Even in the crazy paced society we all live in, many still make a commitment to gardening.  When you ask most of those individuals why they go to all the work and effort to garden, the most popular answer is usually about the harvest.  They want the reward of the fresh food that the effort reaps.

My husband and I have had different commitments to a garden over the years.  I remember the first year we were married and lived by his mom and dad and we helped them with a huge garden, but the reality was, his parents really did the hard work.

In recent years, we have started doing a small garden in our back yard, but we really weren’t too serious or dedicated to it, until three years ago.  At that time we decided to make a brand new commitment to gardening and my husband built us an amazing raised bed.

Now the stakes had changed.  When we used to just plant a few things out by the fence, there wasn’t much of an investment, so if we didn’t feel like protecting it to see if it would grow, there wasn’t much to lose.

This new garden was expensive to build, and it certainly cost us much time and effort to maintain, but we decided that if we wanted something we had never had, we would need to do something we had never done!

Many could make this relate this same analogy to their spiritual lives.  There are seasons in our journey where our devotional lives become stagnant, and our relationship with our Savior becomes a bit cold.  It is during these moments that we stand at a crossroads and we determine, “If we want something we haven’t ever had, we are going to have to do something we have never done!” This decision most likely will cost you something; it may be an investment of your time and energy, or some other kind of sacrifice.

Let me be the first to say this is easier said than done….especially for the long term. I vividly remember one Sunday afternoon during our gardening season, that first year we made this new commitment. I was tired and wanted to go crash in my recliner, but I had to travel for work that coming week and there were all of these green beans to work through and preserve.

I remember standing at my kitchen sink and asking myself “IS IT WORTH IT?”  I could buy a bag of these at Walmart for $1.44!  It was during this moment of weakness that I kept reminding myself about the investment, and I tried to focus on the reward.  If you want something different, you have to do something different!

The problem is, we want different without a commitment! We want different without it costing us anything.  We do not want it to be INCONVENIENT!

I love the story of the blind man named Bartimaeus that is found in Mark 10:46-52.  You know why I love this guy?  He decided if he wanted something he didn’t have, he was going to have to do something he had never done and that was crying out with all his might, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

He was committed! When the crowd told him to be quiet, he just yelled even louder, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”  Jesus saw his determination, He saw his investment, and He responded, “Your faith has made you well.” 

What about the woman with the issue of blood?  We read about her in Mark 5:25-34.  This woman is another great example of someone who said, If I want something I don’t have, I have to do something I haven’t done!  She had seen many doctors, she suffered much, but when she risked everything to touch Jesus, she was made whole!

There is one more example from the Old Testament that shows us a different situation.  Let me give you the background because this is a lengthy passage.

There was a great man who was highly respected and the captain of the army of the king of Aram named Naaman. He was a valiant warrior but he was a leper.  There was a little girl from Israel who knew the prophet Elisha, and she told Naaman’s wife that if he went there he would cure him of his leprosy.  Naaman went and told his master what the girl had said, and he sent him with a letter and payment to the king of Israel to cure him of his leprosy.

The king got upset and tore his clothes at the request, but Elisha heard about it and said, “Let him come to me.”  Let us pick up reading the story from there:

2 Kings 5:9-14 NASU: "So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean." 11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.' 12 "Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage. 13 Then his servants came near and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, 'Wash, and be clean'?" 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean."

We see a very different example here.  I wanted to use this example because if we are honest we often have the same attitude that Naaman had.  We want the preacher to pray for us, and the problem to just go away.Naaman didn’t want the process, he just wanted the prophet to wave his hand and pray to God and it be healed.  He was mad when he told him he had to go dip in the Jordan, he even asked why he couldn’t go to one of the other two rivers…..IT WAS INCONVENIENT!  Naaman had to do something different to get a different result.

I could give you many more examples, but I just want to remind you that when your commitment seems difficult to keep, remind yourself of your investment and focus on the reward.

Let’s consider more about the commitment. Revival is a time where we stir up the gifts God has inside of us. It is a time that we fan the flames and renew our passion for the things God has planned for us, and our corporate bodies we are a part of.  With that thought in mind, I want to encourage you to keep pressing forward and to not allow your momentum to slow or your fire to go out by sharing some of the lessons I have learned in my garden.

