It's a TRAP!

S- Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. Matthew 16:23 NLT

O- Jesus felt threatened. "You are a dangerous trap to me" He said. There are two things I observe. 1) He recognized the threat. 2) To destroy the threat, he had to identify the wrong mindset in his friend and change it, or it would have the potential to change Him.


A-This is especially important for high school students to understand. If they don't impact those around them, the people around them will impact them. The way to change people is to speak into their wrong thinking and beliefs because beliefs generate action. Jesus didn't just rebuke Peter for saying what was wrong, he corrected him by telling him what was right.  Jesus realized that the people around him could be a trap if they had wrong thinking. If he didn't change them, they would have the power to change Him. Jesus had this caution even as the Son of God. If Jesus felt threatened by bad thinking, how much more am I susceptible to wrong thinking. I cannot live right if the people around me are living wrong. For me to live right, I need to teach those around me to live right as well. One cannot exist without the other.


P- Jesus, please help me to follow you in the way that I think and live. Help me to have the same discernment that you had (For myself and others around me). Help me to have the courage to speak out when something needs to be said instead of expecting others to figure it out on their own.