4 Reasons Why Peter Failed
The Gospel of John (102) 4 Reasons Why Peter Failed (John 18:12-18)
1. to be arrogant
Peter said that even if all the other disciples betrayed him, he never betrayed him (Mark 14:30-31). In interpersonal relationships or community life, I often see people who say, “I will never betray myself!” What's the problem? Self is the only problem. If you are conceited, you will surely fail. Loyalty People who say they need God to help them faithfully are usually loyal. So let go of your pride.
Sometimes, just looking at the horizon from the beach, I can feel how fleeting human success is. How many appearances and phenomena are there beyond the horizon? But people roll around with what is in front of them and groan in their wounds because of what they see in front of them. Don't cling to what you see, look at the dawn of grace beyond what you can see with the eyes of faith, and don't be discouraged because you don't see what you currently see, and don't be proud of what you see now.
2. Not Praying
In the Garden of Gethsemane, while the Lord was praying all night, he took Peter, James, and John with him and asked them. “My heart is so troubled that I am about to die; stay here and stay awake” (Mark 14:34). At that time, the disciples only slept. Failure to do so greatly increases the chances of failure. Even though we know that fact, we often forget to pray in our busy modern life, so it is important to cut down an hour a day and make a life of prayer as a habit.
Prayer is most essential for those who want to be used by God. In that sense, the greatest failure among failures is failure without prayer. Some people use various excuses to make themselves look high. Among those excuses, the saddest excuse is the excuse for the failure of a life of prayer. Give up your excuses in the face of problems and seek prayer. Then, even if there are failures in the process of moving towards the goal, the final victory will be his.
3. Far-following
When people dragged Jesus into the high priest's house, Peter followed him from a distance (Luke 22:54). The distant following shows the life of modern saints well. When the distance from the Lord grows and the distance from the church grows, at some point, we undergo a terrible and irreversible training process. At that time, it is no use crying, trying to be of no use, searching for someone to help you is no use. If you want to live a happy life, draw close to God.
Power does not come from positions, but rather from distances from those in power. A low-ranking presidential aide has more power than a high-ranking minister. So, trying to narrow the distance with those in power is rather difficult. Here's a great way to keep going forever without those side effects. It is drawing closer to God. True blessings come from our distance with the Lord. The shape of grace and blessing changes depending on how close you are to the Lord.
4. What you did with your enemies
When Jesus was arrested and interrogated by the high priest, Peter was warming himself in front of a charcoal fire with the high priest's servants and servants (verse 18). Being with his enemies was another reason for Peter's failure. People are influenced by their environment. After sending one identical twin to the United States and the other to Africa, 20 years later, their faces change, their lives change, and they think differently. If the environment is bad, the probability of failure increases that much.
Why did God cause Abraham to leave Ur of the Chaldeans? It is God's will to break free from humanism and live a life of neo-humanism. There are three worldly cultural products that you should be most wary of in your life of faith. First, having knowledge of the Word but not putting it into practice, second, falling into shamanistic and superstitious appearances, and third, coveting a place in the church. There is no failure in your life when you escape from the secular culture that pursues only what is visible and tangible, enter the narrow gate and try to find true joy and reward in it.