It Starts Small

Have you ever started a new hobby? New craft? A new job where you had to learn something you’ve never done before? Where you perfect the first time? Second time? Chances are no. None of us are perfect as Christ. We fail at things and it’s a perfect opportunity to learn. Sometimes when I’m trying to learn a new crochet stitch I fail miserably and YouTube is my friend. I search countless videos on how to do that stitch until I find the one that shows me what to do.

Our walk with Jesus is the same concept. We can have a bunch of book smarts and a basic knowledge, but when it comes to applying it we will fail at times. Early in my journey, before I came back home I had failed to speak truth a few times. I didn’t lie. I just went along to get along. It was much easier to just go along with things rather than risk confrontation. I lacked a spiritual backbone to stand up for what was right in God’s eyes. It was through those failures I began to want to succeed in faith and not fail. I had just encountered my first real test of my faith. I knew this time I wasn’t going to go along to get along. What was being asked was wrong. It went against the very nature of who God is. I wasn’t going to conform.

Eventually, through much prayer, I decided I was going to stand on God’s side of the issue. I stood with God’s courage and boldness and said no. I’m not going to stand before God and tell him that he is not powerful enough to fix our marriage. Honestly, it was a frightening experience. I’m so thankful I had the Holy Spirit with me that day.

Following that conversation I was so thankful to have the courage to stand up for God and be on heaven’s side, but I felt like I had failed in the beginning. I struggled with everything the Holy Spirit had spoken. Was it really him speaking? Had I made all this up? A million questions, but lack of faith. I get frustrated that I didn’t just mature over night and I didn’t have automatic answers to all life’s struggles and squeezes. I felt like I failed.

God is merciful. God is Good!

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: 32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. Luke 22:31-34

In this scripture we see a miserable failure. Peter failed miserably. Our failures do not mean God is finished with or nothing has been accomplished. Failure is not a hitching post to tie us to the past. It’s a guide post. We know this because even thought Peter failed, God used this failure to make him a great preach and author.

In verse 33, we find Peter’s confidence was misplaced. Peter says “I”. Peter’s problem was his confidence was in himself. Our greatest enemy can be ourselves. If we don’t learn to deny self, before too long we deny Christ.

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

All of our hearts are deceitful. We don’t always fail where we are weakest, we fail where we are strongest. We fail what we are most confident in. Peter had always thought Christ had come to raise an army and over throw the Roman rule. His strength was his courage. When they came to arrest Jesus he drew his sword and cut a Roman soldier’s ear off. Before this, he had courage to step out of the boat to walk in the water. He also failed in his courage.

Abraham was strongest in faith. He also failed in his faith by lying about his wife being his wife. He failed to let God be God and bring him a son. He failed to trust God. Moses was strongest at meekness but he failed in it by murdering a man. As a result he spent 40 years in a desert. David was strongest at integrity, but his integrity failed and he slept with a married woman and murdered her husband. An unguarded strength is a double weakness.

All of these people used their strengths for themselves. When we dedicate strength to self we deny Christ. When we deny self we enthrone Christ.

12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. 1 Corinthians 10:12

Jesus had warned Peter that the devil was after him. Peter, being full of pride said, not I for I will die for you if I must. After Christ had been crucified, he found himself warming himself by the fire. Someone recognized Peter by his accent that he was from Galilee. Three times he denied knowing Christ. Then after the third denial, a rooster crowed.

61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Luke 22:60

Peter learned something in that rooster crow.

In times of failure we need to see the sovereignty of Jesus. Sovereign means king. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords for ALL eternity. When I fail, I need to get my eyes off the failure and get them set on Jesus. Peter instantly remembered what Jesus had spoken the instant he herd that rooster.

Let’s pause a moment. Think about that. He’s in Jerusalem. A mighty city full of roosters. If you have ever had a rooster or been around one, they don’t just crow at the sunrise. They crow through out the day. In that time period, God held a muzzle over every single rooster in the city. Until that moment, Peter denied Christ a third time, that exact moment a rooster crowed.

Peter remembered. Peter was reminded in that moment GOD is in control. Nothing gets beyond the control of God!

Everything for Peter had gone crazy. Eve thought Peter had intimate truth from Jesus, that he was going to die and be raised the third day, Peter forgot what Jesus said. Christ had just been killed on the cross. He was filled with fear for his own life. His fear filled him with doubt and denial.

Faith is believing God in spite of appearances and obeying in spite of consequences.

If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself. 2 Timothy 2:13

Peter had denied Jesus, but guess what? Jesus DID NOT envy Peter.

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

ALL THINGS! This includes our failures. This includes our backsliding. All of it is worked for a greater purpose. When we fail, we need to also see Jesus has sympathy for us.

61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter… Luke 22:61

Jesus and our Heavenly Father never stop loving us! He looked upon Peter with love. Peter didn’t realize what he had in himself. He was surprised at his own denial. He truly meant what he said to Jesus. Peter would have slayed legions of Romans for Christ. Peter realized in that moment how much Jesus loved him. Even though Jesus knew he was going to deny him, he still loved him.

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: Luke 22:31

Finally, failure is realizing the security we have in a Jesus. Jesus tells Peter I am praying for you. The devil wants to sift our lives. He wants the filth of our lives to rise to the surface so he can stand before our Heavenly Father and accuse us. The Lord wants to sift us so he can find the wheat in us.

Our troubles, our sufferings are not a failure. Satan wants to stumble us, but Jesus wants to cleanse us. When they would sift the wheat, the tares and impurities would be separated from the wheat. Satan wants to shame us with guilt for all we do wrong. Jesus, wants to cleanse us of that and reveal the wheat in us.

The same Jesus that prays for Peter, prays for us.

I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. John 17:9

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. John 17:15

Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; John 17:20

Jesus prays for his people. He prays to keep us from evil and he prays over all who believe in him. Our failures are the start of something wonderful being worked in us. Our Heavenly Father says in ALL things. He takes our failures and transforms our integrity to transform our character.

What things do you spiritually fail at? Standing up for Christ? Seeking him in ALL situations? Making and keeping committed to serving Jesus? Learning scripture? Laying worry at His alter and trusting in him?

Yesterday, I was failing. The light of hope was fading. I asked Jesus, is any of this real? When you spend time with Jesus, he almost always answers with a question. He asked Would I lie to you? I answered, but it doesn’t make sense.

We all come to a time when things don’t make sense….what do we do?