ICS Daily Devotions
Hold on to your faith
Luke 22:31-34 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.”
We are aware of what followed after this conversation that Jesus had with Peter. Jesus was arrested. Peter who followed closely behind was confronted with the same question three times regarding his association with Jesus. Peter cracked under pressure and denied Christ three times. Please remember that he was telling Jesus that he was ready to be imprisoned and even to die with Christ prior to Jesus arrest. It was uttered when everything was good. Unfortunately, his denial of Christ showed that his conviction could be very different under extreme pressure.
The Apostle Peter was an interesting person because he was always the first to talk, the first to run into the tomb, the first to assume that he would never fall. He was full of confidence about himself. In fact, he told the Lord, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death.” Praise God that the Apostle Peter was a very different man after his salvation and being filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
Frankly, we will not really know how much faith we have in God until a crisis hits us and we are forced to face a situation that is beyond us. That is the time when our faith is tested to see if our conviction of the Word is strong enough to face the storms in life.
Not many of us are living in an environment where we are persecuted for our faith in God but the pressure to give up our faith can come in different forms. We will not know when it happens because some of it can happen very suddenly. We are able to be prepared, established in the truth and know God enough so that we will not crack under pressure. The anchor for our soul is established on the Word. The peace of God that surpasses on all understanding that guards our heart and mind comes about when we meditate on what is good, true, noble and of good reports!
Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”
There are two things that happen in the spiritual realm when you are saved. The angelic host rejoices with God over your salvation and the devil is aware that he has lost someone to the Kingdom of God.
Luke 15:10 “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
God loves you and desire for you to be saved. Therefore, the angelic host rejoices in heaven on the day when you accepted Christ to be your Lord and Savior!
We are aware that the spiritual realm is real. God is good and the devil is bad. Sometimes, Christians have a tendency to blame God for unpleasant things that come into their lives because they expect the sovereign God to stop everything for them.
Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.
Thank God for the assurance Jesus gave to Peter that He will intercede for him so that his faith will not fail. When we are hard pressed by the demands of life, remember Jesus is always praying for you. “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5b) Do not lose heart and hold on to your faith for the Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Sermon series: Don’t crack under pressure
