Soon, his wife also became pregnant. When others say, "You believe in Jesus; how are you doing?" You say, "I can pray for you; my God can heal you." When you pray and bless him like this, God's promises will first be fulfilled in you. When you heal others, God's healing will first be upon you and then be passed on through you; you will also be healed. Look at what Abraham was like at the beginning. At that time, three angels passed by his door. Abraham had a good habit of being very willing to welcome strangers, letting them eat and drink; unknowingly, he welcomed three angels. After they ate and drank, one of them said,
Look at Genesis 18:9-15,
9 They said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "She is in the tent." 10 The angel said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.
From the fact that Abraham and Sarah were old and that Sarah's menstruation had ceased, it can be seen that there was no hope. From today's medical perspective, if a woman's menstruation has ceased, how can she have a baby? When you see this result, you say, "That's it; there is no hope."
At that time, 12 Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?"
This proves that Abraham's body was not in good shape either; it speaks of the physiological functions that have deteriorated. In this situation, Abraham was too old, nearing a hundred years; under these circumstances, the angel said, "You will have a son next year at this time." This is God's word; God's promise and your current self, which one will you believe? This is the choice we need to make. If you do not believe, you might say, "You are joking; you are deceiving me, comforting me." You can continue to believe your current situation, or you can believe God's promises; even if it has not changed, you can start to believe.
13 The Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time, I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son."
This is also God's promise to you. Brothers and sisters, there is a word here: "At the appointed time, I will surely return to you, and Sarah shall have a son." This is God's promise to you. The promises given to us in the Bible have a characteristic: they will definitely be given to you. The Bible does not say, "At this time next year, I might come to you, and your wife might bear a son." If it said that, would we still have hope? No, think again about the promises in the Bible; how does God speak to us?
Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours, right? It will surely be yours. "Surely" means certain, definite, and cannot be changed by anyone. This is what we need to believe, so God used two "shalls": "At this time next year, I will surely come to you, and when I come, you will see another fact: your wife Sarah will have a son."
15 Sarah was afraid, and she denied it, saying, "I did not laugh." But he said, "No, but you did laugh."
Brothers and sisters, when we face identity, words, and promises, we often laugh. The first kind of laugh is a joyful laugh: "Great! God has given me a promise." The second kind of laugh is a sarcastic laugh: "Ha, what a joke." To those who do not believe, our words may sound like jokes. The first kind of laugh is genuine belief, so she named her son Isaac, which means laughter. When she saw this child, she thought, "Hehe... I laughed like this when I was pregnant with you, so I named you Laughter." In God's promises, we always laugh joyfully because you will surely see that promise fulfilled.
Abraham was not focused on how weak he was; he was not focused on the fact that Sarah's ability to conceive had ceased. He did not keep thinking, "Surely I heard God wrong; my wife is almost ninety, and I am almost a hundred; this is impossible." Abraham did not even search online to see the possibility of conception at a hundred years old. If you searched, what would the result be? Impossible. So brothers and sisters, if you have doubts about God's words, do not ask the world; if you do, the result will surely be impossible.
If you do not believe, try showing this passage to the world; what will they say? "That is just psychological comfort; how can a hundred-year-old conceive?" From any angle or from anyone, you will receive negative responses, impossible. But you should not focus on what people say. If at this time, Abraham called all his relatives and friends over to tell them God's promise and asked for their thoughts and opinions, what result would he get? They would say, "Abraham, I think you have become foolish in your faith." Have you ever had someone say that to you? "You are foolish to believe; can this be believed?" But is God's promise like that? If you carefully look at your Bible, how many of God's promises are not understood by the world, but you must believe them, and if you believe, you will see them.
Many people search online and conclude that grace is heresy and decide not to listen. The same principle applies; he did not ask his friends or those under the law, "Can this come to pass?" They would say, "Your body is like this, with so many sins; a ninety-year-old woman, how can you conceive? It is impossible unless you confess all your sins before God can let you have a child."
If you ask others, look at the environment, your doubts will grow larger, and fear and negative thoughts will make you discouraged and despairing. So I encourage you to emulate Abraham, let Abraham be your example of faith; he truly is our example of faith. The Bible says he believed in the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. When there was no hope, he still had hope through faith. No hope means he looked at the environment and people with his eyes and saw no hope. But because of faith, he still had hope.
