Nets of Sin and Life

Matthew 4:20 “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.”

How often do I find myself saying, I'll start working on really getting rid of that sin pattern when I can sit down and focus on it with God. I think many people in this busy world have similar thoughts, and I firmly believe this was instrumental in bringing our society to a place of ignorance with respect to God, and depravity with respect to morality.

In addition to the lack of time, comes the lack of relative motivation. Homosexuality, abortion, and other morally charged issues have become such large issues that I find myself looking at my morality in a relativistic way. Relative to the worst society has to offer, not relative to the life of Christ. I have suffered from a recurrent pattern of sin that prevents me from developing a close relationship with God. I've told myself that I will eradicate this problem when I have time, and that it isn't really a pressing issue in context of society's greater problems.

This perspective is a true tragedy. Who ever becomes complacent in their sin is lost! Scripture says God reviles lukewarm Christians more than those who reject him. It must be understood that faith must be complete to be real. You do not partially have faith that a bridge will hold you, either you have faith in it or you don't. If I expect God to work in my life I must put all my faith in him, rest in him knowing he will provide all things.

So many times Jesus has walked past me as I sit squatted down amongst all my nets of life and sin. In the Mediterranean coastal region, where Peter and Andrew were born and raised, nets meant everything. They represented your source of food and income. The better your net, the more likely you were to keep a steady source of income. This meant the better your nets, the more likely you were to find a woman's father who would be willing to have his daughter marry you. Nets effectively represented a Mediterranean fisherman's life and livelihood. When scripture says “They immediately left their nets and followed Him.” it doesn't mean they handed their nets to someone and said, take care of these and if I come back I need them. It meant they dropped what they were doing, and in pure faith followed Christ.

For so long I've interpreted this passage like everyone else. Christ calls a select few to give up their jobs for full time ministries, and these select few need to be prepared to give up everything. This is what I had been taught since I first heard the story in Sunday school as a child. However, there is a much more pertinent story to be told here. Just as Christ died and told me to die daily, not physically but die to myself, the apostles left their nets and I am to leave mine daily. My nets include anything that attaches me to this world. It must be noted that a person is only ever attached to a net when they are literally caught up in it. For me my nets will be different. It maybe a hobby, it maybe a job, or as in my specific case now it maybe a sin pattern. Whatever the case, I must immediately leave my nets and follow Him.

This doesn't entail stopping my hobby or job, it entails not being caught up in it. In the case where that net is sin, I must get free of that net without making provision to later return to it. I have so long excused my action on this by saying, only God can get me free of this. It is true that only God can give me victory, but I have to FIGHT against sin. Everyday must be a battle which I wage a war for my mind, tactically avoid potential traps, and treat this as a full out battle.

There are three stages a man finds himself in battles such as mine. Where God's spiritual forces are in control and these forces are quelling minor rebellions of the Flesh's remaining resistance fighters who strive to take back over the heart and mind under the banner of sin. The second stage of battle is when the two opposing armies, one of the Spirit and the other of the Flesh, are equally battling it out over the battle ground of the heart and mind. The last stage is where the forces of the Spirit are the resistance, and the forces of the flesh seem in control.

I have found myself in the first of these three stages described. The resistance of the flesh seems to be retreating around and while God's spirit does hold sway in most of my life, that stronghold of the Flesh resistance continues to send raiding parties which infect my actions. Unless I am pro actively trying to fight these resistance fighters of the Flesh I will loose ground.

Leaving the nets of sin, winning the battle for the heart and mind, these are foremost on my mind. But, in order to do either of these things I must immediately follow him. I cannot become complacent in my sin, neither can I delay what has to happen now. With this resolve in my heart I will do two things. Push my school work, my responsibilities, and my fun time into my extra time. I have to take the normal time I have and reserve that for immediately following God. The second thing I will do is wage tactical warfare against the resistance fighters of the flesh. I will strategically avoid places where I might fall to temptation until the resistance is so weak it is no longer a temptation. I will starve the army of the flesh, giving it no fulfilling music, computer games, or imagination time until they are withered beyond fighting capabilities. I will finally feed the armies of the Spirit, let them thrive on uplifting music, both the milk and the meat of God's word, and constant prayer time. If I can fight, not win but simply fight, I can be confident that God will do His part in bringing victory to the battle field of my life.

It all starts with me deciding, I will immediately leave my nets and follow Him...