John 13:37-38 "Peter asked, "Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you. Then Jesus answered, "Will you really lay down your life for me? I tell you the truth, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!"
"You will disown me three times", the Lord told Peter. Peter would totally deny the Lord, the third time just done when he heard the crowing of the rooster and the Lords words coming back to him. Can you imagine how Peter felt, he loved the Lord so much, just knew he would stand by His side no matter what, yet denied Him three times, afraid for his life.
You are thinking now of threat of death being something that would be hard to decide, to deny Jesus to save your own life? But this is not about a threat of death. Do you realize how often our precious Lord is denied by us? We go to church, we worship our Lord and we try our best to follow His principles. Yet, there are those times, you just find yourself in the group of friends you haven't quite weaned yourself off of, talking that "cute" talk, throwing in a cuss word here and there for emphasis, laughing at off color jokes. Did you realize when you do this, you are denying our Lord? You go to a movie, know it is an "R" rated movie, but you have heard it was real good and you just love the actor in it. You sit through a movie, salted with words they bleep on TV, sexual scenes that should stay behind closed doors, get really into it and come out thinking what a great movie it was. You just denied Him again.
When you give yourself completely to the Lord, give Him your life, dedicate yourself to following Him alone, you have to determine to live in Him. No more stepping from one side to the other as you would will, no more thinking you can live one foot in the world and the other in Jesus. It does not work. Sooner or later, you will find that the world will overcome you as you are not completely sold out to God. You will become so stressed, so fatigued at your life, and you actually will begin to think it is something the enemy is doing to you. You will not even recognize that the double life style you are in is causing your downfall. Satan is so subtle, most often he just lets you do it yourself, lets you deny Christ on your own. And here you are, blaming him for something he just sat around and laughed at you as you denied our Lord.
You must change everything. If you are to seek after God, looking to be only His, you must change the things you were doing before. I don't read the books I use to, there is not room for the scenerios they portray, the words used; TV shows I use to enjoy hit a chord with me that is not right, so off they go. there is no room for them in the mind that is now focused only on my Father. Giving up these things is not really a difficult thing to do. It is a matter of what and who you love the most. The what is the wonderful of the Lord, the who is my God.
To me, there is only one choice. I chose God, my all in all, my everything. He takes over so completely when you give your life to Him, filling every fiber of your being with Himself, pouring so much love into you....I tell you, you won't miss anything of this world. What excitement He brings when He floods your room with His presence, with His love. I chose God, the Father, the Holy Spirit and the precious Lamb, Jesus Christ. I will not deny my Lord, whether it be for earthly things or for my life. My life is worth nothing without Him. If I deny Him, I cease to be what I am; His worshiper. I can be nothing less than what He has made me, His child, His beloved. He will never deny me and I will never deny Him.
What will you chose to do? Will you chose to give up your worldly attractions? There are plenty of movies and TV shows that are good shows, shows you don't have to flinch to watch, or feel shamed inside afterwards. There is a lot of fun things to do, God made so many enjoyable things for His children. Chose them next time. Step away from the worldly crowd that make you feel like you've just lost your best Friend when you get to joking with them. Step into the life that God has made for you, one in which you are lifted above things of the world and into the realm of His Eternal Life. A choice you will never regret. One that will never have you denying the Lord again, only living for Him.
My precious Lord, if I have in the past denied You, I again ask Your forgiveness. I am never again going to deny that I am a child of God. You have cleansed my mind, my heart and my life from ungodly things and I refuse to take them up again. I am Yours, now, this day, always. I love you so much, Father, and I thank You for the beautiful life I now have in You. This 31st day of January, 2011, I give you all my worship, all my love.
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