Beware the Sharks Who Attack Your Ministry

“And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately left their nets and followed Him”( Matthew 4:18-20).

Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were serious, professional fishermen. Many fishermen, even hobbyists, are dedicated and nearly fanatical in pursuing a catch. They are always optimistic and just on the verge of catching the biggest fish ever. And they’re visionaries, too, as a six-inch Sunfish becomes a two-foot Bass in the course of a long-winded tale!

As Jesus was walking, He saw the men’s dedication and labor for a temporary reward. He then challenged these hard-working fishermen to be fanatical in a more important and eternal way – go fishing for men! In fact, as Christians we should all become fanatical fishers of men as we go about our lives. 

But as anyone who’s been deep sea fishing knows, sharks tend to show up when we fish, especially when fishing with chum (chopped up smaller fish). Sharks are attracted to blood. I doubt there is anything more disappointing than getting a fish on the hook, and as you are fighting and reeling it in, a shark comes along and devours the fish before you can get it out of the water and into the boat!

Additionally, sharks will circle, causing anxiety, navigational problems and dangerous situations that distract the crew from catching the perfect fish. Everyone must be more careful and attentive, and use wisdom when dealing with sharks on the open water. 

This scenario is a kind of a microcosm of the Christian life. “Sharks” lurk all around us, and this is especially true of serious followers of Christ. We go along, fishing for the souls of men with the blood of Jesus, attracting enemy sharks which want to prevent us from catching the fish that we are after. To make it safely out of deep water, we need to know the kinds of sharks that are out there and how to appropriately deal with them. And to be successful fishers of men, we must learn to avoid the distractions and become shark smart! 

Identifying the Sharks

Since our spiritual enemy attacks us in much the same way as natural sharks, it helps to identify the main types of sharks we routinely encounter in life.

Bull sharks are people who don’t follow through, who talk a big game but don’t live it out. Life’s Bull sharks are simply “full of bull” people. 

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46).

Bull sharks may offer to help you fish, but don’t place too much responsibility or dependence on them. They will fail to follow through when you need them the most and leave you high and dry. 

Lemon sharks are people who are always sour, depressed, negative, and pessimistic. Like Winnie the Poo’s friend Eeyore, these people seem to expect and relish misery in life, and have a generally poor opinion of others. They are always the first to tell you something can’t be done, and they’ll warn you of the downside of failure. They can even cause you to second guess the promises of God. The ten unfaithful spies were Lemon sharks.

“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight’” (Numbers 13:31-33).

God told the children of Israel to go into the land of Canaan and take it for their inheritance. He promised He would be with them and give them victory against the wicked inhabitants of the land. But instead of faith, the ten only saw fear and failure, and they spread that among all the people God wanted to bless. Keep Lemon sharks at a distance so that they can’t kill the enthusiasm of your whole fishing boat crew and cause your boat to drift.

Nurse sharks are people that will so mentally and emotionally drain you, that you feel they sap the life out of you. They are often in chronic need of your attention and assistance. And there is usually some kind of crazy conflict or drama brewing around them. 

“Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife” (Proverbs 17:1).

Nothing is ever a short conversation with Nurse sharks, rather, they are extended therapy sessions that make very little progress. So beware of those who seek to divert all your time, energy, money, and attention away your fishing mission, or you will never have time or energy to get your bait on the hook.

Hammerhead sharks are the truly stubborn people in our lives. These are people who won’t change, never admit when they’re wrong, and always have to have the last word on a matter. 

“Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you” (Psalm 32:9).

Hammerheads are not persistent, determined, or confident (all great personal characteristics), just stubborn. The difference is stubborn people are fully self-interested, proud, and close-minded. They will dig into a point of view or opinion for no good purpose and refuse to change, even when confronted by truth. Trying to work with hammerheads is an exercise in frustration which ultimately stalls out our fishing plans and progress. 

Nabal – David’s Great White Shark

As God’s anointed king over Israel, David’s life was constantly being circled and attacked by sharks. In 1 Samuel 25, we read the account of Nabal, a Great White shark in life: evil, angry, and always looking for a fight.

“Now there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel, and the man was very rich… The name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife Abigail. And she was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance; but the man was harsh and evil in his doings…” (1 Samuel 25:2-3).

As the story goes, David’s men were patrolling the borders of their nation, and had encountered Nabal’s shepherds and herds. To show them kindness, the men helped guard their flocks. 

In time, David sent his messengers to Nabal to acquire sheep for a feast day, only to be mocked, rebuked and refused by Nabal.

“Then Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, ‘Who is David, and who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays who break away each one from his master. Shall I then take my bread and my water and my meat that I have killed for my shearers, and give it to men when I do not know where they are from?’ So David’s young men turned on their heels and went back; and they came and told him all these words. Then David said to his men, ‘Every man gird on his sword’ (1 Samuel 25:10-13).

Instead of returning David’s kindness, Nabal was rude, hot tempered, unnecessarily harsh, and unappreciative. And like most encounters with life’s Great Whites, David and his men were provoked to violence because Nabal’s actions just begged for retaliation.