Lessons we learn from Jesus' spiritual warfare prayer

(c) Copyright 2006

Then the Lord said, "Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has demanded to have you apostles for himself. He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separates wheat from husks. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faithwill not fail. So when you recover, strengthen the other disciples." (Luke 22:31-32, GW).

Almost 2,000 years after Jesus spoke these words to Simon Peter,
Christians continue to debate the validity of spiritual warfare prayer.

However, I suspect that those who argue against spiritual warfare
prayer argue less with Scripture and more with some of our models and
methods. They would say, "Perhaps spiritual warfare prayer is valid, but
what that group is doing can't possibly be it!" In some cases, they may
be correct. There are some things about these two verses that I
find particularly interesting.

First, notice that Jesus is so in touch with heaven (because of His own
intimate prayer life) that He knew what Satan had demanded of the
Father. Remember, Jesus was completely dependent upon the Father
(see John 5:19). Without his daily "military intelligence report" from
heaven, Jesus was helpless. He could do nothing. So, true spiritual
warfare prayer, whatever it is, is absolutely heaven-dependent. What
Satan is doing today is not nearly as important as what God is doing,
when it comes to spiritual warfare!

Second, look at what Satan really wanted. We know Satan's job
description is "to steal, to kill, and to destroy" (see John 10:10). Jesus
said that Satan wanted to sift Peter (and the other disciples) like a
farmer separates the wheat from the husks. But look what Satan1
was actually after. He wanted to separate the Apostles from Jesus!
His war strategy was to "divide and conquer."

Third, Jesus said, "But I have prayed for you." No doubt Peter breathed
a big sigh of relief at this point. He must have thought, What a relief.
For a minute there it sounded like I was going to be sifted, whatever
that means. But Peter's relief was short lived, for Jesus continued, "I
have prayed that your faith won't fail during the sifting." What do you
mean, "During the sifting!?" Why didn't you pray that I wouldn't be
sifted?

Again, Christ wasn't praying according to Satan's agenda. His praying
was based on God's agenda. And at the time, God was developing
Apostles. And Apostles, like you and me, are forged in the fiery furnace
of affliction. At times, God will even allow the enemy to do things in our
lives, in order to accomplish His purposes.

Old Testament saints prayed to be delivered from their circumstances.
New Testament saints pray to be developed by their circumstances.

Finally, you will see that Jesus had no doubt about Peter's ultimate
victory. Why would He? After all, He had prayed in faith for Peter's faith
not to fail. So, he confidently says, "So when (not if) you recover,
strengthen the other disciples!"

A happily married woman with two children lost both of them. They were
buried in the same grave. After that, she suffered a deep emotional
collapse. For years her family fed and cared for her as though she was
as weak and helpless as a little child.

One day her aunt, a joyful Christian, took her turn at feeding her. The
distraught and despondent woman said, "Auntie, you keep on saying
that God loves us. I used to think so too; but if He loves us, why did He
make me as I am?"

The aunt kissed her gently, said with the wisdom of years, "Dear, He
hasn't made you yet. He's making you now!"

"When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie, My grace, all-sufficient,
shall be thy supply; The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy
dross to consume and thy gold to refine."
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Eddie Smith offers a free 52-Week School of prayer at:
www.TeachMeToPray.com

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Can God trust us with "the wealth of the wicked?"

Many of us have left unpaid bills in our past, perhaps way back in our youth. We've conveniently "swept under the carpet," with no intention of every repaying.

We may have failed to repay a personal loan from a boss or family member; to pay our income tax, or to tithe (robbing God); left a traffic ticket, an apartment rental, phone bill, light bill, or a student loan unpaid. Rather than pay it, we've unilaterally decided that "“the statute of limitations"” has expired and it's time for us to move on, let by-gone be by-gone, and forget about it.

Some of us feel that because the debt was constituted before we were saved, we are no longer obligated to pay it. If anything, being saved puts a greater requirement on us to pay our bills.

The bottom line.

If this is you, you're a thief, just as truly as someone who would break into your home tonight and steal your possessions. Harsh, you say? Listen carefully...

Some of us are so financially strapped we can't pay our bills. The harder we work the less we have. We've been asking God to force the devil to pay back 7 times what he's stolen from us; when in reality, God is forcing us to pay back 7 times what we've stolen from others.

It should cause us to search our past; make note of obligations we've left unattended; write letters of apology, outlining our plan to repay; and (however small) begin to make restitution. Until we do, we can never be entrusted with "the wealth of the wicked."

Consider it.