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Fail, Turn Back, Trust and . . .

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!”

(Luke 22:31-32, Complete Jewish Bible)

Shim’on, or Simon Peter, was receiving a directive, not a suggestion, from Jesus.

“. . . ,listen!”

What if we heeded His command and listened closely to what followed?

The Adversary, or Satan, “demanded to have” all of the disciples (you people) “for himself.” This begs multiple questions:

Who is Satan asking permission from?

Per the example in Job, Satan must get permission from God. Although the Adversary is powerful, God is the ultimate power.

Why then would God grant permission?

We don’t know 100% for sure, but scripture does say that God will perfect the bride of Christ through affliction and temptation (1 Peter 1:6, 3:17), and that our ways are not His ways (Isaiah 55:8).

Who then prays on our behalf? Do we have an ally, or are we on our own?

Jesus said, “But I prayed for you, Shim‘on [Simon Peter], that your trust might not fail.” Jesus prayed that Peter would be able to overcome the sifting of Satan.

It says that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Rom. 8:26), and that Christ Jesus . . . who is at the right hand of God, . . . also intercedes for us (Rom 8:34).

You not only have an ally, you have the ultimate allies. You are surrounded by prayers of the most holy.

Does this mean I will never fail given this prayer cover?

Look at the next line . . . “once you have turned back in repentance.” Why did Jesus say this? Because he knew Shim’on, or Simon Peter, would fail.

Let that sink in. The maker and sustainer of the universe did not pray that Peter would not deny Him; rather, he prayed that Peter’s “trust might not fail” once he turned back in repentance after he had failed.

How can this encourage us? How can this encourage me?

Jesus knows our frailty. He knows, even with our best intentions, that at times we will lose our temper, not defend our faith, or fail in so many ways. Our encouragement is His prayer that we will not lose our trust in Him after we genuinely repent of each of our failures.

When we fail, we can turn back [repent] into the arms of our loving Father, trusting Him. Each time we turn back to God, He can then use our failures and our “returnings” to transform our character and even prepare us for our future assignments and calling.

Think this last sentence is true? What did Jesus direct Peter to do at the end of this verse?

Jesus knew that Peter would feel deep shame after denying him three times. Jesus knew that this would be a defining event in the development of Peter’s character, courage, and humility. Jesus knew this would be an essential failure upon which Peter could become grounded in his resolve for the gospel. Jesus knew this was a foundational event to launch Peter into his leadership role of the disciples.

So, Jesus directs Peter to “strengthen your brothers” after Peter had repented. Peter was being commissioned to become the leader he was always meant to be only after he experienced this humiliating failure. Jesus used Peter’s failure, turning back, and trust to prepare him for his new role and future.

NOTE: Jesus did not pray that Peter would not be sifted.  The sifting to enable Peter’s turning back was allowed.

Is it the purpose of this post to encourage you to fail?

No. But do these scriptures encourage you that when you do fail, as your Adversary is trying to sift you, that you have Jesus and the Holy Spirit on your side, that you can turn back from your failure and return to Jesus, and that when you return, God may just have further prepared or transformed you in a way you never before predicted?

Can you think of a time when God used your failure, possibly even in response to a sifting, and then your turning back and trusting Him in a way that transformed or prepared you for some future event or responsibility?

Feel free to share below.

 

 

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What Makes Beauty, Beauty?

Ever “see” a women whose heart is so stunning she cannot but radiate beauty, love, tenderness, goodness, and might?

Youth presents its own form of beauty, but a woman in her sixties, eighties or even at one hundred can radiate a loveliness that moves hearts. So what makes beauty, beauty?

Beauty, as designed by God, infuses all of creation. It reflects His heart, His character, His desire. Even after devastation, wild flowers push up from the burned forest floor.  No matter how darkness tries to eradicate beauty, it finds ways to reveal itself.

What does beauty do to a heart? When words are insufficient to alleviate deep pain, beauty can offer solace, comfort and hope. It can wrap its arms around us, awakening something in our hearts only it can stir. It speaks to our souls in profound ways, even stopping us in our tracks. It is a glimpse into God’s own heart.

But beauty is assaulted because it is so wonderful for good. It gets twisted, damaged, and judged. It is used to accuse and it can create deep disappointment. Beauty can also be misused by those without discretion. All of this is the work of our enemy, of our world, and of greedy mankind.

You are too thick, too old, too thin, too black, too imperfect, too asian, to not-what-the-magazines-are-screaming-as-desirable, too pale, too white, too . . .

To make matters worse, marketing is DESIGNED to inculcate deep personal disappointment that demands people buy anything that will make them acceptable, desirable, even better than others. Only this cream, this hair color, this outfit, this look, this body type, this . . . will make me acceptable, maybe even captivating? Even worse, beauty has been the source of such pain that some women bury it, refuse it, despise it, hide it, choosing control and efficiency instead.

What does God want for you? He wants you to know Him at such a personal level (Jer 24:7) to where you experience His boundless love (Rom 5:8, 1 Jn 3:1 and countless others). Then, He wants to heal you, to set you free (IS 61:1-3) from the lies and accusations that you are “too much” and “not enough”. Once this occurs, you can  begin to accept that you truly are beautiful. You can tenderly and securely allow your heavenly Father to reveal the beauty He designed in you before the beginning of time. Then, you will begin to understand what makes your beauty, your beauty.

What do you think? Share your comments below.

Want to learn about IS 61 healing? Look for information about our upcoming events on the events page.

 

 

 

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As Long as I Behave “Good?”

To be a perfect Christian man or a perfect Christian woman, one must behave perfectly?

During Jesus time, the most religious Jewish leaders added hundreds of laws prescribing how good Jews must live. What did Jesus think of these epitomes of religious perfection? In Matthew 23 alone, He called or said to them the following:

  • Hypocrites
  • Woe unto you, ye blind guides
  • You fools
  • [you … have omitted… judgement, mercy, and faith
  • [you] strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel
  • [you are] full of extortion and excess
  • You are full of dead men’s bones, and all uncleanness… and hypocrisy and iniquity
  • You serpents, you generation of snakes… you kill and crucify… you scourge in your synagogues

Earlier, when asked to define the greatest commandment, Jesus replied:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:37-40)

Do you think that loving God and loving others is about our behavior?

Yes, . . . and no

Are we to extend acts to demonstrate our love? Absolutely. Can we “demonstrate” love to manipulate or gain favor? Can we execute “required” behaviors just like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and not be genuine?

I serve my wife, . . . so she will sleep with me. Hey, I sacrificially served my wife, don’t I GET something for that?

I respect my husband, so he will not grouse when I spend outside our budget. Hey, I stroked his ego, he owes me.

Looking on, we observe serving and respect, but the motives have nothing to do with love.

The crux? My motives and my heart.

Can you see  now that it comes down to our hearts, to your heart? Can you behave properly and be far far from God and His purposes? To understand how to live and love as men and women, we must first agree that it IS all about our motives and our hearts. That is where we will begin.