Skip to main content

Get Behind Me, Satan!


            Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
            Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.” (Matthew 16:22-23)

            Yesterday I saw a post on Face Book saying that militia membership is on the rise and that they are aiming for the level of professionalism that will allow them to "push back" against those who are seeking the destruction of America. This is not the first time such a thing has been mentioned. There are people who seem eager to bathe in the blood of the infidels, who also call themselves Christians. Their answer to everything they perceive to be a threat seems to be physical violence. Like Peter, they proclaim, "This shall never happen...!" Like Peter, they are ready to draw their swords and start swinging at heads. (John 18:10) What glory they will win, even if it's in death! For both his statement and his act, Peter was rebuked.
           Ephesians 6:12 (Faithwalk blog on verse: "This Is War") reminds us that our battle is not against flesh and blood. It is against rulers, authorities, powers and spiritual forces. The verses following describe our weapons. Our sword is to be "of the Spirit," which is, according to Hebrews 4:12 is God's Word, not sub-machine guns or rocket launchers.
            Before you decide to take up arms against a government (that is violating its Constitution,) make certain that you have prayed and that the answer you've received is not from the world, the flesh or the Devil or be prepared to hear His rebuke. Be sure that  your motives are His glory, not yours, and keep in mind that Jesus said “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." (Luke 6:27-28)   

                                                                                                     

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The List

              Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,   through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;   perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:1-5)           Think about it. We have been justified. At least, we could be justified if we stopped insisting that our justification be based on our merits. We have peace with God, or could have peace if we stopped throwing temper tantrums. We have gained access into grace i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen!

  While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” (Matthew 17:5)            Do you like roller coasters? I don't. You spend forever climbing a hill. You get to the top and have half a second, then you race down to a low point. Sometimes the racing down involves tying your insides into knots. At the bottom, you either have to be dragged up another hill or you get off the ride. Peter's life was a roller coaster from the time he met Jesus. There would be miracles, and then Jesus would teach things that didn't always make sense, and then they'd go out and perform miracles, and return to be taught. Peter was praised for giving the right answer to "Who do you say that I am?" Jesus said that said answer came from God. Peter was at the top of the hill.            ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Prayer Lists

                 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (I Peter 2:2-3)   In connection with what I wrote yesterday about the possibility that I’m wrong, I’m feeling the need to go back to basics - craving spiritual milk because somehow, I missed something. It’s a little embarrassing, craving milk like a newborn, but the truth probably is that we are newborns many times in many ways in our lives. From God’s perspective, we may never be anything more than newborns, forever needing that milk. On the other hand, being a newborn can also be exciting because so much is new. My mind is playing pinball - ricocheting from one idea to the next and through six more before it happens to hit the third again. The main topic is prayer. I have at least seven organizing structures all somewhat influenced by the movie War Room , which I’v...
Post a Comment
Read more