Now you know the focus is different, right? There is no hope when focused on people and the environment, but when you focus on God, there is still hope. Abraham was not always so faithful. God called him at seventy-five, and for a time he became weak. God spoke to him like a friend; He did not say, "Abraham, do you not believe me? Do you think I am deceiving you? The time has not yet come; wait another twenty-five years, and you will have a child."
In his weakness, one night, not knowing what to do, God called Abraham and said, "Come out now and count the stars in the sky." If God asked you to do this, would you do it? No, it seems meaningless; I am so old; do you think I am a child to count stars? If you asked a grandfather or grandmother in their seventies or eighties to count stars, would they do it? Even if they had nothing to do, they would not do that. Moreover, at the time when his faith was weakest, what he wanted most was a child, and God said to count the stars. Abraham began to count, one star, two stars... He did not fall asleep, and by the end, he was dizzy and said, "Lord, I cannot count them." God said, "Exactly, I will not let you count them; your descendants will be like this." When Abraham heard this, he said, "Lord, I believe Your words." This was another promise.
Brothers and sisters, if you cannot believe God's first promise, you will not believe the later ones either. If you can believe the first promise given to you, even if you cannot see the later ones, you will still believe. If you always focus on the environment and reality, you will say, "Do not always say I will have a multitude of descendants, as many as the stars in the sky, as many as the sand on the seashore; can you give me one first?" This is the content of many people's prayers, right? But God says you must believe in the later one; this one is nothing. You should not always focus on one; you do not just have one; you have a multitude. God's promises to you are like this; you need to learn from Abraham, who, when there was no hope, still had hope through faith. God's promise to him was that he would be the father of many nations.
Verse 19 says, "He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb."
The reason he did not weaken was that he believed and looked to God's promises. I encourage you to look to God's promises; do not care about how people evaluate you, do not care about how harsh the environment is; these do not matter. What matters is that God's promises are always greater than these environments and higher than what people say about you. He did not waver in unbelief, but Abraham believed in the same God you believe in; since it is the same God, you should learn to emulate Abraham's faith. He did not look at the environment but believed wholeheartedly that what God said would surely come to pass. So Abraham made a decision: I will not spend my energy on worry and doubt; this is impossible, that is impossible...
Abraham should often meditate on God's promises: "Lord! You promised I will surely have a son; I believe so; You said I will be the father of many nations; I will surely be the father of many nations; You said my descendants will be as many as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore; I still believe so." This seems impossible for us, but with God, all things are possible.
A father came to Jesus and said, "Lord! Please heal my child." Then the Lord Jesus said, "If you can believe, all things are possible for him who believes." How should this be understood? Many people say, "As long as your faith is big enough, you can do anything." But how can faith be made big? The original meaning of that sentence is, "If you can believe, I can do all things for you." Do you see the difference? One emphasizes: you need to have great faith; if your faith is big enough, God can accomplish this for you; the other is: do you believe I can do all things? Do you believe Jesus can do all things? If you do not have this little faith, you will really not see it. You must at least believe that Jesus can do all things, right? If you believe Jesus can do all things, then let Jesus handle this matter; can He handle it? Yes, you can hand it over to Him. Do you know what it means to hand it over? Once you give it, do not worry about how Jesus will handle it.
Many times, we hand it over to God but then say, "Lord! It cannot be done like that; it cannot. There is clearly a tumor on my body; Lord, take the knife and cut it off." You say, "What should I do?" Since you have already handed yourself over to the Lord, let the Lord do it. You must first believe one thing: what the Lord Jesus accomplishes for me is definitely the best for me. When you believe this, you can truly hand it over to Him and look to His promises. Rest assured, what Jesus gives you is definitely the best.
Do not focus on yourself; believe that Jesus can do all things; keep focusing on God's promises; remind God of what He has said. In the Old Testament, God also said, "If you can, come and argue with me." This means God hopes you will remind Him of what He has said, which is actually to remind ourselves. What promise will you use to remind God? In fact, it is prayer, which is equivalent to saying, "Lord! Let this word come to pass in my life." The promise in Abraham's heart grew larger and larger; he declared it every day, and he became completely convinced.
Verse 20 says, "No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God."
