Luke 22:31–32 (NLT)
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. 32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
1 Peter 5:8–9 (NLT)
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 9 Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your family of believers all over the world is going through the same kind of suffering you are.
What do you think Jesus means by “Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat”?
What would “sifting” do to wheat, and what might “sifting” do to a disciple’s faith, emotions, or relationships?
Luke 22:32 (NLT)
But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
What does it show you about Jesus that, in the middle of the warning, he says “I have pleaded in prayer for you”?
How does Jesus’ intercession reshape the way you view spiritual attacks and seasons of pressure?
So Satan “asked.” What does that imply about Satan’s limits and God’s authority?
Jesus prays that “your faith should not fail.” Not that the trial would be removed. Does that matter? Why?
Jesus says, “when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.” How can restoration become a ministry?
What would it look like for your hardest “sifting” season to become a tool God uses to steady others?