“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:” Luke 22:31 (KJV)

Satan seeks to create doubt in our minds to discredit our witness and render us useless to our calling by God… he wants to literally take us apart or sift us like a grain of wheat. Yes, my friends, he is a formidable foe; but we can find peace, strength, and power in the Word of God.

In the book of Matthew, we find the account of Satan tempting our Lord and Savior, but note how Jesus answered the temptation using the word of God… “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:5.

When Satan and his demonic forces orchestrates or outright contrives lies, and offer promises of prosperity, fame and the tangible things of this world, weaker individuals are apt to fall for his subtle tactics; an appeal to the spirit of our natural man for 1 John 2:16 states: “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

As born-again believers we are dear children of God, and must walk circumspectly in this world, being careful so the enemy doesn’t readily take a foothold in our minds and hearts. Romans 8:5 state “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.”

We have been saved by God’s amazing grace and have the power and discernment of the Holy Spirit living within; He enables us to see through the devil’s smoke screen of deception and lies; we can walk this journey of life in faith, trust and strength-but we must learn to listen, yield, and obey to His voice and follow where He leads.

So, the next time that you hear small words whispered in your ears saying…it is okay to tell a small white lie, you can cheat this time, look at all you will gain…follow the crowd; or you really are not good enough to accomplish God’s will, you are too weak, and you will ultimately fail, you need to do it this way; immediately step back and rebuke Satan’s lies for exactly what they are…for the Word of God tells us that nothing that we truly yield over to God is ever unfruitful.

Philippians 1:6 states: “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” Satan, nor any of his demonic forces can thwart the plans of God for any His beloved children!

Let us aim to glorify God as the end to all that we do; we are His workmanship; it is not about our works so that we can boast and take credit; remember this is what the enemy would have us to believe, his only desire is to blind us from God’s truth and destroy us- sift us like wheat.

“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:” Luke 22:31. Stay prayerful, and on guard…ready for the fight… “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.: Romans 8:37.

Martin Luther wrote these comforting lyrics…A Mighty Fortress is our God. my friends, rest assured we have the victory, God is faithful and will keep us through His protection and power- our helper is He!

Blessing and peace to all.