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Warning Signs
Luke 22:61
"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."
Warning signs are set up to keep you from hurting yourself. Everyday you see warning signs, but in many cases we pass by them without even noticing them. I recall when I took my drivers training they showed a video of a person driving down the road. After a few short minutes they stopped the video and told us to write down the last four signs that we saw. It was amazing how the whole class missed a couple of signs because we were not paying attention to them. If you don't pay attention to the warning signs that you pass by, then you will find yourself in serious trouble.
Peter had some warning signs that sin was around the corner, yet he never heeded these signs and found himself in bitterness of soul. Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to destroy him, but he thought he was too strong to be overcome by sin. The verse above is a result of not paying attention to the warning signs. There were three warning signs that Peter faced and ignored that you should be aware of in your Christian walk so that when you see them you can quickly change your ways.
First, Peter was sleeping through his prayer life. Christian, when you find yourself not praying like you should, sin is around the corner. You may think that you will be fine, but prayer is the only way we get God's help to overcome temptation. Let me ask you, how is your prayer life? Do you find yourself rarely praying? One of the warning signs of sin is a prayer life that is lacking.
Second, Peter was resisting the will of God. When the crowd came to take Jesus, Peter was the one who drew his sword and cut off the ear of the soldier. It was God's will that Jesus die for the sins of mankind. Peter was resisting God's will when he should have been submitting to God's will. Do you find yourself resisting the will of God? For instance, do you resist God's will to tell others about Christ? Do you resist God's Holy Spirit when He speaks to you during the preaching? When God's will is not what you like, do you resist or submit? When you resist God's will you will find that sin is not too far away.
Last, Peter followed afar off when he should have followed closely. The last warning sign before you find yourself committing sin is being distant with God's work. What I mean by this is you stop doing things that you used to do for God. When living for God becomes a hassle, then you are following afar off. When you have to do something for God instead of getting to serve God, then you are following afar off. When your joy in life comes from worldly possessions and affairs more than it does from God, then you are following afar off. Sin is just around the corner!
Christian, do you see any of these warning signs in your life? If you do, beware that sin is around the corner. Don't pass by the warning signs and not heed them. Many people have passed by the warning signs to find themselves picking up the pieces after sin destroyed them. Don't let that be you! When you see the warning signs in your life, then correct what needs correcting so that you don't end up like Peter who "went out, and wept bitterly."