When Jesus was preparing to go to the Cross, he was surrounded by his own disciples who had walked with him for 3 years. They had all felt his presence in the most tangible way possible, witnessed his miracles, and were taught one-on-one by him. They were there when he multiplied the fish and the loaves of bread to feed the 5,000. They were there when he healed so many people and drove out demons. They had pledged their loyalty to him and made great swelling statements of how they would stand by him. Yet, not one did when the going got tough.
Simon Peter even said that he would go to his death for him. Yet Simon temporarily failed in his weak and fearful flesh when things got really rough, and he even denied knowing Jesus.
Luke 22:31-34 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” But he said to Him, “Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!” And He said, “I say to you, Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.”
Oh, Simon still believed that Jesus was who he said he was – but he couldn’t hang onto the courage to stand up for him with other men when his own life was threatened. He lied when he said he didn’t know Jesus – he failed in his confession because he was afraid. He went from fearless to fearful in a matter of hours.
Before all this happened, Jesus told Simon that it was going to happen – and it did – just the way he said it would. He also told him something that saved his spiritual life. Jesus told Simon that he had prayed for him that his faith would not fail as a result of his own sinful failure and lack of courage. Denying that Jesus was the Christ was a terrible blasphemous sin, especially considering that Simon had pledged his life to defend Jesus just hours before.
Satan wanted to destroy Simon by causing him to lose his faith because he had lost his courage. Simon had wept bitterly when he realized what he had done. He was completely broken – and that’s when Satan would have finished the job with a great big heap of condemnation if Jesus would have allowed it. Condemnation is always the first response of a wicked agenda. Complete destruction of one’s faith can result by condemning an already broken-hearted sinner.
The trials of the Revelation Days ahead are going to get rough. People who have stood strong and powerful in their faith in earlier times, may be assaulted by Satan himself. Our brothers and sisters are a huge target of a common enemy. We need to keep in mind that “but for the grace of God, there go I.”
We need to pray fervently and beseech the Lord for our brothers or sisters that have grievously failed. That should be our first response. Our hearts should break and our spirits should grieve that a comrade has fallen. There should never by any other response from Christ followers except to intercede so that their faith not fail, as Jesus set the example with Simon Peter.
Then Jesus said something wonderful to Simon. He said “when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” Jesus knew that Simon would deny him, then repent and turn around, then preach a few days later at Pentecost and 3,000 would get saved by one message! He knew that his faith would not fail and that he would then have the opportunity to strengthen others in the same way Jesus had strengthened him – by praying for him!
You can come back again from any kind of failure. You can be forgiven and you can, once again, operate in the fullness of your anointing and calling. Peter did – you can too. Don’t be deceived by angry and proud voices if they tell you that you can’t come back. We have a very relatable story about one who did – in Simon Peter. Losing your way is not the same as losing your faith.
Let’s remember how to go to war in the spirit for one another, even when we fail. Failure doesn’t mean that we are condemned – it means that we are weak. Yet, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus. If Jesus is interceding for us, should we not do the same for one another?
God is going to use the weak and the foolish things of this earth to confound the wise in the days ahead. I have a rock-solid witness in my spirit that he will. When God showed me in prison that he still loved me after my failures and that he would never, never, never leave me or forsake me, I knew that my faith was not going to fail. It had been shaken but it had not failed. It didn’t fail because of the prayers of God’s people – and the faithfulness of a loving God.
In the days ahead, let’s all remember to pray for one another that our faith not fail. Let’s remember that we are but flesh too, and that given different circumstances, it could be that “it’s not my brother, not my sister, but it’s me oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.”
Jesus is pulling for you, and we are too!
Love,
JIM,AS A FORMER EMPLOY OF THE HERITAGE VILLAGE CHURCH,I PAINTED FOR GOD, P.T.L,,AND YOU AT TIMES.I KNOW GOD GAVE YOU A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE.I NEVER HAVE DOUBTED THAT.YOUR FRUIT PROVES IT.I AM PROUD OF YOU AND LORI…SHE IS SENT TO YOU BY GOD,I’M SURE…EVEN THOUGH TIME IS GETTING SHORT UNTIL JESUS RETURNS, OR WE MEET HIM AFTER OLD AGE ENDS,THE JOY OF THE LORD IS OUR STRENGTH.BE HAPPY—WE BOTH KNOW THAT IT COULD BE WORSE.THANK YOU FOR THE BLESSINGS,THAT YOU HELPED BRING TO ME AND MY FAMILY SINCE 1983….I HAVE WENT THROUGH A LOT MYSELF,I WAS NEARLY KILLED IN A WRECK IN 2008,IT LEFT ME DISABLED, YET I THANK GOD I LIVED.I WAS DIVORCED IN 1998,BOTH MY SONS GOT ON CRACK,YET TODAY BOTH SONS ARE DRUG FREE,MARRIED,AND DOING FINE EXCEPT ONE HAS A BACK INJURY..THEY BOTH ARE LIVING IN THE NEW HOMES THEY BUILT BEFORE THE HOUSING CRISIS IN 2008..MY EX HAS REMARRIED,HER HUSBAND IS A GOOD MAN.I SURVIVED IT ALL,I DON’T HAVE ANY THING MYSELF,BUT I LIVE WITH MY YOUNGEST SON AND HIS WIFE.GOD HAS BROUGHT US BOTH THROUGH MANY A TRIAL,WE ARE MORE THAN OVER COMERS,WE ARE HIS SONS…MY COMMENTS ON YOUR BLOG KNOW THAT WE AGREE ON A LOT.GOD FORGIVES EVERYONE THAT FORGIVES EVERYONE…I FORGIVE EVERYONE…DEPRESSION IS A SPIRIT FROM SATAN,GOD DOES NOT HAVE THAT SPIRIT AT ALL.THE BEST WAY TO GET ANY THING FROM GOD IS TO FIND THAT NEED IN A PERSON,THEN HELP THEM TO GET THEIR PRAYER ANSWERED…YOU ARE BLESSED,FORGET THE PAST.LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO LOOK BACK…REJOICE OUR REDEMPTION IS DRAWING NEIGH.. OUR BLESSINGS ALWAYS OUTNUMBER THE COMPLAINTS….WHO SHOULD WE BLESS? SATAN’S CROWD CURSES,, GOD’S CHILDREN BLESSES..GOD HANDLES THE REST..WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.GOD’S CHILDREN WILL REAP FROM THE BLESSINGS SOWN.,EVEN AT THE END OF TIME…….LOVE WILL ALWAYS GET US PLACES THAT MONEY WON’T.
