Grace Revolution: Experience the Power to Live Above Defeat Read Online Free Page A

until it began to tear as Peter and his men began to haul up this unprecedented load of fish. The amazed and frantic fishermen quickly hollered to their friends in another boat to come and help them. Now two boats were side by side, with both crews hauling fish into their boats. The men worked furiously, loading onto the boats the thrashing fish with their silver scales glistening in the sun… until
both
boats were so full of fish that they began to sink!
    Blown away by what he was witnessing, Simon Peter knelt before Jesus and proclaimed, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8).

Been Toiling All Night? Let Jesus Save You
    Now, which came first: Peter’s repentance or God’s blessing? Under the new covenant of grace, God blesses you first, and His blessings, favor, and overflowing love lead you to repentance! Peter and his crew of mariners had toiled painstakingly all night and caught nothing. Then, when Jesus stepped for the first time into his boat, Peter’s business suddenly began to flourish and thrive beyond his wildest imagination.
    God’s blessings, favor, and overflowing love will lead you to repentance!
    Do you feel as if you have toiled all night and caught nothing? Perhaps you feel as though you are in a dead-end situation in your career. Or perhaps whatever you have been trying to do to save your marriage just isn’t working. Maybe your toil is in the area of your parenting—no matter how much effort you put into reaching out to your child, the relationship just seems to grow colder and more distant by the day.
    Now is not the time to give up, but to listen to your wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus. Hear Him. Rather than depend on your experience and expertise, lean in to Him. You are not alone in your boat. Listen to Him and do exactly what He tells you to do. Our Lord Jesus told Peter to let down “your
nets
”—plural. Peter said, “At your word I will let down the
net
”—singular (see Luke 5:4–5). It is no wonder the net began to break and Peter had to call for his friends to come and help him.
    Jesus is your very present help in time of need. Whatever your struggle is today, you can know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He is with you and knows exactly how to help you.
    Whatever your struggle is today, God is with you and knows exactly how to help you.
    There are also people who have been toiling relentlessly, trying everything they know to get their lives right and win God’s approval. The more they try, the more distant they feel from Him. The harder they push, the more they feel that they consistently fail and disappoint Him. They are just as exasperated, fatigued, and frustrated as the fishermen who had labored all night and caught nothing.
    My dear reader, if this describes you, I want you to know that God loves you even with all your imperfections. Yes, in all your failings, in all your mistakes, God still loves you! Come to Him just as you are.
    God loves you, even with all your imperfections. Come to Him just as you are.
    But Pastor Prince, you don’t understand. I have this horrible addiction.
    Whatever that addiction is, my friend, come to Jesus. Let Jesus embrace you, hug you, and hold you. Don’t worry or be consumed by your weakness. Instead allow Him to love you into wholeness. Jesus will transform you with His perfect love.
    Let me sort out my life first, then I will come.
    No one tries to clean himself before he takes a bath. Jesus
is
the bath! Come to Him with all your inadequacies, all your addictions, all your habits, and all your hang-ups, and let Him do what He does best. Let Him save you and restore you to wholeness!
    When you think of Joe Montana, what do you think of? Possibly one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football. When you think of Michael Jordan, you think,
One of the best basketball players ever
. Now, what do you think of when you think of our Lord Jesus? While it is great that you know what all these sports superstars do, the