Do You Know Your Crewmates?

I don't know about you, but I love being on the water, there is something peaceful and calming about being in a kayak or a boat.

This weekend I had the privilege and honor of hearing several great speakers such as Nick Vujicic, Willie Robertson, Anne Beiler, and Priscilla Shirer. Though they all shared great insight with us, Priscilla's message really spoke volumes to me for multiple reasons. Her first question for the audience was: "Who is in your boat?" Take a moment to think about this, how would you answer?

Luke 5:1-11 NIV

"One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (a.k.a. Sea of Galilee) with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2 he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

Priscilla spoke about Luke 5:1-11 and how Jesus got into Simon’s boat to teach the people on shore. But then she quickly noted this passage says they signaled to the other boat to help them. They didn't speak, they just signaled.

She wondered, is that because they were so overwhelmed by the miracle they had just witnessed that they were speechless? I would imagine that would be our response as well.

Priscilla then proceeded to ask: "Have you invited Jesus into every aspect of your life?" Then she wondered if we had invited Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and if so, are we surrendering every fishing expedition of our life to Him? These are important questions to ask yourself. Have you said: “I am no longer going to separate the sacred stuff from the secular stuff and from now on every business adventure, every investment, every ministry, every endeavor, every step I take, every area of my life, wherever the boat is, I want you Lord to be front and center calling every shot?" If not, I would encourage you to pray and ask God to help you in every area of your life.

Priscilla reminded us that Jesus has to be front and center in our lives and we must surrender EVERY area of our lives to Him. We need to become like Simon and the disciples when they left their boats and fish behind to follow Jesus.

Friends, are you willing to leave it all behind? Are you willing to trust where God is leading you? If not, determine why not. I know it can be fearful, but I can personally tell you that the rewards of following Jesus will outweigh your fears every single time!

I learned this when I felt led to move across the country 10 years ago and we followed Jesus to California. What He has done in and through our lives the last 10 years still humbles me. It's hard to believe that this coming June will be our 10th year of living in this state and I honestly cannot believe how quickly that time has flown by.

Priscilla's message reminded me that it's important for us to know the crewmates we are traveling with and know if they possess qualities of Christ. We should pay attention to who is in our boat because erroneous people can and will steer us in the wrong direction.

So, what makes a good crewmate?

Key qualities: they should have a positive attitude and the ability to get along with others in the confined space aboard a cruiser.

• As a Christian your crewmates key qualities should represent Christ. For example, they should speak truth and represent the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), they are obedient, kindhearted, forgiving, patient, show self-control, and they encourage you to seek counsel from God's Word.

Willingness to Learn: Good crew members are willing to learn and to take an active role in all aspects of running the yacht. They are attentive and able to work as a team.

• As a Christian your crewmates should be humble and wise, (Proverbs 13:20) take God's word to heart, and practice what Jesus teaches us.

Philippians 4:13

“I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”

Friends, life is short, we need to get busy living it courageously and boldly. Why? Because we know who holds our future, there is no reason to fear the unknown. Don’t allow the devil and the naysayers to keep you from God’s best. Reminder: I am a Christian Life Coach and I’m happy to work with you to create some action plans that will help you overcome obstacles you are facing.

Friends, make sure your crew consists of the right captain/skipper (a.k.a. Jesus Himself) because you know He is responsible for guiding you safely in the right direction. We know that sailing a boat requires teamwork so make sure your crewmates are spiritually mature people who will encourage and inspire you. Be certain that they have the navigational skills to help you seek God's wisdom and direction for your life.

Psalm 32:8

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.”

We are facing critical times as evil is rising up all around us, we cannot afford to stay on the party boat any longer. We need to become intentional with who we surround ourselves with.

Choose your crewmates wisely and sail confidently in the direction God is leading you!

Written by: Jill Theriault

Crossroads Coaching - @crossroadscoachingongodstime