Do Not Fear Them!

“Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, ‘You also are not one of this man's disciples, are you?’ He said, ‘I am not.’ Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself.” (John 18:15-18 ESV)

“Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, ‘You also are not one of his disciples, are you?’ He denied it and said, ‘I am not.’ One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, ‘Did I not see you in the garden with him?’ Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed.” (John 18:25-27 ESV)

“And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ‘Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” (Matthew 26:75 ESV)

Jesus Christ had just been betrayed by one of his twelve disciples, Judas Iscariot, and he had just been arrested on false charges of a crime he did not commit, and all of his disciples had deserted him, but Peter and John did follow behind him. But when Peter was questioned as to whether or not he was one of Jesus’ disciples, he denied that it was so, but not just once, but three times, as Jesus had told him would happen. But as soon as that rooster crowed, as Jesus had said it would, Peter remembered Jesus’ words, and he went out and wept bitterly in genuine sorrow and repentance.

Have you ever denied Jesus Christ? I have previously. For I went through a period of time in my life when I was yielding to fear of my circumstances and of people and of their opinions of me and of their persecutions and rejections of me and of their pushing me toward sin and away from following the Lord. I was in and out of this over a period of time before the Lord finally got my attention and I yielded control of my life back over to him from that point forward. And it all really came down to me accepting God’s sovereignty over my life and me trusting him with my circumstances, no matter what.

So, I identify with Peter, to some degree, for I did that, too, only for a longer period of time than what Peter did. And I knew better, like he did, but we denied Jesus because we didn’t really believe that we would. I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that I would have ever done some of the things that I did during that period of my life, and that is where I failed. And it is where Peter failed, too, because he did not believe Jesus’ words and warnings to him. And this should serve as a warning to us all to “take heed if we think we stand lest we fall.” Pride comes before a fall!

Now, I knew very early on in my life that God was calling me to his service, and that he was going to use me as one of his messengers, not as a prophet, but just as a woman of God called of God to be one of his “watchmen,” so to speak. And he used the call of Jeremiah to let me know what that call would look like. And he warned me then with the words he used to warn Jeremiah when he said to him:

“Get yourself ready! Stand up and say to them whatever I command you. Do not be terrified by them, or I will terrify you before them.” (Jeremiah 1:17 NIV’84).

And that was in the late 1970’s. And ten years later I was being terrified by my persecutors, and the Lord did terrify me before them, for he allowed all these persecutions in my life, and there were so many of them, too. And that is when I began to cave to the pressure and to go through a rough time in my life when I was in and out of fellowship with the Lord and when I was seriously battling oppression and persecution (persecuted when I was following the Lord) and depression, and when I denied him out of fear of what others might do to me or say about me, like Peter did. But…

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17 ESV)

But thank the Lord, Peter repented of his denial of the Lord, and the Lord restored him, and he gave him the assignment of feeding his sheep, i.e. of feeding the people of God with the truths of the Scriptures for their encouragement and edification and spiritual growth and maturity in Christ. And I repented of my denial of the Lord, and the Lord restored me, and he gave me a similar assignment, like the one he gave Peter, and like the one he gave Jeremiah, but from the position of just being a woman of God who loves the Lord and who wants to obey him and to serve him with my life.

So, I want to encourage everyone reading this today to not give way to fear of what other people will think about you or say about you or do to you. Serve the Lord with your lives in the areas to which he has called you, and follow him in obedience regardless of how others treat you or what they say about you. Go to those to whom God sends you, and say whatever it is that the Lord commands you to say, and do not be afraid of the people. But say to them, “Behold your God!” And let them know what the Scriptures teach, and refute the lies of the enemy which are spreading like wildfire. God will be with you.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:17-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Courageous!  

An Original Work / December 24, 2013  

Based off Various Scriptures

The Word of God throughout taught.

Some people heard but did doubt.

Still others had faith in Christ.

By grace He purified them.

They turned from sin

And they obeyed Christ.

He opened up their blinded eyesight;

Turned them from darkness 

To the true Light;

Forgave their sin by His might.

He strengthened them in their faith.

He said, “Remain my faithful.”

He called them to obedience.

By faith, they were so grateful.

By faith, they were to follow Jesus;

To daily sit and listen to Him;

To have such faith 

That mountains could move;

To love those whom He gave them.

Be on your guard; courageous.

Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.

Take up the shield of your faith;

Protect against all evil.

Do not move from 

The hope that you have.

Your faith in Jesus let it endure.

Hold to the truth; 

Your conscience be clear.

Endure with perseverance. 

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