(Read Matthew 16:13-23)
This morning continue our overarching series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing with our mini-series entitled, “Grace Based Success (Prosperity)”. We have been studying the life of the Apostle Peter. I trust you have been enjoying it. What I like about Peter is how common he was. God took an average man, a fisherman, and called him to an exceptional life. Peter got upset like we all do. He said things he should not have said. He had a lot of zeal, so he openly declared that he would never deny Jesus, even though he wound up publicly denying our Lord three times. But through it all, Peter never stopped. He never allowed his mistakes to derail him from his destiny.
This morning I will take us back to a major mistake Peter made. In Matthew 16, in a passage we have studied for over a month, Peter heard from God. He did what none of the other disciples did. He tapped into the supernatural and he had the courage to say what he heard. Jesus was so pleased that he looked at Simon, the son of Jonah, and called him “Peter”. This was an awesome moment for the fisherman. Jesus called him blessed. Jesus revealed his true identity. Jesus was pleased with Peter. But then, a few moments later, Peter spoke out of his humanity. Jesus shared his heart with the disciples and revealed to them that He was going to die. But Peter, operating completely in the flesh, spoke against what Jesus said. Jesus responded by looking right at Peter and saying, “Get away from me, Satan! You are not helping me! You don’t care about the same things God does. You care only about things that people think are important.” Peter went from hero to zero in a few minutes. I am sure Peter was upset with himself. But Peter did not allow this mistake to keep him from his destiny. Peter kept going.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
- The day you are Born-Again you are both human and divine. Everything you need to succeed is already IN you, given to you by God’s grace. But you don’t know how to live in the reality in which you are called. The process of learning how to live as the person you are called to be is called “renewing your mind”.
- Until your mind is renewed to think the way God thinks about you, your divine assignment and your future, you will live beneath God’s best.
- When you get to the point where your mind is renewed in certain areas, you will find yourself being led of God’s Spirit in those areas and your life will begin to be amazing.
- While your mind may be renewed in certain areas, chances are it is not totally renewed. There are still areas where your mind is not conditioned to think like God and in those areas you will still find yourself struggling. Just don’t give up. Keep pressing. Mind renewal is a process, not an event.
- You constantly receive thoughts from both God and satan. Your goal is to receive the thoughts of God and reject the thoughts of satan. While that’s your aspirational goal, the current reality may be that you hit-and-miss. Sometimes you follow the leading of God and other times you make mistakes. On those occasions where you make a mistake, chalk it up to your humanity and keep going. Don’t allow your mistakes to keep you from pursuing your purpose. God knew you were going to make the mistake before you made it, and He called you anyway.
- Jesus looked right at Peter and called him satan. While I am sure that was a devastating moment for the young disciple, he did not allow it to destroy him. Peter accepted his mistake, he forgave himself, and he kept going. Had he not, he would have never become the Apostle and leader of the New Testament church.
- You are both human and divine. There are times (hopefully many of them) when you will operate in your divinity. You will be led of God and God will be pleased with you. But there are also times when you will operate in the flesh. There will probably be times when you are even led of satan and his kingdom. On those occasions, when you get corrected by God, accept the correction, receive forgiveness, forgive yourself, and keep going. God knew you were not perfect when He called you.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my requirement to live by faith. While my desire is to live a life pleasing in your sight, I have made many mistakes along the way. My mind is being renewed to think Like You in every area of my life. But I am not 100% renewed. So there may be times when I operate in the flesh or when I am even influenced by the kingdom of darkness. On those occasions I welcome Your correction. You correct me because You love me. I receive the correction, no matter how painful it is, I embrace Your forgiveness, I forgive myself, and I keep pressing. This is the only way I will become the person You called me to be. I may not be perfect, but I am called. My mistakes will not derail me from my destiny. I press forward. I pursue my purpose by faith. I accept and embrace Your grace. I become a human conduit of the divine, empowered by You to change the world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
