As I sat in the warm Florida sunshine drinking a cup of coffee with a dear friend, I thought, it does not get much better than this! My friend and I had a cup of coffee, but we also had one or more cups of laughter. We sat outside on the patio to enjoy the warm winter temperatures of Florida.

Across the way were a couple of other women enjoying lunch together. In the corner of the fence that the surrounded the patio were two young men just loitering. I really did not give it much thought. Suddenly, one of the men quickly sprinted by the other two women, snatching the purse of one of them. He was long and lanky and quite a speedster and was gone in a dash.

No way was he getting away with stealing what was not his! I quickly got out of my seat with my cell phone in-hand and began to chase him, while calling the 911 operator to explain the situation. Though I could not stop this thief on my own, I continued running and telling them where he was. In a matter of a few moments, the authorities caught him, and the woman got her purse back. When I told my husband the story, he thought I was crazy to chase the thief. I told him that I called those who had the power and authority to catch this thief. I was not in the battle alone. I was running with authority.

Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). According to Jesus, the thief comes to steal, to kill, and destroy. He is standing in the corner of the fence just waiting to steal your joy, to kill your dreams, and to destroy your hope. The thief is against you. God is for you.

Jesus makes an undeniable contrast. I came to take authority over the thief and undo his intentions. “If you follow me, I will give you an abundant life.” The word abundant means superior, extraordinary. That does not mean everyone will be rich and have a swimming pool in the backyard. It does not mean that one will have a problem-free life. It does mean that we can enjoy life to the fullest as we walk with the Lord. It does mean that we have been set free from the bondage of sin, the lies of Satan, and the voice of the world.

The devil wants to control how we live our lives. He does this by planting seeds of doubt and fear. The devil knows that if he can keep us sipping coffee and letting him snatch what God has offered us, we will focus on the negative things around us. The devil will whisper in our ears, “Where is God? What good is praying? Nothing will ever change.” 

Now that you are fully aware that you have an enemy who wants to steal, kill, and destroy you, what will you do as a child of God?  It’s time for God’s people to rise up from that cup of coffee, run with the authority of Heaven, and stop Satan from wreaking havoc.  The authority of Heaven will give us the power to resist every attack and lie of the devil, and to overcome every strategy that he tries to use against us. Do not let him snatch your purse! Get it back.

Who took off with Jesus? That question was posed in a newspaper article in 2003. The question hung in the air of the Church of the Holy Cross in Midtown Manhattan when caretakers noticed that a two-hundred-pound statue of Jesus had been stolen.

The caretakers were not usually surprised when burglaries took place at the church, because they had often been burglarized. Their location made them an easy target. This burglary was different. The thieves unbolted the two-hundred-pound statue that was attached to a cross. They took great pains to unbolt the precious artwork. They wanted Christ, but they did not want the cross.

Many in the Body of Christ seem to be at a point of wanting Jesus but not the cross. Jesus without the cross is like a heart without a beat. Without the cross, Jesus is just another person in a long line of great teachers. Without the cross, we just take the parts of Jesus we want and leave the rest.

Jesus was talking with His disciples, and He said to them, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” – Luke 9:23.  Jesus was not saying this to strangers. He said these words to His disciples, men who wanted to follow Him.

I have a feeling the disciples were a little surprised at what Jesus said. After all, they had left family, home, and occupations to follow Jesus. Now, they were finding out that following Jesus meant giving up everything. What a shock that must have been! They were well aware of what carrying a cross meant. When Jesus told his followers, they must take up their cross to follow him, it did not sound like a pleasant proposition. It does not sound like something anyone would willingly want to do.

Through the years, I have heard people say my cross to bear is cancer, my cross to bear is divorce, or a host of other things. That is not at all what Jesus was saying. He was saying, “If you are going to follow me you are going to have to deny yourself and take up your cross.”  Denying ourselves and self-denial are not the same thing. I give up sweets when I am in self-denial. When I deny myself, I surrender my will to Christ and determine to live according to His plans and His will.

Jesus had a deeper meaning when he spoke these words to His followers. He wanted them to “put to death” their own plans and desires and turn their lives over to Him, doing His will. It would require denying themselves and livng a life of obedience. And Jesus said you will have to do it daily. 

If we deny ourselves and take up our cross, it will not set well in today’s culture.  They are okay with the loving, cuddly parts of Jesus, but not so much with the cross part. To take up our cross is to treasure Jesus more than we treasure fitting into a world that wants Jesus without the cross. There is no Christianity without a cross.

