Today’s Bible Verse

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:31-32‬ ‭(NKJV)

Faith is Meant to Be Tested

When I first read this scripture, I thought to myself…wait, if satan is asking for permission from Jesus to sift Peter, why didn’t Jesus tell satan, “Bro…seriously? That’s my disciple. Beat it.” Instead, Jesus said, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” Why wouldn’t Jesus rebuke satan? Why would Jesus “allow” satan to “sift Peter”?

As a Christian, during some of the hardest moments of your life, have you ever thought to yourself, “Why is God allowing this to happen?” “I don’t deserve this?” 

Faith isn’t about what we deserve. Faith is about what we can be entrusted with. Faith is meant to be tested.

You can ask yourself, “Why would God even test our faith? Shouldn’t He just trust us?”

Well, it’s not the kind of testing that your thinking of. God isn’t testing us with the intention that we’ll fail. He’s testing us intending that we will pass. What makes God so confident that we will pass the test? First of all, before our faith is tested, He prepares us by giving us the answers.

It’s just like when you’re in school and your teacher gives you a test. Doesn’t the teacher go through the curriculum first, show you how to get the answers, solve the problems, even give you assignments that you can take home and practice? Do you think the teacher would do that if the teacher wanted you to fail? Of course not. Teachers do that intending that you will use what they taught you and pass the test. In addition, if we don’t pay attention and apply what we learned, we will fail and receive a bad grade. 

Let’s take a further look into the purpose of testing. Remember when Adam was in the garden and God told him, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis‬ ‭2:16-17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)?

Adam’s faith was about to be tested, so God prepared him to pass the test and told him what happens if he doesn’t. Whenever our faith is being tested, it’s because God is entrusting us with something. In Adam’s case, God was giving him everything, complete dominion over all the earth: “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis‬ ‭1:28‬ ‭NKJV‬‬).

No we all know the story, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and both ate from the tree that they were commanded to not eat from, and because of this, they failed the test and the fall of humanity took place. When we fail the test of our faith, we have no one else to blame but ourselves. God gives us all the resources we need to pass the test. (Samantha DeCorte)

Change My Story

Do you find that your faith is being tested? Maybe God told you how to pass the test but it seems too difficult, so you keep stalling, hoping He will give you a different answer. Let me assure you: He will not. There’s only one way to pass the test, and that’s obeying God‘s Word. Quick obedience is the best obedience. 

Let’s have the same approach as Paul did when his faith was being tested: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬).

Today’s Declaration

Lord, if I have strayed from Your instructions, please forgive me. I commit to take heed to Your Word and quickly obey. I am preparing for the test by studying Your Word and applying it in the time of testing: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” ‭‭AMEN.

Today’s Bible Reading

• Old Testament: 2 Kings 8-9; Psalms 119:129-136
• New Testament: Luke 5:17-26; Philippians 2:1-11