"The Chill"

 "And the servants and officers stood there, who had made a fire of coals: and they warmed themselves: and Peter stood with them, and warmed himself." (John 18:18 KJV)

  ""Simon and Levi are two of a kind; their weapons are instruments of violence. May I never join in their meetings; may I never be a party to their plans. For in their anger they murdered men, and they crippled oxen just for fun."" (Genesis 49:5-6 NLT)

 For your information, yesterday morning I was broken as I was typing those words, "those watchmen on the walls," because it reminded me of the way we react when there is a trial or difficulty in our lives, as if we think that God is taking something out on us, for something we might have done wrong. As if God is causing the trouble in our lives because of our sins! 

 More than ever before, I can see the power that the enemy has in our lives, based upon the guilt we allow him to see in us! He cannot read our minds, but he sure can see our reactions and our feelings towards one another! Pastor Chris kept using the term, "Iron sharpens iron," as he confirmed the need us men must have to be in fellowship with one another. 

 Well, we must be like iron to be able to participate in that, sharpening, which basically means, that we know without a doubt, that our sins have been forgiving! We must settle that issue once and for all! If you might recall, if you have stuck with for any length of time, when I shared about Jesus' parable of the servant that was forgiven by the King, of a debt he never could have repaid, that the reason he could not have forgiven his fellow servant, was he still felt connected to that debt, as if it was still his to hold onto! 

 Paul shared on this issue in Romans and Galatians; both of which speak about being free from bondage! Jesus Christ has set us free from the bondage of sin; therefore, that old man, the one that would always sin, has been crucified with Christ, and has been raised up a new man, that is now living for and in the righteousness of Christ Jesus; the One sits at the righthand of the Father, making intercession for the mistakes we might make! 

 Peter should have taken a quick 180 degree turn right out of that gate! But instead, he chilled out by the fire, most likely feeling numb from the words that he had spoken. If we do not confess our sins and get right, we will be tossed to and fro! As though we have learned nothing; being held up by the sin we are still in, instead of being the man of God we should become... 

"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the lifegiving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit." (Romans 7:24-8:4 NLT)