Lesson #1: Sowing and reaping

Sometimes we plant seeds and nothing seems to happen!  I felt like it would take forever before I had my first tomato this year!  On the other hand, there are some things that grow really fast, but burn out fast, this was the case with my lettuce…we produced two good crops but then it was gone.

There are other things that take such a long time; they also require patience and hard work.  This was the case with my husband’s strawberries!  He wanted to get a good base crop, so the first year he had to focus on reproducing more plants that year instead of producing the crop.

What is the point I am making with all these examples?  Some things will produce fast in your life.  I believe God wants us to have those things to help us to persevere for the things that might take a little longer.  Scripture tells us in Galatians 6:7-9 NASU, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Don’t get weary, and quit!  If you sow in the spirit, you WILL reap in the spirit!  Remember you can’t have different without commitment!

Lesson #2: Guard against Distractions

Just like weeds in a garden, distractions will choke the progress of growth.  While I think we all understand the concept of weeds, I want to give you a very different visual.  When we used our raised bed for the first time, we didn’t know the challenge of planting our zucchini and yellow squash in the first section.  Talk about a distraction! The large leaves overtook the entrance to the walkway and made it difficult to manage the rest of the crop.  They also reproduced at a rate that there simply was not enough room for them to be housed in one section together.  This picture shows the end result.

This is what distractions will do to you! You will be divided, not fully engaged in the plan God has for your life.  Not fully committed or invested in growing spiritually. One day you are yellow the next day you are green!  One day hot the next day cold, distractions will do that to you!

Let me tell you about distractions, they are often used as a tactic of the devil to take away your TRACTION for forward momentum!  As soon as you start making some spiritual progress, the enemy wants you to be focused on something else to slow you down or detour you. He wants you to become DIVIDED!

We learned some lessons our first year; we are NOT going to plant our zucchini and yellow squash there again!  We are going to put them in our barrels where there are boundaries!  Sometimes we need to place some boundaries in our lives to stop the distractions the enemy brings our way!

Lesson #3 is about preservation

Every year we tend to have such an abundance of tomatoes. Our first year at this, I decided I was going to preserve some crushed tomatoes for cooking.  Later when I had to buy tomatoes for the first time in a few months, I realized they just didn’t taste the same.  Then later that same week, I decided to pull out a jar of the crushed tomatoes I preserved to make some chili, and I quickly remembered the difference in how these taste. Remember, if you want something different, you have to do something different!

This is just one of the things we preserved this year and we continue to benefit from the commitment even after the season is over.  My point is, during a season of revival when you are making a new commitment, when you are fanning the flames, when you are stirring up the gifts, you will often get fresh revelation, new direction, a Word from God…you have to preserve it!

Don’t let what God is doing in you die with the first cold spell! 

For some preserving it might be continuing to do something different and continuing to go after God with a completely new passion and energy.  For others preserving it might be documenting some things you can go back and read at a later time.  I am a real advocate of a spiritual journal.  The reality is, if you don’t write it down, you will eventually forget it. 

God will commune with you every day; He will meet you at your point of need and will give you direction.  Those who are faithful with little, He will give much.  If you will be faithful to do something with what He gives you, He will trust you with more!

I can take you to the day in my journal on July 9^th 2018,  when the Lord first spoke to me about my garden.  On that particular day, I was calling out to God about prayers I had been praying and answers that seem are never coming.

He said to me, “You planted the seeds, now keep watering them…” In that moment of communing with the Lord, I continued to write. “We are learning first hand this year the work of gardening. It was such an investment to build, we will definitely stick with it.  It requires daily watering and weeding and even when it produces – it is messy, so much work to do before the harvest is usable….It is not convenient, but the reward is worth it!”

Doing something different is NOT ALWAYS CONVENIENT, BUT IT WILL BE WORTH IT!!

IF I WANT DIFFERENT, IT TAKES COMMITMENT!

