PART 1: IDENTIFY THE BATTLE

Jesus talking to Peter

Good day to everyone. It is another amazing time and space given to us by grace to talk about the scriptures today. For the past few days, I have been curious about a certain scripture in the Bible where Jesus talks about losing your life if you try to keep it, and gaining it back if you are willing to lose it (Matthew 16:25). I have meditated on this principle for some time now, trying to find out what He really meant. One way of understanding the Word of God is to look at it from a first-person point of view, internalize it, immerse yourself in it, and then listen to what the Holy Spirit inside of you is really saying. Since the day I first applied this principle to my Bible study, it has been working. My perspective and understanding of God's Word have greatly improved, and I believe if you try it, the Holy Spirit will change your perspective and understanding too. I am not saying I have arrived, but I can confirm to you that it has been working.

Fast forward to the discussion of today: the big question is, why did Jesus speak these words, and what did He mean? Before we can answer all these questions,let us look at the interaction between Jesus and Peter first.Well, the interaction happened in the midst of a deep conversation He was having with His disciples. He was talking about His death, and Peter was trying to talk Him out of it. Jesus rebuked Satan, who was speaking through Peter regarding the subject of death. Why Satan, when it was Peter who spoke? Well, Jesus, being God in man, was able to discern the personality behind every voice. For instance, in the same chapter, when Jesus asked His disciples about His identity, Peter confessed that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 16:16). And Jesus called Peter blessed for that revelation, which came directly from God the Father (Matthew 16:17). It was like God gave Peter the answer to respond to Jesus. Later, when Jesus was talking about His death, Satan used the same Peter who had just confessed that Jesus was the Messiah to try and stop Him from going to the cross. Jesus immediately knew who was behind the voice, just like He knew who was behind the voice of Peter's response that Christ is the Messiah (Matthew 16:21-23).

Sometimes, instead of blaming, being irritated, mad at, or hating the people who speak negatively to us—whether in front of our faces or behind our backs—we need to be able to discern the voices behind their words or actions. Satan has the ability to use them to destroy you, and God can use them to bless you, knowing that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Remember, our war is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12). So, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us discern the voices behind people in our everyday conversations. Sometimes, it may not necessarily be their fault that they hate or speak badly about you. Jesus didn't hate people for that afterward, nor did He remove Peter as a disciple. As a matter of fact, Satan continued to influence and work through Peter later on; Jesus even told Peter, "Satan has asked to sift you as wheat" (Luke 22:31), which ultimately led to Peter denying Jesus three times.

However, Jesus never gave up on Peter. He still pursued him after the resurrection and commissioned him to feed His sheep and take care of the church (John 21:15-17). Jesus never gave up on Peter because He understood the spiritual power play and battle behind every decision and action Peter made. That relationship that is falling apart, the hard times you are having in your everyday conversations with people around you, and the gossip you are hearing people spreading behind your back—it may not necessarily be them acting on their own. Those people may be under the influence of spiritual beings working together against you. And sometimes, God might have deliberately allowed it to happen for the building of your character and your spiritual maturity, so that you may be able to carry out your God-given assignment on this earth, just like Peter. After all, we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).

We need the power of discernment to work through us and help us understand what is going on and how we can carry ourselves through such testing times. We just need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us identify every voice before us. If it is Him, surely He is always going to confirm it, for His sheep know His voice (John 10:27). If it is not Him, then obviously it is the voice of the enemy, and the Holy Spirit will help us understand why and tell us what to do in those kinds of situations. Remember, spiritual beings, including God, can use anyone, regardless of how close they are to you. Your fathers, sisters, brothers, friends, colleagues, pastors, and bosses can all be used for you or against you, regardless of your relationship standing with them. If both God and Satan could use Peter, who was very close to Jesus, surely both the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness can use anyone in front of and around you. Do not go all out and fight against them. Pause first, and understand whose influence you are fighting and why. Then you will see that flesh and blood have no part in it, except being used as the medium through which the fight must reach you. As the scripture says, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1).

"Once the Holy Spirit helps us identify the real enemy behind the voices of those around us, the question then becomes: How do we fight back? This is exactly where Jesus' teaching on 'losing our lives' comes into play—a truth we will explore in Part 2."

My prayer is that may God give you the gift of discernment as you press on toward maturity in Christ, as God prepares to use you mightily for the advancement of His kingdom on earth, in Jesus' name. Amen.