Is your trust blown by the wind?

I had turned around. I had lost my way. I was seeking the last place I knew peace. What I noticed baffled me. I had just turned around and took several steps in the opposite direction, and what I found was peace. Leaving the situation behind was all I needed to do.

Have you ever been in a situation of turmoil—whether within you or without, surrounded by a circumstance that gripped you for days, weeks, month, even years—one that was out of your control? One that if you could have done something about it, you already had, and when you did, it only seemed to worsen the consequences? What else could you have done? How does one overcome when all seems lost and without hope?

Trust—is it a word that seems to be written in the sand where the tempest winds of turmoil cover it with a dune of despair that looms before you or where crashing waves of worry relentlessly wash away your hope? In whom or what do you trust? Is it money you have saved for a rainy day, hoping that when it comes it just rains and that destructive forces do not leave you penniless? Is it your good health that you have painstakingly preserved with a nutritious diet and regular exercise and by avoiding excessive noxious habits, hoping that you won’t be hit by a truck as you cross the street? Is it your friends and family that you count on to be there for you during hard times, hoping that they don’t throw you under the bus? Is it yourself that you rely on because everyone else is a selfie, so focused on what they look like that their Facebook “Year In Pictures” is handheld portraits? Do you feel like this?... “I’ve got to look after myself because no one else will!” I am not suggesting that you reject common sense and abandon any care for yourself, nor am I suggesting that your friends and family are not worthy, or that you should not take care of your mind, body and spirit, or that you should spend, spend, spend and not save for the future or for unexpected events.  I am simply asking, “In whom or what do you put your trust?”

I thought about the times that I trusted in myself. I’m talking about major life decisions. You may have encountered some of these in your life—to establish a relationship or not, to commit to a covenant like marriage or not, to break up an unhealthy relationship or not, to divorce or not, to choose a career path or not, to pursue college or not, to start a family or not, to choose to abort a life or not, to put a loved one in a nursing home or not. In whom or what do you place your trust when you make these weighty decisions?

The times I trusted in me were like a crap shot of dice—the greater the risk, the more likely I would lose—a gamble for the truth or the consequences. But when I walked away from the table of chance, when I turned around from the turmoil of the situation, when I surrendered my emotions that boiled or drowned me—I found peace. And within that peace I found Jesus—a real man who willingly took upon himself to endure all that you or I may be feeling, even though He is God—because He wants you and me to trust Him:

“But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD;

He is their strength in the time of trouble.

And the LORD shall help them and deliver them;

He shall deliver them from the wicked,

And save them,

Because they trust in Him.”¹

What’s that worry that stabs within you like a dagger piercing your solitude? You may be thinking, “I'm not righteous, look at what I've done!” You’re right; none of us are righteous without the saving grace of trusting in Jesus: “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”² And those that trust in Jesus shall inherit the promises of God—the thousands of promises written in His Word in the Holy Bible. It is through faith in Jesus and patience in serving the LORD through our obedience to Him that you shall inherit the promises of God.³

Worried that in whom or what you are trusting is like building a house on a foundation of sand? Build your trust on the rock of Jesus that will not be moved by your circumstances. Trust in Jesus stands strong even as your world is falling apart around you, because within that trust is peace beyond your ability to comprehend:

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”⁴

In whom do you trust? In God I trust.

“Father God, maker of heaven and earth and everything in them, I trust in You that the sun will rise and display Truth and Light on my situation, that the moon will shine on my circumstances and overcome the darkness, that the Bright Morning Star will herald a new day full of the promises of trusting in Jesus. You created me to trust in You—not in me alone, nor anyone else alone, nor in anything that is manmade alone. All things will come to pass, and you know the beginning and the end and where I am right now. I surrender myself to You and receive Your Son, Jesus, in my heart for my salvation. I trust in You. In that trust is Your power to overcome worry. Upon that trust I build my life, a life that will not wash away when the storms beat against it, a life that will overcome sin and death as Jesus did. I am always victorious in Christ. In Jesus name! Amen.
 

“Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety.”

Proverbs 29:25 NLT

“Trust in the Lord and do good.

    Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the Lord,

    and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit everything you do to the Lord.

    Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

    and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.”

Psalms 37:3-6 NLT

 

1. Psalms 37:39-40 NKJV (italics added)

2. 2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

3. Adapted from Hebrews 6:12

4. Philippians 4:6-7 MSG

Praise to Our Father for the words He has given me.

