Impetuous Peter and the Journey to Self-Discovery in Christ

When you think of Peter, what is the first thing you think of? Cutting off a guy's ear? Standing in front of the "Pearly Gates"? 

Who was Peter? 

Impetuous Peter had a whole slew of qualities. Let’s look at some of them.

Peter walked on water; he slashed off a man’s ear. Peter recognized Jesus as the Son of God, and then he denied Jesus three times. Peter was a fisher of men, but could not watch and pray for a few hours. He was prone to legalism but dreamed of freedom from the law. He did not see the big picture before the crucifixion but preached on the day of Pentecost and thousands got saved. 

Peter ran from the horror of a trial and then hanged out in a cramped room full of believers in the days following Jesus’ death. Peter was a man of God and he had a temper. He was a fisherman and he was a brother. He was not rich but gave what he had. Peter heard a voice in the desert then followed a Savior. He was a twin with identity issues and he stood out to all those around him. He was prideful then let Jesus wash his feet. He failed then he was restored.

We are like Peter! 

Every time I think I have life figured out, I seem to find one thing or another to fail in and mess things up. Peter was no stranger to this phenomenon. But God still used Peter and He can use you and me! God uses the things the world puts no faith in, and He confounds conventional wisdom because there is success anyway, strength anyway, peace anyway.  

Peter was an Expert

Peter had something that we need. He had time with Jesus. I have heard it said that it takes 10,000 hours of work, research and time with a subject before you become an expert. That is 1 year, 1 month and 21 days (roughly) of one on one with the subject of study. Peter walked and talked, and was taught by Jesus for nearly three years. He was an expert. He was a believer. He was a founding apostle developing doctrine and teaching countless men and women throughout his life. And he still had issues.

So if all this is true, what does it mean for us? 

It means we can be an Impetuous Peter too. 

We can make mistakes, and have tempers, and fall on our face with pride issues, but if we continually surrender to God and allow Him to grow us, guide us, and lead us by the belt, then we can impact the world too.

Growing up I always thought of Peter as a weak willed man. He denied Jesus. I had no empathy at all for him. I could not figure out why Jesus went out of his way in John 21 to restore Peter and encourage him the way He did.  Part of my confusion was a lack of understanding the Jesus’ character, but now, I understand what it takes to be a real follower, and I know that Jesus is the lifter of my head. This was Jesus’ whole purpose on earth: restoration, forgiveness, and teaching. Now I realize that I am an Impetuous Peter, and I need restoration, forgiveness and understanding that can only come from Jesus.

I know that there is a long history and spiritual ancestry that is behind me. I know that like Peter, I will make mistakes. Like Peter, I have a calling on my life. Just as you do. For this purpose did I come, to testify to the truth!  

Like Peter I cannot get caught in the past, but have to allow myself to be renewed, and restored and made usable every day. I have to proclaim the glories of God and remind people the time is NOW.  Tall order? Maybe, but with God all things are possible.

So I want to close with a few questions.

1. Are you like Peter or is there another person in the Bible that you identify with more? Why?

2. What is your purpose? Have you defined who you are supposed to be in Christ yet?

3. Have there been moments in your life that made you think “That’s it, I really blew it now!” and made you feel like there could be no way you could move forward?

4. If you answered yes to #3, has there been a moment that Jesus restored you like in John 21? Reminding you there are things you still have to give and to do?

These are not easy questions. They are designed to make you think about your life and to press in to figure out first who you are in Christ and secondly to figure out what God has called you to do.  We overcome by the word of our testimony. I have to remember mine almost daily.

What is your story?

Spiritual Growth Means Obedience- Obedience Means Effectiveness

The Way Things Are: 

When we are thankful we are humble, and when we are humble, we are usable. I don’t know about you but I want to be usable. But there is a last step in there, and it strikes to the heart of our effectiveness in the body of Christ: obedience.

Obedience is More Than You Think 

There are two parts to obedience. First there is submission. That word has a negative connotation in the world that means weak, loser, oppressed. When in fact it is much more freeing than that: it means you yield to someone else’s opinion, plan, or authority – you trust.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. 

We don’t get the big picture all the time. We can’t see the future, or what may be around the corner, but God can. Trusting Him means submitting to him our decision making process. 

What job to take, what person to date, what school to attend, where to move, even what car to buy, these things all should be submitted under God’s authority.

Where do we Start? With God's Will. 

God’s will for our lives is governed by His nature and character. How do we find out more about the very nature of God? We search in His word. John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.”

There are some things about our lives that should be pretty obvious. 

We shouldn’t murder, because murdering goes against the very nature and character of God. 

But the more personal decisions are the more difficult ones, because they take a very special level of self-discipline and submission. What school should I attend? I can’t find anything about Yale versus Harvard in the Bible. What job should I take? Is the one that pays the most money always the right choice? Serve God not mammon, right?

This is where we need an intimate relationship with God, one that makes His word alive and spark in us when we read it. 

