Luke 22:31-34 NKJV
[31] And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. [32] But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” [33] But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” [34] Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.”
Have you ever done something you thought you would never do? Have you ever looked down on others because of what they had done and thought you were better because in your eyes, you would never do such a thing?
Well that was Peter. When Jesus foretold that the devil had asked for Peter that he may sift him like wheat, Peter thought, “Not me! Maybe the others.” He declared that he was ready to go to prison and even die with Jesus. In Matthews account, this is what Peter said;
Matthew 26:33
33 Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are [g]made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.
Peter had experienced what many of us only dream of experiencing and I think this made him confident not in Christ but in self.
He had a lot going for him considering he was just a simple fisherman. Now here he was, doing ministry with Jesus witnessing great and mighty things and being in the inner circle of Jesus.
Had he not been among the few who were present when Jesus raised Jairus daughter from the dead?
Had he not been among the three that witnessed the transfiguration?
Had he not been the one who identified Jesus as the Christ?
He had cast our devils and healed the sick.
He was a man of faith, had he not walked on the water?
He had come from far and now he was a great man of faith or so he thought because as he had declared to Jesus when others took off, “Where else can we go, only you have the words of eternal life!”
No wonder Peter could not believe when Jesus told him that he would deny him 3 times.
No matter how great a man or woman of God we may think we are, no matter the number of supernatural encounters we may have head, may we never forget that it is not us but the Christ who lives in us. Jesus said that apart from him we can do nothing. Remember, the moment we become proud we lose it because God opposes the proud and exalts the humble.
Reflections
What is one area of weakness you thought you could never succumb to but you got a reality check just like Peter?
In what ways do we deny Christ in today’s generation?
What must you do to ensure that you are always depending on God and not on self?
