You probably know the story of the apostle Peter, a disciple of the Lord Jesus. He denied knowing Him three times because the Lord Jesus had been arrested. And Peter was there watching what the guards and the religious were doing to the Lord Jesus, mixed in the crowd. Then, when someone recognised him, Peter said: “I don’t know this man”. Many know this story, but perhaps not from the point of view that you will know now.

The text says that before the Lord Jesus was arrested, He said to Peter: “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me.” And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?” So they said, “Nothing” (Luke 22:31-35).

You see that the devil had a particular interest in Peter. He wanted to sift him. Of course, a soul is a soul for God and the devil. But some souls represent many souls. And Peter indeed represented many souls because he was one of the main disciples. And Satan wanted to overthrow Peter.

When the rooster crowed, Peter discovered he did not know himself and needed to go through that great embarrassment. Peter had a very wrong idea about himself. Spiritually speaking, he thought he was a superman.

And this serves as a warning for us. In the heat of the moment, I have seen many people say: “I will never abandon the Lord Jesus”. People say what they would like to be true. But they don’t know that they have a wrong idea of themselves. They are relying on their own understanding, on their own structure.

The warning is clear: we tend to think we can do more. The adulterer never thought that one day he would betray his wife. On the contrary, he even rejected adultery. In other words, they felt they had a structure they didn’t have. They were deceived by their own heart. It’s not trusting you with all your heart, but the Bible says to trust the Lord. This self-confidence becomes excessive. See that of the twelve disciples, Peter was the one who stood out the most.

So, be careful. You must humble yourself and put yourself in dependence on God. Don’t make your strength your help. Your heart has to trust God and always distrust your flesh. Don’t believe your fallen part (the evil inheritance of Adam and Eve). Because of this, you have to always look at God, evaluate yourself, and correct yourself so that you do not go through tremendous embarrassment.

Check out the entire message by watching the video above and meditate on it.