Focus on Jesus – Prayer for October 8. Praise the Lord everybody! When you have a calling on your life the devil will use whatever he can, including family or friends, to stop your ministry from going forth. Jesus once had to rebuke Peter for the same thing.
Bible Verse for Today
“And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him. But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.” (Mark 8: 31-33)
The Devil will also use your flesh to speak to you, to hinder you because that is what your flesh does best, it talks you into doing things that benefit the flesh and not God and His spirit.
I am sure the argument that Peter was making about Jesus not dying sounded good to His flesh, but Jesus had to rebuke those thoughts and remember why He came in the first place. Verse 33 says “But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying…” It seems like Jesus flesh was beginning to like Peters argument, but then he looked around and saw the other disciples and was reminded of the importance of His mission.
We as Christians need to take a lesson from Christ. When our family and friends begin to appeal to our flesh in order to get us to sin against God and get off mission, we need to look around at those that are lost and remember that they need us to stay on mission. Always focus on Jesus. Can you imagine where we would be if Christ had decided not to die for us?
It is hard to think about it. Just as hard as it would be to think about what would happen to those people who are waiting for us to bring them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Next time anyone tries to get you off your path, tell them to “get behind me Satan” and keep on moving. God bless you All.
Focus on Jesus Prayer for Today
Father God, we thank you for the steadfast obedience of your Son, Jesus. Help us Lord to overcome our flesh, our family, and our friends who would try and persuade us to go off “mission” and become disobedient to your will. Help us to put them behind us and stay focused on you. And we promise to focus on Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
