What is Your Net?

“You have made men like fish in the sea, like sea creatures that have no ruler. The wicked foe pulls all of them up with hooks,  he catches them in his net, he gathers them up in his dragnet;  and so he rejoices and is glad” ~ Habakkuk 1:14-15 (NIV).

In the above verses the prophet gives us an apt commentary on mankind – men  are like fish in the sea. Not only are they numerous but they are ‘like sea creatures that have no ruler’, and so will readily follow whoever is able to catch them with their hooks or nets.

In our world today, many are able to amass a large following for themselves by the effective use of their ‘nets’. Think of the millions of followers that a confused woman like Lady Gaga has. There is something she has that draws (or attracts) people to her.  That is what I am referring to as her net, and it is by casting this her net into the sea of men that she has dragged along such a big following. Men use their nets for good and for bad. For example, it was the same net of passionate oratory that Adolf Hitler used to drag millions of followers to destruction; and that another man called Billy Graham used to drag millions to life in Christ.

What I am seeking to point out to you is simple. First, look around your world and realise this – men are like fish in the sea, without leadership and so they are vulnerable to anyone that can hook them and drag them with him. Secondly, realise that you have been given a net. This is why the Lord calls us ‘fishers of men’. He uses the term ‘fisher of men’ because he knows men are like fish and because he has given each of us a net.

So what is the net you have been given by God? What is the thing that you have that draws others to you? You see, in the economy of God, people must first be drawn to us before we can draw them to Him. The first step of winning men for Christ is to draw them to yourself.

Our problem is that we often look down on the net God has given us, because we compare it with the ‘bigger and better’ nets that others seem to have. Yet some of the most powerful nets are the simple ones, like the net of hospitality for instance.

Don’t let the size or form of your net distract you from casting it into the sea of men, because no matter how large the nets of others may be, there is enough space for everyone in the sea. In fact there are some types of fish that only a net like yours can catch. I remember visiting the fishing port in Lome, Togo, with my family several years ago, and seeing that though there were so many fishermen, there was space for every fisherman who was willing to use his net. There were even some using hooks and they too were catching fish.

So I ask you again what is your net? I want you to identify it. What is that thing God has given you that draws people to you? Is it your ability to sing or  write, or is it your natural beauty? Is it your cheerfulness, seriousness or your brilliant mind? Or is it your business acumen? Identify it and begin to use it for God.

One thing the enemy often does, is to attack us in the area of our ‘net’. That is why people whose greatest gift is, for example, their infectious zeal, will find themselves struggling with repeated attacks of gloominess and discouragement. The enemy wants to make holes in your ‘net’. Perhaps it is time to mend the holes so that your catch may be great.

Finally, as we seek to use our nets, let’s be wary of the error of men as we see in that scripture;

‘Therefore he sacrifices to his net  and burns incense to his dragnet, for by his net he lives in luxury  and enjoys the choicest food’ ~ Habakkuk 1:16 (NIV)

Our nets can become our idols if we are not careful. We know how it works – some worship their beauty, while others their business acumen. When men see what their net can do they tend to worship it – to elevate it to a place in their heart that it shouldn’t have. Rather than worshipping our nets let us consecrate them to God.

So I am asking you to do three things – identify the net (or nets) God has given you. Consecrate them to God for his glory and service. Then go out and cast them into the sea of men around you. Go ahead and use your nets to drag men to Christ.