Mt. 26:73 A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, "You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent." 74 Peter swore, "A curse on me if I'm lying—I don't know the man!" And immediately the rooster crowed.
Peter denied knowing Christ because of fear. He allowed his fear of what would happen to undermine his faith. Fundamentally, fear is unbelief.
Heb. 3:7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,
"Today when you hear his voice,
8 don't harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled,
when they tested me in the wilderness.
9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience,
even though they saw my miracles for forty years.
10 So I was angry with them, and I said,
'Their hearts always turn away from me.
They refuse to do what I tell them.'
11 So in my anger I took an oath:
'They will never enter my place of rest.'"
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. ... 18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn't it the people who disobeyed him? 19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.
Fundamentally, disobedience is unbelief.
Heb. 3:6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God's entire house. And we are God's house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ. ... 14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
Heavenly Father, please forgive me for my fear and disobedience, which are really unbelief. Lord, I believe in you. Jesus, I trust you for salvation - today and forever. It is by your grace, Lord, that I can go on with you. Lord, please turn my heart to you so that I will see you, hear you, trust you, and obey you. I love you, Lord. May your name be praised. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
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