As I whipped out my TJ Maxx gift card to pay for items for my home, I was so excited. I was standing in line to pay and thinking how tired I got of putting in work to get that card. I am a bargain hunter. Any more out there? I love to get the best deals possible. More than once I have told myself that if I were a millionaire, I would still be a bargain hunter.

There are three online programs of which I am a participant and all lead to a reward. I participate in Ibotta, Fetch, and Stocking Spree. (I know you wanted to know!)  I have gotten several hundred dollars in gift cards from Ibotta, Stocking Spree, and Fetch. All of them require me to put a little work in to get my reward, but Fetch is the most difficult. It takes a long time to get that reward.

Almost daily for the past year, I have faithfully put in the work required by Fetch. Even though it only took a few minutes a few times a week, I wanted to quit at times! I wanted the rewards, but I was tired of the daily grind without seeing the reward. When I got that gift card and could get free items for my home, I was happy. I endured till the end and my reward awaited me.

As I walk through this life with God, there are times that I am ready for the reward. Faithfulness requires doing some things over and over. Praying over and over. Studying the Bible over and over. Being a part of ministry over and over. Sometimes, when you do it over and over without quickly seeing a reward, there can be the temptation to stop being faithful. Have you ever felt that?

I know we are in an hour where we are fighting back darkness, and at times it seems darkness is winning. Do not believe it!  As has been said many times, we have read the end of the book and we win! God is working in ways that we do not see to fulfill every promise He has given to His people. God hears every prayer that you have prayed for that family member. God sees everything that you have done in His Name to minister to others. God will bring a harvest from all those Words that you have read and spoken over others. Don’t stop now! The reward awaits you and it will be worth the wait!

It will be worth it all when we see Jesus,
Life’s trials will seem so small when we see Christ;
One glimpse of His dear face all sorrow will erase,
So bravely run the race till we see Christ.

“Do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35–36). 

As I watch my children raising their children in today’s climate, it brings me to my knees daily. Yes, daily, and sometimes hourly. My children watch over their young ones very carefully, but today, children are exposed to far too many things at such an early age.

Being in my seventies now, it has been almost three decades since my last child left the nest. Today, I was thinking back on how hard it was not to be there every moment to protect them. There is a huge river called life, and all of us will release our children into that river. It is one the hardest things we do.

Many years ago, while raising my children, I was having a challenging time. Surely it comes as a shock to learn that even preachers are imperfect parents! And even preachers’ kids do not always walk the straight and narrow!

I was reading the story of Jochebed putting Moses in the Nile River to save his life from destruction. She built a little basket, put pitch (tar) around the outside to seal it and then set him afloat. Later, Moses was picked up by Pharaoh’s daughter, which looked like the end of baby Moses. After all, he was now in “enemy” hands. You can read the whole story in Exodus 1 and 2.

God showed me a few principles that day while reading about baby Moses.

1. Jochebed built a basket. We as parents build baskets while raising our children. We weave a basket by teaching the truth and principles of God’s Word. Row by row, she wove a basket. We teach our children precept upon precept. Don’t leave this up to your church! Get a children’s devotional book and spend time teaching them.

2. The mother of Moses then put pitch around the basket to seal it. We instruct our children, and then we seal it by being a praying parent. Day by day praying the Word over our children will seal the truth that we have woven into their lives. And by all means, teach your children to pray.

3. At some point Jochebed had to release that baby into a river. How hard must that have been! She would much rather have held that baby in her own protective custody. She trusted the basket she had built would keep him afloat. Now she would have to watch from afar as he drifted down the river. In all our lives as parents, we will have to release our children into the river of life. If we have taken time to weave a basket of truth and sealed it with prayer, we can trust it to keep them afloat. When watching from afar, we can still trust the things of God that we sowed into the lives of our children.

4. Moses took a few twists and turns down that river. When Moses was picked up by Pharoah’s daughter, it looked like he was in the wrong hands, with the wrong people. Yet, God still brought Moses into his destiny. Even when our sons and daughters take twists and turns that lead them to wrong relationships, God can still put them in a position to fulfill what He has laid out for their lives.

Raise children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Trust God with the results. When we take the time to build a basket, it is amazing what God can do with it. Just ask a mother named Jochebed.

