“Satan Has Asked for You” #2408

31 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.” 34 Then He said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me” (Luke 22:31–34, NKJV).

Satan wanted to destroy Peter. As wheat is separated from the chaff, Satan wanted to shake Peter to the core and separate him from his faith (v. 31-32). Jesus interceded in prayer for Peter and encouraged him to strengthen his brethren once he returned to the Lord (v. 32). Impetuous Peter did not perceive his precarious position, self-confidently proclaiming he was ready to follow Jesus to prison and death (v. 33). But Jesus knew the extent of Peter’s approaching denials. Still, He received Peter back when godly sorrow led him to repent (Luke 22:60-62; John 21:15-19). Consider these few lessons from today’s passage. (1) Like Peter, Satan wants to devour our souls (1 Pet. 5:8). But we can withstand him in the faith (1 Pet. 5:9). (2) Jesus lives to make intercession for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:25; 1 John 2:1). When our faith falters and fails we draw near to God through Jesus, not Mary or anyone else. (3) We must humble ourselves before God to resist the devil (James 4:6-10). Otherwise, pride will be our undoing (1 Cor. 10:12-13). (4) Falling into sin only means failure when we refuse to return to the Lord (1 John 1:8-9). Fellow Christian, do not let your sin overwhelm you. Repent and pray, returning to the Lord (Acts 8:20-24). (5) Jesus knows us better than we know ourselves. Trust Him and follow His word to be protected against Satan (Eph. 6:10-17).

Enduring Faith #1267

30 “Now we are sure that You know all things, and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You came forth from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.” (John 16:30–32, NKJV)

This confession by the apostles, that Jesus came from God, was the last confession of faith they made before His death. However, within hours, they would act counter to the faith they confessed. Fearful unbelief would grip them and cause them to scatter, leaving Jesus alone and arrested in Gethsemane. We do well to take a lesson from this, as we confess our faith in Jesus. Like them, our faith can falter. When it does, we must return to the Lord like they did. Otherwise, our soul will be lost in unbelief. When Peter’s faith faltered, and he denied knowing Jesus three times, he returned to Christ (which he did, see Luke 22:32; John 21:15-19). A failing faith is not a saving faith. Yes, the sheep scattered when the Shepherd was struck, but they returned to Him after His resurrection (Matthew 26:31-32; Mark 16:9-14). Their faith grew. “Once believe, always believe” is just as dangerous and false as “once saved, always saved.” Faith unto the saving of the soul does not abandon the Lord; It endures with Him to the end (Hebrews 10:36-39).