The phrase uttered by Jesus “Get behind me, Satan!” was spoken in response to a comment made by Peter in a moment of bravado. The rebuke took place when Peter tried to interfere with Jesus going to Jerusalem to encounter the Cross. Jesus had just told His disciples He must go to Jerusalem to suffer many things, be killed and raised on the third day. Peter blurted out, “God forbid it, Lord. This will never happen to you” (Matthew 16:23). It was then that Jesus spoke His words of rebuke to the spirit motivating Peter’s undisciplined comment. The “Get behind Ne, Satan” statement modeled a level of faith that did not allow Satan or any lie to take up an unchallenged place in the scenery of Jesus’ future. Jesus was vigilant regarding the works of hell. The same must be true for us.
If you were a fly on the wall in our home, you would think I sound like an unstable person from time to time. A few weeks ago, a thought came to my mind that was trolling to gain a place in my thinking. It was subtle, yet obvious. I was in our living room and spoke out loud with authority, “Satan, get behind me!” From the back of our house, Jan called out, “Are you talking to me?”
Many times a lie will take up residence in our mind when we allow the junk of hell to stroll through our thought life unchallenged. This isn’t always a sexual image, it can be a prideful thought or a scenario of revenge where we try to get even with a betrayer. If left unchallenged, these thoughts will take up a dominant position in our thinking. Instead of Jesus being the image of our future, the landscape of our thought life can become littered with lies and deception. These dark thoughts were sent on a mission to displace truth and lead us away from our appointment with destiny. That is what Jesus was challenging when He rebuked Peter. This is what we are called to challenge as we partner with the Spirit in the process of having our minds renewed.
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