BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Flat-Out Denial The third time Peter fell was right after Jesus had been arrested. Things were bad and Jesus was in court. The things He told His disciples would happen were happening. Luke 22:54-55 says, “Having arrested [Jesus], they led Him and brought Him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed at a distance. Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.” Peter should have been following Jesus as close as he could, but instead he distanced himself. Not only that, he was hanging around the wrong crowd. Peter knew he belonged to Jesus, but now he was warming up with the wrong people. He wasn’t called to blend in, but to stand out. Then, “a certain servant girl, seeing him as he sat by the fire, looked intently at him and said, ‘This man was also with [Jesus].’ But [Peter] denied Him, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know Him’” (verses 56-57). This wasn’t like Peter. He had set himself on a road and ended up in a place he never would have believed. He denied the Lord. And it was the first of three times! The third time the rooster crowed, and Peter realized Jesus had heard every denial. Peter was so ashamed, so guilt ridden, so heartbroken, he ran away and wept bitterly. What happened to Peter happens to any of us who step over a line like that. The shame, the guilt, the disappointment. The very demons that drove Peter to stand in that place of compromise now worked to undermine him with condemnation to keep him there. Peter ran, just like Judas had run after his betrayal of Jesus. But with Peter something was different. When Judas ran, he went to an isolated place. Finding himself alone, not knowing how to deal with the shame and guilt of what he’d done, he destroyed himself. The thief had come to steal, kill and destroy, and it had worked. The same thief came after Peter. Like Judas, Peter could have destroyed himself at that moment. But there was one major difference between the way Peter and Judas reacted to their fall. The difference was where Peter ran. The next time we see Peter, he’s in the house with all the disciples. He ran back to his family, to those who supported him. I’m sure he was uncomfortable there. He may have felt like he no longer belonged. He certainly no longer felt like he was still one of Jesus’ trusted disciples. And because Peter was there, back with the family of God, he found himself in the right place at the right time. He was there on Resurrection Day. When Peter got word that Jesus had risen from the dead, he ran to the tomb like the wind (Luke 24:12). It was at that moment he realized, he was still in the net. He’d fallen, but the net of grace had caught him again. Make Your Declaration If you have fallen, join the club. Maybe you’ve fallen from your faith, fallen from your confidence in God, fallen from your marriage, fallen out with your kids, fallen out with other people in the Kingdom. Maybe you’ve gotten distracted by your own fears or your past. Maybe it’s present conditions or inadequacies rising up, or maybe you’ve just defaulted back to things from your old life that don’t seem to want to let go. Whatever the fall looks like for you, I’m here to declare to you that you’re still in the net. It’s time to rise up and declare like Micah 7:8, “Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me.” You’ve fallen, but be assured, you’ve been caught in the net of God’s grace. There’s always restoration no matter how hard you fell. You’re in a safe place. It’s your time to soar with confidence. It’s your time to be fearless of the fall! V Dennis Burke and his wife, Vikki, are co-founders of Dennis Burke Ministries in Arlington, Texas. For information or ministry materials visit dennisburkeministries.org. BVOV : 11

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