Jeff Cambridge Copyright ©2014

Crossroad of Decision

 

Decisions, decisions, decisions. We find ourselves making decisions—some without much thought that are routine or simple, others complex that require some study before we act—but what about those we make that should be considered not from the mind where we can rationalize and override, nor from the heart that is filled with emotion and passion, yet rather, those that we should check in our spirit. "Is this right?" you ask in thought. Your mind rationalizes why it is because your heart filled with emotion of the moment provides a hypnotic persuasion that nullifies the part of you that should say, "No." It is your spirit where God lives within you that can remain strong even when your flesh is weak.
 
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.

♱ ♱ ♱

1Zechariah 4:6 NLT

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

Transitions VI: Passing the Baton

We all have dreams, visions of the future, imaginations of times to come, possible places to be, ideas to build, families to grow.  These dreams swell from the desires of our hearts and become yearnings with a hope that they will replace our present circumstances, an escape from the noise of today in exchange for the solitude of tomorrow.  Yet, that tomorrow of which we dream never seems to arrive.  Your dreams may elude you like a child playing hide and seek—you look for him in all the places you would hide, only to realize that he does not think like you, and that he can fit into places much too small for all that you are carrying around.

Why does your vision of the future seem elusive and beyond your reach, to exceed your capabilities or power to achieve them?  Consider in whom you place your faith for the outcome of your future, your destiny … your eternal destiny.  The apostle Paul provides us with insight to your future:

"What is faith?  It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.  It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith.

    "By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen."¹

    "It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.  He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in a tent.  And so did Isaac and Jacob, to whom God gave the same promise.  Abraham did this because he was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God."²

Dreams come to life when God is in them.  Dreams survive when God sustains them.  Dreams are the fuel of faith when one pursues God passionately.  Dreams are made real when they are pursued with the passion found in the patriarchs of faith listed in the “Hall of Faith:”  Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthab, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.

  

"All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.  For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race."3

I have a dream of leaving a legacy of faith for my children to model.  I have a dream that I will leave a mark of positive influences on their lives, that I may provide an intervention that will direct them to the one path to God, the stairway to heaven, the climb of sanctification that will change their lives.  I have a dream that my children will love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength, dedicating their lives to the pursuit of Christ’s character.

The foundation on which dreams such as these are built must be founded on the Rock⁴, unwavering faith in Christ Jesus, so as to prevail through circumstances foreseen and unforeseen.  Jesus teaches us to build our foundations on His principles by putting them into practice and modeling His behavior:

"So why do you call me 'Lord,' when you won’t obey me?  I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then obeys me.  It is like a person who builds a house on a strong foundation laid upon the underlying rock.  When the floodwaters rise and break against the house, it stands firm because it is well built.  But anyone who listens and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house without a foundation.  When the floods sweep down against that house, it will crumble into a heap of ruins."⁵

After salvation, sanctification must begin.⁶  Behaviors unworthy of Christ must change, replacing them with actions that glorify God.  This is a process, not a point in time, and it is often difficult because it comes against the very nature of our flesh—self-willed by the desires we pursue when we allow our “self” to rule our behavior.  We naturally desire the things of this world, but to receive God’s blessings such as peace that surpasses all understanding,⁷ joy that is abundant and overflowing,⁸ and love that is God,⁹ we must deny our own desires to receive His.  When you delight yourself in the Lord, your desires are His—and then He will give you your dreams:

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD, 

and he will give you your heart’s desires.¹⁰

When you live for Christ passionately, you can trust your heart and act on your passions—and your dreams will not seem elusive.  When you live for Christ passionately, you are not living passively, but rather, you are actively putting His teachings into practice.  Then you begin to notice that the desires of your heart change, and you begin removing the old behaviors that bound you to the ruler of this world, Satan.¹¹  Removing the old “self” provides room for God’s Holy Spirit to live.¹²  The Holy Spirit will begin to strip off and sweep out the sinful nature of your heart, like a new owner cleaning, refurbishing, and transforming an unkempt house.  This occurs when you live for Him passionately, forgoing your own desires and replacing them with His.

