Going Through the Sifter

Did you know that Satan talks to God? The Bible says he accuses us constantly before the face of God. But that’s not all. Satan asked God if he could sift Peter. This is not unusual. He desires to shake all of us. Especially if we are accomplishing any progress in our Christian walk.

I’m sure you are familiar with a sifter. People use it in cooking to sift flour or strain noodles. Miners would use a sifter to pan for gold. When you sift things you shake what is in the sifter to separate the valuable things from the insignificant. The goal of Satan’s sifting is to shake us from things that have become a small and insignificant part of our life. The small things fall through the holes of the sifter. If things like prayer, church, worship, and Bible study have become a small part of your life, you will become separated from them even more when you are sifted.

Sifting reveals our foundation. Through his sifting, Peter realized that he wasn’t as strong in the Lord as he thought he was. What Satan meant for bad actually became a positive as Peter went deeper in his commitment to Christ. Make spiritual things a big part of your life and Satan cannot separate you from them. Peter would later write, “Be sober and vigilant for your adversary the devil roams about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith.” Resist the devil and he will flee from you.