When Jesus announced that he would die on the cross, his disciple Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him for saying such things.

Jesus turned around and rebuked Peter: “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

This incident has been highly controversial. It wasn’t that Peter was Satan, but rather he was being used by the evil one to influence Jesus’ feelings and undermine God’s plans.

What’s strange is that before this situation, the same disciple Peter had been used by God to affirm that Jesus was the promised Messiah.

Is it possible for a person to be used by God one moment and then by Satan the next? The answer, sadly, is yes.

We can all be used by God when we maintain proper communion with Him and bless others. But beware, in a moment of carelessness and under the sway of our deceptive feelings, we can become instruments of evil, harming others.