HAVE YOU FOUND YOURSELF IN A RUT OF FAILURE WITH NO WAY OUT?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
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.  
(John 21:5-6)

MEDITATION:
How many times have you done the same thing over and over with no success?
It could be trying to make money work without a budget, 
or trying to make a marriage enjoyable without following a biblical model.
Maybe there is some addiction you are striving to overcome.
Whatever the situation, trying the same thing many times without success 
can cause frustration and create feelings of emptiness.

If we aren’t careful we can exacerbate our problem 
by allowing our frustrations to turn into anger.
We may become angry with others because we want someone to blame, 
or we feel like they should fix whatever we have failed to resolve.
We can even become angry with ourselves for becoming angry toward others.
 
There is a phrase that has been used for many years that says,
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over 
and expecting different results.”
I’m not sure who coined the phrase, but it makes sense doesn’t it?
Too many times we can be guilty of doing the same thing over and over 
because we are ‘hoping’ for different results, 
or we can’t think of anything else to try.

Rather than trying to maintain our independence, 
we should call on the Lord to help us in our time of need.
Not only can we depend on Him, but He wants us to depend on Him.
Trying to live independently without Him is an indication of arrogant pride.
It’s as if we are saying, “I can do just fine without the Lord’s help”.

Some of the disciples were experienced fishermen, 
but they had allowed their routine efforts to cloud their minds.
And, as a result, they kept coming up empty.
However, when Jesus became involved, everything changed.

Their success was a result of two things – listening and obeying.
Just imagine for a moment the joy and excitement on their faces when they 
realized they could be successful, when it seemed they were destined to fail.
The Lord can help you in the same way He helped the disciples.

ACTION:
Maybe you are in a place of trying the same thing over and over, 
but it never works and your net continually comes up empty. 
Your debts never get any smaller 
or you can’t seem to grow your savings account. 

A promotion seems out of reach, 
or maybe your relationships never seem to improve.
Whatever the situation, 
you struggle with that nagging feeling that something needs to change. 
Maybe it’s time to try the ‘other side’.

If you are having relationship problems, 
it could be that the Lord wants you to improve your relationship with Him.
That may be the ‘other side’ for you.

Or maybe you have been victimized by an addiction that has you in captivity.
Breaking free of this bondage may be the ‘other side’ for you.
The scriptures tell us many times about 
how the Lord has freed people from bondage.
It is something that He could do 
that they could not do in their own strength.

The better relationship you have with the Lord, 
the more you will develop His mindset.
When you think more like He does, you will have a different perspective 
on the things that have been frustrating you.
Not only that, but the enjoyment of getting closer to Him 
can lessen the frustrations and anger of continuing to fail in your efforts.

Why? 
Probably because when we face the Lord, 
we have to turn our back to our problem.
It doesn’t mean the problem goes away immediately, but it does mean 
that our focus has changed as we improve our relationship with Him.

If we truly love the Lord, then our desire to please Him 
will replace our efforts to resolve our issues independently, 
to justify the things we cannot fix or overcome, 
or to convince ourselves that our issues are ‘unfixable’. 

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, You know the issues in my life and how I continue 
to fail in my own efforts to resolve them. Forgive me for trying to live 
and make decisions independently of You. Help me to refocus and 
concentrate on developing my relationship with You. You can show 
me how to get out of my ‘rut of failure’ and to have a new hope of 
success because I have given You a higher priority in my life. When 
there are issues that are a result of the actions of others, or issues 
that I have created for myself, remind me that You are there with the 
solutions I need, as long as I listen and obey. You know what’s not 
working in my life and You know where I need to ‘cast my net’. Help 
me to understand Your will and to trust fully in You as I throw my net 
to the other side. I pray that You will make Your directions clear to me 
as I listen for Your voice.”

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