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

Saved?

  I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:28-30) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ ” (Matthew 7:21-23) Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: “So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.” (Romans 3:4)   What conclusion do you draw when someone who was raised in a Christian family and church, perhaps even playing a significant role in a chur...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meditations of the Heart

  May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm19:14)           As I started writing this post, I noted that the meditations of my heart are all over the mental landscape, from a hub where eight superhighways come together to a lunar or nuclear landscape. Do you see my error? The moment I read the word meditation , I think about thoughts. But what’s described here is the meditations of our hearts ; our wills.           While the meditations of our minds may be all over the place, the meditations of our wills tend to be a little more stable by the time we are adults. We no longer tend to want to pursue the ten separate careers we did in any given day as children. Part of this is humble acceptance of reality. We come to understand that we can’t do it all. I think another part of it is disappointmen...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listen To Him

              The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him . (Deuteronomy 18:15)           Today, we switch from Jesus’ claims of “I am” to prophecies made about Him. My Bible platform is starting in Deuteronomy. I’d start in Genesis, where we would learn that the one who would save us would be a descendant of Eve (Genesis 3:15), of Noah (by default), Abram and Sara(Genesis 12:1-3). Isaac (Genesis 17:19), Jacob (Genesis 25:23), Judah (Genesis 29:8), and David (II Samuel 7:12-16). There were also references to a new covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Ezek. 36:22-32). In addition, there were prophecies about when and where the prophet/Messiah would be born and what would happen to him.           Of course, naysayers will claim that Jesus’ life was retrofitted or reverse enginee...
Post a Comment
Read more