Speak Up

Luke 22:54-62 (KJV) Says "Then took they Him, and led Him, and brought him into the high priest's house. And Peter followed afar off. And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them. But a certain maid beheld him as he set by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with Him. And he denied Him, saying, Woman, I know Him not. And after a little while another saw him, and said, Thou art also of them. And Peter said, Man, I am not. And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with Him: for he is a Galilean. And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew. And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice." And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."

In the above scripture the time of Jesus' crucifixion was drawing near, and Peter was being associated with him. Peter becomes afraid, and concerned for his own welfare. He denies Jesus three different times. Not only does he deny being associated with Him, he denies that he even knows Him, and he does so confidently. Jesus turns and looks at Peter because He had told Peter that he would deny him three times, when Peter was professing his unwavering devotion to Him. Peter had said  he would never deny Him. Peter said he would die with Him before he would ever deny Him. Matthew 26:33-35 (KJV). Says "Peter answered and said unto Him, Though all men shall be offended because of Thee, yet will I never be offended. Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. Peter said unto Him, Though I should die with Thee, yet will I not deny Thee. Likewise also said all the disciples."

Peter denied Jesus verbally, but there are many other ways in which Christians can deny Him. He is often denied in our silence, in association with our accomplishments, and in the blessings and miracles we receive in our lives.

God is denied in our silence, when we fail to speak up as witnesses for him. Many people accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and then fall silent about their relationship with Him, and all the wonderful things He has done in their lives. How can we keep something so important to ourselves? As believers we are to share our testimony, spread the good news of the gospel, and tell others about God's precious gift of salvation. When we fail to do this we are denying God the opportunity to work through us as witnesses, and we are denying  people we should be witnessing to the chance to hear about God, and the tremendous love he has for them. We are denying these people a chance to learn about God's precious gift of salvation, and an opportunity to accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. It is extremely important that as witnesses for the Lord we speak up.

Another way in which God is denied is through our taking all the credit for any accomplishments we make. Whenever we manage to accomplish a goal in our lives it's great, and more often than not we share our accomplishments with others. As we share with others the things we've accomplished we must never forget to give God the glory, and make known that we could not have reached our goal without Him. This is a wonderful testimony, and it is giving credit where credit is due. The next time you are sharing something you've accomplished or a goal you've reached make certain you give God credit as we are able to accomplish all we accomplish thanks to Him working through us.

It is important that we recognize that the miracles we receive in our lives come from God. He deserves one hundred percent credit for all of them, along with our praise. This too serves as a powerful testimony. If you've been praying, and  have people praying for you to get well from an illness, and suddenly you're cured, or your sickness lasted half as long as someone else's, give God the praise and the glory. Don't say something like wow, I got lucky I was sick about half as long as everyone else who had this. You are denying God the credit due Him, and placing his miracle in the category of luck. Give God the glory.

If you have been praying for God to help you with financial struggles, and out of no where you are blessed with extra money to meet your needs, give God the praise and the glory. Don't chalk it up to luck, and leave God completely out of the equation. You are denying God the credit and praise due him for answering your prayers, and failing to use the experience as a testimony to others as to how God provided for you in your time of need.

If in the past you have denied God in any way, I encourage you to make some changes immediately. The next opportunity you get to be a witness for Him, speak up. The next time you accomplish something you set out to accomplish, thank Him for working through you and seeing to it that you reached your goal. Never fail to give God the credit, praise, and glory due Him for the miracles and blessings He so lovingly gives you. Keep God first in your life, and serve as a witness to others. Don't ever be afraid to speak up, and always give God be all the glory.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.