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But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Matthew 16:23 NKJV

Continued from yesterday…

Still on the subject of what can be deduced from the above scripture. Jesus immediately addressed and dealt with the source of Peter’s speech. He didn’t get into the flesh with Peter. He didn’t argue or debate or reason with him. It’s a spiritual battle we fight and what is required is spiritual authority. Jesus didn’t fight as one beating the air, rather He used His laser precision authority on the enemy. “Get you begin me Satan,” the instruction was specific, “get out of my way, get out of my path.” Though we’re in the flesh we war not after the flesh. We should not fight as one who beats the air, we should discern our enemy and address him head-on. We have authority in the name of Jesus. Jesus already defeated him and at the name of Jesus he must flee. Jesus is master over Satan, therefore we’re masters over Satan. The bible tells us to resist him, not to condone him. A lot of us condone him in our lives by ignoring or accepting his activities.

Another standout point is that the channel through which he (Satan) was able to manifest was Peter. Peter was a close disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ, zealous and outgoing, a man of the spirit, one whom God uses. Jesus credited him for receiving revelation directly from God, personally and not through an angel. He (Peter) was a man who had experienced the miraculous power of God firsthand: he witnessed his mother in-law healed, at the word of Jesus he had a boat sinking harvest of fish in a night of draught of fishing, he walked on water at the word of Jesus, he saw the feeding of the five thousand with two fish and five loaves of bread, he cast out demons and saw the fig tree Jesus cursed wither away. How come Satan could still find access through such a man? The answer is right there – the un-renewed mind. Jesus described the quality of mind that Satan could use:

  1. A mind that is not mindful of the things of God but the things of men.
  2. A mind not set on the things of God but on the things of men.
  3. A mind whose thoughts are dominated by human nature and not by thoughts from God.
  4. A mind that doesn’t think the way God thinks, but the way humans think.
  5. A mind not thinking about God’s concerns, but man’s concerns.
  6. A mind that does not care about the things of God but only about what people think is important.
  7. A mind that doesn’t regard the Word of God but the words of men.
  8. A mind that is not thinking about what God wants but about what people want.
  9. A mind not set on God’s interest but on man’s.
  10. A mind that does not understand those things that be of God but the things that be of men.
  11. A mind that thinks from the human perspective and not from God’s perspective.

Lastly, Jesus enlightened and chided Peter. No matter how much of God you have experienced, no matter how much God has used you in the past, never stop renewing your mind to conform to the image of Christ. That’s how to avoid becoming a tool for the devil.


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