Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Natalie Grant singing Clean … poignantly singing of God see so much more in our brokenness and failure than we can see, calling us to freedom from our failures which gives Him glory from our witness of victory.
Navy Seals drop out bell ...
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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 16:18 [ESV] ... 8 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
… Peter could never have seen his later denial of Jesus; but Jesus knew it and still saw the strength Peter would become as His later Apostle.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 16:13-20 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK ...
… Jesus saw strength in Peter which Peter himself could not see.
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Reference Passage : … Jeremiah 29:11 [ESV] … 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
… Even when God’s people were grumbling failures in the wilderness, and later captured into slavery, God promised them that He had a future plan for them … just like He has for us when we fail Him.
Reference Passage : … Luke 22:54-62 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… Peter, who had declared he would die for Jesus, fails his Lord and denies Him 3 times as Jesus had predicted.
Reference Passage : … John 21:15-19 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… After the resurrection, Jesus restores Peter’s faith and confidence by calling Peter in love to follow Him to victory as His Apostle.
Reference Passage : … Romans 8:28-31 [ESV] … USE THIS LINK …
… God, Paul, exhorts us as disciples of Christ to realize that ALL THINGS are for our good and God’s glory, … yes, even those things we see as failures in life.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Evan Morgan, uses a story of the Navy Seals drop out bell to illustrate that any failure in life can be turned into victory when we’re willing to follow Christ’s call. … The ODB author wrote: Jackson dreamed of becoming a US Navy Seal from early childhood—an ambition that led to years of physical discipline and self-sacrifice. He eventually faced grueling tests of strength and endurance including what’s referred to by trainees as “hell week.”
Jackson was physically unable to complete the exhaustive training, and reluctantly rang a bell [see photo] to inform the commander and other trainees of his choice to leave the program. For most, this would feel like failure. But in spite of the extreme disappointment, Jackson was later able to see his military failure as preparation for his life’s work.
In my life, having had many selfish sin failures, with weakness and a history of compulsive sexual sin, God saw in me something I could never see back then. And ultimately, when I surrendered to Him, He showed me that I could turn my victimhood to sin into victory for His glory by a calling into ministry to help others walk free from the shackles of shame associated with sexual sin (USE THIS LINK).
Peter was one of the Apostles we know failed Jesus miserably (see Luke 22); but Jesus knew Peter’s future would become a strong witness for the Lord after the resurrection (see highlight passages) and our Lord restored Peter (see John 21) to follow Him, … turning failure into a witness of freedom for Christ.
And anyone reading here can - and will - become freedom warriors for Christ when we’re willing to recognize the truth of Romans 8:28-31 and surrender to the power of God’s Spirit in us as born-again Christians, denying self and following our Lord (see Luke 9:23 on your own).
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for giving me (us) the opportunity to turn my (our) failures into freedom for Your glory.
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me to move past our failures when we realize that they are for our good and your glory, moving on to honor You with our witness. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
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