What You Need to Know to Find Your “Big Catch”

Reading Time 5 mins 22 secs –

No, This Isn’t Actually About Fish

Imagine this.

You’re sitting in an auditorium with hundreds of other people getting ready to listen to a speaker, and someone walks out on the stage and tells the audience that they’ve hidden a treasure underneath one of the seats.

Would you jump up and look under your chair? Would you start looking under the chairs around you? Would you crawl around on the floor, under multiple rows? Would you keep looking for the treasure until someone yelled they found it, or until you found it?

Here’s the thing: Your treasure is already out there. You just need a Word of Knowledge from God to uncover it.

No, I’m not talking about under some chair in an auditorium. I’m talking about something you don’t know before it is revealed to you, so you can move on it and do whatever it takes to capture it.

Look at Luke 5. Jesus borrowed a boat from some fishermen. He sat in the boat and taught the people on the shore. Then, He gave the boat back to the fishermen and told them to go out into the deeper water and let down their nets. And they caught so many fish that their nets began to break and their boat began to sink.

The fishermen hadn’t caught any fish that day. It wasn’t due to their lack of knowledge or experience. They were professional fishermen and had grown up on the lake fishing, but they had labored all night and caught nothing.

I love this story and reference it often—because something significant happened on the lakeshore that day.

The fishermen—Peter, James, and John—went from catching nothing during what was probably an exhausting all-day or night fishing trip to filling TWO boats with fish in a matter of minutes. They filled two boats so full of fish that they almost sank!

So, how does that apply to you? How are you supposed to know where your “big catch” is?

Colossians 1:12-14 say, “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Do you see that? God rescued us and brought us into the Kingdom of His Son—His Kingdom—His realm of power and authority, and He’s given YOU citizenship, legal rights, and authority in His government. Ephesians 2:19 says, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.”

As a son or daughter of God with the Holy Spirit living inside of you, you have the ability to tap into the secret wisdom and knowledge of the Kingdom and to find the fish (treasure) you need, too.

And “treasure” doesn’t just mean monetary things; treasure is anything you find valuable, like great health, a happy marriage, a stable family, or success.

Just like Peter, James, and John, you can find YOUR hidden treasure.

As part of the Church, the hidden things—the things God knows that you don’t know—are supposed to be revealed to you.

One of my favorite examples of “hidden” things being revealed is in Daniel 2.

King Nebuchadnezzar had some disturbing dreams that really upset him, and he couldn’t sleep. When he called in his magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers, they expected him to tell them the dream so they could interpret it. But King Nebuchadnezzar threw them all a curveball and told them they needed to tell him what he had dreamed and the interpretation. And, if they didn’t, he would have them “cut into pieces and their houses turned into piles of rubble.”

How’s that for an impossible demand? I mean, really. Can you imagine someone saying, “Tell me what I dreamed and what it means or I’ll have you killed”? Clearly, King Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t rational. The guy wasn’t getting any sleep, and he was losing it. When the guys couldn’t do what he demanded, he ordered the execution of all the wise men of Babylon—which included Daniel and his friends.

Daniel asked for more time. Then, he went to his friends and told them to pray so they wouldn’t be killed.

Daniel wasn’t just in a hard spot. He was facing a death sentence!

But Daniel knew there is NOTHING that is hidden from God; he knew NOTHING is too hard for God.

Daniel 2:19 tells us that the mystery was revealed to Daniel during the night. In verses 20-23 Daniel praised God, saying,

Praise be to the name of God for ever and ever; wisdom and power are his.

He changes times and seasons; he sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning. He reveals deep and hidden things; he knows what lies in darkness, and light dwells with him. I thank and praise you, O God of my fathers: You have given me wisdom and power, you have made known to me what we asked of you, you have made known to us the dream of the king.

Daniel went to the king and asked that he not execute anyone. He revealed the dream and interpreted it. And King Nebuchadnezzar honored Daniel and promoted him.

Stop here for a second. Because I need you to realize that this isn’t just a great Bible story—this applies to YOUR life.