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.” – Deuteronomy 6:6-7

Seventy-five years old?!  How is that possible?  My husband, affectionately known as my boyfriend, turned seventy-five years old on June 24.  It just seems impossible that he is three-fourths of a century old and that we have been married for more than five decades.  I would not say time has flown, but it certainly moved a little faster than I expected. 

Gaylon and I have been blessed in life.  In the area of the material, we are certainly not wealthy people, but we have no lack.  It is actually hard to buy gifts for each other or to communicate to our children, when asked, what to give us as gifts.

Seventy-five, what could I give Gaylon for age seventy-five?  I recalled that on several occasions Gaylon said he would like to have a metal detector.  He thought it would be fun for him and fun for the grandchildren.  Therefore, on his birthday, Gaylon opened his nice, shiny, red metal detector.  He assembled it and began toying around with it.  He would hide his wedding band or coins and slowly pass the metal detector over them.  Quickly the detector would let out a loud sound to indicate metal was present.  The metal detector communicates that there is something hidden in the grass that should not be there

Do you have a metal detector?  If you are a child of God, you do.  Well, technically it is not a metal detector but a fruit detector.  His name is Holy Spirit.  As we walk with God, we are not immune to things entering our lives that do not belong there.  First Corinthians 6:19:20 teaches us, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.”

The Holy Spirit is present much like a metal detector.  He reminds us that our bodies no longer belong to us. He lets us know when something has taken up residence in our bodies, bodies bought with the price of the precious blood of Jesus.   Holy Spirit isn’t revealing things that need to be uprooted or forsaken because He loves to condemn us.  No, not at all!  He wants us to be free and open to receive all that God has intended for us.  I narrow the flow of God in my life when I allow bitterness, envy, strife, fits of anger (that’s the way the Bible says it), drunkenness, and other works of the flesh to reside in the temple that belongs to the Holy Spirit.  Being free from these things places me a position to receive all God has for me, and allows me to be more like Jesus.  

The verse which proceeds First Corinthians 6:19, 20 is very enlightening.  Verse eighteen says, “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.”   In those three verses in First Corinthians, the metal detector known as the Holy Spirit lets us know that we are not free to use our bodies any way we choose sexually.   

As God’s people, we should keep our minds on things from above and not give into fleshly temptations. By accepting Jesus as our Savior, we waive the right to do whatever we choose with our bodies. Sometimes in our sexually charged environment, it seems this truth has gotten lost.  Since we are now a holy house set aside for God’s purposes, nothing unclean or defiling should be allowed take up residence.  In other words, no Christian should engage in sin, including sexual immorality. We might have to renew our thinking in today’s environment where sexual matters are concerned.  The world does not have to follow this instruction, but God’s people must.

Christians should abstain from whatever defiles the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because Christ gave us these bodies as a temporary gift, we should honor Him with them. Taking care of the temple involves other things such as exercise, eating healthy, and filling ourselves with spiritual nourishment. We do not have to give entrance to everything knocking on the door of the temple. Let us intentionally draw closer and listen to the Holy detector living within us. His purpose is to bring us into a closer walk with Jesus and to make us more like Him. 

As a child, I grew up around my maternal grandmother.  Since she only lived a block away, I actually spent quite a bit of time with her. There was a path that led from our house to hers.  If you sat on her front porch, you could see the back porch of the house where my family resided.  I often took the walk through the field to see Granny.

One of the advantages of seeing my grandmother almost daily was that I really got to see how she lived her life.  As I sat in her kitchen one day, she reached into the cabinet and got an onion to peel.  She then pulled a straw from her broom and put it in her mouth.  Needless to say, I was a bit perplexed.   While holding the straw in her mouth, Granny began to chop the onion.  I just had to ask, “Why do you have a straw in your mouth?”  She replied, “If you will hold a straw in your mouth while chopping the onion, the straw will absorb the onion fumes and you will have no tears.”

Wow!  I really learned something valuable!  I was so glad that my grandmother had passed such truth to me!  Not so fast!  Upon further examination, the truth had not been passed to me at all.  I watched that day as my grandmother chopped an onion while holding a straw in her mouth with tears running down her face!  What she passed to me as truth wasn’t truth at all! It was something that was passed to her and accepted as truth.

As God’s children, so often we hear a sermon or a teaching, and we take it as truth.  After all, the person who said it was “anointed.”  We were wowed by someone’s truth that they passed to us.  Not so fast!  Beloved, we are responsible to examine the Word ourselves.  Is that really what scripture teaches?   Is it taken out of context?  Is it twisted to make it say something that it was not intended to say? 