A relationship that gives a personal revelation that becomes our daily bread.  This is called rhema (Strong’s 4487) in the Greek. It means the “living word” and it comes from a root word that means pouring forth. Once we have a personal relationship, personal revelation follows and submission becomes our first nature, not a second nature.

Here Comes the Other Shoe...

The second part of obedience is the actual act of obeying. When God gives us direction it is important we act on that and move. When God dropped the idea of this blog into my spirit, I began to act on it immediately. It is an act of obedience to study, write and pray every day, however, it is not an easy thing. I am being tested and stretched unlike I ever have before and that I know it is part of God’s intent. He wants me to grow, to stretch, and his word says he watches over what he speaks to make sure it gets done.

The doing is sometimes the hard part, but it proves what is in your heart. 

Love God? Then feed his sheep.

Obedience Has Benefits 

One more point; obeying is always the better option. I remember telling my children something along the lines of ‘obey now and there will be less pain later’. I did not just mean obey and you won’t get spanked later, I meant obey now, and you will not have to sacrifice later. Obey now, blessings later. Obey now, favor later. Obey now, fruit later.

I will close with this story. I was 19 years old, working in a local fast food place when a very cute guy, probably only two or three years older than me walked in and ordered. I was cleaning up in the dining room when I felt like God told me to give that guy the money I had in my pocket. It was only five dollars, but living on my own, eating ramen noodles to survive, it was a lot! Plus, did I mention he was cute? 

But it wasn’t just giving him $5; I also needed to tell him something, a word that seemed kind of personal. O the agony of the conversation I had with myself and with God as I warred with obedience. I did obey. I waited until the last minute and followed him to the door and said ‘God told me to give this to you, that he loves you and for you to stop trying on your own and give up already.’ Now I don’t know what the last part of that was about, but the look on his face told me it hit the mark for him. I know that my obedience was not just for my benefit, but for someone else’s too.

Having a relationship with God is not always easy. I have said this before, and it bears repeating. 

God is the perfect one and we have to do all the changing to keep the relationship new, fresh, and growing. If it isn't work, it isn't working.

There is an old hymn that says “trust (submit) and obey there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”. How true. I want to be happy in Jesus, how about you?

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that obey is an action verb!

Has God ever told you to do something like give money away to a perfect stranger? Tell us your story below! Add your comment now. 

Forward ho!

I have recently trying to lose weight and got really disappointed when the scale did not reflect my new changes in my diet. I have to say I even got a little angry and thought “Then what am I doing this for?”

Well scripture started popping into my head and I quickly jotted them down into my phone so I could share them with you and what I felt like I was hearing from God.

First, I do not quit, but I ‘press forward to the goal’ (Philippians 3:13) Ever try winning a race going backwards?  My motion physically has to be the same spiritually. We must be striving to obtain the prize: a better relationship with God. Since God is the perfect partner to enter into a relationship with, that means that all of the work is on my end. I have to be the one who changes.

It has taken me thirty-seven years to end up where I am, so I know that changes are not going to come overnight, but little by little. This is how changes come with the Father too. We learn little by little and line by line. (Isaiah 28:9-11)

One thing I have been learning little by little lately is from a teaching my pastor has given on position versus condition.  My position is I am the daughter of God. I follow Him and because He is the way the truth and the life and NO MAN (or woman) comes to the Father but by HIM! (John 14:6) I am changed eternally INTERNALLY! The other stuff, the way I think, my bad habits, even the way I look won’t change because I get saved. I am still the same in those areas and that is my condition, not my position. We need to first learn the difference between position and condition before we make changes that will matter. (Matthew 23:26)  

Since we are not promised tomorrow that means the time is now!  Put your hand to the plow and do not look back! (Luke 9:62) this means I can’t give up on my new diet, and we can’t give up when the plow hits a big rock that hides right beneath the surface of the dirt.

That brings me to my last point. Obstacles. There will be obstacles in our lives hindering our way to our goals. This is true in the physical world, aka gaining ½ a pound instead of losing is an obstacle for me, and it is true in the spiritual as well. We cannot lose focus. Remember the first scripture, I press forward.  (Philippians 3:13)  I press against the enemy who tries to destroy me (1 Peter 5:8) I press against society (Romans 12:2) I press against that nagging voice of doubt in my head, because faith comes by hearing and hearing by THE WORD OF GOD, not the words of doubt in my head! (Romans 10:17)  So I will press against obstacles and I will tell them to be removed and I will MOVE FORWARD! (Matthew 21:21)  

In conclusion I want to tie this in to the Waiting on God series we have been doing. (What do you mean you want me to wait?  Waiting is Work and Grass for the Donkey, Gas for the Dodge) Dreams and visions are future things. So while we wait on God to bring those to life, we must press, we must move forward. Dreams and visions don’t dwell behind you, but they do dwell in front of you, so FORWARD HO! Onward Christian soldier. GO! GO! GO!  With Christ ALL things are possible. (Mark 10:27)

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember go is a verb!