“When [Jesus] had finished speaking, he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.’ 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.’” Luke 5:4-5 (NIV)

In Luke 5, we read about Simon Peter admitting his failure to Jesus. He was a professional fisherman—and a good one. It was how he made his living. So imagine how hard it must have been for Peter to confess to Jesus, “We’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything” (Luke 5:5 NIV).

But sometimes, even the pros fish all night and catch nothing.

Does your life sometimes feel that way? Sometimes your best isn’t good enough, and sometimes you face situations out of your control. You can’t control the economy. You can’t control the weather. You can’t control a lot of things that affect your life.

So what do you do when you keep trying hard in your work but just don’t have much to show for it?

First, you need to get Jesus in your boat. In other words, let him be the center of your career or whatever you do each day to provide, care, or serve. Then, once you’ve asked Jesus to come into your boat, you need to admit your way isn’t working and let him take over. The Bible has a name for “admitting your way isn’t working.” It’s called confession, and it can be tough.

Why is it so hard for you to admit your way isn’t working? Here are a few reasons:

Pride. You don’t want anybody to think you can’t handle it. Instead, you try to look like you’re in charge and like you’ve got it all together. You want to be able to handle everything by yourself, even if it means working 12 hours a day.

Stubbornness. You’re unwilling to change the way you do things. Did you know the greatest enemy of tomorrow’s success is yesterday’s success?

Fear. You can’t admit you’ve fished all night and caught nothing. You’re afraid people will think less of you. You’re afraid to let Jesus into your boat because he might steer it in a direction you don’t want to go.

It’s time to confess that your way isn’t working. Let go of your pride, stubbornness, and fear. Then see how Jesus can take your boat and fill your nets to overflowing.

Talk It Over

• Do you struggle most with pride, stubbornness, or fear? Why?

• In what aspect of your life do you feel like your best just isn’t good enough? Spend some time confessing to God that your way isn’t working.

• What’s one practical step you can take to start following God’s way instead of your own way?