Overcoming Barrenness By The Word – 2

Overcoming Barrenness By The Word

By Apostle Felix

4  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep, and let down your nets for a catch.”
5  Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.”
6  When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking. 

Luke 5: 4 – 6

The kingdom of God is superior to all kingdoms of this world. There is no kingdom greater than the kingdom of God. Jesus said that when we see evil spirits expelled from people’s lives then the kingdom of God has come. When the kingdom of God appears, all that belongs to the kingdom of darkness gives way. In His day, Jesus never went around looking for demons because He was never an exorcist. He never taught on demonology in order to dislodge the devils. He only taught the kingdom of God and the devils screamed aloud and were cast out.

33  In the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon, and he cried out with a loud voice,
34  saying, “Ah! what have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know you who you are: the Holy One of God!”
35  Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” When the demon had thrown him down in the middle of them, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 

Luke 4: 33 – 35

Jesus’ message was about the kingdom of God. He preached no other message but yet the devils trembled at His instance. You do not need to preach about the devils in order to cast them out. Preach Jesus and the devils will tremble. It is the message of the kingdom of God that overcomes the kingdom of darkness. Barrenness is of the kingdom of darkness. Every barrenness recorded in the Bible brought so much distress and shame upon its victim. In the ancient times of the Bible, barrenness was considered a shame. Barren women were despised and laughed at.

4  Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more. 

Isaiah 54: 4

The Word Ends Barrenness

The fishermen fished the whole night yet without a catch. It was a disappointing business venture. They washed their nets in great disappointment and hopelessness. They had nothing to carry home for their families. Fish was a staple food for the Jewish people of that time. The waters that night refused to yield fishes for them. It was a dry night. We may call the situation, barren. Not far from them, Jesus was teaching and preaching the kingdom of God while they washed their nets. Jesus had even borrowed a fishing boat from them. The same boat they had used for fishing the whole night but yet caught nothing. He stood in the same circumstance with the kingdom of God message.

As He preached the kingdom, the kingdoms of the world were brought into submission and barrenness bowed out. When He was done with preaching, He ordered the fishermen to cast their nets into the deep. Peter objected to the idea but went ahead to cast the nets at the word of Jesus. Peter’s response reminds us of Mary’s response to the Angel’s news of Mary’s conception. She had genuine concern because no woman can conceive without any involvement of a man. She was a virgin, who had not known a man. Humanly speaking, she was pure according to man’s standards. But she lacked one thing – seed. God spoke a word and the word interrupted her natural circle, and conceived without any human help.

Observe:

1. People pressed to hear the word, while others were washing the nets in distress. The word of God has the power to end barrenness. Fishermen did not realize that their answer to the barren situation was just few meters away. Remember, do not focus on the barrenness but the word of God that is able to end barrenness.

2. The word of God was preached from the marketplace or means of livelihood. Do not separate God from your trade, career or whatever you do for living. Let Him be the centre of all and barrenness will be a thing of the past.

3. Faith in the word. Faith is not only for one day, Sunday. But it is for everyday life. Have faith in God in every area of life you might be experiencing barrenness. Trust Him and you will see the kingdom of God manifesting. Act on His instructions, even when it doesn’t make sense. Casting the nets into the deep at that time of day did not make sense at all. But the fisher men went ahead and cast their nests. And the rest is history.

4. Please, do not turn the area of fruitfulness into an object of worship, but let Jesus be glorified in your fruitfulness. Do not worship success but bow before the Maker. Peter saw the Christ when they had such a huge catch. That was his turning point. He never went back to fishing, but followed the Lord.

5. Peter was made into a fisher of men. From a fisher of fish to a fisher of men. The reason why God ends barrenness in our lives is so we can become fishers of men in our respective fields of work. You are promoted at your place of work so that many may come to know Christ. God opened a door for the job you have because He wants you to preach Christ in that place. Do not just focus on the fish, focus on the one who gives the fish.

17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 

2 Corinthians 5: 17 – 20