Today I have the pleasure of sharing a guest blogger’s testimony. If you have followed this site, you are aware that my passion is to take the truths of Scripture and lessons learned in my Secret Place time with the Lord, or by experience to help others to grow and mature spiritually in their walk with the Lord. Today you will read about a wonderful example of God’s grace and mercy as He walked hand in hand with this young woman and brought a beautiful story of healing in her life. This story is near and dear to my heart because it is written by my beautiful daughter Nicole. I hope you enjoy and share with others who will benefit from reading about God’s delivering power.

Today I would like to share the testimony of some of the healing I have experienced in the last three weeks. First, let me tell a little bit of the background story that led me to the need for deliverance. I started struggling with an anxiety disorder when I was 12 years old. I felt sick to my stomach all the time and nervous at school. They put me on medication that controlled my symptoms most of the time, but around age 15, I began to have panic attacks, which continued off and on through high school. My experience of panic attacks is awful. It feels like I am completely out of control of my emotions and can’t catch my breath. As adrenalin gets pumping, I find myself gasping for air.  The one thing I have found that helps me is to say the name Jesus over and over.

Fast forward to 2020, which has brought us so many struggles with COVID. I found my stress and anxiety level doubled due to the mandate to wear a mask. I felt claustrophobic and my loss of control in so many things that was happening weighed heavily on me. Since I work in the healthcare field, the stress of the job also increased. Many people going through the pandemic have struggled with stress, depression, or anxiety of some sort, but when you add all that stress to someone who has a preexisting anxiety disorder, it creates the perfect storm.

That is what happened for me three weeks ago when I felt like my world came crashing down. I had to get help both medically and spiritually. I described myself as broken and shattered into pieces. I felt like a puzzle fresh out of the box, all mixed up and could not see the beauty in pieces found in the final picture. I even thought if I bought a puzzle and put it together, I would feel better. It didn’t work. I wanted a quick fix. You know, like take pill, put a band aid on it, get a hug, sleep and be better, just like that.  This time though, something had to change. No longer could I stand with the pressure of the world placed on my shoulders. I realized this was not going to be a sprint, but a marathon.

My mother helped me to start sorting the pieces to put me on the right track to recovery. First, I had to give it to God. I had to let Him take my mixed-up pieces and make me feel beautiful again. I started reading two Christian books that we studied at my church 4 years ago, “Telling yourself the Truth”, and “Hinds Feet on High Places”. I also started journaling how I felt and my prayers to God. I started to realize that I had deeper problems than just stress and anxiety.  Some of the other things I discovered was that I also was struggling with worry, self-doubt, self-hate, trust, fear, depression, unfair expectations, work pressure, and even pride.

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“Hinds’ Feet on High Places” was a book very meaningful to my healing. I have the children’s version and it is beautifully designed with illustrations and devotionals. It begins by saying, “This is the story of a young girl named Much-Afraid who learned to trust the Chief Shepherd. It is the story of how she left her Fearing relatives and went with the Shepherd to the High Places where ‘perfect love gets rid of fear.’”

Throughout the book Much-Afraid must face her fears, problems, struggles, and pain. Along the way up to the high places each time she laid down her own desires to follow the Chief Shepherd’s, she would build a tiny altar that would turn to ash. In the middle of the burned ash at each altar, she found a stone that she collected along her journey. These stones later are transformed into jewels for her crown at the High Places. She learned four lessons on her way. First, she learned that she must accept joy with every path the Shepherd led her on. Then she learned to forgive others when they hurt her. Third, she learned that the Shepherd never looked at her as weak and crippled. He only saw what she would become. Lastly, everything that happens in life, no matter how crooked and ugly it may seem to be, can be changed if treated with love, forgiveness, and obedience to the Shepherd’s will. When Much-Afraid reached the High Places, the Chief Shepherd transformed her into someone new and beautiful. He even changed her name from Much-Afraid to Grace and Glory.

This book helped me see the transformation happening in me as I let my body and mind recover, learned to give up control, and ask for help. After weeks of studying God’s word and reading my books, I started to give up those problems. A Bible verse that gave me much peace was Psalms 46:1 TPT, “God, You’re such a safe and powerful place to find Refuge! You’re a proven help in time of trouble, more than enough and always available whenever I need you.” I also would repeat Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I found peace in encouraging songs like “You Say”, by Lauren Daigle and “Fear is a Liar”, by Zach Williams.

