You Are Valuable!

Many Christians are haunted by their past because of their mistakes.

Guilt, shame and condemnation keep them from moving forward in their relationship with God. Many times we just quit because we feel something is just too hard for us; we continually fail, so why not just give up? The key to understanding the Christian life is this; you’re going to make mistakes. The difference between failure and success is tied to what you do after the fall!

Out of all the disciples, Peter must have known intimately what that felt like. After boldly declaring to Jesus that he would never deny Christ, Peter turned his back on Jesus three times! The Bible shows us that “after Peter realized” what he had done, “he walked out of the courtyard, crying bitterly.” (Luke 22:62) Ok, was he now disqualified from being a disciple? Did he throw away the plan that Jesus had for his life? Was there any way for this sin to be forgiven? Guilt, shame and condemnation exploded into Peter’s life. What a horrible feeling he must have had, denying the Lord Jesus Christ because of the fear of man. WOW! How could God ever use a horrible person like that?

Well friend, let’s look at truth. What did Jesus show us after His resurrection concerning the terrible sin of Peter? He sees Peter and has breakfast with him! After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time He asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-17) Now, what do we see? Jesus did not ask how sorry Peter was for what he did. He did not ask what lead to his denial. Jesus was not interested in how bad Peter felt or the level of his remorse. Jesus wanted to know, “Do you love me?” BAM!

Maybe you have made some bad choices. Maybe you are in the middle of one of those choices right now and feel trapped by the guilt. Don’t allow the enemy to have victory in this. Call the sin out! Repent and move forward! Turn from the wrong and focus on falling in love with Jesus; you are still capable of being the person God created you to be. Jesus didn’t ask about Peter’s sin and He isn’t going to consult your past to determine your future. Let God love you and help you become the overcomer that you are. Believe me, God has invested a great price for you and He is not, no NEVER, going to give up on you!