“In those days Peter stood up among the believers (a group numbering about a hundred and twenty) and said, ‘Brothers and sisters, the Scripture had to be fulfilled in which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus. He was one of our number and shared in our ministry.’ (With the payment he received for his wickedness, Judas bought a field; there he fell headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines spilled out.Everyone in Jerusalem heard about this, so they called that field in their language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)

“‘For,’ said Peter, ‘it is written in the Book of Psalms: “May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,” and, “May another take his place of leadership.”’” -Acts 1:15-20

A Heart-Searching Truth

I was about to pass over this portion of Acts when I read this:

“The trip wire that Satan used to cause Peter’s fall was the disciple’s own sin of pride. Let us recognize before we do warfare that the areas we hide in darkness are the very areas of our future defeat. Often the battles we face will not cease until we discover and repent for the darkness that is within us. If we will be effective in spiritual warfare, we must be discerning of our own hearts; we must walk humbly with our God. Our first course of action must be, ‘Submit … to God.’ Then, as we ‘resist the devil … he will flee’ (James 4:7).” -Francis Frangipane, “The Three Battlegrounds”

Our hearts are just as vulnerable as the heart of Judas, and when we think they aren’t, it leaves us open for great attack.

Processing Through Prayer

As the disciples prayed together in the upper room, there had to be a level of despair they were processing with the Lord in regard to Judas. Peter, who had undergone his own satanic assault and denial of Jesus, was mercifully restored in a face-to-face encounter with Jesus. So, we see the fulfillment of what Jesus re-commissioned him to do: “‘Feed my sheep (John 21:15-17).’” Out of Peter’s pride, defeat, and restoration, Jesus raised him to leadership just 40 days later, among the 120 gathered. Together, they searched the Scriptures for what had been prophesied about Judas. Perhaps they were comforted with these words in regard to the fulfillment of this prophecy. Perhaps they were sobered to look deeper at their own hearts instead of casting judgment on Judas.

The Possibility of Restoration

I wonder if there could have been equal restoration for Judas had he not taken his life into his hands. Was Judas worthy of being forgiven and redeemed? I believe there is no one outside of the all-consuming grace and mercy of God. Would Jesus have met Judas in a similar intimacy as He did for Peter? Ponder that. Satan wanted Judas’s heart and ultimately his life. So, he cooperated and hung himself and died a gruesome death that all of Hell applauded.

The Need for Daily Heart Examination

What grips me about this portion of Acts is the need to continually bring our heart (the wellspring of life) before the Lord on a daily basis. It’s the hidden darkness we aren’t aware of (or maybe we are) that needs circumcision that Holy Spirit can search out, reveal, cut away, and heal (Romans 2:29, Colossians 2:11).

John tells us of Judas’s heart issues: “He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it (John 12:6).” Somewhere he gave an open door to the enemy. We don’t know the root issues from this verse. Was it greed, hardness of heart, envy, narcissism, insecurity, a poverty mindset, entitlement, a love of money? Whatever root became the tree he was hung on, Judas never dealt with the patterns of his heart. He was in the very presence of Jesus, yet the enemy had a death grip on his heart. It’s a sobering thought.

A Warning for Today

“We must remember that none of us are above or beyond abandoning Christ. Though we won’t be presented with the exact opportunity that Judas faced, we still in effect betray Christ whenever we make any created thing a higher priority than Christ himself. Our thirty pieces of silver may not be financial, but each one of us is tempted to trade our Christ-won heavenly inheritance for the things of this world, and to live for created things rather than our Creator. We must always be on guard against chasing after fleeting riches. Instead, we must walk each day in faith and repentance, trusting only in the free mercy of Christ in our fight against sin.” -R. Albert Mohler, Jr., “Acts 1-12 For You”

The application of this passage is a sobering warning! None of us are exempt from the hidden and secret darkness the enemy tries to plant, water, and harvest in our hearts. In fact, in these “‘days of Noah (Matthew 24:37),’” we are bombarded with sin on every side becoming normative and celebrated. Even Lot’s wife turned to get a final look at Sodom and Gomorrah. Something had her heart despite the warning and the rescue of God. She looked back, and to salt she returned. You and I—unless we are infused continually with the renewing of Scripture for our minds, bringing Jesus our hearts to be circumcised afresh and dressed with the breastplate of righteousness, and then living in utter dependence on Christ in us—are simply vulnerable to the schemes of the enemy. This is not a journey for the faint of heart. But it is Christ in me and Christ in you who leads us to repentance and righteousness and victory!

The Path to Victory

“Peter was ignorant of the areas of darkness within him, and his ignorance left him open to attack. But the Lord would ask each of us, ‘Do you know the areas where you are vulnerable to satanic assault?’ Jesus would have us not be ignorant of our need. In fact, when He reveals the sin in our hearts, it is so He might destroy the works of the devil. Thus, we should realize that the greatest defense we can have against the devil is to maintain an honest heart before God.” -Francis Frangipane, “The Three Battlegrounds”

A Prayer for Heart Examination

Will you pray this prayer with me: Jesus, I invite You to search every room of my heart—nothing hidden before You. Reveal hidden darkness and seeds of sin that the enemy has planted for his gain and his victory over me. I pray for a fresh circumcision of my heart before You. Cleanse me. Purify me anew. Wash my heart clean of anything I love and worship that is not of You. I pray for a baptism of love over my whole life. I ask You to take the broken and wounded places of my heart and heal them so that the life of Christ might flow in authority from these places. Fill me now with the fullness of Christ from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen!

A Few Key Notes

• We are looking for 25 women who will join us in Dallas to go and share the love of Christ and the gospel message with people who are longing for hope. At Dallas Harvest Day, we will teach you how to share the gospel and then go and evangelize together. Meet at La Victoria, 1605 N. Haskell Ave., Dallas, TX 75204, at 9 a.m. this Saturday, February 3. Tell us you’re coming by emailing [email protected].
• Join us for Training the Bride to War! This study will equip the Bride of Christ for this hour and train her hands to war. Sign up for this six-week study beginning April 2. Register here.