Scripture

“Do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in Me.

~John 14:1, TLV

Quote

Certain situations bother us deeply because we feel out of control.

~Charles Stanley

Insecurity is like pride in that we all have to deal with it daily. Why was Peter so bold in the garden that he pulled a sword, he used it. He was really and willing to defend Jesus. The only problem was: Jesus didn’t need defending. Jesus rebuked him and told him to put the sword up. Minutes later, Peter’s courage melts and he denies three times that he even knows Jesus. Charles Stanley believes that Peter’s deep frustration came from feeling out of control and I think Stanley is right. Things did seem to be out of control and Peter was trying, with his sword, to make things right. Peter knew that Jesus was innocent and that the crowd who came to arrest Him was wrong in spirit and deed. Could Peter’s melt down have been caused by the fact that his plans for Jesus were falling apart and there was nothing he could do to stop this apparent evil.

What Peter did not realize was that Jesus was following a plan and it was the Father’s will for evil to triumph in this hour. God was literally using evil to accomplish His purpose. It is a hard pill to swallow and I sympathize with Peter because there is no way any man could see what God was doing. Peter was not alone, no one else understood what was going on. Had Peter fully understood God’s plan and what was unfolding, he would have reacted differently. I think Stanley is on to something. Our fear, failure and frustration come from our deep seated insecurity. The answer is to trust Jesus completely because He is in firm control.

Extra

You can’t ask for better weather. Yesterday was beautiful and I enjoyed it to the max. I hope you have a great day and weekend. Pray for your pastor as he prepares the Sunday message. Pray for Revival in our churches. Pray for our friends battling cancer. Don’t stop praying. Every prayer counts and don’t let the devil convince you otherwise.