Foot-in-Mouth Disease (Part 1)

Meanwhile, Peter was below in the courtyard. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and then said, "You were one of those with Jesus, the Nazarene." Peter denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed. The servant girl saw him standing there and began telling the others, "That man is definitely one of them!" Peter denied it again. A little later some other bystanders began saying to Peter, "You must be one of them because you are from Galilee." Peter said, "I swear by God, I don't know this man you're talking about." And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind: "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times." And he broke down and cried. (Mark 14:66-72 NLV).

Today we’re not going to look at the disease of cows and sheep in. Instead, we’re going to look at the human variety of “foot-in-mouth” disease that’s been around for thousands of years. And, who better to use as an example than the apostle Peter. He was the one that has come to be known as “the disciple with the foot-shaped mouth.” However, before we’re too hard on him, we should remember that we’ve all said things we regret having said things we wish we could take back.

Today’s scripture reveals the Apostle Peter suffering from a severe case of foot in mouth. He shamed himself greatly by the things he said. This familiar story is even more tragic when we remember Peter had boasted this would be the very last sin of which he would ever be guilty (Cf. Matthew 26:33). But we’re not here today to bash Simon Peter. We’re here to identify with him and learn from him. The story has a happy ending because Christ understood and forgave Peter just like He is willing to understand and forgive us. Peter was at his worst but Jesus made a new man out of him. After the Holy Spirit came into his life Peter became the primary spokesman for the early church. He preached the first sermon of the church and thousands were converted to Christ! How did this happen? How did Peter go from cursing to proclaiming the good news? Over the next few days we’ll see some practical ways to restore the bad relationships we have created with our words.

The first thing we ought to do is to check our attitude. Peter’s primary problem was a bad attitude. He was fearful, disillusioned and defeated. They had arrested His Master Jesus, and Peter felt powerless to change the adverse circumstances around him. He lost all composure. He lost the courage that seemed to be a trademark of his swarthy fisherman personality. Ever had that happen to you? Sure you have. You’re only human. Things don’t always go according to plan. You expect victory but experience the defeat of financial setbacks, relational shipwrecks, and physical disabilities. The mistakes we make are sometimes the result of a bad attitude that we have allowed to develop. Unresolved issues leave us feeling frustrated, angry, or hurt. These attitudes are reflected most notably in our speech. As Jesus reminded us, "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matthew 12:34). Attitudes are important because actions follow attitudes. We’ll say fewer offensive and hurtful things to others and have less to repent over when our attitudes are corrected.

Chuck Swindoll said, "The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people say or think or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, or home. The remarkable thing is that we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. Nor can we change the fact that people will act a certain way. We also cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you, we are in charge of our attitudes."

The first step in curing our “foot-in-mouth” disease is to take control of our attitudes. Once again it seems we come to a clear principle that has been a fundamental part of my life: Never let past failures or future fears rob you of present joy! Learn from the past, trust your heavenly Father for your future and live in the present. I do know how difficult this principle is to consistently live, but I also know its practical truth. Take charge of your attitude today!