THURSDAY August 1, 2024
Never Let Your Guard Down!
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12 NIV
When facing the enemy, never let your guard down. Satan is deceptive; he will even try to deceive Christians––people just like you and me.
Peter, one of the twelve Disciples, let his guard down and allowed Satan to speak through him to the Lord. Jesus poured His heart out to His Disciples, telling them what was going to happen to Him in the near future:
...Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day (Matthew 16:21).
In Matthew 16:22, Peter pulled Jesus aside and began to rebuke the Lord, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” Peter tried to dissuade Jesus, as if to say, “This is something that must not happen to you, Lord.” Jesus rebuked Peter. Why? His Disciple was not in tune with Him. Peter was walking in accordance with his flesh and had listened to Satan, instead.
At that very moment, Peter allowed Satan to speak through him to Christ. Jesus, having discernment, knew Satan was behind this scheme. He immediately turned to Peter and said: “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).
Jesus knew His mission was the Cross. He had set His face as flint to save mankind: “...for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). If you have your guard down, believe me, Satan will take the opportunity to dissuade you from the task that God has set for you to do. Pray and guard your heart!
Having prayed, you must also watch, guarding every thought, word, and action with holy jealousy.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
