FAILURE SHOULD NOT MEAN THAT ADDITIONAL FAILURES ARE EXPECTED

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? 
I will lay down my life for you.”  
(John 13:37)

MEDITATION:
Peter loved the Lord and dedicated his life to following Him,
however, he still needed to mature in some areas.
When he felt the Lord’s life was in danger, he made an emotionally-charged 
comment that he would ‘lay down his life’ for the Lord.

When they came to take Jesus, Peter showed his confidence 
by drawing his sword and cutting off the ear of one of the soldiers.
Peter may have been overconfident in himself and his abilities 
because he was in the presence of the Lord.

However Jesus knew that when He was not there, Peter’s weaknesses 
would be revealed in his denials of being one of the Lord’s twelve disciples. 
Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly 
I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times! 
(John 13:38)

As we read further in the bible, 
we see that Peter did exactly what Jesus said he would do.
When he was confronted by others, he denied his being a disciple of Jesus.
Why would he do that?
“You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” 
she asked Peter.  He replied, “I am not.” (John 18:17)

Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they 
asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” He denied it, 
saying, “I am not.” One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the 
man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with 
him in the garden?” Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster 
began to crow. (John 18:25-27)

Peter was confronted unexpectedly, and responded without thought, 
other than perhaps the consequences of being a follower of Christ.
Since he denied Christ the first time, 
the second and third denials were probably easier for him.
Whenever Satan can cause us to ‘break the ice’ on doing things that displease
the Lord, he has paved the way for us to slip further away from Him.

We can learn a lesson from his attempts to cause us to fail.
When we take a stand for Christ, the next opportunity to take a stand is easier.
Each success encourages us to be stronger in our faith.
If we are true believers then we will have a desire to strengthen our faith, 
and to show it through our actions, words, attitudes, and habits.

When Peter heard the rooster crow, 
he must have felt the cold chill of his denial of Christ. 
But even though he failed miserably, it must have been a life-changing 
moment for him that resulted in a greater dedication to the Lord.

Just as Jesus predicted the failure of Peter, 
he also accurately predicted his success as one with 
a strong faith who was dedicated to pointing others to the Lord.
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church,
and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:18)

One thing to notice in the verse from Matthew – when Jesus says, 
“the gates of Hades will not overcome it”, 
it sounds like the church is in a defensive posture.
But we need to understand that the gates aren’t on the move, the church is!
And as the church (God’s people) is on the move, 
the gates of hell cannot prevent its progress.

ACTION:
Maybe you have had a moment (or moments) 
of failure in your dedication to the Lord.
Rather than allowing it (them) to discourage you and causing additional 
failures, remember how the Lord created a dynamic leader out of Peter, 
even though he failed.
Temptations often come quickly and unexpectedly, so prepare in advance 
to avoid denying your faith in the Lord by yielding to them.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for showing me how You can put 
together the broken pieces of a life and use us to glorify You as 
we point others toward Your Son. Others may not see my failures, but 
You see them and I know they exist. Help me to be encouraged by how 
Peter’s life was changed and strengthen my faith so that I too can 
become a dedicated servant of Yours. Satan wants to break my spirit, 
but I am thankful that You want to activate Your Spirit in me.”

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