Today I was doing battle with the spirit of Betrayal. I am starting to write my second book. It is a Bible Study on spiritual warfare using my first book, The Shattered Vase, as a foundation for this study.
I was reading the Bible and studying the ultimate betrayal, the denial of Peter when Jesus needed him most.
In Luke 22:33 Peter says, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”
But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.”
In Luke 22: 54-62 Peter denies Jesus three times just as Jesus predicted. This is when Jesus was being arrested.
I was meditating on this passage this morning and a thought occurred to me. What if Peter had not denied Jesus?
He most likely would have been crucified with Jesus. Who would have started the church and spread the good news if Peter had died?
Jesus knew Peter’s heart. He knew he was impulsive but he changed his name to Peter because that name meant “the rock.”
Jesus was willing to allow Peter to betray Him not once but three times because Peter would be the one to start spreading the good news when Jesus left the earth.
So is the spirit of betrayal a good thing? No, I don’t believe that anything which can tear your heart in two is good. I do believe though, that God can work through evil to bring about good.
People always think that Peter was a chump for denying Jesus when He needed Him most. However, Jesus needed Peter alive more than He needed his loyalty. I do believe that Jesus allowed this betrayal for one reason…His love for you.
Please feel free to take a look at my novel, The Shattered Vase. It is a novel which examines the wiles of the devil and the power of God in relation to one simple single mother. Just click on the following link and you will be transported to my bookshop.!https://store.bookbaby.com/book/The-Shattered-Vase
