Get Behind Me
The enemy's greatest weapon against a believer isn't destruction, it's distraction.
Speaker: Pastor Caleb Culver
Date: October 11, 2026
The enemy’s greatest weapon against a believer isn’t destruction—it’s distraction. When our own plans take our attention away from Jesus, He calls us back to following Him. Check out this sermon from Pastor Caleb in week one of our new series, Locked In!
Here's a 5-day devotional guide based on this sermon:
Day 1: When the Plan Breaks
Matthew 16:21–22 | Isaiah 55:8–9
Peter had watched Jesus heal, teach, and announce the Kingdom, and he had already pictured how the story would end. When Jesus said the road ran through suffering and death, Peter's expectations collapsed. Isaiah reminds us that God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, which is good news even when it doesn't feel like it. God will exceed what we imagine, but He often has to break our script first.
Day 2: The Shortcut Offered Twice
Matthew 4:8–10 | Hebrews 12:1–2
In the wilderness, Satan offered Jesus every kingdom of the world without the Cross. In Matthew 16, Peter offered something similar out of love: glory without suffering. Both were shortcuts, and Jesus refused both. Hebrews tells us He endured the cross for the joy set before Him, which means the hard road was never a detour. It was the way.
Day 3: Repositioned, Not Rejected
Matthew 16:23 | John 21:15–19
Jesus told Satan to leave, but He told Peter to get behind Him. That word put Peter back where a disciple belongs, following closely. After Peter's later denial, Jesus met him on the shore and ended their conversation with the same invitation: follow me. Getting out of line doesn't disqualify you, because Jesus repositions those who belong to Him.
Day 4: Disowning Yourself
Matthew 16:24 | Galatians 2:20
To deny yourself is not just giving up dessert or getting up early. The word means to disown, to refuse to acknowledge. It is choosing to stop being the center of your identity, the author of your path, and the final authority over your life. Paul put it this way: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.”
Day 5: Life on the Other Side of Surrender
Matthew 16:25 | Matthew 11:28–30
Jesus promised that whoever loses their life for His sake will find it. The life we cling to keeps demanding more than we can give, but the life we surrender is the one He fills. He described His yoke as easy and His burden as light, and He meant it. The path may lead through death to self, but it ends in resurrection life.