In Matthew 16:21-23, we see an interesting scenario between Jesus and Peter. The Master had made it clear to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, submit to an ordeal of suffering at the hands of the religious leaders, be killed, and be raised back to life on the third day.
Then the Bible says that Peter took the Lord aside to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, “God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!” The Master then turned to Peter and said, “…Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:23).
He immediately turned Peter’s mind to the source of his information; He turned Peter’s mind to the spiritual. This says a lot about the spirituality of Jesus. He wanted Peter to know when an information is from God, or when it’s from the devil.
When information comes to you, you have to know where it’s coming from. Is it from the Kingdom of God, from the devil or from the world? Satan is the prince of this world, so information from the world is corrupted by Satan. Moreover, you’re not of this world (John 15:19); therefore, you can’t live by the information that comes from the world.
Walk in understanding and discernment. Be spiritual. Through the ministry of the Word and the Spirit, the Lord graciously grants you the ability to discern and walk in His perfect will always. He wants you to be circumspect, cautious, prudent, vigilant and established in His Word, which is the true light that gives you direction and guidance.
If any information comes that’s not of the Lord, geared to sway you from the right path, by His Spirit, you’d hear His voice as you follow the truth of the Gospel. It’s one of the reasons the Pauline prayers for the Church are so important. In Colossians 1:9, he said, “For this cause we … do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” Affirm this for yourself always. Every so often, declare that you’re circumspect and wise; you’re filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and discernment. Hallelujah!
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (James 4:17).
If you know the right thing to do and don’t do it, to you, it’s a sin. That thing may not be a sin to someone else but it is a sin to you because you knew it was the right thing to do but you didn’t do it. This is one major reason God’s people need to understand the workings and guidance of divine wisdom in their lives.
Wisdom gives you the ability to decide and discern right from wrong. Wisdom helps you distinguish righteousness from evil. There’re three major kinds of wisdom the Word of God talks about, and the Greek words for them are “Sophia,” “Sunesis”, and “Phronesis.”
“Sophia” is theoretical wisdom, the insight that God gives you into reality. “Sunesis” is comprehension, perception, understanding, the ability to understand concepts and see relationships between them. It suggests quickness of apprehension, the penetrating consideration which precedes action.
But when we say wisdom is the ability to decide and discern right from wrong, we’re referring to “Phronesis,” which is practical wisdom. “Phronesis” is a mindset, the mindset of the righteous; it’s a force. When we say wisdom is a force, we’re referring to “Phronesis.”
“Phronesis” is that disposition of being in the will of God beyond your reasoning. It’s a special spiritual elixir that locates you within the framework or ambits of God’s will beyond your understanding. It locates you in the places where you ought to be; it causes you to do the things you ought to do without having to reason them out first, because it has created a mindset within your system. It’s your default setting to only talk right, think right, live right, and do right. It’s a programming.
If, therefore, you know what is right by “Sophia” and you don’t do it, then it means you lack “Phronesis.” “Phronesis” is a propeller. It helps you see what you should see that others may not see. The beautiful thing is, you can develop yourself to function always in “Phronesis” through conscious and constant meditation on the Word of God.
For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry… (1 Samuel 15:23).
The word witchcraft used in 1 Samuel 15:23 specifically refers to divination, a form of spiritual manipulation that God forbids. However, this is not the only kind of witchcraft mentioned in the Bible. In 2 Chronicles 33, we are introduced to King Manasseh, a ruler who led Judah into terrible idolatry and demonic practices.
2 Chronicles 33:1-6 says, “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and five years in Jerusalem. But did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD, like unto the abominations of the heathen…And he caused his children to pass through the fire… also he observed times, and used enchantments, and used witchcraft….”
In the passage above, another Hebrew word is used for “witchcraft,” which primarily refers to whispering spells, practices that involve the use of words and thoughts to manipulate spiritual forces. Nonetheless, witchcraft, in its various forms, is often about the work of demons. But one key aspect is whispering spells, which involve sending spirits through words and thoughts.
These spells are communicated via spoken words with spiritual intent, designed to summon or dispatch demons. What’s particularly remarkable is that these demonic whispers often arrive as thoughts. They reach people as internal prompts, seemingly harmless at first. But remember, words are thoughts clothed in vocabulary.
So, be quick to reject the wrong thoughts. Not every thought is from God, and not every thought you have originated from your own mind. Thoughts can come from multiple sources: from God, from your own mind, and from demons. That’s why it’s crucial to inundate your heart and mind with the Word of God.
Only through the discerning power of the Holy Spirit, combined with knowledge of the Word, can you distinguish between divine thoughts and demonic whispers. The Bible instructs us to test every spirit (1 John 4:1). You must be vigilant to examine the source of every thought and impression.
It’s part of the reason you must give yourself wholly to the Word (1 Timothy 4:15); let it dwell in you richly (Colossians 3:16). With a deep knowledge of God’s Word and the leading of His Spirit, you’ll discern and reject the wrong thoughts and influences and embrace only the right ones.
When Jesus came to this earth, it wasn’t His day. In Luke 22:53, on the verge of His crucifixion, He said to the soldiers, “…This is your hour, and the power of darkness.” So, He allowed Himself to be arrested. When He ministered, He didn’t go beyond the city of Jerusalem (Luke 24:49). That wasn’t His day.
The Day of Christ is when He returns to judge the nations and begin His one-thousand-year reign upon the earth. (Read Philippians 2:16 and 2 Thessalonians 2:2). The Bible says, “In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jeremiah 23:6). All those things will happen in His days for one thousand years! That’s at the Millennium.
However, this is the day of the Church! Glory to God! Realise this and take advantage of it. This is the day in which we must use all that He’s given us for His glory. You’ve got to have the manifestation of power in your life! The Kingdom of God isn’t in words only, but in power also (1 Corinthians 4:20).
The tremendous miracles, signs, and wonders performed by Jesus and the apostles were chronicled in the Bible to inspire us and to let us know we can do the same in our day through the power of the same Spirit. Use what you’ve got. Praise God!