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SCRIPTURE READING: EXODUS 3:1-15, ROMANS 12:9-21, MATTHEW 16:21-28

SUNDAY REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Get behind me Satan” Satan is the spiritual being opposed to God. Satan also refers to exhibiting a character that is opposed to the will of God especially when one becomes an agent of temptation to other believers with the aim of causing them to disobey God. The Scripture reading leads us to the following points:

1. Satan’s aim is to frustrate the mission of God in our lives and in the world.
2. To avoid Satan’s influence, we must be focused on pleasing God.

Firstly, God’s mission is to save the world by using us to accomplish His purpose but Satan is always determined to frustrate God’s mission. We see in Matthew 16:21-28, that Jesus announced God’s mission of saving humanity through His suffering, death and resurrection but Peter who became a tool in the hands of Satan at that material moment “… took him(Jesus) aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”  Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. (Matthew 16:22-24) Similarly, when God sent Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egypt’s oppression, Satan made him doubt his capability and capacity to be called to be the appointed one to fulfil God’s mission. It is for this reason  “… Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” God said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:11-12). Let us be watchful of Satan’s deception and temptation in making us believe that we are not fit to be used for God’s mission. We must remain focused on Christ and draw inspiration from His words and deeds in fulfilling God’s mission of saving the lost and perishing from the jaws of hell and setting them free from the bondage of sin. Through prayer and constant study of God’s word, we shall overcome human concerns or carnal-mindedness. It is easy for Satan to use us as his tool to frustrate or oppose God’s mission if we become carnal-minded. We are greatly admonished by James to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. (James 4:7-8)

Secondly, we must be focused on pleasing God by serving Him. To overcome Satan’s influence on us we must be focused on pleasing God by serving Him. Paul admonished the believers in the Roman Church, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:11-12 It takes zeal for the Lord to remain focused on the mission of God and to overcome Satan’s scheme of shifting our attention from God’s mission. In Luke 4:1-12, we see Satan tempts Jesus in a number of ways but Jesus was focused on pleasing God. He served God rather than give in to the temptations of Satan. Jesus has shown us the perfect example to please God by serving Him so as to prevent Satan from influencing us to disobey Him.

In summary, we have reflected on the theme “Get behind me Satan” We have discovered that satan’s aim is to frustrate the mission of God in our lives and in the world, it is for this reason we must remain focused on pleasing God by serving Him to avoid Satan’s influence over our lives. May the Holy Spirit empower us to overcome the schemes of Satan against God’s purposes and plans in our lives. Amen.