See, Jesus made our access to the Kingdom legal, yet most people read the stories in the Bible much like our ancestors viewed things like electricity and lightning—acknowledging that, yes, the events happened, but never envisioning the POWER of those things for themselves.

You may not be facing a death sentence like Daniel was, but you still need powerful answers from God; you need Him to direct your steps.

That’s your victory—your secret weapon. Jesus said that the same things that we see Him doing, we have the ability to do as well. The Kingdom of God has already been given to YOU. You just have to understand its laws. Because it’s the Kingdom in you that gives you access to the secret knowledge—the hidden knowledge.

I’ll say it again: your treasure is already out there. You just need a Word of Knowledge from God to uncover it. You just need something you didn’t know before to be revealed to you, so you can move on it and do whatever it takes to capture it.

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5 Steps to Release the Kingdom in Your Life

By Gary Keesee • 10 Apr, 2024

Reading Time 2 mins 13 secs – In John 6, we read the story of Jesus feeding 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Do you know it? It’s where we see Jesus teaching the disciples how to release the Kingdom of God into the earth realm. Basically, a large crowd was following Jesus, listening to Him teach, and watching Him perform miracles. It got to a point where the people needed to eat, and Jesus asked the disciples what they planned to feed the people. Of course, Jesus knew the disciples would freak out. They couldn’t feed 5,000 people. In fact, they started talking about how it would take more than half a year’s wages to buy just a bite for that many people. Jesus was teaching the disciples, and He was teaching us— the Kingdom of God has all the answers you need . How can you release the Kingdom of God into your life? Here are the five steps Jesus took. 1. Look at what you have. Jesus asked the disciples what they had to feed the people. What do you have in your life that you can give God to work with? Jesus multiplied bread into bread and fish into fish. What do you need multiplied in your life? Find some of it. That’s your seed. Also, remember that money can be named. You don’t sow money to believe for more paper or digital money. Money represents your life and can be named to be the thing you need multiplied. 2. Make sure you’re in faith. “To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see” (Hebrews 11:1, GNT). You have to know how to judge whether or not you’re in faith. How? Do you have the right picture? When you close your eyes, what do you see? Do you see yourself with the thing you’re believing for? Can you defend your position? Why do you believe it? Prove it! Because you can be sure that between the “Amen” and the “There it is!” the enemy is going to contend for it, so you better be able to defend it. Do you have joy, expectancy, and peace? Are you in agreement with your spouse? 3. Confess over what you have, and release it in faith. Be specific. Say exactly what you’re believing for and release the seed to God. 4. Get the plan from God. Be ready for new direction, new ideas, and new concepts by revelation from the Holy Spirit. Carry a notepad and a pen. Write everything down. 5. Act quickly! When God gives you the plan, MOVE! It’s wise to have counselors and get wisdom, but you need to act swiftly on any direction you receive from the Holy Spirit.

