Your Daily Devotional for August 30, 2006

 

August 30, 2006

 

Spiritual Direction

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“And as Peter was beneath in the palace, there cometh one of the maids of the high priest: And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, And thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. But he denied, saying, I know not, neither understand I what thou sayest. And he went out into the porch; and the cock crew. And a maid saw him again, and began to say to them that stood by, This is one of them. And he denied it again. And a little after, they that stood by said again to Peter, Surely thou art one of them: for thou art a Galilaean, and thy speech agreeth thereto. But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak. And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice. And when he thought thereon, he wept.”

 

Mark 14:66-72

 

We see in this passage of Scripture what was going on behind the scenes during Jesus’ trial. Peter had sneaked into a back room of Jesus’ trial and was anxiously awaiting its outcome. Soon, people began to recognize him as being one of Jesus’ disciples. He quickly denied these claims and persisted in denying Christ. Only after the cock crowed did he realize that what Jesus said had come true.

 

Peter’s tongue often got him into trouble, as we see in these verses. Because of his fear of what men might have done to him, he rejected Christ as his Lord. Peter’s denial showed his lack of spiritual direction.

 

Have you ever been lacking in direction for your life? Do you ever doubt God’s presence in your life because you cannot see Him working? Just as Peter began to turn from God when he became pressured by the world, all it takes for some Christians to turn from God is a little confusion.

 

We need spiritual direction in our lives and this spiritual direction comes from the Bible. The Bible is the map to our life. The Christian life is more like a GPS system than like Mapquest. Mapquest gives you all the turns and mileage before you start your journey. A GPS system only tells you the next step to take, and if it doesn’t tell you to turn then you know you are supposed to be doing the same thing you’re already doing. God only gives us one step at a time. He doesn’t let you immediately see who you will marry, where you will serve, or how He will use you! He wants you to trust Him enough to follow Him by faith.

 

The Bible reveals to us God’s will for our lives. How are we supposed to know which way to go if we don’t consult our map? Just as it would be foolish to start out on a trip without any directions, so it would be foolish to live the Christian life without reading the Bible. We sometimes get frustrated and confused because we want to see the next step of our lives, but God wants us to just trust Him for directions.

 

Are you frustrated in knowing what God wants you to do next? Do you get discouraged by not knowing what lies ahead for you? God saved you so don’t you think He will take care of you? Simply trust that God knows the right time and place to reveal His will to you. Don’t get frustrated or discouraged! Go to His Word for the spiritual direction you need in your life!

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