Are Your Words Causing Others to Stumble?
by Lynette Kittle "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.'" --Matthew 16:23 If you were Peter, how would you feel to have Jesus turn to you and say what He said to him in Matthew 16:23? If one of the twelve Apostles could be a mouthpiece for Satan, does it cause you to consider the possibility of the evil one trying to speak to others through your words, too? 
But maybe you wouldn't have been so bold as to take Jesus aside and rebuke him for speaking of His upcoming death and resurrection saying, "Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!" (Matthew 16:22) Of course, Jesus was really addressing Satan, who was behind Peter's words, but still. The realization of who was influencing what was coming out of his mouth must have been hard for Peter to swallow. Like Peter, it's so easy to believe an idea or thought is your own, not realizing how the enemy of your soul works to influence others through what you say. Like most Christians, it's easy to be naïve of how Satan may be attempting to discourage God's will in another individual's life or trip them up in some way through your mouth. Yet Peter's example illustrates how it can happen to even those who have a personal, close relationship with Jesus. Most may think it's so obvious to spot Satan's plots, but Scripture describes how the evil one disguises himself stating, "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). | 
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