Week Thirty-Two - I'm Slipping

I found some notes the other day about Peter during Jesus' crucifixion. Peter slipped. He failed big time. We'd all agree, but some previous steps made him vulnerable when it came to the crunch.

The first indicator of trouble ahead is in Luke 22:33. Peter uses a dangerous pronoun, I. "I am ready to go with thee, both into prison and to death." Jesus knew they were boastful words. His next statement is that Peter will deny Him. In Matthew 26:33, Peter is recorded as saying, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I not be offended." 

That dangerous I attitude is the first sign of a falling away from God. When we get into I-mode, we don't listen, think we are stronger, and believe ourselves better than others. That is pride. The book of Proverbs tells us pride goes before destruction. It also says pride will bring us low (Prov 29:23). So that first step is a dangerous one.

The second indicator is neglecting prayer. Remember the night in Gethsemane when Jesus took His closest men with Him as He agonized in prayer? What did they do? They slept. A lack of prayer is another sign of pride. It says I can do everything without talking to God or seeking His advice. But without prayer, Peter reacted wrongly and hurt others. He lost discernment. 

Without prayer, we fight the wrong enemy, use the wrong weapons, and have the wrong attitudes. Compare Peter's response as he roused from sleep and cut off the servant's ear to Jesus' response after a time of close communion with His Father: "Put up thy sword into the sheath:" Jesus said, "the cup which my Father hath given me, shall I drink it?" (John 18:11). Prayer keeps us prepared and submissive.

The third indicator is following at a distance. As Jesus was arrested and brought to the high priest's house, Peter followed afar off (Luke 22:54), Which shows his spiritual location. No longer was he close, but now he felt the distance and maintained his distance. 

The fourth indicator is hanging around with the wrong crowd. Where does Peter find himself? No longer with his fellow disciples but around the fire with the world. The world is ready to turn him over as an equal traitor like Jesus. And what is Peter's reaction? He denies his Lord, just as Jesus predicted, three times.

Why talk about Peter's steps away from the Lord? Why tell such a sad tale? Because we need to learn from Peter's indicators. We, too, can fall away. And when we do, these same four steps will mark our falling away. 

Pride, the I-mode, begins taking over our words, thoughts, and actions. We might not initially see it, but if we trace our words, we will hear the I-word becoming a major part of our conversation and inner justification. Our prayer life will diminish. A trickle of prayer will seem too much of a burden. Our pride feeds the idea that prayer is a waste of time, and soon, we find ourselves at a distance. We may notice something is wrong, but pride keeps us from turning around. We feel more comfortable at a distance, and before long, we look at the companions around us and realize we are in a desperate place. Too weak to take a stand, we warm our hands with the world and deny we are Christians. We are backslidden.

But let's not leave it there because Jesus didn't leave Peter there. In Luke 22:60-61 we read, "And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."

That tender, precious gaze from the Saviour brings Peter back to reality. He knows he is in the wrong place. He sees where his decisions have taken him; the result is repentance, a broken acknowledgment of wrong. The last chapter of John records how Jesus came to Peter and restored him to fellowship and ministry, but this one significant moment was the spur that turned him around.

Friend, are you close to Jesus or far away? Do you think prayer is a waste of time? Is your conversation punctuated with too many I's? Is pride and self-serving your mode of life? Are you hanging around with a crowd that draws you away from close communion with the Lord? 

My prayer today is that one look at your Saviour will draw you back. He is willing and able to forgive and restore no matter how far you have slipped. He is the God who seeks, and He is seeking you today.