The people of God are called to test the truth, to judge between true and false, between light and darkness.  It is easy to fall into spiritual laziness and accept someone else’s truth.  Thank God for great spiritual leaders and teachers.  We need them!  Having good teachers does not dissolve our responsibility to study for ourselves.  As long as we are upon this earth, we must resolve to study the Word for ourselves.  “I think that this is right—because I find it in the Bible,” and “I think that this is wrong—because I do not find it in the Bible.”  This should become a part of who we are. 

I have said it often and I will say it here, “The people of God are becoming biblically anemic.”  If we continue to put no effort into studying for ourselves, it is not a matter of if we will be deceived, but how often we will be deceived. 

Let us be diligent in the study of His word. We can invite the Holy Spirit to join us and enlighten us as we seek truth. If we don’t do that, we will find ourselves putting a straw in our mouth while cutting an onion.  After all, my grandmother said it was true!

“Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  – 2 Timothy 2:15

Father’s Day – the day we buy cards for the men in our lives whom we love and adore. Or perhaps we have a big cookout to celebrate that guy who has fixed broken toys, played baseball in the backyard, and baited hooks for kids to fish. Fathers – they are superheroes in the flesh.

For some, Father’s Day is difficult. Perhaps, you lost your father recently. Perhaps, there is a family rift that prevents any kind of celebration. Maybe you live a great distance from family and going home is not an option. Maybe your father was never around. The truth is that Father’s Day is not a delightful day for everyone.

Every dad was not a superhero. All of us do not have sweet, flowery stories of the great fathers who raised us. I would be in that category. My siblings and I were raised by an abusive, controlling, cursing man. It really was a case that if he said to jump, we asked, “How high!” All eight of us children were candidates for a miserable adulthood. The statistics are not pretty.

My story was totally rewritten after following my heavenly Father. My transformation did not all happen overnight, but it happened. I gave my life to Jesus Christ and began the path of following Him in 1969. I married a man who was raised by a wonderful father, and in 1971 we began a journey together. I was ill-prepared for that journey but thank God that man was patient with me, and realized I was a wounded soul. That man, Gaylon Benton, is an incredible father for our children. Though our sons are grown with families of their own, their dad still loves them fiercely.

Happy Father’s Day to Gaylon Benton who raised three fine men who all are good husbands and fathers. Stephen and Michael are wonderful, hard-working, loving fathers. Though Bryan never got to lay eyes on Tucker, he was excited beyond words about the reality of becoming a father to a son. (I am not sure Bryan can look down from heaven and see Tucker, but if not, I hope God will tell him that Tucker is his “mini me.”)

No, not everyone had a superhero dad. What if this Father’s Day we give ourselves a gift? What if we lay down disappointment at the foot of the cross? What if this Father’s Day we step into the promises of our Heavenly Father? If I allowed myself to focus on the storybook versions of Father’s Day, it would indeed be a difficult day. I just came to testify to my heavenly Father’s goodness! I choose to focus on the life Father has given me and what a blessed life that is! He is a good, good Father!

“See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.” 1 John 3:1

How I longed to go to the beach as a child! Living in South Carolina offered residents access to several beaches.  I would hear the other kids at school talk about the ocean and staying in a beach house for a week.  They would be so excited as they told the tales of what they had done with friends and family.  I remember more than once lying in bed and dreaming what the beach was like.   Though I lived less than one hundred miles from Myrtle Beach, it might as well have been one hundred thousand miles. 

Being raised in an extremely poor family meant there was never a vacation.  My father made a meager salary and there were ten mouths to feed, and there were way too many dollars spent on alcohol and tobacco. We did not own a car, so getting to the beach was not even a possibility.

I have told the story of Margarita Poulos many times.  Ms. Poulos would pick up the kids from our home on Sundays and take us to church to be in her Sunday school class.  At six years old, I did not care that much about church, but I tell you what I did care about – prizes!  Margarita Poulos offered all kinds of prizes and rewards if we memorized passages of scripture.  She offered five dollars to anyone learning all the books of the Bible.   Five dollars! I am not sure I had ever had my own five-dollar bill! By the next Sunday, I knew all sixty-six books of the Bible. 

