Christian Living

DON'T THROW AWAY THE PETER IN YOUR LIFE

by Ezekiel Olukolajo
08/14/26
Not For Sale
Author requests article critique

  Message Writer
  Hire Writer

Tweet

“DON’T THROW AWAY THE PETER IN YOUR LIFE”
-Why One Bad Moment Shouldn’t Ruin a Right Person-

We live in a culture with a dangerously low tolerance for human imperfection. With a single misstep, a wrong phrase, or a moment of weakness, people are swiftly written off, discarded, and canceled. We cut ties, build walls, and purge our circles at the first sign of friction, convincing ourselves that true loyalty never stumbles.

Yet, if we examine the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, we discover a radically different framework for relationships—one that balances fierce truth with unyielding devotion.

Intentional Circles and High-Level Access
Jesus was deeply intentional about who he allowed into His inner circle. He loved the multitudes, but He did not give everyone equal access to His life. Out of many followers, He chose twelve apostles, and even within the twelve, He invited a selected few - Peter, James, and John - into His most sacred, elevated moments.

It was Peter who was privileged to witness the glory of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter was not an outsider guessing from a distance; he was a foundational insider, a right person in the life and ministry of Jesus, strategically positioned by divine purpose. Yet, high access does not grant immunity from human weakness.

When the Right Person Speaks the Wrong Voice
In Matthew 16, directly after Peter received the divine revelation that Jesus was the Christ, the narrative takes a sudden, shocking turn. As Jesus began to reveal His impending suffering, death, and resurrection, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying:
"Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee." (Matthew 16:22, KJV)

In a single instant, the man who had just voiced heaven’s revelation became a transmitter for hell’s distraction. Peter was trying to protect Jesus out of human affection, but he was operating in the flesh, allowing himself, for a brief moment, to be a mouthpiece against the divine purpose of the cross.

The response of Jesus was swift, fierce, and unyielding: "Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men." (Matthew 16:23, KJV). Jesus did not mince words. He addressed the spirit and the influence behind the suggestion directly. He dealt with the moment with absolute firmness, protecting His divine mission from compromise.

Correcting the Moment, Preserving the Relationship
Jesus knew the difference between a bad moment and a bad person. That is a lesson we desperately need. We live in a world that is increasingly quick to cancel, discard, isolate, and redefine people by their worst moments. One mistake becomes their identity. One argument becomes the whole history of a relationship. One careless statement becomes the final verdict on someone's character. But Jesus teaches us something better.

Notice what Jesus did not do. He rebuked the influence, but He did not discard the man. Jesus knew that Peter was not Satan. Had Peter been an enemy, Jesus would never have granted him unrestricted access in the first place. This was only a bad moment, a severe lapse in discernment, from a right person, a man with a genuine heart.

How often do we confuse a bad moment with a bad person? How often do we let a single lapse in judgment erase years of faithful labor, shared loyalty, and genuine love? Jesus recognized that the enemy frequently targets the people closest to our purpose to bring discouragement. Rather than discarding Peter, Jesus addressed the error, allowed the moment to pass, and kept Peter in His circle.

Do not allow one chapter to make you despise the entire book.
Peter's Matthew 16 moment was real. Yes, Jesus did not pretend it did not happen. He confronted it. But He also refused to let that moment erase everything He knew about Peter. And perhaps that is where some of us need to grow. We must learn to say:

"That was wrong, but you are not worthless."
"I disagree with what you did, but I do not despise who you are."
"You hurt me, but I will not allow this one wound to rewrite our entire history."
"You need correction, but you do not necessarily need to be cast away."

There is a difference between discernment and disposability. Discernment says, “This behaviour is wrong. “Disposability says, “Because you did this, you are no longer valuable to me.” Discernment confronts the issue. Disposability destroys the person.

Jesus showed us how to do the former without becoming the latter. Of course, this does not mean we should tolerate continued abuse, persistent wickedness, manipulation, betrayal, or patterns of destructive behaviour. Scripture does not command us to ignore sin or abandon wisdom. There are moments when boundaries are necessary, distance is necessary, and even separation may be necessary.

But a boundary is not the same thing as hatred, and correction is not the same thing as rejection. The question is not merely, “Did this person have a bad moment?” The question is, “Who is this person beyond this moment? What is the fruit of their life? Is there repentance? Is there faithfulness? Is there love? Is there evidence that this relationship is genuinely of God?” Because if you judge a right person solely by a wrong moment, you may throw away someone God intended to be part of your story.

The Enduring Value of Destiny Partners
Because Jesus did not throw Peter away over a temporary stumble, the story did not end in Matthew 16. Imagine what would have been lost if Jesus had permanently severed ties with Peter at the first sign of spiritual failure.

A foundation of the Church would have been cast aside over one bad moment.
There would have been no Peter in Acts 2 standing before the multitude.
No Peter preaching Christ with boldness.
No Peter saying, “Silver and gold have I none.”
No Peter strengthening the brethren.
No Peter opening his mouth and declaring the gospel.

The Peter who stumbled was still capable of standing.
The Peter who spoke foolishly was still capable of speaking by the Holy Ghost.
The Peter who denied Jesus was still capable of preaching Jesus.
Failure was a moment in Peter's story; it was not the conclusion of Peter's story.

And maybe someone in your life needs that same grace. Maybe you have been too quick to write them off. Maybe you have allowed one conversation to outweigh years of faithfulness.

Maybe one offence has become bigger in your mind than a thousand acts of love. Maybe you are looking at the wound so intensely that you can no longer see the person. Pause. Pray. Discern. Then remember Peter.

The right people are not people who never have bad moments. The right people are people whose lives, hearts, faith, and fruit testify that they belong in the journey with you, even when they occasionally stumble along the way.

Measuring People by the Whole Covenant, Not the Broken Moment
How many valuable, God-ordained relationships have we buried in the graveyard of offense? How many right people - mentors, spouses, covenant friends, and loyal labor partners - have we pushed out of our lives because they had a bad day, spoke from the flesh, or failed a test of discernment?

We must learn to judge the people God places in our lives by the overarching trajectory of their character and assignment, not by the isolated weakness of a single moment.
To walk like Christ means learning how to:

*Rebuke the error sharply without destroying the individual.
*Protect your assignment while keeping your heart open.
*Allow bad moments to pass so divine destiny can proceed.

Never make the mistake of throwing away the right people over temporary bad moments. Exercise discernment, extend grace, address the flesh, and hold fast to the people God has given you for the journey.

Shalom!
Ezekiel Olukolajo
(c) August, 2026
Contact: [email protected]