A New Season for You

God is not through with you!

When we look back over our lives, many of us will see a life peppered with both success and failure! Perhaps even now you find yourself facing some failure in your life. Many great men and women of God, whom we greatly respect today also experience both failure and success in their life, ministry or business. The apostle Peter is one such individual. Peter with his brother Andrew, was one of Jesus first disciples (Matthew 4:18-20)

It is very interesting to note that after Jesus death and burial, three of the disciples went to Jesus grave site to anoint his body. But when they got there, Jesus had risen from the dead! Praise God! Then an angel appeared and told them to go tell the other disciples that Jesus is risen from the dead, and He will see them in Galilee. (Mark 16:1-7). The angel said something else to those three disciples that I think is often overlooked, but extremely important. He said, “But go your way and tell his disciples and Peter…”

In other words, the angel said TELL PETER TOO! Why did God single-out Peter in this instance? Was it because Peter was such a great leader? I think not! Listen, Peter was dealing with a personal failure in his life at the time! Peter had denied Jesus three times just as Jesus had predicted (Mark 14:27-31). As a result, I believe Peter had disqualified himself as a disciple of Jesus and especially as a leader! I believe God purposely singled-out Peter, and included him specifically, because Peter had excluded himself as a leader because of his personal failure. By having the three disciples tell Peter specifically, God was simply saying, Peter is still on my team! I still consider Peter to be a leader! You see, God does not throw us away because we have faith failures! Like Peter, God has a great destiny for you! It’s not to late to get back on track with God. Just repent and get back to your faith family/company. Just as God had the angel tell the disciples to tell Peter too, I believe God wants me to tell you too… God is not through with you!

Peter’s New Season

Peter was impetuous! That is, characterized by sudden energy or emotion; acting without thinking; impulsive. He was quick to believe, but at times, “quick to stick his foot in his mouth!” Peter was the only one to step out of the boat and walk on the water (Matthew 14:22-32). Impulsively, he also cut off the ear of one of the soldiers when they came to arrest Jesus (John 18:10-11)! When Jesus asked Peter to watch and pray with him in the garden of Gethsemane, Peter slept (Mark 14:32-42). Peter told Jesus he would die for Him, but when the pressure showed up, Peter denied Jesus three times! The message given Peter by the disciples from God set him up for a new season in life and ministry!

Jesus appeared to Peter and six other disciples while they were fishing (John 21:1-14). Jesus gave Peter three opportunities to confirm his love for Jesus (John 21:15-17). I believe God always gives the opportunity to make things right!  After speaking with Peter of his future ministry, and the death Peter would suffer, Jesus said to Peter, “follow me!” In light of the fact that Jesus already told Peter to follow Himself, and Peter had already responded to Jesus’ call to follow Him, this was a new invitation from Jesus to Peter to follow Him. This new invitation represented a new beginning for Peter. This new invitation to follow Jesus represented a new opportunity(s) for Peter. This new invitation represented A NEW SEASON for Peter!

Peter experienced godly sorrow and repented (Matthew 26:75, 2 Corinthians 7:10). He received Jesus peace (forgiveness) and the Holy Spirit, and confessed his love for Jesus three times (John 20:19-23, John 21:15-17). It was necessary for Peter to confess his love and faith in Jesus (Matthew 10:32-33)! Peter’s New Season Included:

• A new empowerment (anointing) of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4)
• A fresh anointing to “gather in” the harvest! His preaching/sharing his faith led to 3,000 souls being saved (Acts 2:14-41)
• The healing of a crippled man in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 3:1-10)
• A new boldness: declaring before authorities that he would obey God before man (Acts 4:8-20)
• Raising Dorcas from the dead in Joppa (Acts 9:36-43)
• Experienced God’s miraculous deliverance from prison as the church prayed for him (Acts 12:6-19)
• Wrote two epistles: 1 & 2 Peter

Like Peter, God is not through with you! God has a new season for you! God has a fresh start for you. If, and when you face personal failure in life, ministry or business, remember, God does not throw you away. Like Peter, we must repent, and move past our failures. Get back to your faith family/church, and on track to your destiny. As God told his disciples through the angel to tell Peter too, perhaps He [God] is using me now, to tell you too!