I had let the enemy tell me lies for years, like, “Everyone will think you are crazy! You’re not good enough! You’re never going to get better. You’re a bad mom and wife!” Instead of listening to these lies, I determined that I would get better because God said to cast all my fears, worries, and stress on him. He paid the price, so I don’t have to carry those burdens. I then had to learn to listen to the truth, which is that it doesn’t matter what people think, because I only must please my Heavenly Father. The truth is, I strive to do my best and I am successful at many tasks. The truth is, I go above and beyond for my family. I take special time and enjoy the moments we have together. I am loved and adored by my husband, boys, family, and fiends. They love me just the way I am!

On March 21^st, I finally felt ready to place all my struggles at the feet of Jesus during a time of worship at my church. I went to the altar, fell on my knees, and gave all my problems and struggles to God! I no longer had to carry that pain, which made me feel such peace and freedom. I just wished I could have had a memorial stone like the character in the book did when she built her altars.

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After feeling this deliverance, I wanted to complete a visual part of my healing. I took helium filled balloons and wrote words that represented my problems on them so I could release them to God. I went with my mother to Shawnee Mack Lake, where we have been walking and talking over the last several weeks during my healing process. The wind was strong that day, so we took the balloons along a path to a bridge where it was calmer. When we arrived, we realized the wind had tangled all the balloon strings. We broke some free but six of them were left tied in a bundle. I said a prayer telling God I was releasing all my pain and problems to Him, because I could not hang on to them anymore. Then I raised the balloons into the air and let them fly!

It was a beautiful picture watching my cares float away. A funny thing happened though, the six balloons that got tangled did take flight, but the weight of the strings brought them down on the other side of the bridge into a swampy, brushy, area where they stuck on a twig. We watched hoping the wind would blow them loose. Even though I felt like I got what I needed, I decided to throw rocks at them to try to knock them free. My mom joined in the effort, so you can imagine the funny site of two grown women throwing rocks at a swampy brush pile trying to release balloons. It felt great to throw rocks at “my problems” written on those balloons! While we never got them loose, I felt ok, because sometimes you give your problems to God and the enemy keeps them in sight, yet out of reach to taunt you. When you feel that pressure just throw some rocks at your problems and remember God has them.

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I also thought it was important to take communion after I released them. Communion represents the healing work that Jesus did for me on the cross. This seemed to seal the thought that I had nothing left to hold on to and I really released it all to Him. My mother and I prayed over the cracker that represented Jesus’ body that was beaten and bruised for us. Then we prayed over the small cup of juice that represented His blood that washes us clean and protects us. We took our communion together to remember that He died for all my pain, problems, and sorrows, and He paid the price for our salvation and our healing.

Later that night, I returned home from an event and as I was taking my shoes off, I kicked a small white stone that looked like the ones from the lake where I had released my balloons. I asked my husband if he had seen a rock in the bedroom floor and he said, “Yeah, but it was after you got home from the lake.” There are no rocks around our home that looked like that stone, which made me immediately burst into tears. I realized that God had given me my memorial stone I wished for earlier that day at the altar!

I found my freedom by giving everything to the only person who can carry all my burdens and still love me endlessly! God has helped me to start finding the place for the pieces to my puzzle. I’m still working on the final picture, but I can see the beauty in the brokenness. I created a shadow box that displays memorials of my journey and it is now on the wall next to my “Secret Place” to remind me where God has brought me from. I never want to carry those pressures again, and I am refusing to listen to the enemy tell me lies! Thank you, Chief Shepherd, God Almighty, The Great I Am!

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References:

Hurnard, Hannah Hinds’ Feet on High Places: Destiny Image Publishers, Inc., 1993. Print.

Backus, Willilam and Chaplian, Marie Telling Yourself the Truth: Bethany House Publishers, 2000. Print.

As we enter this Christmas week during one of the most difficult years many of us have experienced, I want to take a moment to share a message I feel is important for each of us to consider as we approach turning the page of our calendars to a new year. In Psalm 25:4 TPT, we read:

Lord direct me throughout my journey so I can experience your plans for my life. Reveal the life-paths that are pleasing to you. 

