True Identity Ministries Blog

(This is an excert from the book, What Happens When women say Yes to God, by Lysa TerKeurst) I wanted to share the following few pages from this book that challenged and encouraged me in the area of radical obedience. I know you will be blessed!


He (Jesus) saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” (Luke 5:2-4)

Did you notice that there were two boats on the shore that day, and Jesus specifically chose Simon Peter’s boat? Why? Because Jesus knew that Simon Peter had a radically obedient heart and would be willing to do what He asked him-even when it made no sense. I like Peter’s response to Jesus request: “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets”(vs. 5) Do you hear what Peter is saying? “Though I ‘m tired from working all night, though I don’t think You know much about fishing, Jesus, though it makes no sense at all in human terms…because you say so, I will do it.”

How many times have I found myself in Peter’s position and not responded in obedience the way he did? It saddens my heart to remember the occasions I’ve ignored Jesus’ call for radical obedience because I was tired, or because I didn’t really believe Jesus would work miraculously in a particular situation, or mostly because the Lord’s request made no sense in human terms.

I often wonder now at the blessings I’ve missed because of my lack of obedience. Look at what happened to Peter because of his obedience:

When they had (let the nets down), they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. (Luke 5:6-10)

But Simon Peter’s blessing that day didn’t end with a huge catch of fish. His radical obedience to Jesus’ simple request ultimately resulted in him discovering the calling on his life.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:10-11)

We have to remember that Simon Peter didn’t know that something as mundane as lowering his net into the water would change his life-but it did! And that’s how it can be for us. Our calling is revealed as we walk in daily obedience to Christ in the little things.

That’s what’s remarkable about radical obedience. You don’t know where it will lead. You don’t know how God will use it. That’s what I love about Peter’s story. It shows us so much about the radically obedient life.

First, as Peter discovered, our call to obedience may challenge our pride. God hates a prideful attitude (James 4:6). Many times the little steps leading to the bigger steps in our calling will be tests that help whittle the pride out of our heart. Peter, for instance, could have easily questioned Jesus’ fishing knowledge…after all, Peter was a professional fisherman and Jesus was a carpenter. But Peter chose to swallow his pride and take the small step of obedience.

Second, God uses our experiences to equip us for our calling. God doesn’t waste our experiences in life. I know in my own life God has been able to weave everything together to form a tapestry of good experiences, bad experiences, hurtful things, joyous things, professional jobs, ministry jobs, and everything else to prepare me for the work He is in the process of revealing to me. The same was true for Simon Peter. Yesterday he was fishing for fish; today he would be fishing for men.

Third, our obedience may inspire others to respond. What a radical blessing! As we respond in obedience, others will catch the vision and respond to God’s calling on their own loves. Think of it. It wasn’t just Peter’s life that changed that day. The lives of his fishing partners, James and John, were never the same either. And it started with Peter saying yes to Jesus.
One caution at this point. We need to be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that our blessings for radical obediences will profit our accounts and fill our pockets. Yes, Peter got a boatload of fish as a result of his obedience, but notice what he did: “So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him” (Luke 5:11). They didn’t celebrate their banner fishing day. They didn’t consider the fish a just reward for all their hard work. They didn’t sell the fish and use the money to buy more boats and hang out a new shingle announcing their expanded fishing fleet. No, they were only thinking of the person who allowed it to happen-and they left it all behind and followed Him.

Where We Focus Our Vision
Now contrast Peter’s story with another incident we find recorded in Luke:
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots (Luke 23:34).

It’s hard to imagine anyone playing games in the shadow of the cross while the savior of the world looked on in excruciating pain. He was dying for their sins, and they were dying fro one good roll of the dice. They didn’t even hear His cry for God to forgive them. They missed His offer of eternal significance because they were too distracted by earthly rags. They had no vision beyond the moment. Max Lucado writes of this scene:

“It makes me think of us…I’m thinking that we are not so unlike those soldiers. We, too, play games at the foot of the cross. We compete for members. We scramble for members. We scramble for status. We deal out judgements and condemnations. Competition. Selfishness. Personal gain. It’s all there…so close to the timber yet so far from the blood.”

Are we like Peter? Or are we like these soldiers at the foot of the cross? Our life will follow where we choose to focus our vision. If we are serious about radical obedience, about having a vision that’s God inspired, then we mush keep our focus on Christ. When Christ speaks, we must listen. When He directs us to act, we must act. When He compels us to give, we must do so freely. When He reminds us to get past trivial matters, we must let our pride fall away. When He invites us to leave the world behind, we must follow Him.