PROPHETIC WORD: Toss on the right side!
“The net was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn.”
John 21:11
Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great week!
The other night, I had a dream and saw the words “the end” written on the final page of a book. I had an awareness in the dream that the Lord was signaling the completion of a major season for many of God’s people.
We have to close the book on the past, to make way for the new thing.
As I sat with the Lord, He really highlighted the word timing.
Some of you have completed the final part of something, especially a period of time, and this is the crossover point.
The last chapter has been completed, now it’s time for a fresh start and a NEW STORY.
You might have been sensing the change for a while now. You’ve outgrown certain people and places. Dreams of old have been replaced with desires of new. The old way doesn’t satisfy your soul anymore. Your heart is longing for something deeper and more meaningful.
There’s an inner “knowing” that God is behind this move.
Jesus has started to nudge your spirit to prepare for a new adventure with Him. You might even be feeling restless, as if you’re living below your potential because there are gifts inside you waiting to surface.
You might sense that God is pushing you forward into the unknown.
He wants you to embark on a new journey that will allow you to live out your true calling.
Now you must release everything that is holding you back.
Letting go is not always easy, especially when you actually love an assignment from a prior season. However, when we close one book, God will open a fresh new chapter.
This is a time of great transformation in the body of Christ and the Lord is shifting His chosen leaders into something new.
Some people have been “fishing” for a while now without any significant catches. Now Jesus is about to appear along the shoreline again and give you specific directions.
“This time, throw your net on the right side of the boat…” (John 21:6).
In John 21, for whatever reason, Peter and the boys went back fishing after Jesus’ resurrection. These were the same men who’d walked intimately with the Lord for over three years, yet they still returned to the familiar. They were likely lost and unsure of what to do next, so they might have revisited the first place Jesus appeared to them years prior. Peter undoubtedly felt shame and failure for denying the Lord.
However, his leadership is still evident because six other disciples followed him to the lake.
After a night of fishing, the disciples caught nothing. They were tired, exhausted and probably in a state of defeat and despair. Their beloved friend and savior, Jesus, was gone and nothing went how the apostles imagined. They didn’t know what to do — so they fished.
Then, with just a word, the Lord changed everything.
First, there was a sound.
Jesus spoke.
He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.”
When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. But the net did not break.
THE RIGHT SIDE
The disciples counted every last fish inside their net when they got to shore. Meanwhile, Jesus prepared breakfast over the fire. The Lord probably relished in the moment, marveling at the excitement of His beloved friends as they counted 153 total fish in their net. The number was specific, reflecting a mighty harvest. The disciples would have remembered the words of Jesus when He first called Peter and Andrew years earlier: “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” (Matthew 4:19).
Jesus used fish and bread to symbolize power and provision throughout His ministry. It echoes the provision of God providing manna for the children of Israel.
The “right side” reflects the right hand of God and demonstrates honor and authority. God exalted Jesus above all others and seated Him at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:19-21).
When Jesus appeared along the shoreline, He showed the disciples again how He holds all power, authority and dominion over everything — including the fish of the sea and all people.
The “right side” is the side of the Risen Savior. It’s the side of love.
Although the Gospel of John ends with the best fishing trip of all time — an evangelical explosion would soon launch.
In the Book of Acts, the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost, and the believers were empowered to do God’s work in the world.
The Ministry of the Holy Spirit is still alive and well today. He teaches us to live a new life, transformed from the inside out as God’s children.
We get a new identity that is firmly rooted in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit heals our wounds, transforms our spirits, empowers us to be witnesses and equips us to make disciples of all nations.
We each have a part to play.
Peter’s life as a fisherman eventually ended, but his God-given calling as an apostle was just getting started.
When we find him in Acts, Peter has evolved from an “ordinary, unschooled man” with no formal religious training, to a courageous apostle who helped others understand the power of the Holy Spirit. He taught about Jesus Christ, launched the modern-day church movement and emphasized the importance of rebirth and regeneration for all believers.
The words of Peter and John still echo in the hearts of every believer even today — “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard!” (Acts 4:20)
DIRECT WORD FOR SOMEONE:
It’s imperative to trust the Lord’s instructions in this season, even when it doesn’t always make sense. The key to your “large catch” will come down to listening to Jesus’ commands and obeying them exactly. The Lord of the Harvest is going to move in major ways this season.
Jesus showed up miraculously in John 21 to make sure the apostles understood the magnitude of their calling. They can’t go back now. There’s only one way to go, and it’s forward.
John 21 serves as a climax for God’s prophetic program of discipleship.
Next up: leadership. All that training will now be put into practice.
Just like the disciples, you have been commissioned to “catch souls” for the Kingdom of God.
The Lord has called you to be a “fisher of men.”
This time, cast on the right side.
“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25).
