When you find yourself on a road to perdition, stop. Take note of your surroundings. Do you see God at work? Or is He behind you, patiently waiting at the crossroad where you left Him? God will never forsake you, yet He allows you to choose the road on which you will travel. Did you ask Him at the crossroad, "Is it this way, Lord?"
Jesus chose his Father’s will and not his own at a crossroad of temptation in the Garden of Gethsemane prior to His arrest by the Roman soldiers. On the road which He chose to travel, Jesus knew God’s purpose for His life on earth—His atoning sacrifice for the salvation of all mankind.
When you are at a crossroad of temptation, remember that God does not tempt, Satan does. God tests our spirit to strengthen it through our choice to follow His will. Whether it is a temptation of lust, returning to an addiction, leading someone astray, or any one of your weaknesses, God is testing your spiritual strength to overcome, not by your force nor by your strength, but by His Spirit. 1
Prepare your spirit to be strong in the Holy Spirit and surrender your flesh to God as Jesus did in the garden on that dark night for humanity:
They went to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, "Sit here while I go and pray." He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, "My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. "Abba, Father," he cried out, "everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine."
Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. He said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak."2
It is at a crossroad that we find our flesh weak to resisting the temptation to take the road that eventually, if we do not turn around, will lead to perdition. If God is not by your side nor are you following Him, stop…turn around…and flee to your last intersection of peace. This is where you will find
Jesus. He did not forsake you by not following you. He is holy and will not adulterate His purity with your sin. Yet, He is not far away even if your travel on the road to perdition has been a long one. Just step away from your sin and step towards His grace that will receive you again with his unconditional love.
"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes."3
Peter was at a crossroad. He could choose to stand with Jesus in the courtyard of the high priest after Jesus’ arrest and acknowledge that he knew Christ as one of His disciples, or he could deny Him as the one he loved, the one he would die for as he promised Christ at the Last Supper: "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!"4 Yet, Christ predicted Peter’s denial of Him, "I tell you the truth, Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me." 5
The crossroad at the Garden of Gethsemane was a turning point for Jesus and His disciples. He asked Peter, James, and John to accompany Him in prayer. Yet, his friends chose a different road when asked to pray for their leader. Three times he instructed them to pray that they not fall into temptation, yet each time He found them sleeping.6
Their faith was being tested, for God had called them to carry out His work after Jesus left this earth as the Son of Man. Satan was in the garden that night as he was in the Garden of Eden. While Jesus was strengthened through prayer, His disciples were not, displayed first by Peter who attempted to change the course of Jesus’ arrest by attacking the high priest’s servant, then by all of them as they fled to safety as Jesus was taken away by a squad of Roman soldiers, and finally, again by Peter when he denied knowing Jesus three times, cursing and swearing, saying, "A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!" 7
When we find ourselves on the road to perdition having taken the bait of Satan’s temptation, God will give you a way out. You will encounter another crossroad, another chance to turn from your will and follow His will. Stop at the crossroad and pray. You will be strengthened by the Holy Spirit to turn back to your last intersection of peace with God: "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall. The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure."8
Peter was given a second chance. After Christ was arrested, crucified and died for our sins, He was raised to life by Father God on the third day. An angel in the empty tomb told the women who came to tend to His body, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."6 The angel specifically named Peter. He who denied knowing the Lord was not to be left out, and before Christ appeared to His disciples as a group, he appeared to Peter. What love! Forsaking Christ, yet forgiven; denying Him, yet unconditionally loved.
Jesus then commissioned Peter to be the leader of His people when He appeared to seven of the disciples that were fishing at the Sea of Galilee. Speaking to him privately, Jesus asked Peter three times, "Do you love me?" Each time he was asked this profound question, Peter replied, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." With each confession of his love for the Lord, each denial was wiped away and
replaced with a calling for the remainder of his life. Jesus said to Peter, "Feed my lambs," "Take care of my sheep," and "Feed my sheep."9
Are you at a crossroad of faith? Are you travelling down a road to perdition? Do you feel that God is far from you? Wherever you are in life, God will never forsake you even if you have forsaken Him. If you have never asked Jesus into your heart, or if you have taken the wrong road at the crossing, you too can receive God’s love and forgiveness as Jesus so powerfully portrayed through the story of Peter and countless others who have surrendered their will to receive His will for their lives. It’s as simple as stopping, turning, and taking a step towards Jesus. Your savior—Jesus—is waiting to hear from you. His arms are open for you to receive His love, a love that will never forsake you.
Jesus, come into my life. Enter my heart and fill it with your love. I confess that my sins will bring me death, but receiving you in my heart gives me eternal life, starting now. I stop my will and turn to you. I ask for your forgiveness. Clean my heart, mind, and body and make it pure. Save me from temptation. Show me a way out of the darkness, a door to walk into your Light. I choose to take the road that leads me out of my sin, not by my power nor by my might, but by your Spirit. Holy Spirit, fill every cell of my heart, mind, and body with Your power. I bind my mind to the mind of Christ. I bind my will to the will of God. I bind my emotions to the Holy Spirit. I bind my body, soul, and spirit to God’s will and purposes for my life and my end time destiny. In Jesus name, Amen.
♱ ♱ ♱
2Mark 14:32-38 NLT
3Jeremiah 29:11-14a NLT
4Matthew 26:35 NLT
5Matthew 26:34 NLT
6Matthew 26:36-46
7Matthew 26:74 NLT
81 Corinthians 10:12-13 NLT
9John 21:15-17
Praise to Our Father for the words He has given me.
Jeff Cambridge Copyright ©2014
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