Luke Chapter Five:
1: One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.
2. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets.
3. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there.
4. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5. “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6. And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
4. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Now go out where it is deeper, and let down your nets to catch some fish.”
5. “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.” 6. And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
7. A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking.
8. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”
8. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.”
9. For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him.
10. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed.
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
11. And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.
12. In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
13. Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
12. In one of the villages, Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy. When the man saw Jesus, he bowed with his face to the ground, begging to be healed. “Lord,” he said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.”
13. Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared.
14. Then Jesus instructed him not to tell anyone what had happened. He said, “Go to the priest and let him examine you. Take along the offering required in the law of Moses for those who have been healed of leprosy. This will be a public testimony that you have been cleansed.”
15. But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.
15. But despite Jesus’ instructions, the report of his power spread even faster, and vast crowds came to hear him preach and to be healed of their diseases.
16. But Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
As I read these verses I am always amazed at the love of our Savior and how he healed and taught and demonstrated the goodness of our Father. Today while I was reading this chapter again Father asked me to stop on verse sixteen and read it over and over. Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
After I read it over and over He spoke to me and asked me to write down the following words and share them with you. He said:
My loved ones. I know you think you are busy and don't have time to come away and pray. But prayer is what is missing. Yes some of you take time to get away and pray and you enter into your closet and hide away, but even this is not what I am speaking of. I am speaking of putting everything in your lives on hold and finding time to abandon yourselves to prayer.
The reason Jesus could do all these mighty works is because he spent time in prayer. Prayer is the place of your power and the place of instruction. Jesus only did what he saw me doing and he saw all these things while in prayer.
As I read these verses I am always amazed at the love of our Savior and how he healed and taught and demonstrated the goodness of our Father. Today while I was reading this chapter again Father asked me to stop on verse sixteen and read it over and over. Jesus often withdrew to the wilderness for prayer.
After I read it over and over He spoke to me and asked me to write down the following words and share them with you. He said:
My loved ones. I know you think you are busy and don't have time to come away and pray. But prayer is what is missing. Yes some of you take time to get away and pray and you enter into your closet and hide away, but even this is not what I am speaking of. I am speaking of putting everything in your lives on hold and finding time to abandon yourselves to prayer.
The reason Jesus could do all these mighty works is because he spent time in prayer. Prayer is the place of your power and the place of instruction. Jesus only did what he saw me doing and he saw all these things while in prayer.
Do you notice how great crowds followed him and yet he still left them behind to pray? I know many of you are taught to always go and pray as you go but this is not what my son modeled for you. You must learn to pray first and go second. If you want to be like my son then you must learn to have the relationship with me that he had. Yes ministry is important and helping others is important, but until I am your first priority then you will never succeed in ministry to others.
This is why so many people whom I have called into ministry fail. They get too busy with the business of ministry and don't have time to spend with me to be refreshed and empowered. I only give daily bread so you must come each day if you want to stay full. I do this because I love you and yes what you are doing is important but the time with me is more important. You must learn to give yourselves to me in prayer first and then you will be successful in helping others.
Here are some examples. Do you remember the apostle Paul said that he prayed with his spirit and he prayed with his mind and he said” I pray in tongues more than you all?” Prayer must be the foundation of your lives or you will always struggle. Cornelius' prayers brought angels to his house. Peter was praying when he had a vision. He and John were going to pray when the lame man was healed. John was alone on the island when he got the great revelation of who Jesus is. Prayer is the most important thing.
Many of you study the revivals of the past and you search for every word that the preachers preached and every song the singers sang but you don't consider how many people were on their faces crying out for my refreshing presence. This is where revival begins. It begins in each of you and the prayers you pray.
This is why so many people whom I have called into ministry fail. They get too busy with the business of ministry and don't have time to spend with me to be refreshed and empowered. I only give daily bread so you must come each day if you want to stay full. I do this because I love you and yes what you are doing is important but the time with me is more important. You must learn to give yourselves to me in prayer first and then you will be successful in helping others.
Here are some examples. Do you remember the apostle Paul said that he prayed with his spirit and he prayed with his mind and he said” I pray in tongues more than you all?” Prayer must be the foundation of your lives or you will always struggle. Cornelius' prayers brought angels to his house. Peter was praying when he had a vision. He and John were going to pray when the lame man was healed. John was alone on the island when he got the great revelation of who Jesus is. Prayer is the most important thing.
Many of you study the revivals of the past and you search for every word that the preachers preached and every song the singers sang but you don't consider how many people were on their faces crying out for my refreshing presence. This is where revival begins. It begins in each of you and the prayers you pray.
If you want to see people saved then pray. If you want to see people healed then pray. If you want to see nations changed then pray. If you want to see my will be done on earth as in heaven then pray. This is why Jesus told you to pray that my will be done on earth as in heaven. It is done while you pray.
My children go from place to place and preacher to preacher to gather my words and this is good but they are eating leftovers when they could be getting food right from my table, served to them on a plate made for them, while sitting in a chair of honor with their name on it. Leftovers are good but I want each of my children at my table every day so that I can serve you what you are hungry for. Do you notice how you can listen to a million messages and still starve yet you can be in my presence for five minutes and be filled?
