Matthew 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Have you ever wanted to say those “Get behind me, Satan” words? Has someone ever done or said things that have kept you from doing what is the right and good thing or tried to entice you into doing the wrong and evil thing? Jesus was speaking to His right hand man, Peter, who was wanting to keep Him from following through with His journey to Jerusalem, the Cross and the Resurrection. Jesus gives us a pattern for us to follow here. Not that we should start saying to people “Get behind me Satan”, but that we should set our face toward the heart of Jesus Christ and His teachings. Jesus was focused. Jesus expects us to be focused.
To the best of our ability we must develop our Spiritual Growth to the point we can resist the temptation to allow ourselves or others to distract us from moving forward to the goal Jesus sets individually for each of us. Through Spiritual Growth we can achieve the goal of carrying the message of Christ to the world.
What is the best way to promote our own Spiritual Growth? First we must commit to our church and it’s activities such as Sunday School, Church and Bible Studies. Then we should focus on tried and true traditions such as personal study, fasting, meditation and service.
Our words should reflect what we believe. Peter’s words said he believed he knew better than Jesus. How often do your words reflect Jesus Christ’s teachings in the Bible? How often do they truly reflect the level of your Spiritual Growth? Of course the answer to the last question is “always.”
Have a blessed day,
Randy
Tags: Jesus, Matthew, Peter, Spiritual growth
Wesley United Methodist Church, Orange TX 
Leave a comment