How To Turn Failure Into Success

HOW TO TURN FAILURE INTO SUCCESS Luke 5: 1-11

Now, I know that fishing for most of us would be considered a hobby or a time of leisure, but in our text we are looking at some men for whom fishing was their job; it was what they labored in.

In our text, we read about some fellows who had been fishing all day and without any success. They didn’t talk about the one that got away, because they had all gotten away!

HAVE YOU EVER FAILED AT SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE TRIED TO DO? It is a miserable feeling.

Peter in our text had failed in his laboring.

Peter and his friends have fished all night, but they have caught nothing.

On the next day, as Peter was washing his nets on the sea shore, and he was feeling very tired and discouraged. Jesus comes along and tells him that He would like to use his boat as a platform from which to speak.

So Peter allows Jesus to use his boat. After Jesus finishes he tells Peter, “Let us go fishing.”

Peter reacted and said, “Master, we have toiled all night and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.”

Peter went fishing and caught such a haul of fishes that he was astonished.

This story teaches us about failure and what to do when our best is not good enough.

On their first fishing trip, their labored yield nothing. On the second trip, they caught more fish than they had ever caught before. It was the same lake, the same boat, the same nets, and the same people fishing.

So what made the difference? There are actually three differences between the two fishing expeditions, and these three differences give us simple principles to apply when we desire to rebound from our failure.

I. ALLOW CHRIST’S PRESENCE IN YOUR LIFE

Get Jesus in your boat.

He is in the boat this time (3). It is the same lake, same boat, the same nets, but this time Jesus is present.

This time Peter was not going at it alone.

Whatever starts with “we” is destined to come to nothing, unless the “we” includes HIM.

John 15:5 “... for without me ye can do nothing.” When Jesus showed up things changed quickly.

Are you including Jesus into your plans, your business, your home? If not, it is destined for failure.

All too often we try to separate the secular and the spiritual.

However, the truth is God will bless anything we give Him, and the more we give Him, the more He will bless.

There is something about having Jesus in your boat that takes the fear of failure and reduces your worries about the results. Peter made Jesus his fishing partner, and the results were incredible. He caught more fish that he had ever caught on his own.

Marriages have been put back together when Jesus is brought into the marriage.

Why did Peter fail on the first fishing expedition? Surely it wasn’t that he did not know how or where to fish. These men were experts. They were professional fishermen and knew how to fish and where to find the fish, and yet they fished all night long and caught nothing. The word "nothing" means "not even one." Their failure had nothing to do with how they were fishing or where they were fishing. Their failure came about because the Lord wanted to teach them a much needed lesson. That lesson is that without Him, we can accomplish nothing!

Here were the same people, in the same boat, using the same nets, but with Jesus in the boat with them.

HIS PRESENCE MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.

These fishermen were unable to catch anything, although they had used all of their skills, abilities and time, until Jesus got in their boat. The Lord was teaching a lesson that we all need to learn; there is failure without Him.

We may mend our nets and use all our skill and knowledge of fishing, but these on their own can only fail.

A. To Labor Without Him Will Bring Disappointment

There is disappointment that comes with that failure. In our service to the Lord, we can have all of the tools for greatness only to find the disappointments and the frustration of not seeing God’s blessings. The blessings of ministry come from having Him. We need Him. We must have Him.

B. To Labor Without Him Will Bring Discouragement

Washing nets which have caught no fish is not any fun.

The Lord’s presence however changed everything.

II. ACCEPT CHRIST’S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

Verse 4, "Now when He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, ’Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.’ But Simon answered and said to Him, ’Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing .."