From the time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life, Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. « Never, Lord! » he said. « This shall never happen to you! »
Then Jesus turned and said to Peter:
« Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. »(Matthew 16:21-23)
Why did Jesus called Peter Satan?
It is because at that moment, Peter was thinking like Satan.
And thinking like Satan is to sin.
Many people think that sin is what they do wrong, but it is not true.
Sin is a state of being, it is a condition of a soul. That is why when God wants you to repent, He just want you to change your thinking.
And whenever you decide to change your thinking, God enables you because He hates sin.
So you have to learn how to manage your mind. Why?
Here are three reasons:
1. Manage your mind because your thoughts control your life.
Proverbs 4:23 says, “Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts”. Your thoughts have tremendous ability to shape your life for good or for bad.
2. Manage your mind because the mind is the battleground for sin.
All temptation happens in the mind. Paul says in Romans 7:22-23, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members.”
One of the reasons why you get mentally fatigued is because there’s a battle in your brain 24 hours a day.
3. Manage your mind because it’s the key to peace and happiness.
An unmanaged mind leads to tension; a managed mind leads to tranquility.
An unmanaged mind leads to conflict; a managed mind leads to confidence.
An unmanaged mind leads to stress. (When you don’t try to control your mind and the way you direct your thoughts, you will have an enormous amount of stress in your life.) But a managed mind leads to strength, security, and serenity.
PRAYER:
Eternal our God, grant us wisdom and strength to change our mind for You.
It is in the precious name of your son Jesus Christ that we pray, Amen.
THE LION OF JUDAH MINISTRY IN THE WORLD©
thelionofjudahmission@gmail.com
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KIGALI – RWANDA