God Calls You to a Process of Deep Sanctification

Thus says the Lord: "I remember for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your weddings; how you went after me in the wilderness, in a land that was not sown." — Jeremiah 2:2
Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. — James 4:4
Dr. Roberto Miranda

Author

Dr. Roberto Miranda

Summary: Peter’s boat represents three spiritual positions: remaining on the shore amid the cares of the crowd, putting out a little so that God may use us, and venturing into deep waters to know his glory more profoundly. If we want to serve effectively, we need times of retreat, prayer, and meditation on the Word, drawing away from the bonds of the world and allowing God to refine and sanctify us. But consecration does not end there: a life-changing surrender requires dying to self and accepting a process of brokenness, the cross, and obedience. Like Peter, we must submit our reasoning to the word of the Lord even when our experience seems to contradict it. By surrendering everything, we will be able to hear his voice more clearly, behold his glory, and be used powerfully.

Seeking God's GuidanceSeeking God's BlessingUnlocking Spiritual PotentialFaithful Pursuit of GodHearing God's VoiceSeeking God Actively

Just as Peter’s boat is found in three positions, we too can assume three spiritual positions with respect to the world and with respect to God. At the beginning of the account, the boat is right on the shore, where the crowd is, with all its needs and all its pressing circumstances. After that, the Lord says to Peter: Peter, move the boat a little way out so that I can separate myself from the crowd and address them. And finally, when the Lord finishes addressing the crowd, He asks Peter to put out into deep water, to take the boat even farther away from the shore. And in that position, out in the deep, the Lord shows His Glory to Peter and his companions. He reveals His divinity, shows them a supernatural dimension, and teaches them that He is much more than merely some ordinary rabbi; He is God Himself, capable of performing miracles that no other human being can perform.

If God wants to use your life, He will generally find you on the shore. For us to be used by God, we have to move away from the shore. To me, the shore is where the people are, where so many Christians often are, with their cares and struggles just like the rest of the crowd. If you want God to use your life, you have to move away a little. That means that you have to seek times of retreat, times to meditate on the Word of the Lord, and withdraw a little from the cares and entanglements of the ordinary world. And in this way, God can then use your life, speak through you, and do wonderful things in your life. No Christian will be used effectively by God unless they seek that level of separation from the cares of the world.

The apostle John said that friendship with the world is enmity with God. If you want to be used by God, you have to consecrate your life, surrender more fully, pray more, know the Word of the Lord better, and allow God to keep refining you, working on you, and sanctifying you. To me, that is somewhat like moving a little way from the shore, separating yourself from the world, so that God can then use us in a wonderful way. But things do not end there, because God will want you to go to an even deeper level.

As the Lord Jesus Christ says to Peter, now put out into deep water; separate yourself completely, perhaps to where you cannot even see the shore, so that there I may show you My Glory. If God wants to use you in a truly transcendent and powerful way, there must be an even greater level of surrender. You must die to self; you must separate yourself completely. God will have to take you through a very deep process of sanctification. Generally, that process of “total” sanctification will involve brokenness; it will involve exposure to the cross, with all its pain and suffering, which will, in a sense, crucify your flesh and then enable you to hear the voice of God at a much deeper level. That is to say, do not remain merely at the point of being a Christian who has sanctified their life to a certain level. Instead, go deeper still; allow God to use you more powerfully, surrender everything to Him, and ask Him to take you through a process of brokenness and of showing you His Glory in a more powerful way.

When Peter sees the Lord Jesus Christ perform that incredible miracle, then he understands. He saw something there that no one else back on the shore could see, and that was because he allowed himself to go to a deeper level. He submitted his reasoning to the Lord. Although he had tried to fish all night and had caught nothing, he said, “At Your word, Lord, I will let down the net. If You say so, I will do it.” A level of crucifixion and total surrender of his life. That is the level to which we all must go if we want to be used by the Lord: from the shore, to moving away from the shore, to going out into deep water with the Lord Jesus Christ. This meditation is part of a series of five brief messages about the miraculous catch of fish and the calling of the apostle Peter to ministry. In them, Dr. Miranda discusses practical aspects of Christian growth and service:

  1. God Wants to Work with You and Your Resources
  2. God Calls You to a Process of Deep Sanctification
  3. God Can Change Your Category
  4. If God Calls You, You Have to Take the Plunge
  5. We Have to Leave Everything Behind in Order to See the Glory of God