Want Growth and Success? Here Are 10 Steps to Help Take You There

By Gary Keesee • 13 Mar, 2024

Reading Time 2 mins 34 secs – How can you make sure you’re equipped for the growth coming your way this year? Here are my 10 steps to posture yourself for opportunity and success. 1. Ask yourself how you’re handling your current responsibilities. Don’t run from your responsibilities. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, you should be a success. People will still see the evidence of God even if you think you’re in the wrong spot. 2. Detox your life of the things that keep you from having time to think. We live in a fast-paced world. There are plenty of things that can keep you distracted. But it’s in the moments that you stop to think that you’ll find ways to solve problems, and that’s where the opportunities are. So figure out what is consuming your time. Start saying no to some things. Find time to think. 3. Don’t hang around people who are always losing. I know people hit rough spots, but if the people in your life are chronically losing, it’s time to expand your circle. Hang around people who are better than you are, who don’t see things as impossible, and who have vision. It may be uncomfortable for you, but their influence will cause you to think differently. 4. Write down EVERY idea that you have, no matter how strange it seems. Most people filter opportunities and ideas through what they perceive their ability to be. This means most people discard ideas by the dozens because they don’t think they can do them. But God isn’t limited to what you know how to do. The ideas He gives you might seem so weird to you that you can’t process them fully. Write them down so you have time to think about them. 5. Research. Research. Repeat. You don’t need to know how to do something; you need to know how to learn how to do it. Research until you find what you’re looking for. 6. Count the cost before you jump. A lot of Christians hear God and jump out too soon, resulting in catastrophe. There are seasons for everything. God will prepare you for where He wants you to go. Be patient. 7. Always be in agreement with your spouse. Never, ever march out into battle without your spouse being in total agreement and your faith aligned. 8. Ask God for direction. Ask Him to help you, to show you where to go, and what to do. And always remember that prophecy from other people shouldn’t lead you; it should only confirm what God has already said to you. 9. Commit to never quit. Quitting is not an option. Once you’ve moved, don’t move again until God speaks to you. Stay with it. Walk it out. Don’t quit. So many people have so much potential, but they get uncomfortable and they quit. If you want to win, you should always be stretching. 10. Get ready to embrace bigger things. Your ability to see the big picture will keep growing as you change and grow on the inside. You’ll pick up on even more opportunities. For more principles, check out this FREE video on success.

The Consequences of Strife: Why You Should Never Allow It in Your Life

By Drenda Keesee • 14 Feb, 2024

Reading Time 2 mins 59 secs – A stuffed toy laid in the road at the scene of the accident. As we passed, the Lord spoke to me, “ Okay, this is your last warning. Are you going to continue this? You know you are opening the door to the enemy.” Gary and I had had a disagreement just before we had left the house for our family road trip. And there we were six hours in and we’d barely said a word to one another. Six hours. You think driving from Ohio to Tennessee is a long stretch of highway? Try doing it while giving someone the silent treatment. One word: torture. Then we passed the accident. Gary and I both felt the same conviction when we passed it, especially because it clearly involved children. But... pride. We knew what we were doing wasn’t good. (What kind of example is it to your children to ignore each other?) But neither of us wanted to lay down our pride. I kept hearing the voice of the Lord, and I’d think, No, I’m not going to fix this thing, because then I’ll have to talk to him. It was almost a competition to see who could hold our grudge for the longest. But strife is dangerous stuff. What is strife? Drama, conflict, friction, disagreement, bickering, arguing, bad blood, disputes… whichever words you use to describe it, it’s dangerous. Whether it’s between you and your spouse, you and your child, you and a friend, you and a family member, or you and a coworker, you don’t want to let strife remain in your life. The Bible says that where there is strife, there is confusion and there is every evil work (James 3:16). Our small argument between Gary and I had gone unchecked and had escalated, and neither one of us were listening to the voice of the Lord. And there were consequences for our strife and outright disobedience. About an hour after we passed the accident, a car pulled out in front of our vehicle, and we were in what could have been a very serious car accident. I started yelling the name of Jesus, and God supernaturally protected our entire family. Initially, it looked as though there were going to be serious issues. They told us our son’s spleen might rupture. I was pregnant, and the doctors worried that I might lose the baby. Through all of these things, we stood on the Word of God, and we all came out unharmed, including the young preacher’s son who had pulled out in front of us (he was in disobedience at that moment too). Even in the midst of this difficult situation, through our prayers, standing on God’s Word, and our children’s words to the medical personnel, we had opportunities to minister and impact the little county hospital we had to visit. The enemy tried to take us out, but he lost. We were responsible for opening the door to the enemy. But the name of Jesus is more powerful than our mistakes and circumstances, and that is what kept us protected. You MUST stay on guard and not allow strife in your life, with anyone. How? Here are just three quick tips: Bite your tongue. You don’t have to say everything you think. Don’t lash out or give the silent treatment. Work on communicating with others in a healthy way. Repent quickly and forgive quickly. Take responsibility; admit when you’re wrong. Say you’re sorry and ask for forgiveness. Don’t hold onto hurts. Forgive as you’ve been forgiven by Jesus.