Daily Walk Through the New Testament
April 25

Read Matthew 16:21-17:13

Right after Peter’s great confession that Jesus was the Christ, he was called “Satan” by Jesus Himself (vs. 16, 23). You can bet he was surprised at how rapidly he had descended in Jesus’ eyes! Wasn’t he Jesus’ right hand man with all the right answers? Peter thought he knew how Jesus would accomplish His mission here on earth, but Jesus knew Peter’s heart and knew he needed to redirect him, because his thoughts and desires were not aligned with the will of God.
If Peter, a man mentored by Jesus Himself, could experience that kind of inconsistency in his spiritual life, we certainly can expect to experience the same. Whether we find ourselves at a low point or in a mountaintop moment, we need to keep striving toward the things of God and Christlikeness.
We are in a constant battle with our flesh every day. Human desires often skew our judgment and blur our vision. Just like Peter, it’s easy for us to adopt an earthly perspective rather than a heavenly one. But Jesus wants us to be His followers. He calls us to become like Him, to see things His way — and it is indeed a process. Praise God that He has provided us with His Spirit to help us and guide us along the way.
The Christian life is a journey. Stay on the path toward God by continually striving to follow Christ in your words and actions, desiring each day to be closer to Him than the day before.