Do you know how your faith is strengthened? By declaring God's promises to yourself every day: "Let it be so in my life; God will surely change my bad temper; I am gentle." Declare the results you want every day; this is how you focus on God's promises. Every time you declare God's promises to yourself and pray to God, your heart will be strengthened, and in the end, you will see God's glory and give glory to God. As we continually declare God's promises, doubts, fears, and negative thoughts will no longer have a foothold, and faith will grow larger and larger. At a hundred years old, Abraham indeed had a son; was it the result of his efforts? He had worked hard for many years without results; this son was a gift from God.
Genesis 21:1-2,
1 The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
What is important in this passage? The Lord visited Sarah as He had said; what was said before? "At this time next year, I will surely return to you, and you will have a son." In the Bible, does God have promises for you? Yes, you must believe this promise. God visited Sarah according to what He had said before; now you must believe God's promises like this: I have not seen it yet, but I already know the result; I cannot wait; this result will surely come one day.
Brothers and sisters, what kind of performance will you have when you truly believe this matter has been accomplished? Let me give you an example from my own life. When others preached the gospel to me, I did not believe for two whole years; I even criticized and condemned them, arguing with them randomly. Finally, they said, "We will pray for you." I said, "Okay." I could refuse other things, but I could not refuse them praying for me; I knew their hearts were good.
Until one day, I believed. One of the missionaries was very calm and not surprised at all, while my classmates were very surprised: "Great! Thank the Lord! You finally believe!" For them, it was unexpected: "It is really not easy for you to believe!" After more than two years, we put in so much effort! But that missionary was very calm; I saw him and said, "I believe in Jesus."
He said, "Hmm."
Do you know what expression I expected? "Ah! Really? That's great!" He did not do that; he was very calm and just said, "Hmm." I was puzzled and thought, "Why are you not surprised?"
He said, "I already knew you would believe."
At that moment, I felt a mix of emotions and thought, "At least show a little surprise."
What does it mean when we are surprised? It proves that this matter is different from what we thought, right? If you truly believe in God's promises, when that day comes, your performance will be very natural and calm because you have already seen the result and have already been within that result. Just like when we meet David, if your reaction is, "You are David; it turns out you are David," it shows it is the first time we meet. Now that we meet, is it very ordinary? Because we have seen each other many times, it is very common. You should treat God's promises like this; if you truly believe in God's promises, when God accomplishes it for you, you will not be surprised; you have already seen it.
And He did to Sarah as He had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.
Brothers and sisters, God works on a timeline; we should not be anxious or say it is too late and therefore bad; we are too anxious. God has His best timing, so do not focus on your current problems. Many people say, "You do not know my financial problems." Do not focus on your current terrible financial situation; literally, it seems you will need hundreds of years to pay off your debts and get out of this debt. If you keep thinking about these things, if you keep revolving around those numbers, you will definitely be stuck on the ground and unable to get up. If you owe others billions, what will you do if this happens to you? You will not live; you will never be able to pay it off; working a month for five thousand is not enough; how many jobs will I have to work to pay off this money? You must believe in God's promises.
Recently, a few people have had very bad financial situations, and because of this, they have insomnia, unable to do anything, thinking every day, "Lord! Give me a supernatural miracle; it would be best if a piece of gold fell from the sky." They are expecting this, but you must believe in God's promises; no matter how bad your situation is now, you must still believe in God's promises. Do not analyze your current situation; if you do, you will become more and more discouraged, and the pressure will become greater. Let me tell you something; unbelievers will adjust their focus; how much more should you? There was a person who went from having nothing to becoming a billionaire; he did very well in business. Later, because his goals were set too high, he wanted to build a huge building, but due to a break in the funding chain, he ended up owing nearly two billion in debt.
If this happened to you, would you still live? How much interest would that be every day? But at that time, he thought, "I must repay the money I owe to the common people; this is my only motivation." He did not focus on the people who came to collect debts every day, nor did he think, "That's it; how can I pay this off?" He adjusted his thinking and acted as if nothing had happened, as if he owed nothing, and he revitalized himself to do something. Later, he became a billionaire again and stood up again. This rise and fall is not something an ordinary person can endure.
But you are different; you have God's promises; what you lack is just an opportunity! The world knows how to shift their focus and start over; how much more should you? We are children of God; God will give you an opportunity sufficient to help you stand up again, so do not look at your environment; look to God's promises and provision. God created this world with His words; He placed the stars in the sky, and He placed you in His heart as a mark.
