Peter denied Jesus three times. He cursed Him. He denied that he even knew His name. Yet, an angel said to the three women at the empty tomb on the very morning of Jesus' resurrection, "…Go and tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you" (Mark 16:7).
Why did the angel say, "Tell the disciples and Peter"? Because Jesus had a commission for Peter, who had failed just a few days earlier. In the 40-day period that Jesus showed Himself to His disciples, He showed Peter that He had a plan for his life and that it wasn't over just because he had failed!
On the day of Pentecost, of all the disciples who could have preached, guess who God chose? Peter—the one who failed. God didn't see him as a failure! He gave Peter a new start! Hallelujah! He will do the same for you.
You Can Start Over in Your Devotional Life
One area that many people need to start over is in their personal devotions with God on a daily basis. By personal devotions, I mean a time during the day that you set aside to pray and seek the Lord, to read the Bible, to listen to God, to repent and confess your sins before God, to pray for other people, to draw strength from Him and to worship Him.
It's possible you have had a period of time with strong daily devotions with the Lord, but you have lost your momentum. You can't live in victory unless you're spending daily time with Jesus.
No matter how much you know, the knowledge you've gained in the past will not help you unless it's applied to the present.
Things that are known are often forgotten and locked in storage if we're not refreshed by the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. When you open yourself up to God on a daily basis, then you can face your day and the circumstances that arise.
The Holy Spirit will bring to you remembrance the knowledge and the information that is needed, and He will enable you, by the wisdom of God, to know how to apply that knowledge.
Billy Graham, a man who has shaken our world, made this statement about your daily devotional time: "Nothing can take the place of a daily devotional time with Christ. Your quiet time, prayer time and time in the Word are absolutely essential for a happy Christian life. It will make the difference between success and failure in your Christian life."
Knowledge Applied
I believe Christians don't need as much new knowledge as they need the application of the knowledge they've already received. This is what happens in a daily time with God.
If you pray, read the Word, and seek God every day, you'll be able to break any demonic influence that tries to come at you. Jesus wants to free you every day from the negative, demonic things that try to come on you in wrong attitudes, thoughts, imaginations, or feelings.
As you spend time in prayer, the Holy Ghost will reveal it to you, and you will break the power of the devil so it will not gain a fortress in your life.
Daily communion with God is an absolute must for you to live in victory. If all you get spiritually is what you receive on Sunday, then you'll be like a yo-yo. It's possible that you let up or stopped your devotional time because bad things happened and trials and troubles came. Instead of turning to God, you tried to work it out by your own effort.
On the other hand, it's possible you stopped your daily devotional time because of good times. "Everything is fine. I don't need prayer. I don't need to commit myself to God. I'll wait until later."
Maybe you thought, "I've got to do this. I've got big business deals going today;" and day after day, it's put aside until it's off in the distance somewhere.
I have good news for you: you can start over!
Steve Davis, a former Oklahoma University quarterback, said. "My greatest battle in life isn't the linebackers of Nebraska, but it's the daily fight with the devil to maintain a quiet time with God."
Satan tries to keep you from a quiet time through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, the cares of the world, the drive for riches, or through affliction, tribulation, and persecution. If the devil can destroy this citadel of strength, he can take the fort!
Start over today by setting aside time alone with God. You may be down, like Peter was, but you're not out! Get your Bible and pray. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Pour your heart out to Jesus. It's a new day!
Excerpt permission granted by Victory Christian Center