Luke 5:4
“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.”
One of the great stories in the New Testament is the story of the disciples catching a multitude of fishes. We often look to this story and want God to bless our ministries with the same multitude of souls, but we don’t do the same things for God to enable us to exceed our expectations. There are six key elements in this story that allowed the disciples to exceed their expectations.
First, it takes preparation. Before the disciples let down the nets, they prepared them to catch fish. You will never see God work in a great way without preparation. You can’t just show up and expect God to have everything ready for you. There must be time spent preparing for God to do something before He will ever do it. The disciples prepared for the day of Pentecost by praying in the upper room. That is why God met with them. You will never see God work greatly in your life or ministry without spending time preparing for Him to work.
Second, it takes work. The disciples worked hard the night before Jesus came, and they worked hard cleaning the nets. You will never see God help you exceed your expectations without putting in some hard work. It’s amazing how many times God blesses hard work. God never blesses lazy people, but He will bless hard work.
Third, it takes vision. Jesus commanded the disciples to let down the “nets” but their vision was not great enough as they only let down the “net.” Imagine how much more God could have worked if their vision was greater. I’m afraid that oftentimes we limit God with our vision. There were more fish they could have caught if their vision would have been greater. Don’t limit God with a small vision. Increase your vision to the point that it takes faith and God for that vision to be fulfilled.
Fourth, it takes obedience. The disciples had to obey the command of God for their expectations to be exceeded. Obedience is always the key to unlocking the power of God. God’s power is only accessed when you choose to obey Him and do things His way.
Fifth, it takes teamwork. The disciples asked the other disciples to help them when they had the multitude of fishes in their net. Expectations will be exceeded when we get rid of the superstar mentality and start working together as a team. Teams always accomplish more than the superstar. Stop trying to get the credit, and work together as a team.
Sixth, it takes God. The fishes would have never been caught without God. You can do everything and never get God involved, and you will continue to fall short of your expectations. The only way expectations will be exceeded is with God’s help.
Friend, stop living a life of falling short of expectations. It’s time you show the world that God still has the power to exceed expectations. The world will want what you have when they see you exceeding expectations with God’s help.