You must take action.  It is up to you to remove the weights of your sinful behavior so that you are capable to receive the blessings He will pass to you.  What step must you take to remove the weights, the burden of sin?  God’s promise is to lift the burden of sin when you ask Him to forgive you, and then repent of your behavior by doing a 180 degree turn from your old practices to new behaviors that glorify God.¹³  If truly in your heart you want to be set free, you will find freedom wherever the Spirit of the Lord is¹⁴—pursing the life he has intended for you.  What are you holding on to?  What crutches will you not give up?  Alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, greed, lust, manipulation, control of others … ?

    "Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised as he was.  Our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives.  We are no longer slaves to sin.  For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin.  And since we died with Christ, we know we will also share his new life.  We are sure of this because Christ rose from the dead, and he will never die again.  Death no longer has any power over him.  He died once to defeat sin, and now he lives for the glory of God.  So you should consider yourselves dead to sin and able to live for the glory of God through Christ Jesus."¹⁵

When you live for Christ, He will deliver you from these weights of sin and give you freedom to pursue your dreams.  Are you ready to run the race of faith with Christ?  The next step is yours—a step of faith.  Christ will give you the strength to throw off all that may hinder you from taking the next step—the step of faith when He passes the baton to you.¹⁶  He has prepared you with His rock solid foundation.  Now go forth running ahead passionately, for He has made a road to your dreams.

   "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.  And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish."¹⁷

  "I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection!  But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.  No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all that I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing:  Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven."¹⁸

—Apostle Paul, a finisher of the race

“Run with endurance the race that God has set before us.”

Hebrews 12:1

1. Hebrews 11:1-3
2. Hebrews 11:8-10
3. Hebrews 11:39-40
4. Genesis 49:24; Matthew 7:24-27; 16:18; Romans 9:33; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1Peter 2:6-8
5. Luke 6:46-49
6. Sanctification:  the state of growing in divine grace as a result of active dedication and service to God after accepting Christ as Savior; The Strongest NIV Exhaustive Concordance © 1999, 1990 by Zondervan, Greek to English Dictionary 39 hagiazo; Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary © 1983 by Merriam-Webster Inc.; and “His Stairway to Heaven” © 2004 by Jeff Cambridge
7. Philippians 4:7 
8. John 15:11, 16:24, 17:13
9. 1 John 4:16
10. Psalm 37:3-4
11. Ephesians 2:1-2
12. 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:20-24, Colossians 3:5-11
13. Joel 2:32, Acts 2:21, 38-40
14. 2 Corinthians 3:17
15. Romans 6:5-11
16. Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:17; Hebrews 11:34; 1 Peter 4:11
17. Hebrews 12:1-2
18. Philippians 3:12-14

Excerpt from A Spiritual Diary, “Transitions,” part 6 of a 6 part series. Copyright © August 1, 2004 by Jeff Cambridge

Transitions V: Until We Meet Again

When my children left home for college it was a time of transition, a life change for their independence as young adults. As parents, we spend 18 years of our children's lives teaching them principles by which to live and then, sooner than we have realized, the time comes when we must let go and pass the baton to them. In my eyes, they were ready and prepared for this passage into adulthood. They took the baton and ran with it to begin their "new life."

  When Jesus appeared after His resurrection on the shore of Galilee to the disciples who were fishing with Peter, He was concluding the passage from His earthly sojourn with the twelve to His heavenly ascension to His Father.  The baton was soon to be handed to this band of brothers for their commission to care for His people and share with them the Good News of salvation and eternal life in heaven with Christ.¹  The disciples had stepped through the events that God ordained—from the garden² to the trials³ to the cross⁴ to the grave⁵ to the resurrection⁶ to Jesus’ appearance to them in the room in which they had last supped with Him.⁷  The time was near for Jesus to depart from this world in physical form, to leave behind His Spirit that all who called on his Name could receive and embody as the “source of eternal salvation”⁸ — the gift of everlasting life.⁹  

  The transition was soon to end because they were ready in God’s eyes.  Through their own eyes they saw their progress differently, and this scene, on the shore of the source of their livelihood, would catapult them forward like a stone from the slingshot of its master:

Later Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.

Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”

“We’ll come, too,” they all said.  So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.

At dawn the disciples saw Jesus standing on the beach, but they couldn’t see who he was.¹⁰

Through their own eyes these disciples had given up and returned to their business of fishing, probably wondering as they cast their nets what the purpose of Jesus’ life on earth was about.  Their leader, Peter, had experienced the ultimate set of humiliating events.  He was chastised in the garden for using His sword to battle for Christ.

