BEEN SIFTED LATELY?

Luke.22:31 Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat.

This is another quizzical statement Jesus said to Peter and the disciples which disarmed them and left them trying to find out what it meant. Sometimes they were reticent to ask Jesus the meaning for it would reveal how little they knew. If you asked Job, he could have given you a blow by blow of what it meant to be sifted but Peter had yet to experience “the sifting.”

From; Barnes' Notes on the Bible:  “Jesus, foreseeing the danger of Peter, and knowing that he was about to deny him, took occasion to forewarn him and put him on his guard, and also to furnish him with a solace when he should be brought to repentance.”

One of Satan’s works is to try the faith of believers to place temptations and trials in their way so that they may be tested. Thus God gave Job into Satan's hands, that it might be seen whether he would be found faithful, or would apostatize. See the notes at Job 1:7-12.

So Satan desired to have Peter in his hands, that he might try him and sift him as wheat. To place trials and temptations before him; "to agitate him" to see whether anything of faith would remain, or whether all would not be found to be chaff - mere natural ardor and false professions.

Most of us know those who have gone through a sifting process and have come up short. One who comes to mind is Jimmie Swaggart. He was a man who had a ministry that helped and blessed millions but when he was put through the sifting process he failed miserably and disappointed many.

Jim and Tammy Faye Baker couldn’t pass the sifting test and the kingdom of GOD suffered along with them.

Thomas Kinkade has been sifted. He has been sued for business fraud to the tune of three million dollars, is filing bankruptcy and is facing a DUI charge. The sifting process revealed some practices that did not live up to his testimony. I trust he will recover and continue his ministry or art forms, for his paintings have blessed millions.

The main thing to understand is that all Christians are subject to the same process for the scripture says; 1Peter 5:8 Be clear-minded and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.

So! How about you? Are you ready for sifting? Tests will come to us all, just realize that when temptation comes, it is a sifting process. It is a chafe removing treatment to see if our faith stands and is strong and that we are taking advantage of GODS help in your time of need.

What do you do when you fail the sifting process? You do the only thing you can do and that is to pick up the pieces and rebuild your life. You may not reach the heights you once had, but your faithfulness to the task can restore some measure of it.

1 Peter 5;7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.