Have you ever experienced a journey that did not turn out the way you imagined?  Perhaps it was a vacation trip, a move from one home to the next, a journey to spend time with your family over a holiday, or just 2020 in general!  I am sure each of you reading this could share some examples of funny stories, but also sad, scary, strange, and eventful experiences.

The reality is that our lives are a series of experiences and events that make up our journey.  So often, we get stuck in one leg of our journey and this prevents us from experiencing the fullness of all the plans the Lord has for us.  As we contemplate that thought, I want to consider the life of Mary as an example.

The journey to Bethlehem for Mary was only one leg of her journey. This part of her journey is the one we remember the most, especially at this time of the year, yet there was so much more.

We don’t know much about her life before we learn that she was visited by Gabriel, the angel, who told her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31).

Obviously, Mary’s journey prior to this moment had to be important since it caused her to find favor with God. As her dramatic story continues to unfold, she learns that she will face a journey with responsibility unlike any other woman in all of history. She was obedient to a life-path that was chosen for her above her own comfort and reputation.

When it was time for delivery, Mary was again in a remarkable predicament.  While traveling to register for the census, the time came to give birth.  There was no room in the inn, so she was forced to delivery baby Jesus in a stable and lay him in a manger (Luke 2:7-20). 

The journey to Bethlehem was just part of Mary’s journey.  After Jesus’ birth, she was faced with the next challenge, which was the need to go into hiding because Herod wanted her child destroyed (Matthew 2:13).  Mary was not able to return to her home because her journey was now dictated by the destiny of the child she bore. Wow! Her faithfulness to walk out her journey was essential for His purpose to be fulfilled!

Mary was the one who encouraged Jesus to perform His first miracle, turning water into wine (John 2:1-11).  She must have been so proud as she observed Him heal the sick, multiply food for thousands, and raising the dead.  She must have felt such concern when she watched as He was rejected, ridiculed, and falsely accused.  Eventually she finds herself at one of the most difficult parts of her journey, the foot of the cross (John 19:25-27). 

Can you even imagine a mother’s heart breaking in this moment?  Her innocent Son suffered unbelievable agony as He bore stripes and died for all humanity, so we might have eternal life. Jesus was resurrected three days later, but not long after He ascended into heaven. I am sure Mary missed her Son. Mary was an amazing woman.  She walked a difficult journey, but one that benefited us all.  She went where none had gone before.  Where would we be if she had refused? Jesus fulfilled the journey He was given on this earth, partly because Mary was faithful to hers.

During the Christmas season, we celebrate the glory of God that came to us first through a baby and now exist among us in the form of the Holy Spirit.  This glory enables us to walk the journey that God created for each of us to travel.

At times, our human strength is gone and our willingness to persevere the challenges life brings wears thin. There was a process between the prediction Gabriel gave of Jesus’ birth and the promise of his death and resurrection that provides us the opportunity for salvation. The same is true for us, we might call that process our journey. 

I don’t know where you are on your journey, but just as Mary had a destiny to fulfill, so do we!  We can let her amazing story inspire us to be a person of strength and rise to the challenges we face. We can willingly accept the journey that has been chosen for us and allow God to impower us to walk out every step of our destiny.

Today marks the beginning of a new holiday season. As with many of our holidays, the once simplified celebrations have become much commercialized.  For many, Thanksgiving, which we celebrated yesterday, has become about “Black Friday” which now really begins Thursday.

I am not here to criticize anyone who takes advantage of the sales of black Friday, even if it is on Thursday, but what I do want to do is look at a parallel story in Scripture.

I always struggle with that term “Black Friday”.  Originally, this was used because it is the day many retailers finally move from the red to the black, or become profitable, because of the large amount of shopping for the upcoming Christmas Holiday.

However, when I hear the term “Black Friday”, it just sounds like a dark thing.  Don’t you think it is interesting that another Friday that was a dark day for many is called “Good Friday”?

Indulge my play on words here for a moment, because I want to show you what a man named Peter did with his “Black Friday” that most call “Good Friday”.  This is the place in the story, where if you were watching it on TV or at a movie, you would see the words flash across the screen “ABOUT ONE MONTH EARLIER”.

Who is this man named Peter?  We first learn about Peter in Matthew 4:18-20:

And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”  They immediately left their nets and followed Him.

