Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, And the sheep will be scattered.’ 28 “But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.” 29 Peter said to Him, “Even if all are made to stumble, yet I [will] not [be].” 30 Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, [even] this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31 But he spoke more vehemently, “If I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And they all said likewise.

– Mark 14:27-31 (NKJV)

I wish someone had told me early on in my ministry that leaders give into temptation when they feel strong, not necessarily when they know they are weak. I’ve learned when things are going well really well I need to lean into Jesus and trust him all the more. I’ve caught myself once or twice about to say something stupid or snarky about someone or something only to fall on my face and cry out, “Lord save me from myself!” It’s the times I didn’t catch myself and the words got out that I lament it the most.

Peter is bold, and that’s a good characteristic to have. Jesus will use Peter and his boldness in a great way, but not until Peter’s prideful attitude is reigned in. He needs to learn that when he is prideful, he is not trusting Jesus. In the book of Acts, Peter will be bold. He will stand up and be a witness for Christ. He will wear chains, be persecuted, and tradition tells us that he will eventually be crucified, but his boldness doesn’t come from bravado or pride. The difference is that in the last chapter’s of Peter’s life his boldness came from trusting Jesus.

Lord, Let all of our boldness come from you. We don’t need a false bravado. We don’t need pride. We don’t need to be bullheaded in our circumstances. We need to be firmly yielded to you. Give us the grace and strength to submit our lives wholly to you that we might be used by you. Thank you for the lessons we learn the hard way through poor choices in our circumstances and thank you for the grace to learn lessons the easy way through trusting you and applying your word to our circumstances. We love you and want to grow in knowledge of you and your word. Give us discernment as we apply your word to our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.