Brokenness - the Process, Part 3

“Having arrested Him, they led Him away and brought Him to the house of the high priest; but Peter was following at a distance. After they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and had sat down together, Peter was sitting among them. And a servant-girl, seeing him as he sat in the firelight and looking intently at him, said, ‘This man was with Him too.’ But he denied it, saying, ‘Woman, I do not know Him.’ A little later, another saw him and said, ‘You are one of them too!’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I am not!’ After about an hour had passed, another man began to insist, saying, ‘Certainly this man also was with Him, for he is a Galilean too.’ But Peter said, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about.’ Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had told him, ‘Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.” Luke 22:54-62

God deals with our pride because it is an extension of our will. A man’s will is the consummate expression of his personal preferences and the stamp of his humanity. Unlike the beast, he can choose a particular course of action, either against his own desire or in agreement with his wish. It is what theologians term “free will” - the ability to think, select, and determine a specific path.

Christians still possess this volitional element of their personalities. Although the Holy Spirit indwells them, they can ignore or reject the Spirit’s influence. Christian growth is the result of submitting our will to the will of God, choosing His ways above our own in spite of our feelings or inclinations. Brokenness is God’s prime method to subdue our often stubborn, rebellious wills and align us with His loving desire.

Is your will surrendered to Jesus Christ? Are you lord of your own ring or have you acknowledged Christ as Master? God does not want to cripple your spirit. He only wants you to recognize His lordship and yield to Him. In surrender of the will, there is amazing victory.

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord...” Proverbs 21:1