We learn here that Peter was the first man Jesus called to follow Him.  The Bible says that he and his brother IMMEDIATELY left their nets and followed Him, even though they didn’t know anything about Him.

This is the first clue we get about what kind of man Peter was.

     1.  He Was A Man Of Faith

We must use faith when we do not know the outcome.  Peter shows here that he is willing to use his faith to follow Jesus.  We read a few chapters later where Jesus named him the first of his twelve disciples and empowered him for ministry. (Matthew 10:1-2)

The next thing we learn about Peter is that he is:

     2.  A Risk Taker

A familiar story is found in Matthew 14:25-32 (NKJV)

Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.” And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.

It is easy to criticize Peter for having this moment of weak faith and doubt, but I have always said it this way, “I WOULD RATHER BE A WET WATER WALKER THAN A DRY BOAT TALKER!!!”

Peter was testing his sea legs, he took the risk, and I am sure that his faith and his character were strengthened by it.

The next key scripture we read about Peter is found in Matthew 16:13-19 NKJV

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.  And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

Jesus tells us the next characteristic of Peter he is:

     3.  A Rock

Again, we see here Peter is at the head of the class.  Jesus asked the question and Peter is the one who spoke up!  If you remember from the first passage we read, his name was Simon and Jesus called him Peter.

The word “Peter”, in Greek, means “a rock”. Christ gave it to Simon when he called him to be a disciple.

There are many different opinions of the interpretation of this passage, but let me tell you my personal thoughts.  When asked who Jesus is, Peter says that He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God…..Jesus is pleased with Peter’s response and tells him that he is blessed because this information has been REVEALED to him by His Father in heaven!

Basically, Jesus is saying that because Peter expressed His true character by calling Him the Son of God, He also, has given Peter a name expressive of his character. He called him Peter, a rock, denoting firmness, solidity, and stability.

Further, I believe Jesus is telling Peter that this REVEALED KNOWLEDGE OF WHO HE IS COMES WITH MUCH AUTHORITY!

Peter’s learning curve continues just a few verses later in Matthew 16:21-23.

From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Here we see the next characteristic of Peter.

     4.  He Was A Passionate Man

The definition of passionate is, “capable of, affected by, or expressing intense feelings.”  Peter clearly shows in this passage that he is capable of intense emotion, he shows he was dramatically affected by what Jesus described that was going to happen to Him, and he was intense in expressing those feelings!

Peter was a passionate man.  He had left everything to follow Jesus.  He recognized Him as the Son of God, I am sure he did not expect that the Son of God would suffer and die!  I am sure Peter could not bear to think of Jesus’ death, He most likely expected a triumphant Messiah and couldn’t imagine how death fit in that plan.

Has your passion ever gotten you into trouble?  Mine has.  There have been times I have felt so passionate about something at work that I just didn’t know when to be quiet.  It could be perceived here that Peter was in trouble with Jesus for expressing his passion.

For many, this would have been a good quitting place.  A place to get disillusioned and to stop being part of the Jesus team!  Not Peter.  He didn’t quit; he received the rebuke from his Master.  He had to learn that his passion was in opposition to the master plan of salvation for all of us.  He learned submission and continued with fervency.

In fact, we read that six days later he took that same kind of passion up on the mount of transfiguration.  You can read about it in Matthew 17:1-8.  Peter wanted to stay in that place of God’s presence and passionately expressed this desire.

You just have to love Peter.  He tries so hard!  We have already seen he isn’t afraid to move in faith, to be a risk taker, and to express his passion.  He is trying to get it right this time.  He says to the Lord, “It is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

Peter recognized that this was a place in God’s presence he had never experienced before….it was a good place!  What he still had to learn is there is always purpose for the presence.  They would need this experience in the coming days.  Furthermore, if they had stayed there, not only would their purpose not have been fulfilled, but also the boy at the foot of that mountain would never have been healed.

This is the place in the story where we began before going back and looking at the previous month’s activities.  Now we find Peter is sitting with Jesus and all the disciples as they celebrate a Passover meal, much like we sat around tables in the last few days with our loved ones celebrating Thanksgiving.

