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(24) Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone
desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and
follow Me. (25) For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever
loses his life for My sake will find it. New
King James Version Change your email Bible version
Put Satan
into this picture. What is he going to do to us? Through disinformation and
affecting our attitudes, he will lead us toward self-satisfaction, not
self-denial, because self-satisfaction is the essence of sin.
When we sin, we bring upon ourselves the death penalty.
To teach the right lesson, Jesus immediately taught—to counteract
what Satan was subtly teaching through Peter—that the way to the Kingdom
of God is through self-denial, not self-satisfaction. Satan will try to
persuade us not to deny ourselves but to fulfill ourselves at the expense of
others.
Another thing this can teach us is that great temptations can come through
well-meaning friends. Peter meant well. It must have shocked him right out of
his sandals when Jesus turned and said, "Get behind Me, Satan!" right in Peter's
face. Jesus was probably not angry, just urgent, so that Peter would grasp what
had happened.
Surely, God
would not want us to face this kind of a trial, would He? Yes, it could happen
if the temptation comes through well-meaning people. We are particularly
vulnerable when we can be led to believe that we are not being treated as we
deserve.
Satan used this major ploy against Adam and Eve: "Oh, has God said so? He's
withholding from you." Such was his implication. "Why, if you do things the way
you want, you can have much more. You can be god." We always want more; it is
part of human nature.
Unfortunately, mankind keeps making things worse by making the same general
mistakes over and over again in each generation. It will not end until each
individual decides he will not do it regardless of the cost to himself. This is
denying oneself. Some things in life are beyond our control, and we must leave
them to God to solve.
— John W. Ritenbaugh
To learn more, see:
Satan (Part 4)
Related Topics:
Satan's Influence
Satan's Teaching
Self Denial
Self Gratification
Self Indulgence
Self Interest
Self Pity
Self Satisfaction
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