Unless

Could you imagine hearing these verses from Jesus Himself, as He sat across from you? “…satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat…” You know, He could. The English doesn’t reveal it clearly, but the “you” there is plural. satan* was desiring, demanding, wanting all of the disciples. 

satan desires all of us. and when the evil one gets one of God’s Men he proudly posts it in his sickening trophy case and displays it to do harm to the heart of God and to effectively harm the cause we believe in.  satan wants you. Wants to sift you as wheat. 

Tautges says: “The image Jesus chose, that of sifting like wheat, is painfully graphic. “The picture is of grain in a sieve, where the head of grain is taken apart (Amos 9:9). Our English idiom of ‘picking someone to pieces’ or ‘taking someone apart’ has similar emotive force. Satan would like to bring Peter to ruin and leave him in pieces, exposing his lack of faithfulness.”

But then the next words. “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Or as the NCV renders it:  “I have prayed that you will not lose your faith! Help your brothers be stronger when you come back to me.”

satan wants you. he wants your energy, your influence over others, your abilities to impact souls, your talents to communicate. And he won’t play fair, he will use our pain, our disappointments, our anger, our frustrations with others, our feelings of inadequacies, our suspicions of people against us, people working against us, our let-downs. 

Unless, unless, unless we refuse him, resist him, rebuff him. 

THEN…HE will use us. “We know that in all things God works for good with those who love him” Romans 8:28 GNB). 

* * * *

* Dale Note: I refuse to capitalize the name or any pronoun describing the evil one in ANY instance. 

satan would try to get you to quit over any little or big thing he can. Don’t. God needs you. We pray for you, but more than that Christ prays for His serving disciples. satan desires you, but he can’t win unless you let him.