I think most people have an inner desire to be successful. I’m not saying that everyone wants to be prideful or famous… but we want to succeed in the things that are important to us. I want to be a successful father, grandfather and husband. I want to be successful in my health & finances. I want to be successful in my Christian faith.
But while we want success, we often face failure. We don’t measure up to our own definition of success. Sometimes we fail others. Sometimes we fail ourselves. And sometimes we fail God.
I’m not going to be able to list all the reasons why we fail. But I have discovered three in the story of Simon Peter’s failure. He was one of the strongest followers of Jesus Christ. But in a moment of time he failed three times in a row. You can read his embarrassing story in Mark 14:66-72.
I think many of us do the same things that Peter did. And that’s why we fail. So, I hope we learn something and fail less….
1. Ignore Warnings
Jesus warned Peter that he would deny Him (Mark 14:30). Had Peter heeded the Lord’s warnings, he would have avoided walking into temptation and denying his Master three times.
But along with the warning of denial from Jesus, came the prophecy of a rooster crowing twice. Now, had I heard the first crow, I think I would have gotten out of there. But Peter ignored the first rooster crow. Then with the second crowing he remembered Jesus’ words. was not the second crowing that got him, but the remembrance of Jesus’ words. To hear the Word of God and ignore or reject it at any point is to risk the judgment of God. Accept and act on it. Respond to God’s Word immediately. Don’t wait for the second crowing.
How many times have you been warned and you’ve ignored those warnings? Aren’t you drinking too much? You need to lose some weight? Shouldn’t you get back to attending church? Your attitude is changing?
Sometimes the warnings come from God’s Word. Sometimes the warnings come from close friends and family. Sometimes the warnings come from events or tragedies that should straighten us up. Don’t wait for the second warning. Wake up and turn to Christ now!
2. Wrong Company
The last place anyone would have dreamed Peter would go would be the courtyard of the High Priest. Yet that is where he is – with the enemies of Christ. He should have been with the disciples. But he was hanging out with the wrong crowd.
When fellowship with Jesus suffers, we move into the company of the world. With each denial, Peter moved further away from the light and distanced himself from Jesus. First, he denied being with Jesus. Second, he denied being one of Jesus’ followers. Third, he strenuously denied evening knowing Jesus.
The normal response would have left the courtyard after the denial, but he stayed with the enemies. It reminds me of Psalm 1. The blessed man does not walk, or stand, or sit with the ungodly.
Jim Rohn said, ‘You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.’
Spend time with people who will encourage you in the life you want to live. That’s why I spend lots of time in church and with Christians. It’s not because it’s my job. It’s because I’m encouraged to grow in my Christian life and be who I want to be.
3. Unexpected Temptation
Temptation came when Peter least expected it. Peter was not a coward and not afraid to fight. He earlier stood up to the Roman military to defend Jesus (John 18:10).
He was ready to fight with a sword but not to face the accusations of a servant girl. This temptation played into his strength – courage. Of all the disciples, he was the most courageous. But even our best ability, apart from Christ, is actually weakness.
Often we fail in our strength. Possibly because we are less dependent on God in our strength. We can do it by ourself. But, like Peter, we find ourselves in an awkward situation, out of our comfort zone, and fail. Just like the children’s song “Jesus loves me” – ‘little ones to Him belong, they are weak, but He is strong.’
What are some other reasons people fail?
You can read some of my other articles about failure and temptation: Power Failure, What Voice Do You Listen To In Temptation?, 4 Lessons Learned in the Temptation of Jesus, A Lesson on Temptation from a Monkey.
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