Don't Give Up!

"Shim`on, Shim`on, listen! The Adversary demanded to have you, people, for himself, to sift you like wheat! But I prayed for you, Shim`on, that your trust might not fail. And you, once you have turned back in repentance, strengthen your brothers!" (Complete Jewish Bible)

In this section, Jesus was warning Simon that the Adversary (Satan) has DEMANDED to have him and the rest of the disciples. But what is interesting is what Jesus says to him. He says to Simon, "I have prayed for you…that your trust (faith) might not fail." Why didn't Jesus pray that he would be delivered FROM the Adversary? Or rebuke the Adversary from coming near Simon and the rest of disciples?

The answer can be found in the latter part of the same verse where Jesus says, "…once you have TURNED BACK IN REPENTANCE, strengthen your brothers." As a child of God, the enemy HAS to have LEGAL right AND permission to attack you. He can gain legal access due to some disobedience in your life, or God will ALLOW him to "sift" you to bring to the surface something within you that needs to be dealt with and overcome. So there was something within Simon that was going to cause him to TURN BACK TO GOD IN REPENTANCE.

It was going to be his denial of Jesus. The rejection was the result of an attitude of self-preservation that overrode his love for Jesus. The one who said that he would go to jail with him and even die with him would be the same one that would deny Him three times.

Simon is like many of us today.

We make grand declarations of what we would do for God, but when the occasion arises, we find ourselves in some form denying Him. It boils down to a lack of TRUST in the One that we say that we love and serve. We do not trust that if we step out or stand up for our faith that God will be there and that He will keep us through any attacks of the enemy that may arise as a result of it. But I want to encourage you that you do not have to give in to your fears as Simon did. You do not have to give in because the Adversary is attacking you and it seems like you cannot win and you cannot see your way out, because Jesus has already prayed for you!

Don't give in, and don't give up! You are not lost, and you will not be destroyed! God has not given up on you, BECAUSE HE PRAYED FOR YOU! So don't give in and allow your trust in God to fail! And when it is all said and done, you will be able to strengthen others because you turned back to God even when you felt like your faith would fail.

Always know that you are #Shape2Live!