Peter was human, as we are! He was impulsive and impetuous, as we are. He made mistakes and spoke unwisely, as we do. These very things about Peter, the unlearned, rather rough, clumsy fisherman, are the very same things which attract us to him.

What a sad reading in Luke 22:31-62 makes, for it makes of Peter’s downfall. Peter did not expect to deny his Lord and Peter’s fall was gradual. We do not intend or expect to deny our Lord, do we? – and yet by His grace, we need never do so – but let us be careful and take heed to the words of 1 Corinthians 10:12. What were the steps downward which led Peter to his final three-fold denial of the Lord?

I. The First Step: Self-Confidence.

Does not verse 33 suggest over confidence? And Peter said this in spite of our Lord’s warning to him – see verse 31. It is always very dangerous to be too arrogant, and it is always fatal for a Christian to boast of what he is going to do. We see this same characteristic of impetuous self-confidence in Peter when he tried to walk on water to go to the Lord (Matthew 14:28-31). Let us beware of self-confidence in every shape or form, for it always leads to failure. Look up Proverbs 28:26, and ask yourself if you are trusting in yourself and in your own wisdom and strength, in any way.

II. The Second Step: Prayerlessness.

   Read verses 40 and 45. Self-confidence and prayerlessness usually go together. What need is there to pray if we think ourselves to be strong enough already? Prayer is an admission of weakness and insufficiency, and probably the reason for ninety eight percent of spiritual breakdowns is prayerlessness. If you are following the Lord “afar off”, ask yourself now if the main reason for the declension in your Christian life is not due to neglect of prayer and Bible reading.

III. The Third Step: Carnality.

   Read verse 50, and compare John 18:10. To be carnal is to live and act in the energy of the flesh instead of in the power of the Spirit. It is always an indication that we are out of touch with the Lord when we say and do rash and unspiritual things. Read 1 Cor.3:1-3, and notice that the chief mark of carnality is a state of protracted infancy. Peter acted like an undisciplined child when he struck off the ear of Malchus. Christian, do you ever speak or act in this way?

IV. The Fourth Step: Peter Followed Afar Off.

   Read verses 33 again – and then verse 54. What a contrast! How sad to be missing just at the time the Lord was needing his moral support! These are days in which the Lord needs His people to be living in close touch with Him. Are you following afar off? You use to seek the lost, but now you are following afar off! Is that true of you?

V. The Fifth Step: Worldliness.

   Read verse 55 – and compare Psalm 1:1. When our Lord was being tried, Peter who had promised Him so much, was identified with the world which was rejecting Him. Are we like that? Worldliness is anything and everything that leaves the Lord Jesus out. Peter sat down with the world. Do you? Alas, many Christians do. Are you warming up by the world’s fire? If so, it is a sure sign that you have lost something of the fire of the love of the Lord Jesus in your life. Look up 2 Tim. 1:6.

VI. The Sixth Step: Increasing Insensitivity.

   As things went from bad to worse, it seems that Peter became more and more insensitive to the Lord and to what He had said to him in warning him of the terrible denial which was to follow – look up and read verses 31-33, and 40. This is what happens when we backslide; we literally slide more and more down the slippery slope from self-confidence to prayerlessness, to carnally, to following afar off, to worldliness – and then we become so insensitive that we can actually end up by denying the Lord. There is no prayer that we need to pray more frequently than the prayer that God will graciously prevent us from ever getting into a position or a place where we become insensitive to His voice and the knowledge of His will for our lives.

VII. The Final Step: Open Denial.

     Read verses 56 – 60. Not once or twice,but three times Peter denied his Lord. Oh, how solemn, that a Christian can fall so far. Thank God we can conclude this devotion by pointing out the wonderful way in which Peter was led to repent of his backsliding and to return to the Lord. Read verses 61 and 62. What a “look” that was! How sad, how loving, how forgiving, how melting! It seemed to say to Peter – “ Peter,come back!” Read John 21:15-17, and look up Psalm 139:23,24.