Even When We Can’t See, Follow Him Anyway

Nothing exposes our hearts like a night of hard work that produces nothing, and Luke 5 puts that feeling right on the shoreline. We sit with Simon Peter as he admits the obvious, he is tired and he has already tried, yet he still chooses obedience: “if you say so.” When the nets fill to the point of tearing, the story stops being about success and turns into a clear picture of Christian discipleship, repentance, and what happens when Jesus steps into ordinary work and makes it a calling.

We also read 1 Peter 3:1–7 and talk through marriage in a way that feels practical and weighty: character over image, a gentle and peaceful spirit, and a direct charge to husbands to honor their wives so prayers are not hindered. Then we keep reading in Luke 4:31–5:11, watching Jesus teach with authority, drive out evil spirits, heal the sick, and refuse to be boxed in by one town’s demands. That leads into a challenge about your sphere of influence, the everyday relationships where your choices can point people toward Christ or away from him.

Along the way, we read Psalm 64 and Proverbs 11:22, remember a Medal of Honor story, and wrestle with the temptation to let labels outrank loyalty. The conversation presses on identity and unity, urging us to put being Christian first rather than clinging to denominational branding or any other category that competes with our obedience to Jesus. If you’re looking for a Christian podcast that blends Bible reading, prayer, and a hard look at faith in public life, this one aims straight at the conscience.

Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find it. What part of the Luke 5 story do you see yourself in right now?

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Transcript

Tragic Hit And Run Mention

Welcome And Opening Prayer

SPEAKER_01 0:02

Luke five verses five through eight. Master, Simon replied, We worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again. And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear. A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, O Lord, please leave me. I'm such a sinful man. For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were the others with him. Amber Paris, November 24, 2025, Charlotte, North Carolina. 15-year-old girl was fatally struck while riding an electric bicycle in a hit and run by Julio Caesar Vicente, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. She succumbed to her injuries in December. Hey folks, this is Jesse Cope, back with another episode of the American Soul Podcast. Hope y'all are doing well. Wherever y'all are, whatever part of the day you're in. Sure to appreciate y'all joining me, giving me a little bit of your time and attention, a little piece of your day. I will try and use it wisely. Thank you for those of y'all who continue to share the podcast and for those of y'all who continue to pray for me and for the podcast. Very grateful. Father, thank you for today. Thank you for you, Father, and your son Jesus Christ and your Holy Spirit. Thank you for the freedom and liberty that we enjoy in America, that those who came before us fought so hard for. Help us to pass it on to future generations.

SPEAKER_00 1:52

Help us to focus on you, Father, and your Son Jesus Christ.

