In Mark 8:27-33, Peter, one the disciples, confesses that Jesus is the Christ (which means “the anointed one of God”), the long-awaited Messiah, or King of the Jews. He has seen Jesus cast out demons, physically heal, and miraculously feed thousands upon thousands of people. But when Jesus plainly tells Peter and the rest of the disciples that he must suffer many things, be rejected by the religious leaders and be killed, and after three days rise again, Peter quickly goes from reverence to reprimand. Peter takes Jesus aside and begins to rebuke him. Then Jesus, after turning around and looking at the other disciples, rebukes Peter, saying “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Peter deeply loves Jesus and has put his faith in him, so why would  Jesus call him him that? Although the harsh criticism came out of Peter’s mouth, Peter is only the conduit — not the source — of the rebuke. Ephesians 6:12 states, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. People (“flesh and blood”) are never the actual source of negative Opposition — instead they are the conduits through which the rulers, authorities, cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil speak. Just like God speaks through people to encourage, the devil speaks through people to tear down. The devil is your enemy and his only goal is to bring destruction. The next time someone unleashes a verbal attack, look past their face and start digging — Satan, the Destroyer, is always at the root.