Sifted like wheat

Luke 22:31-32 NKJV
[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.”

https://bible.com/bible/114/luk.22.31-32.NKJV

Luke 22:32 NLT
[32] But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”

https://bible.com/bible/116/luk.22.32.NLT

Sifting wheat in those days was done by foot, by stomping the wheat on the threshing floor, thereby separating the wheat from the chaff. The good part then became flour to be used in food preparation, while the chaff, which is the waste part, is thrown out into a heep, where the wind drives it away.

Satan wants to separate us from God by stomping, crushing, and bruising us, thereby squeezing the life out of us with anxiety, stress, worry, fear, doubt, discouragement, and every other care and concern that consumes us.

While Satan wants to sift us like wheat attempting to separate us from the love of God, God will use this process in our lives to strip away the bad stuff; the chaff, while the good stuff remains so that He can use us for His good purpose. The enemy wants us to be like that chaff, blown about by every wind and storm.

Jesus wants us to stand firm in our faith. Jesus didn’t tell Peter he blocked Satan from doing this, but instead promised to pray for him, that his faith will remain intact while this process is unfolding and working its way out. God never promises to keep us from such trials and tribulations, but He will give us faith on the inside to endure as this stomping and sifting is going on.

And when we’ve endured, through faith, we’ll be equipped to minister to others who are going through their own storms of life.

In the midst of our threshing floor, we’ll endure our own sifting and return better than we were before, better than we ever thought!

This is never a pleasant experience, but is necessary. Our humanity so often gets in the way of God’s plan. God knows our hearts. When push comes to shove and the enemy gets under our skin, we’ll be strongly tempted to deny Jesus as Peter did, and we will mostly likely have the same response and outcome that Peter did.

Jesus wasn’t telling Peter this sifting could or might happen. It will happen, but Satan has boundaries. It’s always permitted by God, but God is in control. You will endure through faith. You will return when you repent, confess and forsake your sin. And Jesus will be working in and through you at a much deeper level.