The Christian life is often tough because God has called us to live opposite the world and our sin nature. That is His life calling to us … to pick up our cross and follow Him. We are to deny ourselves, put our old self to death, and move forward to Heaven serving God. That is a tough road, but it is our God given mission. Your flesh, the world, and the devil are always there to create opposition and discourage you from completing your mission but you need to fight that opposition.
Well, Jesus had a mission to … to go to the Cross. He met with a lot of opposition along the way but there was one unlikely source of opposition we are going to look at today:
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; others, Elijah; still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” “But you,” He asked them, “who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God!” And Jesus responded, “Simon son of Jonah, you are blessed because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father in heaven … From then on Jesus began to point out to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, “Oh no, Lord! This will never happen to You!” But He turned and told Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me because you’re not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s.” (Mt 16:13-23)
There’s no doubt that Peter was a true child of God – a believer in Christ. But, he actually was a snare for Christ. In the exchange above, Jesus made it clear He was on a mission … He knew that He must go to Jerusalem and face the crucifixion. Peter, out of love for the Lord, tells Him “No, you can’t do that.” Even though Peter’s intentions may have been good, they were not within God’s will and they were snare for Jesus. Here, one of the Lord’s children was concerned about Him going up to Jerusalem to die. On some level, that probably impacted Jesus’ emotions. But, Jesus couldn’t give into His emotions and not go to Jerusalem to die. Peter meant no harm by what He said to Jesus but he was only thinking from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective.
Recently I was like Peter. I have a friend of mine who lives in a dangerous country where things have recently gotten much worse. I speak to him every week. When I learned what was happening there recently, I told him to get out. Fortunately, he was thinking spiritually and asked me to pray for him to know the Lord’s will. He was right. Maybe God still wants him there because there is effective ministry for him. I admit I was talking only out of concern for my friend, from a human perspective, and not from God’s.
The point is simple. Be careful how you think and speak. Even with the best of intentions, you may actually wind up being a snare to a fellow believer. You may cause them to doubt their direction and even knock them off the course God has for them. Be careful not to knock another believer off their course of ministry, even if it seems like it is coming out of love and concern from you.
On the flip side, be careful of loved ones knocking you off the course God has for you. Let’s face it, a loved one looking out for you is wonderful. But because you love them, they can knock you off course more easily.
Walk/live by the Spirit. Stay focused on God and think of things from a spiritual perspective. Don’t allow others to knock you off course spiritually and don’t knock other believers off their course.
Think about it
How do we distinguish between genuine godly wisdom and well-meaning human advice when loved ones speak into our lives? Can you think of a time someone gave you advice out of deep love and concern that actually contradicted what you felt God calling you to do?
When we are facing a difficult assignment from God, why are the opinions of those closest to us often the hardest to resist?
How can we pivot our prayers and advice for others from “Lord, keep them safe” to “Lord, keep them in Your will”?
What spiritual disciplines or shifts in mindset help us pause our initial survival reflex so we can ask, “What is God doing here?”
How can we hold each other accountable and protect each other from danger without inadvertently becoming a “snare” that knocks a fellow believer off their God-given course?
Jesus immediately recognized the spiritual source behind Peter’s words and addressed it directly (“Get behind me, Satan”). What filters or truths can we use to quickly evaluate whether a loved one’s advice is aligning with God’s perspective or a human perspective?
