Silencing The Rooster.

Silencing the Rooster.

Matthew 26:74-75NKJV

As a child, being a slave on a plantation, Booker T. Washington was awakened every morning by the crowing of a rooster. And he hated it. Every morning the rooster would start making its loud racket before the sun even came up. Eventually, the rooster came to symbolize being in prisoned, the long days, and the backbreaking labor of a slave.

But then, Abraham Lincoln delivered the emancipation proclamation and pronounced freedom for all salves. Word of this landmark decision spread quickly and the next morning, as Booker was waking up, he heard the rooster making all kinds of ruckus. But when he opened his eyes he couldn't believe what he saw: his mother was chasing the rooster around the barn yard with an ax! That glorious day, The Washington family fried and ate their alarm clock for lunch, effectively silencing their reminder of slavery.

This thought has stayed with me this week. What rooster in your life do you need to silence?

How about the, rooster of selfishness? The rooster of be reserved? The rooster of holding- back. How about the rooster of self, pride? The rooster of self-righteousness? The rooster of self hate?

Matthew 26:74-75TPT Peter denied it, and using profanity he said, “I don’t know the man!” At that very moment the sound of a crowing rooster pierced the night. 75 Then Peter remembered the prophecy of Jesus, “Before the rooster crows you will have denied me three times.” With a shattered heart, Peter left the courtyard, sobbing with bitter tears.

Rather quickly, Peter publicly denies ever knowing Jesus.

What do you do when the heat is on, and persecution present.

Peter denies the word who became flesh.

Peter denies his association with God.

Peter denies the light of life. He covered His personal light with a blanket of fear. Again, Peter cruses, “I don’t know Him!”

What’s going on with Jesus? Jesus falsely accused, Jesus on trial, by popular poll, Jesus will be murdered, The crowd shouted, “Crucify Him, crucify Him.”

A murderer shall be released.

Scriptural reference is, Matthew 27:15-16TPT Now, every year at Passover it was the custom of the governor to pardon a prisoner and release him to the people—anyone they wanted. 16 And at that time, Pilate was holding in custody a notorious criminal named Barabbas.

Peter might had thought, “I’m next in-line.” He might have thought, Hard-times? Persecution? Loss of freedom? Severe pain? Confinement? Death, really? Not now.

Matthew 26:74-75TM Then he got really nervous and swore. “I don’t know the man!”

Just then a rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and cried and cried and cried.

Peter failed—He had disowned the warm-hearted carpenter’s son. Jesus.

As believer’s, we are called to never be— ashamed!

Luke 9:26TPT So why then are you ashamed of being my disciple? Are you ashamed of the revelation-truth I give to you? “I, the Son of Man, will one day return in my radiant brightness, with the holy angels and in the splendor and majesty of my Father. On that day I will be ashamed of everyone who has been ashamed of me.

Peter refused to silence the rooster, and now he’s paying a high price for his double mindedness.

James, the half brother to Jesus, wrote, James 1:8KJV A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

A man with two-minds—never inharmony. Can’t be trusted. Unstable in all his ways.

What ‘rooster’, or ‘crutch’ are you holding onto? Whatever dominates your life? What’s fishing for your affections?

Jesus called Peter from an occupation of fishing, to a life of fishing for men.

As I’ve been thinking—Fishing for men can be very messy. If you were to ask Peter about his present situation of denial, He might say, “It’s complicated. I’m lost, If this is all it is?

How could Peter possibly continue on as ‘Peter’ the Rock? One answer, the Holy Ghost. Peter, filled with the revelation of Christ being the Son of the Living God.

Peter the first preacher to see a harvest of over 5,000 souls with only two sermons. That’s powerful ammunition!

However, Presently, Peter’s emotions and thoughts were anything but stable, His Lord, His leader, His friend was being crucified. Peter could offer no healing, No revelation, anything but, a godly herald message, anything but salvation…

There are 4 keys in silencing the rooster:

The first key in silencing the enemy is—Be true to yourself, and be true to God.

William Shakespeare, To Thine Own Self Be True.

Many times, we just talk without any knowledge of what we’re talking about. Nervous energy, or just good manners.

Peter paid a high price for his choice of words—His cursing. However, Peter’s words revealed Peter’s heart.