Day 226 “Your past failures should not control your future except for avoiding them.”

Day 226 Matthew 26:69-75 Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.” And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth.” But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!” And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.” Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So he went out and wept bitterly. Peter's denial of Christ is truly one of the most heart-wrenching stories in the gospels. Here he is, this disciple who laid his head on Jesus’ shoulders just 24 or so hours before, now claiming to have never known Him. There are those who would say what a fool or a weakling Peter was, and some may even be foolish enough to think that they would never do such a thing; however, this passage for me brings great hope. You see, if Peter can fail so miserably and go on to accomplish the things he did, then there truly is hope for the rest of us. Peter, after all, is the one God uses to introduce the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He was the leader on the day of Pentecost and established the first organized public gathering of believers; in many ways the first church. Peter became a mighty man of God who later was crucified for his belief. While Peter failed Christ that night, he was forgiven, blessed, and used by God in mighty ways! The heart-wrenching pain of denying Christ before man is not something that anyone can ever forget. Once you have believed and then denied that belief for fleshly reasons, the pain and remembrance of it never leaves. While I had an amazing encounter with God at a very young age and knew beyond a shadow of doubt that He was real and alive in my heart, I denied Him in my teen years. Every day I would awaken with the pain of denying Him in my heart, and eventually, I would use any means possible to soften that pain yet, even then, it never truly went away. The greatest regret I have in my life today is the fact that I walked away from my Lord for a time and denied His existence in me. Those years will never be returned; that fellowship forever lost. That pain, while it will never be forgotten, has now been overridden by the realization of the greatness of His mercy and grace by His redemption of my life upon my return. You see, I believe that God does not remember that I turned from Him (His Word says our sins are forgotten); hence, my walk with Him is new every morning. The challenge, truly, is that I remember as does satan, and at every opportunity he attempts to drag me back into the pit of my failures, sins, and transgressions, and every day I must hold onto Jesus to keep from falling in. Don't let your past control your future; don't let your circumstances affect your communion with your God. The trials of today have no way of separating you from His love, only from His fellowship, and to that we can easily return under the covering of Jesus’ blood. Daily Prayer: Father, I pray that every time we are reminded of our past failures and denials of You, you Father, by Your Spirit, would remind us of Your grace and Your mercy by the provision of Your Son as payment for our sins and transgressions. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen. “Your past failures should not control your future except for avoiding them.” Gene Burroughs, Pastor