“Put away your sword,” Jesus told him.  “Those who use the sword will be killed by the sword.  Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly?  But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?”¹¹

Then came the denial—a crushing blow to his prideful boast to Jesus at their last supper with Him, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you.”¹² 

So they arrested [Jesus] and led him to the high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance. The guards lit a fire in the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there.  A servant girl noticed him in the firelight and began staring at him.  Finally she said, “This man is one of Jesus’ followers!

Peter denied it.  “Woman,” he said, “I don’t even know the man!”

After a while someone else looked at him and said, “You must be one of them!”

“No, man, I’m not!” Peter replied.

About an hour later someone else insisted, “This must be one of Jesus’ disciples because he is a Galilean, too.”

But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about.”  And as soon as he said these words, the rooster crowed.  At that moment the Lord turned and looked at Peter.  Then Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny me three times.”  And Peter left the courtyard, crying bitterly.¹³

“The Lord turned and looked at Peter.”  Can you fathom what Peter must have felt at that moment, the terror of the realization that Jesus’ words would come to life—“Peter, let me tell you something.  The rooster will not crow tomorrow morning until you have denied three times that you even know me.”¹⁴ I get goose bumps just writing about the scene.  I picture Peter staring at Jesus, as a deer would stare into the headlights of an oncoming car, frozen in the path of its demise, unable to process thought, shut down emotionally for that brief second until the shock of the impact:

AND IMMEDIATELY THE ROOSTER CROWED A SECOND TIME. 

Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: 

“Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.

AND HE BROKE DOWN AND CRIED.¹⁵

       God provides us with transitions—fortunately for our sake—so that He can prepare us for the mission He has destined.  Without these paramount transitions, we would be weak pickings, like a lamb led to slaughter by our adversary, Satan.¹⁶

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to have all of you, to sift you like wheat.  But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail.  So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up your brothers.”¹⁷  

Satan’s goal was to eliminate Peter as a leader of the followers of Jesus.  He wanted to take him out, and in his present condition, prideful of his own capabilities and thinking that his faith was infallible, Peter needed a transition to a faith that was built on Christ’s sovereign power, not his own strength.  Without this transition, Satan could use this weapon of pride—love of self—to bring Peter down after Christ had ascended to our Father in heaven.

◊     ◊     ◊     ◊     ◊

Jesus prepared a meal of fish as breakfast for his friends who spent the night fishing and catching nothing with their own efforts.  As their boat came near the shore where he stood, He called out to them, “Friends, have you caught any fish?”

“No,” they replied.

Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get plenty of fish!”  So they did, and they couldn’t draw in the net because there were so many fish in it.”¹⁸

This was a capstone event for the disciples who had left their nets once before to follow Him.¹⁹  As they attempted to bring in their haul of fish, it became evident to them that their faith was not of their own power, but rather, their faith was through their reliance on Jesus for everything.  

Transitions are needed to experience the faltering of our faith so that we understand on whom we are relying.  When we realize that God is in control, even to the smallest of details, we can let go of our own efforts and let Him enter our lives completely.

  

This is God’s preparation; this is your badge of courage; this is the valor of walking with Him: That you would know that Jesus will be there on the other side, that He will be waiting to restore, that He will be ready for you with open arms, saying, “Come and eat breakfast.”²⁰

1. John 21:15-19
2. Matthew 26:36-56
3. John 18:13-23, Matthew 26:57-68, Luke 22:66-71, John 18:28-38, Luke 23:7-12, John 18:39-19:16
4. Matthew 27:27-56
5. Matthew 27:57-66
6. Matthew 28:1-10
7. John 20:19-31
8. Hebrews 5:9 
9. John 14:12-13, 16:7, 17:2-3, John 3:1-21
10. John 21:1-4 
11. Matthew 26:52-54 
12. Luke 22:33
13. Luke 22:54-62 italics added
14. Luke 22:34 
15. Mark 14:72 capitalization added 
16. Romans 8:35-39
17. Luke 22:31 
18. John 21:5-6 
19. Matthew 4:18-22
20. John 21:12

Excerpt from A Spiritual Diary, “Transitions,” part 5 of a 6 part series. Copyright © August 15, 2004 by Jeff Cambridge

