The Devil and Doubt
When Faith Fails
Scripture Reading: Luke 22:31-38
Key Verse: Luke 22:32
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
The devil must get permission to mess with us if we are in God’s family. Our Father knows how to develop our spiritual muscles, so He allows us to face off with the evil one under our Father’s watchful eyes. In our passage of scripture for today, Satan had asked permission to “sift” Peter. Peter was about to be tested to prove and improve his walk with God.
I love the phrase that Jesus gave to Peter: “But I have prayed for you…that your faith may not fail.” First, what a great thing to hear Jesus say, “I have prayed for you.” We have the assurance that Jesus is doing that for us also (Hebrews 7:25). Jesus is presently at the right hand of the Father, interceding for us, His children. His prayer is much the same—praying that our faith won’t fail. But to maintain a strong faith, it must be tested once in a while.
Jesus knew that Peter’s faith would fail, but challenged Peter to come back: “Strengthen your brothers.” In other words, “Peter, don’t allow your failure to be final. Get back up and get busy helping others keep their faith strong.” Maybe your faith has failed recently, and you are beating yourself up over it! Don’t allow the devil to have a second victory. Determine to learn from your mistake and get back into working for God’s kingdom with renewed energy.
Father, thank you for having compassion and mercy for me, even when I fail you! Help me to defeat the devil today and shine bright for you. In Jesus’ Name,