Weekly Devotion February 2 2026

This Devotion was written by Sportsmen Devotional and posted with permission 

Bible Study Verse: Luke 5:4-6   “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.”

Thoughts: When you’re out fishing, it’s no secret that sometimes you’re going to have a bad day and catch nothing. As much as we wish we could, we can’t control the fish. Sometimes this may make you want to give it up altogether, other times, this may make you want to push for a new spot, new methods or use new baits. Being successful at fishing isn’t always about how many fish you catch, it can be about how many times you don’t give up. And that’s not just fishing, that’s anything you do. Real success will never come without some, if not a whole lot of failures first. The failures do not define who you are, your reactions do. But it’s never too late to change that reaction and push for greatness!

Action Point: In the above passage Simon and his crew were ready to be done, they were ready to throw in the towel and no longer cast out nets. But Jesus told him, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” In which Simon responded, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Simon had a choice, he could have said, “no Jesus, I’m done, we’ve done this all night long, and we’re tired, we just want to go home.”, but he didn’t. He did as Jesus told him to do and he didn’t regret it. His past failure led to a great catch before they got off that boat. When we are trying to do this life alone it’s so easy to just be done when we fail to get it right. When we feel like quitting, we should pray and ask the Lord to help us. Our failures aren’t failures, they’re simply opportunities for us to rely on Him, and to allow Him to shine.

Sportsman’s Tip of the Day: If you ever catch yourself with no bait down by the water, remember God created this world, and he created creatures that like moist dirt. Dig a little and you will find bait, cast it out, catch a small fish and that will turn to bait for something bigger. It’s easy to forget, but God has created a natural habitat in which these things thrive, and you may be standing on top of that one thing you need to start your fishing trip correctly