Transitions IV: Friends

I’m writing under a tree taking in the beauty of the morning that God created for me.  Yes, God created this blue sky, cool breeze, and warm sunlight for me to enjoy.  You see, since I’m reveling in His creation, enjoying His blessing, marveling at the work of His hand, He created it for me personally, just like He created the vision I had of hugging Him this morning.  As I began to wake, I saw myself climbing onto His lap and pounding His chest, not in a mean way, rather like a child who is so excited to see his father that he cannot contain his emotion of love.  I put my arms around Him, God my Savior,¹ God my Provider² and Protector,³ Rock⁴ and Redeemer,⁵ Counselor⁶ and Judge,⁷ Warrior⁸ and King,⁹ and God my Friend.¹⁰  

When Jesus spent His last day with His friends—His disciples—before His betrayal in the garden, He spent several hours teaching them—giving them the spiritual “food” they would need to make the transition to walk in this world and preach His gospel without His physical presence.¹¹  He taught them about the Vine and the Branches—why it was paramount for them to abide in Him and He in them, for without Him spiritually within them, they could do nothing by themselves.¹²  He taught them this principle and many others so that His joy would remain in them and that their joy would be complete.¹³  Jesus knew they would come under various trials of many kinds, and to persevere they would need His Spirit, His Words, and His Joy to do His Father’s Work.¹⁴

Jesus was providing for His disciples, for they were His friends, so they could make it through the transition destined in their lives.  You can also be a friend of Jesus for He says, “You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.  No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.”¹⁵  Jesus prepared them for their mission, the work they could do for His Father, Our Father in heaven.

So, why did the disciples need a set of transitional experiences before they launched into their mission after Jesus ascended into heaven?  They needed to grow in character.  They needed to embody His teachings as the source of their foundation in Christ.  Hearing His words of teaching was not enough,—they needed to do them—and Christ put them to the test immediately following their last meal together before His betrayal in the garden.

    Then Jesus brought them to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go on ahead to pray.”  He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he began to be filled with anguish and deep distress.  He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.  Stay here and watch with me.”

He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me.  Yet I want your will, not mine.”  Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep.  He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you stay awake and watch with me even one hour?  Keep alert and pray.  Otherwise temptation will overpower you.  For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak!”

Again he left them and prayed, My Father!  If this cup cannot be taken away until I drink it, your will be done.”  He returned to them again and found them sleeping, for they just couldn’t keep their eyes open.

So he went back to pray a third time, saying the same things again.  Then he came to the disciples and said, “Still sleeping?  Still resting?  Look, the time has come.  I, the Son of Man, am betrayed into the hands of sinners.  “Up, let’s be going.  See my betrayer is here!”¹⁶

1. Psalm 18:46, 25:5, 27:9; Micah 7:7; Habakkuk 3:18; Luke 1:47; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; Ephesians 5:23; Philippians 3:20; 1 Timothy 1:1; 2Peter 1:11; 1John 4:14; Jude 1:22 NIV
2. Genesis 22:14; Job 10:12; Psalm 111:5; Acts 14:17; 1Timothy 6:17; 1Peter 4:11 NIV
3. Psalm 116:6, 5:11, 37:28; Proverbs 2:8; John 17:12 NIV
4. Psalm 89:26, 78:35 NIV
5. Job 19:25; Psalm 19:14, 78:35; Isaiah 44:6,24; 47:4; 49:26; 60:16 NIV
6. Psalm 32:8,73:24; Isaiah 9:6; John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7 NIV
7. John 5:27, 30; 12:48; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Romans 2:16; 3:4; 2Timothy 4:1,8; Hebrews 10:30; 12:23; James 4:12; 5:9; 1Peter 4:5; Jude 1:15; Revelations 6:10 NIV
8. Exodus 15:3, Jeremiah 20:11 NIV
9. Matthew 5:35; 25:34, 40; 27:37, 42; 1Timothy 1:17; 6:15; Revelation 15:3; 17:14; 19:16 NIV
10. John 15:14,15; James 2:23 NIV
11. John 14,15,16
12. John 15:1-17
13. John 15:11
14. John 15:18 -- 16:15
15. John 15:14-15
16. Matthew 26:36-46

Excerpt from A Spiritual Diary, “Transitions,” part 4 of a 6 part series. Copyright © August 14, 2004 by Jeff Cambridge