BUT PETER…BUT ON HIS OWN.

All the disciples fled. Jesus told His disciples they would all forsake Him that night. Sure enough, when Judas betrayed Jesus, they all scattered just as prophesy had said. BUT PETER followed from a distance and sat down with the officers to see the outcome (Matt 26:58). Peter is the one disciple who, after they all scattered, returned to follow. However, when it came down to it, he denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus said he would.

Peter tried but failed because he had no sustaining power. He was trying on his own strength. But this same man, after Christ’s resurrection, stood in the streets of Jerusalem and boldly preached to the same people that crucified Jesus. What changed? It was the empowerment he received just a short time before in the Upper Room, when they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

We often try to follow Him under our own power. But without His Spirit empowering us we are doomed to fail. You cannot succeed in your mission without the power of the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. We are to continually “be being filled.”

Are you trying to defeat a life-controlling behavior? Are you continually suffering defeat instead of enjoying victory? Maybe you’re trying to succeed under your own power. You’ll not succeed until you allow Him to fill you with His Spirit and continually draw on the power, being continually filled.

Go, today, in His power, filled with His Spirit, and walk in victory! God bless.

About Pastor Jim Dixon

Jim Dixon is a husband, father, grandfather, pastor, missionary and with his wife, Marsha, an author. Jim and Marsha are founders of God's Blueprint for Marriage, a ministry based on the experiences they had during reconciliation and restoration of their tumultuous marriage that would have ended in divorce, had it not been for God's intervention. Their marriage workshop called, not surprisingly, "God's Blueprint for Marriage" shares details of their failing marriage and, more importantly, the lessons they learned during the restoration process. Their book, "God's Blueprint for Marriage", is available through their web site, www.godsblueprint.info Jim is Missions and Small Groups Pastor at their church, Word of Life Fellowship. He and Marsha have a strong ministry presence in Peru, where he is a leader in the Evangelical Church of Christ of Peru, a Peruvian denomination. And Marsha is founder of Mujeres de Valor (Women of Worth), a ministry helping women in Peru find their place in service to God. They also work with Victory Bible College-Peru and Victory Fellowship of Ministries, organizations dedicated to training and supporting pastors and church leaders in that nation. Their two sons, Michael and Jeffrey, are also in ministry, Jeffrey full time as Youth Pastor of their church. Additionally they have a number of "adopted" sons and daughters, many of whom are in ministry as well. Jim is a professional storm chaser. You can hear him during severe weather in NW Arkansas on 40/29.

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1 Response to BUT PETER…BUT ON HIS OWN.

Joyce says:

February 18, 2012 at 4:31 pm

Hi Jim, I really believe in living the message you left on your post. Over and over again the Lord has shown me that we live in God’s world and with the guidance and help from the Holy Spirit, we can experience God’s favor and life in situations that ‘in the world’ would not be possible. Thank you! God bless you and your family!