Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." INTRODUCTION: Peter's character is much like the majority of professing Christians today. As such, he is the focus of these verses. I have gained a greater appreciation for the verse, "You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (I Jo.4: 4). As a child of God, we are protected by the Father. Satan here, just as with Job, has to ask God's permission to temp us (sift us). We may not understand it or see benefit in trials but, God is at work shaping us into the image of His Son. Remember, Jesus said all that the Father has given Him, He should lose lone of them. That is very important to us. Jesus, on many occasions, has prayed for His own. Here, He prayed that Peter's faith should not fail. He also said "when" not "if" you return to Me, he was to strengthen others. Trials are not only for our benefit but also to help others. Because Peter's character is much like ours notice how Satan does his sifting and the traps he sets.
"Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble." God tells us that "Pride comes before the fall." And , "Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he falls" (I Cor. 10:12). Self-confidence in our own ability is the first trap we fall into.
Jesus had warned Peter and the disciple that they would be severely tested by His great enemy (Luke 22: 36-37) and that they should strengthen their souls through PRAYER. We should be in a constant attitude of prayer with the Father because of the continual attacks of Satan. Neglecting prayer results from self-confidence and is the second trap we stumble into.
A decisive stand for Christ is half the battle. Let people know who and what you are. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." As Christians we are called to walk close to Christ, not at a distance
Peter was warming himself among the very ones who condemned Jesus. The world is still condemning Jesus and many Christians comfort themselves with (sit among) the world.
One of man's basic needs is to be accepted. We want to be accepted by those around us, many times at the cost of our testimony, we compromise in order to fit in. Our call is to lead others to Christ not follow them away from Christ. God told Jeremiah, "Be not afraid of their faces," (1:8) "Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them." (1:17).
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