Who is talking, God or Satan?
Matthew 16:21-23
By: Ysrael De la Cruz
Before the presidential election so many so called “prophets or apostles” began to make predictions regarding who will win the election. All of them gave Trump as a victor. Other modern-day prophets began say when the coronavirus would end. These phony prophets were wrong in their predictions. The Bible would label them false prophets because what they predict does not come true. There were so many people hanging on to the words of these prophets and now they feel confused and devastated that whatever they were told did not come to pass. Anyone can tell you, the Lord told me or revealed to me such and such. But how would you know is true? Yes, God can reveal things to you, but so can Satan. How do you know it was God who talked to you and not Satan?

In Matthew 16:21-23
Jesus began to unfold his mission to his disciples; (v.21) he told them what would take place in Jerusalem. Jesus journey included suffering, rejection, and death. He even told his disciples that he would be raised from the dead on the third day.
The disciples’ expectation of Jesus did not fit what Jesus just described to them.

Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him for what he said. (v.22)

Never Lord, (God forbid it Lord) This should never happen to you.
Peter’s actions came from his heart and from his expectation he had about Jesus. Peter truly and legitimately tried to help Jesus not to think in those terms.

Jesus’s response is interesting here. (v.23)
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Jesus called Peter Satan. Jesus even said “You are a stumbling block to me” you are setting a trap for me.
Why did Jesus call him Satan?
-“You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Jesus called him Satan because Peter’s agenda was not God’s agenda. Peter, at this moment, was not focusing on God’s mission, but his own. He wasn’t thinking about God’s plan and agenda, but about his own agenda.
God’s agenda was for Jesus to go to the cross, for him to die. Satan did not want that to happen and he used Peter to try to stop Jesus from his mission.

Jesus recognized the voice of Satan even through the appeal of his friend Peter.

This is the same Peter who professed Jesus as Lord and Christ in the same chapter. One minute Peter is being used by God and the next, he is being used by Satan.
Do you remember when Jesus asked who do you say I am? V.15
Peter said you are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Jesus said Peter was blessed because what he said was from God. God revealed that to Peter. In the same chapter God spoke through Peter and later Satan spoke through Peter attempting to keep Jesus from his mission.
It almost appears to be a contradiction.
You may be used by God to do amazing things and later you could become an instrument of Satan to go against God’s plan.

When Jesus was arrested, Peter took a sword and cut someone’s ear. He came to Jesus’ defense. Hours later, Peter denied to even know Jesus.
Remember Elijah, he called fire from heaven and killed five hundred prophets of Baal. Then he runs away and becomes suicidal when a woman named Jezebel threatened his life.

It’s like a contradiction, but it happens to us. One moment God is talking to us and doing amazing things through us, the next Satan is having a field day with us.

How do you know who is talking? How can tell if your agenda or actions are from God or Satan?

Jesus was able to recognize Satan in Peter’s words. Thus he said, Get behind me Satan.

-If whatever someone suggests to you violates God’s word, then is Satan talking. Peter’s words went against God’s mission.
-When your actions or feelings go against God’s mission. It is Satan talking.

-When your plan or action does not help God’s kingdom but rather creates a hindrance to it; then you know is Satan talking.

-When how you feel doesn’t match how God sees you, then it is Satan talking.
-When your actions create division in the church rather than unity, you know it’s Satan you are serving.

It is through God’s word that we will be able to discern his voice and also the enemy’s. It is his word that will help us calibrate our hearing so we can know for sure who talks to us.

God is constantly talking to you and so is Satan. You are in the middle. Who are you going to listen to?