Marriage Guidance From 1 Peter

Jesus Teaches With Authority

Your Sphere Of Influence

Nets Overflow And A New Calling

Psalm 64 On Evil And Shelter

Proverb On Beauty And Wisdom

Reviews And Monthly Support Request

UK Grooming Case Raised

Medal Of Honor Remembered

Identity Before Labels And Denominations

The Lord’s Prayer And Closing

SPEAKER_01 1:57

To love you with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength to love our neighbors as ourselves. Help us to care for the widow and the orphan, the poor and the needy. Be with our military, our law enforcement, firefighters, EMS. Keep them safe, bring them home safe, be with their families. Be with those who are brokenhearted, struggling. Be with those who are just going through their everyday life, father. Husbands and wives, fathers and mothers. Children. Give them patience. Give them courage. Help them to feel your presence and your peace and your joy. Help us to spread just a little bit of light in this world, Father, for however long you leave us here. Bring us home in your timing. Bless those listening to the podcast and all of their families. And God, my words here, Father, please, in your Son's name we pray. Amen. Marriage verse 1 Peter 3, 1 through 7. Wives, likewise, submit to your own husbands. Do this so that even if some of them refuse to believe the word, they may be one without a word by their wives' way of life. After all, they will have observed the reverent and holy manner of your lives. Don't try to make yourselves beautiful on the outside with stylish hair or by wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes. Instead, make yourselves beautiful on the inside, in your hearts, with the enduring quality of a gentle, peaceful spirit. This type of beauty is very precious in God's eyes. For it was in this way that holy women who trusted in God used to make themselves beautiful, accepting the authority of their own husbands. For example, Sarah accepted Abraham's authority when she called him master. You have become her children when you do good and don't respond to threats with fear. Husbands, likewise, submit by living with your wife in ways that honor her, knowing that she is the weaker partner. Honor her all the more, as she is also a co-heir of the gracious care of life. Do this so that your prayers won't be hindered. Luke 431 through 511. Then Jesus went to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and taught there in the synagogue every Sabbath day. There too the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority. Once, when he was in a synagogue, a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit, cried out, shouting, Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God. But Jesus reprimanded him. At that the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched, then it came out of him without hurting him further. Amazed, the people exclaimed, What authority and power this man's words possess! Even evil spirits obey him, and they flee at his command. The news about Jesus spread through every village in the entire region. After leaving the synagogue that day, Jesus went to Simon's home, where he found Simon's mother-in-law very sick with a high fever. Please heal her, everyone begged. Standing at her bedside, he rebuked the fever and it left her, and she got up at once and prepared a meal for them. As the sun went down that evening, people throughout the village brought sick family members to Jesus. No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed everyone. Many were possessed by demons, and the demons came out at his command, shouting, You are the Son of God. But because they knew he was the Messiah, he rebuked them and refused to let them speak. I've always wondered about that. Why? Why he didn't want them telling people who he was. Early the next morning, Jesus went out to an isolated place. The crowds searched everywhere for him, and when they finally found him, they begged him not to leave them. But he replied, I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God in other towns too, because that is why I was sent. So he continued to travel around preaching in synagogues throughout Judea. You know, Patrick Henry talked about our sphere of influence, folks. Whatever your life is, you have a sphere of influence. It may be spouse, children, parents, siblings, friends, coworkers, the gas station attendant, the janitor in your office building, the clerks at the grocery store. But there, you have a sphere of influence where you can influence people either for Christ or against him. One day, Jesus, as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God. He noticed two empty boats at the water's edge, for the fishermen had left them and were washing their nets. Stepping into one of the boats, Jesus asked Simon, its owner, to push it out into the water. So he sat in the boat and taught the crowds from there. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets to catch some fish. Master, Simon replied, We worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, I'll let the nets down again. And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear. A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, O Lord, please leave me. I'm such a sinful man. For he was awestruck by the number of fish they had caught, as were others with him. His partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, Don't be afraid. From now on you'll be fishing for people. And as soon as they landed, they left everything and followed Jesus. Do we leave everything to follow Christ, folks? Psalm 64, 1 through 10. O God, listen to my complaint. Protect my life from my enemy's threats. Hide me from the plots of this evil mob for there this gang of wrong from this gang of wrongdoers. They sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows. They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly. They encourage each other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. Who will ever notice? They ask. As they plot their crimes, they say, We have devised the perfect plan. Yes, the human heart and mind are cunning, but God Himself will shoot them with his arrows, suddenly striking them down. Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn. Then everyone will be afraid. They will proclaim the mighty acts of God and realize all the amazing things he does. The godly will rejoice in the Lord and find shelter in him, and those who do what is right will praise him. Proverbs 1122. A beautiful woman who lacks discretion is like a gold ring in a pig's snout. Countryside, if you're looking for a family-friendly, middle grade fantasy series, if you would check it out, I would appreciate. This is the first book in the series, The Book of the Wise, and reviews on the back of the book. And the second book, also some reviews on the back. And if you enjoyed, if you leave a review somewhere online, I would appreciate that. Uh same thing with the podcast. If you feel like you're getting something out of it, if you would leave a review, those help a great deal. And if you have five or ten dollars a month you can spare for the podcast, there's a link in the show notes where you can set up that monthly donation, and that helps. So thank you very much. Halifax Child Sex Abuse Ring. 2006-2011, Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. Numerous underage girls as young as 13 were groomed, plied with alcohol and drugs, repeatedly raped and sexually exported, exploited by a gang of 18 men, all Muslim from Pakistan. That is mainstream Islam. Robert Bruce Brown, our medal of honor for today, private U.S. Civil War Alpha Company, 15th Ohio Infantry U.S. Army, November 25th, 1863, Missionary Ridge, Tennessee. Upon reaching the ridge through concentrated fire, he approached the color bearer of the 9th Mississippi Infantry, demanded his surrender with threatening gesture, and took him prisoner with his regimental flag. Accredited to Zanesville, Ohio, not awarded. Posthumously presented March 27, 1890. Born October 2nd, 1844, New Concord, Ohio, died July 30th, 1916. Buried Greenwood Cemetery, MH9, Tac 7, TAC 1, Zaneville, Ohio. Location of Metal Naval Historical Center, Washington, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. Robert Bruce Brown. Thank God we've had men like that in the past, folks. Hopefully we still have enough men and women like that today. The men that have to take the field and the women that have to hold down the fort at home. So I've got something that's been on my mind, heart for a little while. I'm going to go ahead and burn a couple minutes of the podcast today. For those of y'all that this doesn't hit real close to home, for I apologize in advance. We've talked about a quote from Theodore Roosevelt often on here talking about the hyphenated American and the fact that that was just developed to divide Americans, right? And and you can't be a hyphenated American and really be an American, right? If you are a Pakistani American, going back to the story from the UK, if you're a Chinese American, Vietnamese American, Mexican American, Latin American, African American, European American, German American, Irish American, Australian American, whatever, you're either one or the other. And if you pretend to be both, you're probably neither because the people of that country aren't going to want you back any more than we need you here in America. Even more so than that, as the hyphenated Christian, when people ask us our faith, and our first response is our denomination, we're telling a lot about ourselves. If my first response, it reminds me of a quote by Dr. Benjamin Rush, one of our founding fathers, our most influential founding fathers, and he talked about the fact that he'd been called both a Democrat and an aristocrat, but he was neither. He was a Christocrat. If our first response is, I'm Methodist, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, Church of Christ, et cetera, et cetera, congregationalist, uh, Dutch Reformed, whatever, we really need to take a long, hard look in the mirror about what we're identifying as. Are we identifying with a man-made organization or are we identifying with Christ? Peter or Paul, one of them talked about in the New Testament. You know, some say I'm a follower of Apollos, some say I'm a follower of this one and that one, but we're just supposed to be followers of Christ. The reason I bring this up is because of my beloved Marine Corps. My goal here is not to offend anyone in the other branches. We pick on each other in a very good-natured way. Uh, but there is no doubt in my mind that the very best army in the world is the United States Army, the very best Navy in the world is the U.S. Navy, the very best Air Force in the world is the U.S. Air Force. That said, one of the main things, if not the main thing, that separates the Marine Corps from our sister branches is our Espirit de Corps. And it is the fact that every single Marine is first and foremost a rifleman, a Marine. They're not associated with a particular unit or a particular MOS military specialty. And I have seen over the last several years, and particularly as we're waging this war in Iran, a number of Marines that identify with their particular group in the Marine Corps. And in fact, I've seen some commentaries where they don't even identify as a Marine. The one on the top of my head is one of the Raider battalions, and I saw a little post from one of them, and they talked about the fact that they were Raider this and Raider that, and they said nothing about the Marine Corps at all. There's gonna be a price at some point, even if all it is is the acknowledgement of history for the officers in the Marine Corps hierarchy that have allowed that separation, that division, instead of every Marine being a Marine, first and foremost by far. And that just breaks my heart, makes me sad, makes me angry. And even worse, so for Americans, folks, if you can't acknowledge that you're an American before anything else, in fact, if you hyphenate American at all, you're not American. And then way more important than either of those two is the Christian. If you identify with a man-made denomination, any denomination above being a Christian first and foremost, I I would suggest that you take a long hard look in the mirror and see how much you really are following Jesus Christ. I appreciate it, folks. I'm sorry to have done that. We'll get back to our normal, uh normally scheduled programs and reading our historical quotes later on. Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not to temptation and deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom of the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen. God bless y'all. God bless your families, God bless your marriages if you're married. God bless your nation, wherever you are around the world listening. God bless America. We'll talk to y'all again real soon, folks. Looking forward to it.