The world is far from God, but you are in God's heart; thank and praise the Lord! You are very close to God. When His grace comes upon you, you can quickly enter a new level; once is enough. Many times we want fish, but the Lord gives you words. That night, Peter caught nothing; what he wanted most was fish: "Do not give me words; I do not want that." At that time, Jesus said to Peter, "Can you use your boat?" Peter said, "Sure." Do you know why he said that? Because the fish had gone to sleep; at night, the fish are active, and during the day, the fish are asleep; you can use the boat. But Jesus' request seemed excessive: "Peter, come here; take the boat out a little from the shore; I want to use your boat." Peter thought, "You do not fish; what do you need the boat for?"
Jesus used his boat to preach to the people on the shore; who was closest to Jesus? Peter. But was Peter thinking about Jesus? No, he was thinking about fish: "I want fish; do not tell me about Your words; I want to taste a fish. I did not catch a single fish all night; what good is it to tell me how great the kingdom of heaven is and how much the Father loves us? What good is it to tell me about God's promises? I do not want these; I just want fish."
After Jesus finished speaking, He said to Peter, "Now put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." What did Peter think? "Do not joke, Teacher; I toiled all night and caught nothing." The meaning of toiling all night is: "I did not slack off; dear Teacher, I know the grace the Father gives; I did not slack off; I was swimming all night, running faster than the fish, and still caught nothing." What did he say next?
"But at Your word, I will let down the nets." This is very important, brothers and sisters; do not always state your reasons: "Lord, this is impossible; I have worked hard; I have..." Put yourself aside. The next words are what you should say: "But at Your word, I will let down the nets." Is this not God's promise? Has Jesus ever fished? Is He a fisherman? Compared to professional knowledge, Peter is more professional, but Jesus never plays by the rules. Brothers and sisters, do not think of God's promises with earthly reasoning; you cannot understand them. You say it is not suitable to fish now; in God's eyes, it is always suitable to fish; you say fishing must be done with nets, according to time, water flow... These are all your experiences.
Jesus does not follow these; can you believe what He says to you? This is important. So Peter said, "I will listen to You and do it Your way." That is right; as long as you do it according to what Jesus says, you will see the results of Jesus. If you do it your way, will you still go fishing? What for? Hurry up and sleep; I will go when the fish wake up at night. But at this time, Jesus said, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets." The result was two boats full of fish! Brothers and sisters, you know that although Jesus did not have that professional knowledge, God's promises are more reliable than your professional knowledge.
Do you know what happens spiritually? When Peter cast the net, it was no longer the net looking for fish; everything was reversed; the fish began to swim crazily into the net, and the fish behind could not get in. It was just one word from Jesus, and both big and small fish swam into the net. When Peter cast the net, Jesus might have prayed, "Fish, swim in." Tell me, how do God's promises and God's words compare to your professional knowledge? Which is easier? The efforts of the world are important, but God's words are more important. So the fish swam crazily into the net, and in the end, he called his companions, "Hurry and bring another boat; maybe this is the most fish Peter has ever caught."
Brothers and sisters, when you believe in God's promises and no longer rely on yourself but obey His words, believing in His words, what you lack is just one opportunity; perhaps one explosive blessing can make your cup overflow; once is enough. At this time, Peter finally saw what kind of person Jesus was, and he fell at His feet and said, "Lord! Depart from me, for I am a sinful man."
This means: I have underestimated You in the past; I did not take Your words to heart; please leave me; I am really unworthy. Jesus said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." How did he catch this fish? By relying on the words that came out of Jesus' mouth. Now think about it; later, when Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, how did he win people? It was also by the promises of Jesus Christ that came out of his mouth; that day, three thousand people repented and believed in Jesus. The Bible says according to what God said, they believed; is this not God's promise? Brothers and sisters, you should believe like this; your life and existence should change because of Jesus' promises.
In 2 Chronicles 20, there is such a story,
1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites, and with them some of the Meunites, came against Jehoshaphat for battle. 2 Some men came and told Jehoshaphat, "A great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea; and behold, they are in Hazazon-tamar (that is, Engedi)."