Please my children. Do you no know how delighted I am when you set aside everything and come to me to spend time with me. Those of you who have children think about it. What do you treasure the most. The chores your children do or the time they spend in your lap letting you love on them? Chores are important but not as important as bonding and intimacy. If you get the bonding part right then the chores will be easy because you will be doing them while singing and not while worrying.
Please my loved ones. I love the sound of your voice. I love your attention. I love our lives together so much that I created eternity so that it would never end. You are loved so much more than you can even imagine and I adore you each and every one. I need you in my lap and your voice in my ear. I need to whisper things to you that you will never hear unless you spend time with me.
My children go from place to place and preacher to preacher to gather my words and this is good but they are eating leftovers when they could be getting food right from my table, served to them on a plate made for them, while sitting in a chair of honor with their name on it. Leftovers are good but I want each of my children at my table every day so that I can serve you what you are hungry for. Do you notice how you can listen to a million messages and still starve yet you can be in my presence for five minutes and be filled?
Please my children. Do you no know how delighted I am when you set aside everything and come to me to spend time with me. Those of you who have children think about it. What do you treasure the most. The chores your children do or the time they spend in your lap letting you love on them? Chores are important but not as important as bonding and intimacy. If you get the bonding part right then the chores will be easy because you will be doing them while singing and not while worrying.
Please my loved ones. I love the sound of your voice. I love your attention. I love our lives together so much that I created eternity so that it would never end. You are loved so much more than you can even imagine and I adore you each and every one. I need you in my lap and your voice in my ear. I need to whisper things to you that you will never hear unless you spend time with me.
Those of you who are in love with someone think about this: Would you rather hear them say "I love you" shouted over the noise of a crowd or would you rather hear your loved one whisper it in your ear while they hold you in their arms?
This was Jesus' secret. He would come to me and I would so fill him with my love that he would go out and it would pour out of him. Love expresses itself in many different ways. To the sick it is healing. To the poor it is blessing. To the lonesome it is companionship.
This was Jesus' secret. He would come to me and I would so fill him with my love that he would go out and it would pour out of him. Love expresses itself in many different ways. To the sick it is healing. To the poor it is blessing. To the lonesome it is companionship.
Love is powerful and I am love. So come to me and let me love you and then go pour out my love on others. Then come to me again and do it over and over and over until no one is sick or poor or broken.
Think about the men on the road to Emmaus. They said “didn't our hearts burn within us when he spoke?” If you want your heart on fire with love then come to me. They got revelation of who Jesus was as they broke bread together. Jesus is the bread of life and if you come to me I will share him with you.
So please my beloved ones. Never think you are too busy to pray. Even if you become like Jesus and the crowds gather around you wanting something from heaven you still must take time to pray and to spend time with me.
So please my beloved ones. Never think you are too busy to pray. Even if you become like Jesus and the crowds gather around you wanting something from heaven you still must take time to pray and to spend time with me.
You don't have to pray to get the answer. You have to pray to be the answer. I am the vine and you are branches. Don't cut yourself off from me and try to live on your own. How long does a branch have to be cut off before it begins to wither?
I will never cut you off. I will prune you and cut away the things that are choking you and all this is done with words of love as you spend time with me.
I will never cut you off. I will prune you and cut away the things that are choking you and all this is done with words of love as you spend time with me.
Do you remember that Jesus told his disciples that they were clean because of his words he spoke to them? This is what prayer does. You spend time with me and I fill you with my love and while you are lost in that love I gently cut away the weeds that try to choke you. I gently lift you up out of the mud and the grass and set you up where you can bear fruit.
I do these things because I love you beyond words. I treasure you so much that I sent my son to shed his blood to make you free and I told you through my beloved Paul in what you call Second Corinthians that I was right there in Christ reconciling you to myself not counting your sins against you. Not pouring out wrath and judgment but pouring out mercy to the fullest. When you get a revelation of this love that I have for you then prayer will be easy. You will run to me in prayer because you will know just how welcome you are in my lap.
So please my beloved children. Come to me in prayer. Take time away and spend it with me. Abandon yourselves into my care while you pray. You just think you are too busy. Jesus had to save the world and he still had time to pray. If he could take time away then are you really too busy to pray?
This is the end of the words he spoke to me at that moment.
I hope you are encouraged by these words.
Until next time.
Grow Rich in His Grace.
I love you all,
michael
For more information please click the following links:
michaelottministries.org
I do these things because I love you beyond words. I treasure you so much that I sent my son to shed his blood to make you free and I told you through my beloved Paul in what you call Second Corinthians that I was right there in Christ reconciling you to myself not counting your sins against you. Not pouring out wrath and judgment but pouring out mercy to the fullest. When you get a revelation of this love that I have for you then prayer will be easy. You will run to me in prayer because you will know just how welcome you are in my lap.
So please my beloved children. Come to me in prayer. Take time away and spend it with me. Abandon yourselves into my care while you pray. You just think you are too busy. Jesus had to save the world and he still had time to pray. If he could take time away then are you really too busy to pray?
This is the end of the words he spoke to me at that moment.
I hope you are encouraged by these words.
Until next time.
Grow Rich in His Grace.
I love you all,
michael
For more information please click the following links:
michaelottministries.org