Jim, I am responding to the messages that our God has given you concerning preparing and this one on praying for each other.I find that I am in a situation that I truly feel alone. Today ,as I was driving to a doctor’s appointment with my elderly mother,God sends me a song on the radio and it lifts me up to new places that I am once again encouraged when the circumstances scream at me nothing but negative results, both in her life and my own. I am trusting in the God who does not fail, the Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end…His name is wonderful , counselor, prince of peace..the great physician..and He can do anything but fail…May God bless you , your family, your ministry and all who hear the Word spoken , may they be encouraged even in sad news knowing that in the sad news, it is really good news because we are called , we are children of the God who created all things and He loves us with an everlasting love….He is never, never, never going to leave us and that gives me strength….thank you for being faithful to the call of God on your life in spite of any discouragement, you persevere….Your ministry has been a blessing to so many…and you are loved by so many and remember..God Loves You Jim Bakker….He really does. I am sending hugs to you and Lori and your family through cyberspace..God Bless You.
This is not really concerning your note but I have been wondering why pastors today do NOT talk about preparing for future events and at least warning their congregations about the coming troubles/sorrows. I visit other churches occasionaly when I am with my grown children and I notice that their pastors never issue any warnings/advice to their people. In fact my pastor who is charamatic does not teach or preach on end times. What’s up? This disturbs me. My husband and I are preparing for events that we think might or are likely to come. Please offer some advice. Sometimes I feel like the “Lone Ranger.”
You are not alone! Many preachers are in fear of teaching the truth. It is all part of deception. Many pastors fear they will loose money if they don’t preach “happy church.” I will keep you in my prayers. Listen to Brother Jim and Sister Lori… they are of God and listen to Him! Read your Bible and pray…you will then know what to do.
Jim, I know exactly what you mean about the attacks coming when someone it beaten and broken down. With so many challenges over the last few years I found myself at that broken point where I could almost hear Satan asking me if God was real in the midst of all the crumbling around my life. At the moment I said that God is good no matter what the circumstances and He will never leave me nor forsake me, a corner was turned. Things still aren’t better but there’s an expectancy to knowing God is still at work even in the darkest of times.
I am reminded of the scripture, he who is forgiven much, loves much. He who is forgiven little, loves little. When Jesus reaches down into the pit we have fallen in. Pulls us out of the dirt and darkness we fall on our faces and declare God is a good God. Full of love and mercy. Many people who have failed in some way or another are good people who loved the Lord and never thought it would happen to them. We should show mercy and not further wound our brothers and sisters. Love covers the multitude of sin. God rejoiceth in mercy. I like what Dottie Rambo said, but for the grace of God, there go I. God bless you and Lori, I know in my heart and spirit that the hand of God is upon you. You may very well be doing more to bring in the lost, the hurting and giving them hope. Than those that are deluded by their own self-righteousness. The only righteousness I can claim is the righteousness of Christ. I am saved because he lived, died and rose again. Because he paid a price I could not pay.
Failure, Flesh and Faith
Dear Sir,
Thank you for those lovely words.
When you have the love of Jesus inside you, that is your personal individual reward in life, from God to you.
Jesus, I believe from reading the bible, turns everything upside down, back to front, twists, turns, confuses then gives humanity a little shake, and what remains is the people who are the true believers in his gospel.
Your above title in your message though sir, failure. We need to fail in order for Jesus to give us loving success. We need to be aware about the sins of the flesh in order to receive Jesus’ divine beauty. We need to feel the despair of being unfaithful in order to become faithful, and trust in the lord.
Failure
1 Corinthians 13:8 KJV
Charity never faileth: but where there be prophesies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Jesus is our charity. He never fails. It’s mankind that fails. The coolness of Jesus’ cooling balm when that broken, failed person allows Jesus, that anti-failure to come into their lives and sooth those hurt wounds, is given to all who just have faith in Jesus. Faith that he is the Christ, the son of god.
I believe there is just a handful of people out there who really know god, and when those handful of seeds are thrown across all the continents of the world, they can flourish and produce a hundred fold more. The few to become the many.
Thank you again sir for your message.
God bless,
Stephen
Stoke-on-Trent
Staffordshire
UK.