The enemy army was quickly approaching; logically, the king of Judah had no chance of winning; the ratio was dozens to one! From the situation, Jehoshaphat had every reason to be discouraged, but he did not. He knew one thing: although he was afraid, he did not lose heart but began to gather the people to pray.
3 Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord; from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord. 5 And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the Lord, before the new court, 6 and said: "O Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations. In your hand are power and might, so that none is able to withstand you.
The reality is that five armies were simultaneously surrounding the city, but you see another fact: your Lord is stronger than them. So Jehoshaphat came to the temple of God and spoke the promises of God: "Are you not the God of our fathers? Are you not the God who comes down from heaven? Are you not the ruler of all nations? In Your hand are power and might; no one can withstand You." This proves where his focus is now: on God's words, on God's promises.
2 Chronicles 20:14-15,
14 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. 15 And he said, "Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, 'Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's.'"
God spoke to them, right? The following words are also for you: do not be afraid or dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. No matter what your current environment is like, when the prophet gives you God's words, which one do you believe? Do you believe God's power is greater, or do you believe that the many dark armies are coming? You should believe God's words. Let's see how they won the battle against the five armies. They sang songs and defeated the enemy with their songs.
Let us read verses 17-19 together,
17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you." 18 Then Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 And the Levites, of the Kohathites and the Korahites, stood up to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud voice.
How did they face the enemy? Did they call all the old, weak, and women to the front lines with guns to kill the enemy? They could not kill them; the Levites just sang. Focus your eyes on God's promises; the method God gives you is simpler. In difficult times, do not complain; you say, "My business is developing slowly; I feel my illness will not get better." Do not talk about your current failures; this will only make you more discouraged. You should be like Jehoshaphat; you should know that your God is a wonderful and great God; there is nothing too hard for Him. Many times, we do the opposite; we easily magnify the problems instead of magnifying our God.
The Israelites were like this; Moses sent twelve spies to scout the land of Canaan. After forty days, they returned, and ten of them said, "We have no chance; the people in that land are tall; they are giants; we cannot win against them." Did they not exaggerate the problems and the strength of the enemy? Two people, Joshua and Caleb, had a completely different perspective: "Yes, the people in that land are tall, but our God is greater; we can surely win; let us go up and take possession of the land." This was the vision of Joshua and Caleb. The same problem, one group looked at their problems and the strength of others and became more and more discouraged.
While Joshua and Caleb looked at the greatness of their God; they were just our food. Two groups of people saw the difficulties but had different perspectives; one group focused on the size of their difficulties, while the other group focused on the greatness of their God. As a result, over two million people died in the wilderness, but only these two believers entered the promised land. Do not let your wrong perspective hinder you from entering the promised land; do not make the problems seem too big; otherwise, you will retreat. You should often declare God's promises to you, and you will receive the best blessings.
Zechariah 4:6-7,
6 Then he said to me, "This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. 7 What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of 'Grace, grace to it!'"
Is this stone your problem? Is this great mountain your problem? What did Zerubbabel do? He brought out a stone and placed it on the top of the temple. These problems are nothing, and then he said that God's grace must be upon this temple, which in the original language means upon this stone. What I mean is, you should look at your current problems through God's promises.
You say the current problem is very big; let this stone be filled with God's grace; it is originally your stepping stone. God will make it your stepping stone, and a stepping stone is something you will step on to rise higher. Zerubbabel was like this; his victory was absolutely not by his own ability; how did he overcome these problems? By the Spirit of the Lord. What is a great mountain? It was made a plain before Zerubbabel. No matter what your great mountain is, believe that the Holy Spirit can make your great mountain a plain and bring you to a higher place. So declare God's promises to yourself often; do not talk about how big your problems are; declare God's promises, and you will overcome all your problems.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father! We thank and praise You! Thank You for using such words to help us focus on Your promises rather than our problems. Abraham is our example; he believed in the God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. The God I believe in is the same as the God Abraham believed in; I also look to God's promises given to me. I continually declare Your promises to me, believing that what You have promised will surely come to pass, not by my own efforts but by the strength You give me. By relying on Your strength, I can see Your promises fulfilled in my life.
Lord! As a new week begins, I will no longer look at how big my current problems are, but I will rely on Your strength and draw on Your power to live, like Zerubbabel, letting this great mountain become a plain before me. Thank and praise You! I believe in Your promises. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!