SCRIPTURE: (JESUS speaking) And He said, "I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before thou shalt thrice deny that thou KNOWEST me." (Luke 22:34)"EVEN those who are faithful to you will eventually betray you when you NEED them the most."
We all have a Peter in our lives. That friend who in their hearts are FAITHFUL; but are weak when the time arrives for them to stand with us. Sometimes through circumstances friends will deny their association to us "if" it means ESCAPING harm to them. Don't blame them because sometimes we are forced to chose ourselves over others and until we are put into this situation we cannot truly say how we ourselves will react. Although our friends have shown their faithfulness in past situations there will come a time when their faithfulness will be put to the test when we really need them the most. Strong Beliefs are convictions and when tested some beliefs are just too watered down to be strong enough when we are convicted by others. Although our friends may share our beliefs they will not SHARE our strong convictions to those beliefs; therefore, we find ourselves standing and fighting for those beliefs alone. Being human most of us are governed by popular beliefs and will follow those beliefs in times of persecution. They will not be able to stand the heat from the fire of judgments by others because it will be too hot for them to stand firmly beside us. However, due to our strong beliefs we will not fold nor melt in the face of the flames of Adversity. Therefore, we will STAND alone. The scripture of Luke 22:34, shows us how Jesus knew how Peter would deny KNOWING him not once but thrice (three times) before the cock crowed on that day. He was not surprised nor dismayed by this. Why? Because He had paid attention to those He surrounded himself with. He knew who would hand him over to his enemies and he knew who would deny knowing him. There was not one occurrence that took place in their time together that He did not observe the characters of His disciples. Therefore when His time drew near he was fully aware of who would do what. He did not judge them because he knew that everything that took place was meant to fulfill the Prophecy of His death.
We all need to understand that our friends and family; even enemies play important roles in how we live and how we die. Everything we do according to the WORD OF GOD is righteousness and will result in everlasting life after our deaths from this world. Therefore, be mindful of how we treat others in good and bad times. There is a good way and a bad way to fight back when facing those who persecute us. I am mindful that my fights are not those of my friends. I do not expect them to step to the plate and bear arms in my defense. Like Jesus, I am fully aware that my fight is mine! There have been many times when the Peters of my life (past and present) have withdrawn from my fights and denied their associations to me. Like Jesus, NOW, I do not blame them for their withdrawals nor denials. We as people must be true to ourselves and not expect others to fight our battles. The only true friend we have "is" Jesus Christ. He died for our salvation and nothing is more precious than this act of love from Him. Bless those who persecute you and those who forsake you. Realize like Jesus did that we cannot fault those who display cowardness in our hour of need. We Must Stand And Fight Through Our Storms "Alone." Friends will walk with us in our journey; but once we reach the crossroads they must abandon us as well. Be Blessed.
:~)Pfp (Facing these times ALONE)
