READ: Matthew 16:21-28
Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.
2 Timothy 3:12
Our Lord Jesus exposed the devil for who he really is. Peter rebuked Jesus for suggesting that He would die on the cross. Peter did this in the name of love, care, and concern for his Lord. What he did not know was that, this concern was actually the voice of Satan preventing Jesus from sacrificing Himself.
I qualified as a medical doctor on the 10th of March, 1989. After working for a year, I decided to go into full-time ministry. Many caring relatives were against this idea. My father-in-law was so concerned that he offered to help me get a posting to another medical department. He felt I had lost interest in medicine because I had been posted to the Pathology (dead people’s) department. My dear mother-in-law also was deeply concerned about my situation. You see, they were concerned about my welfare.
In the natural, it appears to be concern, but in the spirit, it is opposition to sacrifice. In the natural, the people who love you will often oppose your decision to take up your cross. The enemy knew that if I sacrificed this treasured and noble profession, power would be released for ministry. All I was about to do was to take up my cross and follow Jesus. It means sacrificing our lives for Jesus. And truly, much power for ministry has been released since I took that step. The Lord has done so much and I am grateful that He called me to this honourable work. Ministry is far more honourable than medicine. In comparison to God and His work, everything else is dung!