Wheat
Luke 22:31-32 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” 33 But he said to Him, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.”
Sometimes the Holy Spirit just really presses a scripture on my heart. I believe from the bottom of my heart for the power of entering God’s Word through prayer. Yesterday, this passage really stood out to me; so much so I could not write, so much so I was back on it this morning, so much so it will be Sunday’s message. What God has planned for this, I do not know; I only seek to abide. Will you join me in the study of this passage? Will you look deeper into the understanding of the Sovereignty of God for your life? Will you look deeper into the trials such as Job? Will you look deeper into the pride and zeal of Peter? Will you look deeper into the security found in God not only allowing it, but Christ praying for you through it?
Sifting is the violent action of separating the good from the bad; separating the useful from the useless; separating that which will produce from that which will not; separating that which will produce a hundred-fold from the singular one. Have you been sifted for God; do you need to be? We all think we may have been, and likely we have been as the beginning of sanctification at the point of salvation. We are to become regenerated; to live a new life; most likely that will not be an easy process for our roots are steep in sin. We need to be shaken violently to begin to remove the sin from our lives.
You can picture Satan and all his evil plans going to God to reek havoc in your life. On the contrary in God’s incomprehensible Sovereignty, he sees the good that will come of it. He may grant Satan a limited reign of testing, all to draw you closer to Him. Satan ALWAYS has to ask permission, always. There is nothing that ever happens in your life that did not pass through the hands of God. God has either by design, or permission, allowed all that you face every day. Rest in that understanding. Draw closer to him in that understanding. In the midst of the violence, there can be an inner calm and peace in the storm.
oneminuteministry 