Scripture tells us that they ate, they sang a hymn, and then left for the Mount of Olives.  Just as Black Friday began on Thursday this year, this was the beginning of Peter’s Black Friday.

Let’s pick up reading the story from here.

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!”

If you keep reading, you see where Jesus led them to Gethsemane.  Again, just like at the mount of transfiguration, he only took His three closest with him, this time asking them to join Him in prayer.  Peter was the first he asked.  If you know the story, it is in this garden that Jesus is arrested and taken away to face his accusers

Now let’s read about Peter’s “Black Friday”

Matthew 26:69-75 NKJV

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.

We have learned that Peter is:

1. A Man of Faith
2. A Risk Taker
3. A Rock
4. A Passionate Man

But now we see that He is:

     5. A FAILURE!

This is the place in the story where we ask the question we began with….

“WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH BLACK FRIDAY?”

“What will you do with that moment of failure?”

The one thing I am confident of is that each of us have all had times in our life where we felt like a failure.  Maybe you started as a man or woman of faith, but a situation came in your life that caused you to lose hope/lose your footing/ and your faith failed.

Maybe you were the risk taker….you were the one willing to step out of the boat against all odds only to lose sight of the goal and sink ending in failure.

Perhaps you are the one who is always a rock, your stable, your fixed, your tenacious, yet that one situation caused your rock to crumble ending in failure.

Possibly, you are the passionate one.  The one who is capable of expressing intense feelings and because of your intense passion, a season of failure hits you the hardest.

You can put your own name on “Black Friday” it comes in many forms.  It could be a personal failure, but it could also be a major trial.  Maybe a family issue, maybe a health concern, the list goes on.

THE QUESTION IS, “WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR BLACK FRIDAY?”

Let’s go back and look at what Peter did with his.  Maybe you have heard the phrase, “It may feel like Friday night, but Sunday is on the way!”  Jesus died on Friday but He arose on Sunday, which afforded us the opportunity to make every failure a victory.

Not long after Jesus’ resurrection, we read where he was meeting with His disciples for breakfast…

So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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 again a second time, “Simon, son of Jonah, 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 Jonah, 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 all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.  (John 21:15-18 NKJV)

I may not have any Bible scholars see this passage the way I do, but let me tell you what I see….

First, I think it is interesting that Jesus called him Simon.  He had named him Peter that means “Rock” yet here for the first time that I know of, He goes back to his given name Simon.  I personally believe that Jesus knew how Peter was feeling.  He knew that he felt like such a failure and didn’t deserve the name given to him by Jesus at that moment.  He knew Peter didn’t feel like a rock and He was reaching out to him in his current state of despair.

The second thing that stands out to me is the fact that Jesus asked Peter the same question three times. “Do you love me?”  I believe He purposefully did that because he was giving Peter the opportunity to “feel” forgiven for ALL three times he denied Him!

Now we see that Peter has a new characteristic.

     6.  Peter is Forgiven!

The third thing I see from this passage is Jesus’ response to Peter each time.  He tells him to feed and tend to My sheep.  To me, this speaks of Peter’s purpose.  He was the first man Jesus called to follow Him.  He had a plan for Peter’s life.  He wanted to take this man’s faith, his ability to be a risk taker, his stability, and his passion and turn him into a mighty minister to spread the gospel.

BUT FIRST, HE HAD TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO WITH HIS BLACK FRIDAY!

Would he let this failure, this disappointment, this difficult day be the end of his purpose or would he allow this black day to propel him into his intended future?

If you know Scripture, you know the answer to this question.  After Jesus ascended  to heaven it was Peter who preached an amazing sermon.  Take the time to read it in Acts 2:14-41.  There were over 3000 people saved that day!

Now we see the last characteristic of Peter, he is:

     7.  An Overcomer!

You can continue to read in the book of Acts where he was used by God to perform many miracles, he ministered to the Gentiles, he was imprisoned and delivered, and he wrote two of the books of the Bible!

So what did Peter do with his “Black Friday”?  He allowed a day of great disappointment, great disillusionment, and great failure to propel him into his divine destiny.

It isn’t all about falling; it is about getting back up.  So the question I have for each of you today is, “What will you do with your “Black Friday”?