{"id":1497,"date":"2019-10-21T19:32:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-21T19:32:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ladiesstudyingjesus.com\/?page_id=1497"},"modified":"2019-10-21T19:51:49","modified_gmt":"2019-10-21T19:51:49","slug":"peter-and-his-sword-taking-things-into-his-own-hands","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ladiesstudyingjesus.com\/index.php\/peter-and-his-sword-taking-things-into-his-own-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Peter and His Sword – Taking Things into His Own Hands?"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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We have been looking at the arrest of Jesus in the garden.\u00a0 Every gospel records the ear of the High Priest\u2019s servant being cut off but interestingly only the book of John gives us the names of the servant and Peter as the sword swing culprit!\u00a0 This is not the first time compulsive Peter has taken things into his own hands, but it certainly was the most dangerous and violent!\u00a0<\/p>

But really Peter\u2019s whole approach to Christ\u2019s capture and death was very wrong!\u00a0 He had been fighting the will of God long before he gave a swing at the head of Malchus!\u00a0 Earlier that night he had been sleeping instead of praying, talking instead of listening, boasting instead of fearing, arguing instead of learning, rebelling instead of submitting, and now fighting instead of running!\u00a0 Here we see Peter at war with the wrong enemy with the wrong weapon!\u00a0 Even when Jesus was actively surrendering, Peter was staging an attack!\u00a0\u00a0 In all of this, I think of the old hymn \u201cStand Up, Stand Up for Jesus\u201d.\u00a0 Peter was certainly standing up for Jesus in this incident, but like the third verse of the song says \u201cthe arm of flesh will fail you, Ye dare not trust your own:\u201d In every aspect Peter was trusting his mind, his heart, his motives……his flesh!\u00a0 Peter was not obeying Christ; he was not walking in faith; he was not Christ-like!\u00a0\u00a0 Jesus had made His plan for the disciples very plan, He even controlled the arresting crowd by telling them to let the disciples go, yet Peter would have nothing to do with it!\u00a0<\/p>

But let\u2019s not get too hard on young Peter!\u00a0 Can\u2019t we easily do the same thing?\u00a0 Push ahead, connive, plan, maneuver, and drive our lives right pass the will of God<\/strong>!?\u00a0 And in the end, like Peter, we will get the wrong result!\u00a0 We are not capable of running our lives apart from God.\u00a0 Jer. 10:23 \u201cO Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 We need the hand of God to guide us.\u00a0 The familiar verses, Prov. 3:5-7, give us an outline to follow the guidance of God.\u00a0 \u201cTrust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.\u00a0 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.\u00a0 Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart form evil.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

So many times we learn these verses as children, have them preached to us as teens, but let\u2019s make sure we apply them to us as adults!\u00a0<\/p>

  1. Trust the Lord \u2013 (v.5) Rely on, depend on, have faith in God\u00a0\u00a0 We say we trust God for providing our salvation but for directing and leading our lives we take over.\u00a0 We act like this is our life to direct and forget the words of Paul in I Cor. 6:19, \u201cWhat? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>(Italics mine)\u00a0 We are bought with the price of the blood of Jesus, therefore we need to be glorifying God both in body and attitude.\u00a0 We must depend on Him for our daily lives, seek Him for our future, and trust His perfect plan for the winding road of our past!\u00a0<\/li>
  2. Don\u2019t lean on your own thinking – (v.5) Prov. 28:26 \u201cHe that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.\u201d Devising your own life plan is a fooling act!\u00a0 A wise person walks after God, seeks God\u2019s best, and patiently waits for God\u2019s direction.\u00a0 Listen to Ps. 37:3-7 \u201cTrust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou salt be fed.\u00a0 Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.\u00a0 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to past.\u00a0 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.\u00a0 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prosperity in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Our thinking is flawed, God\u2019s thinking is perfect.\u00a0 Go with God!<\/li>
  3. Seek God for all your plans \u2013 (v.6) Jesus taught in His model prayer, often called The Lord\u2019s Prayer, to pray this way, \u201cThy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.\u201d\u00a0 Staying within God\u2019s will should be our deepest, heart\u2019s desire; even as we saw Jesus pray in the garden, \u201cnot my will but thine be done\u201d, this should be our consent prayer.\u00a0\u00a0 We must \u201cacknowledge\u201d God in all our ways, meaning, know God, seek Him, and then shall He be able to guide your steps!\u00a0<\/li>
  4. Walk with God \u2013 (v.7) Peter might have been in the presence of Jesus, but he certainly was not walking in step with Jesus! But when we are quick to live a life pleasing to God we will be in tune to His desires for us.\u00a0 Walk with God and you will be in step with Him!\u00a0 Psalm 37:23\u00a0 \u201cThe steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.\u201d<\/li><\/ol>

    Like Peter, we may not always understand God\u2019s plans for our lives; many things may be difficult and hard.\u00a0 But remember the last verse of \u201cStand Up, Stand Up for Jesus\u201d, \u201cTo Him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; He with the King of Glory, shall reign eternally.\u201d\u00a0 Our life is but a short time of tribulations, and trials, but eternity is forever!\u00a0 Let\u2019s commit not to take things into our own hands but to be a wise person walking after God, seeking God\u2019s best, and patiently waiting for God\u2019s direction.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    We have been looking at the arrest of Jesus in the garden.\u00a0 Every gospel records the ear of the High Priest\u2019s servant being cut off but interestingly only the book of John gives us the names of the servant and Peter as the sword swing culprit!\u00a0 This is not the first time compulsive Peter has taken things into his own hands, but it certainly was the most dangerous and violent!\u00a0 But really Peter\u2019s whole approach to Christ\u2019s capture and death…<\/p>\n

    Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1497","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t