Prepared to Fish: Equipped by the Holy Spirit

Preparation for “going fishing” requires more than carrying equipment, bait, hooks, and a pole. The call to reach people for Jesus requires believers to be ready in season and out of season, ready when the Lord says, “Go pray for that person.” Colossians 3 shows what that readiness looks like: the old man has been put off, and the new man is renewed in knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.

The new man puts on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, forgiveness, and love. Tender mercies keep fishing from becoming religious judgment. Kindness keeps a believer from being mean, irritable, or angry when someone shares pain, sin, need, or confusion. Humility lowers itself to serve, remembering that mercy from God made every believer able to stand where they stand. Meekness is strength under control, not weakness or timidity.

Compassion becomes necessary because fishing is not merely getting out there; the goal is to catch, to bring people back to Jesus, and to love on people. Forgiveness also prepares the heart, because nobody can effectively minister reconciliation while carrying complaints and hatred toward people. Christ forgave His people, and that forgiveness becomes the pattern for those who go into Walmart, Kroger, the gas station, work, play, and every other place where hurting people are found.

Speaking in tongues is presented as another vital part of preparation. The Spirit’s indwelling gives supernatural evidence through tongues, as Acts 2 shows when all were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues. Paul distinguishes between public tongues, which require interpretation for the church’s edification, and personal prayer in tongues, which speaks to God and builds up the believer’s spirit.

Praying in the Holy Ghost is like charging a dead battery. Jude 20 says believers build themselves up on their most holy faith by praying in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit stirs confidence, courage, boldness, compassion, and spiritual strength before believers ever step into an outreach or take somebody’s hand to pray. The Holy Ghost does not merely want words; He wants hands, feet, and mouths yielded to Him so that healing, deliverance, power, and the life of God can be dispensed to people who need it.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Put on mercy before going fishing Colossians 3 makes mercy a garment believers must intentionally put on. Mercy remembers that nobody approaches God by personal deserving, and it refuses to shame people for the visible mess in their lives. A heart that has received mercy can offer prayer without disgust, superiority, or religious distance. [52:35]
• 2. Kindness helps people receive God’s love Kindness is not a weak personality trait; it is preparation for representing Jesus well. People who come for prayer may be anxious, broken, angry, confused, or carrying deep shame. Kindness gives the love of God a doorway into places that harshness would quickly close. [54:03]
• 3. Meekness is strength under control Meekness does not mean timid, passive, or afraid. Meekness means that strength is submitted to the Spirit rather than used to dominate, correct, or impress people. This posture makes room for believers to serve others with the authority and gentleness of Christ. [57:17]
• 4. Praying in tongues charges the believer Praying in the Holy Ghost builds up the inner person like power flowing into a dead battery. Fear, timidity, and hesitation do not have to rule a believer stepping into an opportunity to pray. The Spirit supplies courage and boldness so that the believer is ready to give life to those running on empty. [72:55]
• 5. The Holy Spirit equips believers to serve The Spirit’s indwelling is not merely a private experience; He seeks opportunities through yielded hands, feet, and words. Believers do not always have to know what to say before stepping out in faith and asking, “Can I pray?” God can fill the mouth with what a person needs when compassion moves the believer to serve.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [43:35] - Fishing Requires Preparation
• [44:19] - Praying for Your Five
• [46:45] - Ready in Season and Out
• [48:54] - Put on the New Man
• [49:24] - Tender Mercies While Fishing
• [52:58] - Kindness, Humility, and Meekness
• [57:47] - Forgiveness Prepares the Heart
• [59:12] - Speaking in Tongues and Preparation
• [61:01] - Public and Private Tongues
• [67:27] - Pentecost and the Spirit’s Indwelling
• [69:17] - Praying in the Holy Ghost
• [72:29] - Charging the Spiritual Battery
• [75:51] - Hands, Feet, and a Willing Mouth
• [79:42] - Spiritual Edification Through Tongues
• [89:43] - Praying God’s Perfect Will

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:10-14
“and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” [46:45]

Jude 1:20
“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” [01:09:17]

Acts 2:4
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” [01:07:27]

Observation questions

1. In Colossians 3:10-14, what does Paul say believers have put off, and what have they put on?
2. What specific attitudes and actions are listed as part of the “new man,” especially in the way believers treat other people? [57:47]
3. According to Acts 2:4, what happened when the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit?
4. In Jude 1:20, what connection is made between praying in the Holy Spirit and being built up in faith? [01:09:17]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does putting on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love prepare a believer to minister to hurting people rather than judge them? [52:35]
2. Colossians 3 connects forgiveness toward others with Christ’s forgiveness of believers. How does holding onto complaints or bitterness affect a believer’s ability to bring reconciliation to someone else? [57:47]
3. Why is meekness best understood as strength under control rather than weakness, fear, or passivity when someone needs prayer or encouragement? [57:17]
4. Jude 1:20 describes believers being built up through praying in the Holy Spirit. In what ways can spiritual strengthening prepare a believer to respond when an unexpected opportunity to pray arises? [01:12:55]

Application questions

1. Is there a person or type of person toward whom it is difficult to show tender mercy? What would it look like to approach that person remembering the mercy God has shown? [52:35]
2. When someone shares a painful need, sin struggle, or confusing situation, what reactions—such as irritation, fear, judgment, or trying to fix everything—might need to be put off so kindness can be put on? [54:03]
3. Is there a complaint, offense, or hurt that has made it harder to love people freely? What step could be taken this week to forgive as Christ has forgiven? [58:18]
4. Where is there a regular opportunity to “go fishing”—at work, in a store, in a neighborhood, at school, or with family? What might it look like to be ready to simply ask, “Can I pray for you?” [01:16:13]
5. For those who pray in tongues, what daily rhythm could help make praying in the Holy Spirit an intentional part of spiritual preparation? For those who are seeking this gift, what would be a helpful next step in seeking God with faith and openness? [01:03:13]
6. Think of one of the five people being prayed for. How can the group pray specifically for that person’s heart to be prepared and for an opportunity to reach out with genuine love this week? [44:19]