Spiritual Warfare: 'Satan Wants Us to Use Only Human Wisdom'

God's Power for Our Battles — Saturday, January 31, 2026

Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.'
— Matthew 16:23 NLT

Today's Prayer

Lord, Satan was apparently influencing Peter and getting him to advance his own agenda instead of Yours, and sometimes I let him influence me to do the exact same thing. Just as Peter was looking at things only from the human, physical, earthly point of view, I often do the same thing, using human wisdom and human logic when I should be applying spiritual insight and godly understanding and wisdom. Please forgive me, Lord, and help me change my way of thinking from physical to spiritual, letting You transform me into a mighty warrior for the kingdom. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

5 Related Resources by Heartlight

Messiah's Cross
Devo: What Jesus Did!
"[After Jesus told the disciples he would be killed,] Peter took him aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things. "Heaven forbid, Lord," he..."
The Misunderstanding
Article by Phil Ware
Without understanding the cross, we turn Christianity into another human contest about self-importance. Phil Ware shares his third post on The Question, Peter's confession of Jesus and how he had to be broken before he could really understand what his confession meant.
Solid Ground or Sinking Sand?
Article by Phil Ware
What are you building your life upon? Phil Ware continues his series on The Story by looking at Peter's confession of Jesus and how Jesus takes flawed, broken, messed-up people and builds his church that is unstoppable.
The Question
Article by Phil Ware
When's the last time you thought about life's most important question? Phil Ware begins a four post series on Jesus' question to the disciples about who they thought he was and Jesus comes and asks us this question personally, so what will our answer be?
See All 5 Related Resources about Matthew 16:23

Illustration

Illustration of Matthew 16:23 NLT — Jesus turned to Peter and said, 'Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.'

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Saturday, January 31, 2026

Quotemeal
A daily dose of Christian quotes to inspire and encourage.
Quote by B. B. Warfield:
"A firm faith in the universal providence of God is the solution of all earthly troubles."
Unstoppable!
A one-year devotional guide through the book of Acts.
'The Way of Jesus Is the Way of the Cross'
"Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea. He came over, took Paul's belt, and bound his own feet...."
Morning & Evening
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
Morning Thought: 1 Kings 19:8
"All the strength supplied to us by our gracious God is meant for service, not for wantonness or boasting. When the prophet Elijah found the cake baked..."
Daily Wisdom
A daily devotional featuring wise counsel found in Scripture.
Hebrews 12:2
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the....."

About This Devotional

Spiritual Warfare is a daily devotional about God's power for our battles.

The Prayer for Spiritual Warfare is written by Steve Hemphill.

More Spiritual Warfare