Finding purpose propels us toward deep inner joy. Many people have a hard time in life because they do not know why they are alive. It’s amazing how little thought the purpose of life gets. You could ask someone on the street, “What’s your favorite movie?” They might reply “Forest Gump” and go on to tell you about how much they enjoy hearing Bubba listing off all of the type of shrimp. Then you ask “What’s you favorite song?” They look at you and say “Sweet Home Alabama” and start singing “Big wheels keep on rolling…” You then ask, “Where’s your favorite place to eat?” To this question they reply “It’s a toss up between Cracker Barrel and Waffle House.” You go through a whole list of others inquiries and they reply with quick answers like, “the smell of fresh baked apple pie, and the feel of a fishing net.” Then you get to the most important question, “Why are you alive?” They just give you a blank look. We should give a lot more consideration to our reason for being alive.

Peter had never seen Forest Gump, listened to Sweet Home Alabama, enjoyed breakfast at Waffle House or dinner at Cracker Barrel. Hey, he never smelled a home cooked apple pie right before a scoop of ice cream is placed on the top of it. But, he did know the feel of a fishing net and many other common life things during his time. What he did not know, yet, was his purpose for being alive. We are about to discover that in the following passage of scripture.

“On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of Jesus, He (Jesus) was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and He saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, He asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw the catch, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish that they had taken, and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.”

Luke 5:1-11 ESV

PART II - Temptation comes to us with filters attached—it’s sin dressed up to look good. In vivid fashion, ‘Filters’ explores how sin seeks to entice all, and how we can overcome temptation through the power of Jesus Christ.

Fishing is about making bait look like breakfast. An expert fisherman knows how to put bait on a hook in a way that makes the hook disappear until the opportune moment. They know how to move the bait through the water in a way that fish can’t resist. At the critical moment, the fish attacks the food and then it’s trauma begins. The fisherman is happy and the fish’s life comes to an abrupt end. This is exactly how the devil tempts people. Temptation is the devils’ bait to taste sin.

It’s a good thing Jesus showed us how to overcome temptation:

“And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.'””

Luke 4:1-4

As we go through understanding filters we will see how Satan filters reality to tempt us to take his bait. Here are 3 ways to spot Satan’s bait:

The trick that says “you did it!” (and when they had ended, he was hungry.”)

The trick that says “you have to prove it!” – Jesus did not need to prove anything because God already spoke from heaven and said who He was.

The trick that says “you have to provide for yourself!” He was told to “command these stones to become bread.”

The way to avoid Satan’s bait is to only taste what God provides:

“”The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 8:1-3 ESV

Give it the bread test: Is it: best, remembered, eternal, alive, and done? The following points are five ways to apply the bread test in everyday life. If it does not pass the test, it’s a rock that should not be consumed.

A lot of people today suffer in silence, solitude, and secrecy when it comes to abuse, addiction, and anxiety. They feel invisible and wonder if they could ever stand in the light with not shadow. Have you ever felt this way? The good news is that Jesus provides a light that everyone can walk into to find forgiveness.

Roadblocks are part of this world. They are not stopping points. They are pause points. When they come, choose to worship God rather than them. Worship is about worth. If we focus on the roadblock, we are giving it our worship. When we focus on God and obey Him, we are giving him our worship.

Job was struck by Satan and he suffered massive loss. His property was destroyed, his children died, and his health was horrible. See how he responded:

“Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord."”

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⁃ Job‬ ‭1:20-21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It would be all to easy to believe that my son, Isaac, is named after the son of Abraham in the Bible. That’s not the case. My son is named after a Isaac Shelton from North Carolina. he had a strong testimony for Jesus. He was the valedictorian of the 2005 Midway High School graduating class. when he stood up to give his valedictorian speech, he used it as an opportunity to preach the gospel. He truly lived his life with the deep desire to tell people about Jesus. He was in the prime of his life at 18 years old as he was preparing to go to Campbell University. That summer of 2005 he was in a tragic automobile accident. I’m proud to know that my son carries on his name. his life is evidence that we can all do the right things in the right way and it doesn’t always equate to everything working out here on earth. We all will physically die one day. Everyone of us has a clock that’s taking and we don’t know when it will be finished. We really don’t know what the next moment holds. What I loved about Isaac, was that he chose to seize the moment that he lived in. That’s what I love about my son Isaac as well. We can all learn from this principle: look forward and enjoy the moment.

I-95 South is filled with with directions and distractions. Now, it’s debatable as to how you define the difference between “directions” and “distractions.” For me, the South of the border exit at the North Carolina/South Carolina state line is a distraction. To my children, it’s a destination. I see a delay and they see ice cream, an arcade and best of all - to my kids - the big sombrero in the sky!! Carrying on, second...for me, I see the the Tanger Outlet at the South Carolina/Georgia boarder as a distraction and my wife sees it as a dwelling place. Why in the world do they call it an “outlet” when all they are trying to do is get you stuck in there? Thanks a lot Spartina 449!!

I’m kidding! Honorable mentions on this highway include Roanoke Rapids, Wilson, and every Chick-fil-A. Anyway, the point is that life is like a highway filled with directions and distractions. They key is to know where you’re going and more importantly, who you’re going with on this journey.

I’ve learned the rhythm to drive this road! On the way to Florida, we stop to eat at lunch Chick-Fil-A in Roanoke Rapids. We take a break at South of the Boarder. No, we are not going to drive down to look at the lake in Santee. We stop to have dinner, shop and sleep for the night near the Tanger Outlet in South Carolina. Then, we get up and drive the rest of the way the next day. This plan makes everyone happy. As husband and father, I’ve stated the direction and I move us to our destination (kinda, lol).

Our Father in Heaven has our life planned out much better than my I-95 trips. Here is how we can focus on His plan:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭

Book of Ezra

Galatians 5