We find a very uncomfortable statement made by Jesus to Peter in Luke 22:31 , that reads, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” What is more intriguing is that Jesus doesn’t stop it or prevent it from happening, but rather prays that Peter’s faith would not fail during the sifting. It is a prayer for our faith as well! What is this sifting? The word used for “sift” means “inward agitation to try one's faith to the verge of overthrow” or can have a figurative interpretation to mean “to riddle.” One of the greatest acts of “sifting” by Satan is his use of doubt in God or to question God. One of the earliest examples is from Genesis 3:1 when Satan tried to get Eve to doubt God when he questioned, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” Satan’s tactics were no different with Jesus during Christ’s 40-days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan will always t...
Clever, Missouri (Christian County)