Will I Follow where He Leads?
Will You Follow Jesus Wherever He Leads?
Standing at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the water below, can be a terrifying experience. The height seems to grow in your mind, and the fear of pain keeps you frozen in place. This same hesitation often characterizes our relationship with God. We want Jesus to improve our lives, but we don’t want Him to interrupt them or ask us to do something difficult.
The Comfort Zone Problem
Why We Resist God’s Call
We love the inspirational Jesus but struggle with the disruptive Jesus. We want the cheerleader, not the coach. We embrace the calling as long as it doesn’t cost us anything significant. This leads many of us to choose unhealthy but comfortable patterns of living simply because they’re familiar.
When God nudges us to have difficult conversations or forgive someone who hurt us, we tend to resist. We question whether it’s really God speaking or just our imagination. The truth is that delayed obedience is disobedience. When we refuse to move or hesitate, we’re being disobedient until we step into what God has for us.
Comfort Becomes the Enemy of Calling
Comfort becomes the enemy of calling when we prioritize our ease over God’s purpose for our lives. We love going on mission trips but struggle to live on mission in our everyday environments. We want to follow Jesus as long as it doesn’t require significant sacrifice or change.
Jesus Calls His First Disciples
The Call by the Sea of Galilee
In Matthew 4:18-22, we see Jesus walking beside the Sea of Galilee when He encounters two sets of brothers: Simon Peter and Andrew, then James and John. These men were fishermen, engaged in their daily work of casting nets and preparing their equipment.
Jesus’ call was simple but profound: “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” The response was immediate. Matthew tells us they left their nets “at once” and “immediately” followed Jesus.
More Than Meets the Eye
While Matthew presents this as a straightforward calling, Luke’s Gospel provides additional context. In Luke 5, we learn that Jesus had already demonstrated His power to these men. He had used Simon’s boat as a platform for teaching, then instructed them to let down their nets for a catch after they had worked all night with no success.
The result was a miraculous catch so large their nets began to break. This wasn’t blind faith – Jesus had already proven Himself to these men before asking them to leave everything behind.
What Does It Mean to Follow Jesus?
A Definite Call Demanding Response
Jesus’ call demands a definitive response, not just any response. It requires total commitment. When Jesus spoke, these men were ready to jump into whatever God had for them. They had been prepared by John the Baptist’s ministry and had witnessed Jesus’ power firsthand.
The calling wasn’t impulsive, but it was decisive. They made a commitment in that moment that would change the trajectory of their entire lives.
Leaving the Nets Behind
For these fishermen, their nets represented income, security, and routine. Every day they knew what to do – prepare the nets, handle the boat, understand the wind and waves. The nets weren’t sinful, but they became a symbol of their obedience to Jesus.
You can’t hold onto your nets and follow Jesus at the same time. You can’t follow Jesus while keeping one foot in the boat, ready to return to your old life. The kingdom requires total commitment.
What Are Your Nets?
Identifying What Holds Us Back
The simple question we must ask ourselves is: What are the nets we’re holding onto? What things are causing us not to give everything over to God?
Is it position, a person, a vice, or a sin you’ve been clinging to? Is it anger, entitlement, or comfort? What is stopping you from following Jesus with everything you have?
The Call Into Something Greater
Jesus doesn’t just call us away from something – He calls us into something. He told the disciples, “I will make you fishers of men.” This same calling extends to all believers today. Whether in full-time ministry or as missionaries in our workplaces, God wants us to become fishers of people wherever He has planted us.
From Discipleship to Deployment
Taking Faith Beyond Sunday
Discipleship shouldn’t be reserved for Sunday mornings or Wednesday night prayer meetings. It should lead to deployment – taking what God is doing inside us and bringing it into the world. We’re called to be a family learning to love like Jesus, showing compassion and serving others just as He did.
God Saves Us to Send Us
We don’t follow Jesus just to change direction or get “fire insurance.” God didn’t call us just to save us – He’s asking us to change the world. He has a job for us to do. If God has saved you, He’s sending you.
Starting with Small Steps
The First Yes Leads to Greater Commitment
For Simon and Andrew, leaving their whole life behind wasn’t their first “yes” to Jesus. Their first yes was allowing Jesus into their boat. They pushed out from shore, listened to His teaching, and then obeyed when He asked them to go fishing again.
It was through these smaller acts of obedience that they came to understand who Jesus really was. Sometimes God calls us to leave everything, but often He starts by asking for small steps of faith.
What Would Happen If We All Said Yes?
Imagine what would happen if every person in the church became ready to follow Jesus wherever He leads. What if we took the message of hope into our schools, jobs, and neighborhoods? What if every family saw themselves as missionaries, taking God’s word everywhere they go?
What would it look like if the work God does in our hearts on Sunday translated to how we live on Monday morning?
Life Application
This week, identify the “nets” you’ve been holding onto that prevent you from fully following Jesus. Whether it’s a comfortable routine, a relationship that pulls you away from God, a fear about security, or steps you’ve been postponing, it’s time to take action.
Start with one small “yes” to Jesus. Just as the disciples began by allowing Jesus into their boat, you can begin by giving Him access to one area of your life you’ve been protecting. Watch how He proves Himself faithful in the small things before He asks for the bigger commitments.
Ask yourself these questions:
- What habit, relationship, or fear is keeping me from complete obedience to God?
- What small step of faith is Jesus asking me to take this week?
- How can I be a “fisher of people” in my current circumstances?
- What would change in my life if I truly believed that God saves us to send us?
The call to follow Jesus isn’t just about eternal salvation – it’s about joining Him in His mission to reach the world. Will you follow Jesus wherever He leads?