What Will You Do When the Cock Crows?

Mark 14:72

"At that very moment, a rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered what Jesus told him,“Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down, sobbing...."

You know...its been about 4 years or so now since I've been in church....

It was scary at first-leaving the church.  I really didn't know where I was going or what I would do next.

I just took it one day at a time.  Day in.  Day out.

You see, when you are used to not being in the know, or in the clique, the fellowship thing really doesn't get to you.  There are some (people) who literally shrivel up and DIE because they don't see so-and-so and they can't sing in the choir or the praise team.

Or they can't hear Apostle So-And-So preach...

I personally began to really enjoy the quieting of my spirit that occurred after I left the church.

It was like I could hear from God BETTER.  It wasn't 'Pastor said this...' or 'Prophet said that...'

It was more like 'GOD SAID THIS...' and 'GOD SAID THAT..'

And for someone like me to hear from GOD?  FOR MYSELF?????

That STILL blows me away.

I have a past.  Lol...I have a present...AND a future.

I wrote about it in my ebook 'Down Low Deliverance: BE SET FREE!'

I share about my struggles with same sex attraction.  And lust.  Fornication.  Sex addiction.  I'm very blunt and candid-some may consider it graphic even.

Because I don't share my present day struggles that I may go through in this area, some seem to think that I don't still deal with my flesh.  That simply is NOT true.

I just choose not to dwell on them ....

I still mess up.  I still need to repent.  I just don't get on FB or Blog Talk Radio and whine about it all day long.

Because quite frankly, I believe that that is between ME and God.

One thing you can say about me is that I won't lie to you.  I am real.  I will tell you how it is.  Even if it angers you.  I don't do it to anger you; I have to share the truth.  Even if it hurts you.  Or me.

But to get back to my topic....

WHAT do you do when the cock crows and you realize that you messed up?  That the very thing GOD said He was expecting you to do - mess up - and the very thing you said you would NEVER do....YOU DO????

And that reality hits you right in the face????

Peter was faced with some reality about his humanity.

Peter loved God.  Peter would go to bat for God.  But he was a bit religious....and presumptiuous.

He presumed that if given the opportunity, he would die for Christ.....when it was Christ who came to die FOR US!!!

But Peter trusted so much in HIMSELF to be righteous and earn a right hand seat with Christ Jesus that he stopped relying on the power of and faith IN GOD.

I think that's why God allows the cock to crow in our lives sometimes...you know?

When faced with our own sin and shortcomings, we have two choices.

We could do a Judas and off ourselves...never repenting.  Never going to the mercy seat to obtain favor from God.

We could be so hard on ourselves and never forgive OURSELVES...that no matter WHAT GOD has said or done about the situation....we will beat ourselves up til we die.

OR

We can run BOLDLY to the mercy seat and get favor and mercy from God.  We can simply ask God to forgive us.  AND KEEP IT MOVING!!!!!

I have learned in this walk to not be so hard on myself.  There was a time when I fell into fornication ....and I was SO distraught that 'I' had fallen that I just couldn't get over it.  So I took some pills, turned on the gas and waited to die.

BUT GOD SAID LIVE!

When you find someone like that who would rather rely on THEIR strength, mull around in self loathing and pity, who will go around for weeks beating themselves on the chest in remorse, who run to the altar week after week for the same issue, who will continuously ask OTHERS to pray for them b/c they just can't 'snap out of it....,' then you have run into a religious spirit who just may kill themselves.

WHY?

NOT because the mercy and blood of Christ is not able to cleanse from all unrighteousness...nor b/c God didn't forgive.

But simply b/c they refuse to ACCEPT the mercy and forgiveness of GOD.

Religion has caused so many folks (preachers, pastors, members alike) to be so daggone hard on themselves!

The church system is such an abusive and cannibalistic one.  There is hardly any room for one to repent or to ask for mercy....

The way this thing is supposed to work is that if one falls, they should NOT have to go before a church, or Facebook, or Twitter, or a board or a council, or a priest to repent of their sins.

The Word of God says to go directly to GOD and obtain mercy!

The church and all her constituents set up idols and icons within her, and then when those icons and idols fall, they publicly stone and condemn them...some of them to DEATH!

Is it any wonder that these preachers are offing themselves more frequently?

I just read an article by TD Jakes where he went into his reasonings as to why the increase in pastoral suicide.

He made some valid points:  but I got it in one sentence.

The reason why the pastors are committing suicide is because these men and women were not and should not be pastoring in the first place.  The system in church is one that takes advantage of leaders AND the people.  They feed off one another....and NO ONE is relying on the power of God but the systems of MEN to redeem man.  And the systems of man will save NO ONE.

The pastors are set up as demigods....folks go around amening them and worshiping them all year long, giving them all their money, etc. And slowly but surely, these pastors start believing their own hype.  They start to thinking they ARE gods.  They start believing their own press - and forgetting their own humanity.

This is why I got out of the ministry:  ministry is such a dangerous game.

And it takes its toll on you....it really does.

And many, MANY people who believe they are 'called' into the ministry are SO being lied to by the enemy of their souls....its only a trap to get you to be among the growing number of pastors who are becoming increasingly depressed, mental and suicidal.

Godly sorrow is a part of repentance.  If one falls, they should feel it.  But NOT forever!

Remember in these churches where they would have you tarrying, snotting, crying, hollering, fall all in the floor, all under the pew...talking about you are repenting?  Or 'being purged?'

NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It does NOT take God all day to pardon your sins or forgive them.  The moment you ask for forgiveness, YOU ARE FORGIVEN!!!!!!

Get up from there and ACCEPT His forgiveness!

Now, folks' forgiveness?

Especially CHURCH FOLKS?  You may NEVER get their forgiveness or mercy.

But as long as you got what YOU need from GOD, ur GOOD!

An important part of repentance is not just the godly sorrow part.

The Word of God says NO CHASTISEMENT seems pleasant ....for the MOMENT.

Meaning, even GOD is not gonna beat you up forever.  There IS no never-ending, continual season of chastisement.  There IS a season...but it is short.

God's mercies are new WHEN?  EVERY MORNING!!!!!

That means that when you get up in the morning, God has given you ANOTHER CHANCE!

Breathe in that oxygen and exhale that CO2 and LIVE!!!!!!

Peter could have done a Judas and just offed himself...I mean COME ON!

He had denied the very Savior who he vowed to die FOR!
Not only that, but dude was cursing up a STORM while doing it!
He wasn't EVEN behaving like an apostle/disciple SHOULD!

But when Jesus LOOKED HIM IN THE EYES, Peter realized what he had done, YES, HE WEPT!

If you gotta cry, go ahead and CRY.

But don't sit there and cry me a river...for weeks!

Get you one good cry in and then go ahead and REPENT!

Go to bed and when you wake up in the morning, guess what will be waiting for you even BEFORE you get out of bed?????

A BRAND NEW MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NOT ONLY THAT...NEW MERCIES (plural) God will give!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLENTEOUS MERCIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THAT'S how I can get up every day....with a smile on my face.  Knowing that no matter what, GOD'S GOT ME!

When the cock crows in your life, go ahead and look to Jesus.

Cry if you must.  His beauty, His mercies, His love, His longsuffering towards us is absolutely AMAZING!!!!

But then wipe your tears and GET TO MOVING!!!!!!