PROPHETIC WORDS

IT’S TIME TO GO DEEPER, TO STEP OUT AGAIN

by Cliff Cherry

March 2026.

This prophetic word was given at the NZ Council of Prophets gathering and Behold Conference in Christchurch, March 2026.

Scripture: Luke 5:1–11

One day, as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the people crowding around him and listening to the word of God, 2 he saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. 3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep  water, and let down the nets for a catch.” 5 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.” 6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John,  the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will catch  men.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

There are some in the body of Christ who are feeling like Peter. They have toiled all night at various things, wondering where the fruit is for the amount of effort they have put in.

They have asked why we haven’t caught what we thought we should’ve caught. We really tried, we put the effort in, but the catch was not there.

But I felt that the call from God in this season is to go again – believe again. The effort that was put in previously is not wasted, but was a seed for a coming harvest. 

You are not stepping out on what you think, or even on what others may have said. You are stepping out on the Word of God to you.

The call was to set out into deep water - in other words - you can’t stay where you are.  You need to go deeper: deeper into His presence. Deeper into His word.  Deeper into His promises. Deeper into what he called you to. 

Now is not the time to quit or even draw back to what is comfortable; it’s time to go deeper and throw out the nets again, for there is a harvest on the other end of your obedience. There are people waiting on the other side of your obedience that are important for what needs to be done in the future. 

I saw a harvest coming across New Zealand for the church that will require us to partner together at different levels. To help each other where we can,  because it will be bigger than just one group of churches or ministries. This doesn’t mean we lose our distinctives as a church or movement, but that we embrace the strengths in others to see the harvest come in. 

I heard the phrase: “It’s time to obey again what the master has said”. He said step out, He said go to deeper waters. It may even feel uncomfortable, but you have a word from God, and that's all you need to go deeper.   

Fear has tried to grip the hearts of leaders, caused leaders to back off, to tone things down, and even just live within what is known and comfortable. But  God is saying, go to deeper water again, just believe!

The result of Jesus asking the disciples to launch out again was that they got a catch the likes of which they had never seen. This is the time for the church in New Zealand. We have seen the ground swell begin, but now it is time for the Harvest to come in, for the fulfilment of promises that were given, some even from long ago.

I saw people picking up prophetic words they have had from long ago,  blowing the dust off them, reading them again, praying them again, believing them again. It’s time to go deeper.

It’s not a season to complain about what you think hasn’t happened yet, what you think you didn’t get. It’s not a season to allow the enemy to dig in with fear and say, “See, it didn’t happen”, causing you to withdraw from what you know is true. It’s a fresh season to set out again, not just to shallow comfortable water, but to deep water, which will be uncomfortable, but that is where the harvest is!

Obedience was the turning point and the key in all this. Obey the voice of  Jesus to you in this season. All of this will lead to a number of churches and ministries moving into the future, doing things they previously thought were not within their scope or realm of possibility. But God will do it!

BIO