FROM CONFIDENCE TO DENIAL

• DAY 119
• FEAR FILE: THE DISCIPLES OF JESUS
• SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 26:31-35 (NKJV)

Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” Peter answered and said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.

MATTHEW 26:31-35

When I was younger, I used to be what I’d call ‘confident without basis’. There were things that I was confident and sure that I would never do, no matter the situation. Even when an older person gave me advice on certain aspects of life or warned me about certain paths that they think I’d follow. I’d always be like me, I’m not like that, I can never do something like that. However, growing up, I have been in situations where I actually did those things I said I wouldn’t do with good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over.

Never Say Never

Let me give you an example. I used to be very confident in my faith that no matter what happened, nothing can make me walk away from God. But when my sister passed from cancer, I forgot all my convictions and confidence and I actually walked away from the Lord. The ten years I spent in full time ministry, I didn’t want to do that anymore, I wanted a normal job. All the things I had been waiting on the Lord for, I decided not to wait anymore. Especially my marriage, I was going to just pick the next guy that showed up and marry him. All the things that I said I could never do, I did. And these were fueled by thoughts that were lies that the enemy fed me so that I could use my hand to destroy my life.

At the time I made these commitments I actually meant it from my heart. I never imagined a time were anything will shake my faith but the problem was my confidence was in myself. I forgot to commend myself to the grace of God that is able to sustain me. I thought I knew God enough not to faulter. I was wrong.

Similarities

Now, I was going somewhere with this. It seems like Peter, the disciples and I have something in common. In our text today, Jesus is telling the disciples of what was going to come, how they were all going to desert Him. And Peter was like, Who? Us? We? desert You? No way! We’re not going to do that, We love You too much, we’re going to stand beside you forever. It can never ever happen. 

They said all these things without considering or paying attention to what Jesus was actually saying. Even when Jesus told Peter that before the cock crows you’re going to deny me, Peter denied it confidently. He didn’t even ask Jesus what He meant by cock crow. But what later happened? Peter did the exact same thing he thought he was never going to do. And he didn’t even remember that Jesus predicted it until after it was done.

Sometimes we don’t remember that we said we wouldn’t do something until we find ourselves in that situation. But if we had leaned on the Grace of God or trusted the Spirit of God to lead us, maybe we wouldn’t have entered that situation in the first place.

Take Heed

You see, what we often forget as people of confidence and courage is that our confidence and courage comes from God. As the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:12

“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall”. 

Sometimes we can get so confident in something we think we can or cannot do. Even when God is warning us about that and saying, watch this here, watch that here. We are convinced that we can never do that. Peter went from confidence to denial, the same person that said that he wouldn’t deny Jesus, eventually denied Jesus. 

Dearly beloved, we cannot be confident in our own ability. Everything that happened in the Bible happened so we can learn from them. When the Spirit of God is speaking to us about something, be it directly or through other believers, let us not be too confident and arrogant. Because people of faith understand that the strength to stand is not theirs but God’s. And so they don’t rely on their own confidence, wisdom, or personal ability, but on God.

When we don’t rely on God, we walk outside of the realms of faith and begin to walk into fear. And that is not a place that God wants you to be. 

So take time, pray and maybe repent of those places and times you had confidence in your own self and ask the Lord to show you mercy.

Shalom.