“Peter said to him, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!’ And all the disciples said the same.” – Matthew 26:35
It wouldn’t be many hours before Peter’s confident words proved false. Fear grabbed hold of him and Peter loudly and angrily denied Christ to save his own skin. Before we judge, we’d probably have done the same thing if we were there.
The good news is that in Christ, there’s another chance! The very message of the gospel is about the forgiveness, healing, and restoration of the things we’ve messed up. Christ provides numerous second chances and Peter received his. After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to Peter and restored him to service and ministry. It’s a beautiful moment that reminds us that until we die, we’re never too far gone to be loved and restored by Jesus Christ.
However, that restoration would be meaningless if Peter merely repeated his error. Fortunately he didn’t! Peter went on to eventually die for Jesus after a long and fruitful ministry. What changed? Certainly nothing about Peter himself. What changed was that after Christ ascended to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit into the world to live in the heart of every Christ-follower. He is a Spirit of boldness and not fear!
During the many subsequent times Peter faced imprisonment, suffering, and death, he didn’t do so as Peter, brash and fearful. He faced them as Christ-in-Peter, a Spirit-filled man of boldness and power. The Holy Spirit’s presence transformed Peter. That same transforming power lives within every follower of Jesus. However, we must let go of the control over ourselves we enjoy so much and yield it to God the Spirit Who lives within us. Yield yourself to God’s Spirit and discover all He has in store for you!