“And when he thought about it, he wept” (Mark 14:72)

It’s thought by some that Peter’s denial of Christ became in him a well of compassion for others. He told saints, “All of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another … be tenderhearted” (1 Peter 3:8-10), but he probably never denied Christ again. The glance Christ gave to Peter when the cock crowed, was branded forever on his soul. It was far more effective than ten thousand sermons.

Peter’s sin was very great, but most saints deny Christ until they learn to die to their flesh and discern the leading of the Holy Spirit. Has this happened to you? The Holy Spirit puts you in exactly the right place and exactly the right time to witness to someone, and instead of speaking the name of Jesus, you doubt the opportunity was orchestrated by God, and wonder if Satan “set you up”. After you’ve withdrawn and consider what happened, you realize, to your horror, you’ve broken your promise to Christ. Remember? You told Him, in all sincerity,  I’ll trust You as Savior and follow You as Lord”.

But this is how we learn. “Solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12). If you never want to feel guilt and shame again, I recommend you make a covenant with Christ. It’s a simple prayer: “Lord, if I know without a doubt that you want me to do or say something, I’ll do it”. The caveat is you must be sure it’s God leading you to do it. If you make this covenant with Christ, it’s like dying to self ahead of time. You can consider yourself dead to whatever comes from obeying God. This is how soldiers prepare for a battle. They say, “I’m dead already, so I can do whatever is asked of me”.

.