David Diga Hernandez - God's Anointed: The First Disciples

One of the greatest enemies of your ministry will be yourself. We have to battle the flesh if we are going to be used and anointed by God. Today, on this edition of Spirit Church, I’m talking about the first disciples. As we examine how the first disciples were called and what they did to follow Jesus, we will learn from their lives truths that will help us pursue the call of God in our own. I am continuing and actually finishing my series «God’s Anointed,» and this lesson is truly going to challenge you. It will delve into the depths of your heart and who you are, urging you to crucify the flesh, to be done with ambition, and to be done with self. When you overcome the flesh and fully surrender to the Holy Spirit, that is where the real power lies. I’m discussing that and more in this edition of Spirit Church. But first, Steven Moctezuma is here with me; he’s going to lead you in worship, and then we will get right into this lesson.

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You know, these days, you don’t often hear messages on surrender, and I’ll never forget one of the most powerful things I ever heard. It was one of those moments that truly impacted my life. As you go along in your journey following Christ, there are moments that mark your life at certain points, which God uses to transform who you are. I remember attending a conference where I listened to a very anointed preacher. I was about 14 years old, and a couple from the church I attended paid for me to go to that conference because they knew it would be a worthwhile investment in my life. I’ll never forget that, and it truly was. So, I went and attended this conference, listening to the preacher ministering about surrendering to the Holy Spirit. He began to explain how surrendering to the Holy Spirit and finding true power is akin to an eagle. An eagle will fly above the storm, and at a certain point, it transitions from flying, which requires its strength and effort, to soaring, where it yields to the wind and allows it to take the eagle where it needs to go. That’s really the secret to power in ministry and in the call of God: surrender. It’s about giving of yourself and saying, «Lord, I’m not going to move on my own. I’m not going to fight anymore. I’m just going to yield.» It takes discipline, resolve, and persistence to truly hold onto the Lord that way because, the truth is, God has already grabbed hold of you; He has already taken hold of your life. You need to now say, «Lord, I’m not letting you go either.» The Scriptures tell us that the Lord holds us in His love and that nothing can separate us from that grip of love. That grip is so strong that no angel or demon, no height or depth, can separate us from that love. I want you to really think about that, because angelic beings are powerful, strong, and mighty; they exist in a different realm. These creatures are incredibly powerful, yet they themselves cannot pry us from the grip of God’s love. So the issue is not God grabbing hold of you; the issue is whether you can say, «Lord, I will not let you go. Father, I surrender. Father, I give myself to You,» and that is where we find the power. Now, I want to look at a story in the Scripture found in Luke Chapter 5, discussing the first disciples that Jesus called. I thought this would be a great way to conclude the series because we can truly see the power of surrender in their lives. As I mentioned at the beginning of the program, the greatest enemy to your ministry, the most significant foe to the call of God on your life, and the biggest opposition will come from your flesh. It will arise from self, from being so full of the world, so filled with ambition, pride, fear, and doubt that there is no room left for the power of the Holy Spirit. So, I want to now go to this portion of Scripture, and then we’ll explore it as we’ve done with other passages in the previous sermons in this series, pulling truth from these stories. Let’s turn now to Luke Chapter 5 and read verses 1-11. The Scripture states: «One day, as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on Him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water’s edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So, He sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, 'Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish.' 'Master, ' Simon replied, 'we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.' This time, their nets were so full of fish that they began to tear. A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and were on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, 'Oh Lord, please leave me. I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.' For he was struck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, 'Don’t be afraid. From now on, you’ll be fishing for people.' And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus.» Now, I want to highlight verse number two, which tells us that Jesus noticed the two empty boats. Jesus had been pressed by the crowd, which would often push Him to withdraw and seek secluded places to pray. Being in a physical body, Jesus would occasionally grow tired.