THE story of Peter’s denial of Jesus is a very timely warning to us all, and has much to teach us. We need to ask ourselves what the lessons are that we can learn.

The first lesson is that we need to be always watchful to guard ourselves from the assaults of the devil. He will attack us when we least expect it, and when we are at our weakest and when our guard is down.

Peter was extremely vulnerable at this time. His beloved master had been taken prisoner by the Jewish authorities and Peter knew his life was in danger. Further Peter was upset because after all his claims to be ready to die with Jesus, he had failed to be able to help him, and he had realised at the moment of truth that he was afraid and not ready to die for his master or with his master. In this emotional turmoil he had followed Jesus right to the chief priest’s house, without any thought of what he was really doing.

Then he forgot about bodily weakness, and without considering his actions, sought to warm himself by the fire when the cold night air chilled his body. He did not consider that he was exposing himself to being recognised. His guard was down and at that point Satan attacked. It is always so. Satan knows our weaknesses. He studies us and knows the times when we are most vulnerable to his assaults. We must never drop our guard, and always trust only in Jesus and his defence of us.

The second lesson is to take heed of how clever and subtle Satan is. He makes no obvious approach. There is no frontal attack, nor does he assault us so that we find we can’t escape and so be strengthened to turn and fight like a cornered animal. No! Satan comes from the side with subtlety, and when we are not on our guard. Satan attacked with a question which threatened, and Peter in fear reacted quickly without thinking in order to save himself, and so denied he knew Jesus. How easy it is to be swept away when Satan trips us up like this.

Satan in his craftiness made his assault at the point Peter was weakest at that particular time. He assaulted Peter’s fear of being taken prisoner like his Lord and so be in danger of losing his life. It is always so with the devil. He knows better than we do where the weakest spot is at any time in our defence.

This leads us on to the next lesson, which is to know our weaknesses, and to guard ourselves from exposing those weaknesses to attack. It is a wise Christian who avoids all things that he or she knows makes them vulnerable to temptation and more easily overcome by the devil.

In this respect we need to endure hardness as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. Peter put himself in danger because he allowed the comfort of the body to draw him to the fire to get warm, and so bring him under the scrutiny of the household of the high priest. There was nothing sinful in this need for warmth, but the indulging of it placed Peter in danger. In such a situation it would have been better for Peter if he had endured the cold and not sought for warmth at the fire. His body would have suffered a little while, but his soul would have been preserved from evil.

So it is with us in so many different directions. We seek the comforts of the body, and the pleasures of life. There may be nothing evil in these things in themselves, but Satan will use them to cause us to fall into sin, or to keep us from Christ so that our love for Christ grows cold. Peter was overcome in a moment, but sometimes Satan works slowly, and to our dismay after much time has passed we find we have been led astray. We can deny our Lord by neglect of him as well as direct denial.

Peter went into worldly company, and fell into sin. We also may go into worldly company and find ourselves drawn away into love of the world. We have to live in this world and do business, but as we do it, it is important to make it clear that we belong to Christ and are his disciples, and then we will be able to withdraw when the seductions of the world seek to pull us into its wiles.

Lastly, let us learn the importance of always being upfront as to our allegiance to Jesus. Peter denied his Lord once, and this was his downfall, because once was enough to start him on the slippery slope. Once we have succumbed to the devil we are weakened and it is harder to withstand his assault the next time.

We have been told the story of Peter’s failure, not that we might condemn, nor look down on him, but that we may be warned so that we do not fail in some way as he did. We are no better than Peter, and just as likely to fall unless we guard our souls in the love of Christ.