Life Of IntegritySample

"Peter's Transformation"

Change…a word so familiar to my tongue, but it was so hard to achieve. It was something I desired earnestly, but it would never stick. When I came to know God as my Lord and Savior, my life was a wreck. I felt so small amongst a great stormy night when I decided to surrender it all. Instantly, once I cried out to God, all guilt and shame were swallowed up and I felt peace for the first time. My entire life did not change in that moment, but my heart and faith did. I had a new conviction that wasn’t previously there and my actions started to change as I knew and loved God more.

If I love my parents or friends, then I will do what I can to please them. If I love money, then I would do what it takes to gain more. Our actions follow what the passion of our heart is. Before God, my heart was set on myself and on the things of this world; therefore, I could never break free from the earthly things or the sin that entangled me. Once I became a Christian, things began to change.

Peter knew what it felt like to honor God and not honor God. Though Jesus knew Peter would deny Him, Jesus still pursued him and wanted to keep him close. Peter wrestled, like us, with belonging. Scripture refers to Christians as strangers to this world, meaning we and our hearts do not belong to this world, but to God. When we give our lives to God, we take on the role of His child and servant. Thus, we break free from being a slave to the world.

As His children, we are called to live a life accordingly and set apart from worldly desires. I began to find victory against my struggles when God became the sole desire of my heart. I finally found freedom from my sin because God and His plan mattered most. Peter responded to God’s grace and was a significant contributor to the early church. If God could rescue and redeem Peter, there is hope for us too!

We all have battled to gain freedom from a certain struggle, and the thought of it keeps us entangled. It might be the fact that we are focusing on the wrong thing. Instead of focusing on not falling into the struggle again, let’s try to focus on how we can love God more. The more we pursue Him, the less the grip of our struggle will have on us.

Ask yourself this week, how can I give more control to God than to my struggle? It could be more time in prayer, silent time with God, singing worship, or even serving. How can we pursue God greater?