Then came the big prize!  If a child had perfect attendance for an entire quarter (thirteen weeks) that child would go to the beach with Margarita Poulos.  Nothing would have kept me away from my Sunday school class for thirteen weeks.  Each week, Ms. Poulos would put a star by each of our names.  When the last Sunday of the quarter came, I was overjoyed as I got my final star.  I was beach bound!

It is doubtful that I slept much the night before we left for our trip.  Just think – on Monday at school, I would be the one to talk about the beach.  I was ecstatic. Saturday arrived and we drove to Myrtle Beach. Though we were packed like sardines for the two-hour drive, it felt like we were in a luxury bus.  All we thought about was arriving at the beach!

As we claimed our space on the sand, my sister and I could hardly wait to get in the water.  We didn’t even know how to swim in a pool, much less the ocean.  At first, we just dabbled in the water, and then we went a little deeper and a little deeper.  Ms. Poulos was keeping an eye on us, but at some point, we went from dabbling to going deeper and deeper into the ocean.  We had no fear.   After all, that ocean would never take hold of us! We were much too strong! 

In the space of maybe half an hour, we found ourselves being sucked farther and farther from safety.   Ms. Poulos was desperately trying to get our attention. We were drifting deeper and deeper into danger.  Finally, a lifeguard was sent out to get us and bring us back to safety.   Though embarrassed at being in that position, we quickly responded to the lifeguard and came back to the safe place.

This little story seems to correlate with what is happening to so many of God’s people.  We have been given the reward of salvation through the death of Jesus Christ.  Because we are in His grip, we no longer have to drift aimlessly.  We abide in Him.

My sister and I thought we were strong enough to dabble and even go deeper and still be safe.  It almost cost us everything. Brothers and sisters, if we are not careful, we can get pulled into an ocean of compromise.   Compromise with the world is a danger for even the strongest Christian.  It can start out so subtle.  “Yeah, I know this is not something I need to be a part of, but I know I’ll stay strong.”  I did not realize that the deeper I went into the ocean, the more disastrous things would become.    

Satan doesn’t show up in his red suit with his pitchfork and pointed tail saying, “Follow me and I can destroy your integrity.  Come on!  Have fun!  All it will cost you is your family.  Let’s go a little deeper and that way you can lose your ministry and your life.”   It never happens that way!

No, it is more along this line, “You are under so much pressure, go out and have a little fun.  Hear how much laughter is coming from the crowd at the bar?”  “You know sex is exciting.  Who said there are rules? How can it be wrong if it feels so right.” “Hey, why not get involved in that shady deal.  That’s what it takes to get ahead.”   I could go on and on, but I think you get the point.  

There are always consequences to sin.  Always!  It might not be immediate.  It could take years.  It can even affect future generations – our children, our grandchildren, our nieces, and nephews.  Make no mistake about it, consequences will show up. 

The only way to stand strong in this culture is to know the Word of God and live by that Word.   Please do not consider this as a negative word.  Quite to the contrary!  In today’s culture, it is so easy to drift. Jesus is throwing out a life preserver to those who have drifted. Come back to shore. 

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”  Romans 12:1-2 (New Life Version)

Even though I pray, sometimes I have doubts.  There I said it!  Let’s face it, none of us want to be labeled as “Doubting Thomas” or a person of unbelief.    I do not walk a life of unbelief, but there have been times that unbelief was yelling in my ears. 

How about you?  Have you ever had to fight the voices you hear? How can one more thing happen to my family? The hits just keep coming.  God, do You see all of this?  God, where are you?  Don’t you even care?  After decades of hearing the stories and lessons of the Bible, are they even true? 

I realize that I am opening a can of worms for some who cannot fathom that God tolerates any unbelief.  As I was reading from John 20, the story of “Doubting Thomas” came up at the end.  I read it several times and pondered it.   Let’s look at that story and a few verses preceding the story. 

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Now Thomas (also known as Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So, the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”  But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” – John 20:19, 20, 24-29

As we enter the story in John 20, the resurrected Jesus has shown up at a gathering of the disciples.  Because of fear, those disciples were in a room where the doors were bolted and secured. All of the disciples had been affected by the death of Jesus.  What if they come after us?  What will we do now without Jesus here?  Those disciples were having a crisis of their own. 

Miraculously, Jesus was suddenly in the room with the fearful disciples.  The first thing Jesus said is not, “You are weak believers!” The first thing Jesus said was, “Be at peace.”  Jesus came to calm their internal storm, not make it worse.  He then showed them His scarred hands and side.  It really was Jesus!  What a moment that must have been!  Can you imagine the tears of joy!

