The Tragedy Of Following God From Afar

SUNDAY, 09 MARCH 2025

TOPIC: THE TRAGEDY OF FOLLOWING GOD FROM AFAR

SCRIPTURE: And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire. Mark 14:54

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When a person is far from God, they become vulnerable to sin.

Distance from God is a major strategy of the enemy to lead people into sin. When you are far from God, you are more susceptible to temptation.

From Scripture, we understand that Peter’s journey toward denying Jesus began when he followed Him from afar. It was this distance that ultimately led to his epic denial of Christ. Mark 14:54 tells us: “And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.”

When the persecution intensified, Peter began to follow Jesus from a distance, and soon started warming himself by the enemy’s fire. It was from that distance that a servant girl recognized him and said, “I saw you among them.” And Peter’s response was something like, “Me? You must be joking.” He first denied Christ, then the second time, he denied with a curse, and the third time, he denied with an oath. The Bible emphasized that Peter was sitting with the servants and warming himself by the fire of the enemy. “And he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire.”

 This illustrates a key point: Peter had lost his own spiritual fire and sought warmth from the wrong source. How could he warm himself by the fire of the enemy?

Beloved, may you never find yourself in a place where you need the fire of the enemy to sustain you. Do not let jobs, circumstances, or temptations cause you to drift away from God, for soon, you might lose sight of the Master.

My counsel is: Always maintain a close, intimate relationship with God.

Remember this: When a person is far from God, they become easily vulnerable to sin.

ASSIGNMENT:

1. Refuse and resist the temptation to lose your grip on God.
2. Embrace the discipline of continual fellowship and intimacy with God. 

PRAYER:
Father, I ask that You deliver me from the tragedy of worshiping You from afar. Draw me closer to Yourself, Lord, in Jesus’ Name.

FOR FURTHER UNDERSTANDING, GET THIS MESSAGE: The Way of Dedication

QUOTE:

Do not let anyone recruit you into destroying the character of another person.Culled from the book, “Who Are You?” by Dr. Paul Enenche 

DAILY READING: 1 Kings 5-7.

AMAZING FACT: Elephants can detect water sources up to 12 miles away using their keen sense of smell.

PROPHETIC DECLARATION/WORD: May you never lose your fire forever in Jesus’ Name.