choose your own language
(January 29, 2026 – The Encouragement of the Holy Spirit)
When Peter was first called, he was casting his net into the sea. He heard the Lord’s call, and the Lord said to him, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once he left his nets and followed the Lord without hesitation. His response was immediate and decisive.
At the Last Supper, Peter heard the Lord say, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now.” He immediately replied, “I am ready to lay down my life for You.” At that time, what he relied on was his own courage and loyalty. His words came from a faith rooted in human strength. He did not yet truly understand the way of the cross, nor had he gone through testing. He did not yet know his own limitations.
Later, when he truly faced testing, he experienced fear and disappointment during a low point in his faith. He chose to withdraw and denied the Lord three times, seeing clearly his own weakness.
After these things, the Lord asked Peter three times, “Do you love Me?”
The Lord appeared by the sea to the disciples as they were about to go fishing and gave them a great catch of fish, providing them with material abundance. Then He said to Peter, “Do you love these more than Me?” This question led Peter to examine his own heart—whether he loved the things of this world and what he possessed in his hands, or whether he truly loved the Lord more.
The Lord then asked him a second and a third time whether he loved Him, so that Peter would fully understand his own heart—whether he truly had faith in the Lord and whether he had a single-minded determination to follow Him to the end.
Peter’s answer was affirmative. This was a faith that had grown through testing.
Looking back at his earlier weakness—his three denials of the Lord, his self-blame, sorrow, and bitter weeping—Peter clearly saw who he had been before being tested: a man who relied on his own confidence and human strength. He realized that he was actually weak. From then on, he no longer relied on himself but learned humility and honored the Lord as supreme.
When Peter affirmed three times that he loved the Lord, he already possessed a faith that had been tested and refined. His life’s focus turned toward Jesus Christ. Therefore, the Lord again told him to follow Him and said, “When you were young, you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old, someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.”
Many believers, when they first come to faith, believe because they feel the Lord’s love and are moved in their hearts. However, if faith is built only on people, emotions, circumstances, or self-confidence, then when temptation or trials come, it can easily be shaken, and one may even walk away from the faith once held in the Lord.
Without a heart that fully loves the Lord, it is difficult to willingly take up one’s own cross and follow Him to the end. It is also hard to completely entrust one’s life to the Lord and walk the path that depends on faith rather than sight.
If a person has not gone through training and discipline, they will not truly understand the real condition of their faith—whether it is built on the salvation of the soul and the hope of eternal life, or only on earthly and fleshly blessings.
When a person is spiritually immature, they often want to control their own life—to be their own master, decide their own direction, live for themselves, go wherever they wish, and serve the Lord in their own way.
As spiritual life gradually matures, one becomes willing to hand over authority to God, to be led willingly, and to learn obedience. God arranges one’s life. No longer does a person make choices based on personal preference, but instead acts according to God’s will and serves the Lord in a way that pleases Him, becoming someone whom the Lord can use—no longer living for oneself.
After believing in the Lord, life must continue to grow. The trials we experience are meant to teach us to rely on the Lord and receive heavenly strength, so that our spiritual life may be built up and renewed continually, gradually reaching maturity and completeness. In this way, we can glorify God with our whole life and, in the future, enter into the eternal life God has promised.
Scripture
Deuteronomy
Chapter 8 Verses 2-3
And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,
to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger,
and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know;
that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only,
but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.
John
Chapter 21 Verses 18-19
Verily, verily, I say unto thee,
When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest:
but when thou shalt be old,
thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee,
and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God.
And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
Job
Chapter 23 Verses 10-12
But he knoweth the way that I take:
when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My foot hath held his steps,
his way have I kept, and not declined.
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;
I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
1 Peter
Chapter 5 Verses 5-6
Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder.
Yea, all of you be subject one to another,
and be clothed with humility:
for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,
that he may exalt you in due time.
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How do I pray?(the right prayer) ( Many popular methods of prayer are wrong;The name of God, “Jesus ” carries power, and it must be spoken in the very first sentence of your prayer.
Kneel with humility
Close your eyes to concentrate.
The first sentence should begin by saying, “In the name of the Lord Jesus I pray.”
Then
Praise the Lord by saying, “Hallelujah!”“Praise the Lord Jesus!”
Spend time to speak with God from your heart and ask Him to fill you with the Holy Spirit.
Conclude your prayer with, “Amen.”
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