Later, they found Thomas and told him the story about the visit from the risen Lord. I can visualize their excitement as they told how Jesus suddenly appeared in the room and showed them His hands and side.  Thomas said, “Really? I’ll believe it when I see it.”  Is Thomas really any different from the others?  They had a rejoicing party after seeing the hands and side of Jesus.

One week later, the disciples were once again gathered in the room, and this time Thomas was present.  Jesus showed up again.  He did not rebuke any of them, including Thomas.  Jesus again said, “Be at peace.”   Jesus then spoke directly to Thomas. He did not rebuke him, shun him, or shame him.  Jesus spoke to the issue with which Thomas was struggling. “Come.  See my hands and my side.  Stop doubting and believe.”   Jesus did not come to give a scathing rebuke to Thomas. He came to cure Thomas’s unbelief.

The same Jesus who had healed bodies and delivered people from demons, came to cure unbelief.  Unbelief will try to visit us when circumstances are overwhelming.  Unbelief will try to raise its head.  Jesus stands ready to meet us in the place of unbelief, not to rebuke us, but to heal our unbelief. 

Jesus did say, “Blessed are those who can believe without seeing.”  I am not saying that Jesus approves of unbelief and doubt. I am saying our Savior knows that there are times that we experience doubt.  Because we are sinners, He died to save us.  Because we are sometimes doubters, He came to cure our unbelief.  “Calm down.  Be at peace.  See, look, touch, believe.”

There is no gain in beating ourselves up when oppressed by doubt. Let’s quickly run to Jesus when we need to be cured of unbelief.    May we confess like the father of the demoniac in Mark 9, “I believe; help my unbelief!”  Those are some of the most honest words ever spoken by a human. Don’t be afraid to say them.  He invites us to see, look, touch, and believe again.

Standing on the dock and pulling in a fish brought a huge smile to my face. The weather was perfect in Ormond Beach that day.   It had been a long time since I had gone fishing, and as soon as I reeled in that fish, the old feeling of how much I enjoyed fishing returned.

Growing up, I might have fished once as a child.  My dad fished and hunted but never took any of his kids with him.  My husband’s family owned a farm, and a few years after Gaylon and I were married, my father-in-law had a pond dug on his land.  After the pond was filled with water, Papa Benton had it stocked with catfish.  When Gaylon and I would visit, we would fish at the pond and man was it fun!  We reeled in so many fish!  We would catch them, clean them, and Grandma Benton would cook them the same day.  Talk about fresh fish on the dinner plate!  We loved those times.

Over the years, we went less and less to fish in the pond.  Other things grabbed our attention when we visited.  Fishing lost its priority in our lives.   

“As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.” –  Matthew 4:18-20

When Jesus met Peter and Andrew, Jesus immediately voiced His priority.  If you follow me, I am going to teach you to fish for men.   Peter and Andrew left their nets and made fishing for people a priority. 

In the Gospels and in the book of Acts, the resurrected Christ gave His disciples instructions and once again we see the priority of His heart.  Jesus told them to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  In Acts, He said that the power of the Holy Spirit resident within them, would give them the ability to be witnesses everywhere they went.  The priority of Heaven has always been that we would be fishers of men. 

Just like fishing in lakes and rivers lost priority in my life, I have found that the priority of fishing for the souls of men is a priority that is so easily lost.  We get busy with life.  We even get busy with church life. We praise. We pray.  We serve.  While those things are important, they are not Heaven’s first priority.  God has truly convicted me about being a good Christian, but not doing much fishing. 

While in Panama City Beach earlier this year, I went fishing early in the morning and also at night.  We got off the comfortable sofa in our air-conditioned condo.  We took the proper equipment and put in the effort to go where the fish were.  On neither of those fishing expeditions did we catch a single fish, yet there was still joy in fishing.   We will never be fishers of men unless we go where the fish are. You won’t catch fish unless you leave your pew or house.  In order to be fishers of men, we must be intentional and search for lost friends, family, neighbors, and those with whom we have various kinds of encounters. 

Our job isn’t to catch fish but to go fishing. Catching people is the work of God. We are simply a tool in His hands.  You can go fishing without catching fish, but you cannot catch fish without going fishing. When you stand before God, He probably will not ask how many fish you caught. I do wonder if He will ask how many times we went fishing. 

One thing is for sure, you can’t catch fish if you don’t go fishing.