Luke 22:31,32 - Watch And Pray For Satan Desires To Have You.

Luk.22:31, 32: Watch and Pray for satan desires to have you.

Luke 22:31 (KJV)  And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan
hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
Luke 22:32 (KJV) But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail
not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Our Vulnerability
     It is critical that Christians understand their
vulnerability to demonic influence. Those who say a demon cannot influence a
believer's life have left us with only two possible culprits for the
problems we face: ourselves or God. If we blame ourselves, we feel
hopeless because we can't do anything to stop what we're doing. If we
blame God, our confidence in Him as our benevolent Father is
shattered. Either way, we have no chance to gain the victory which the
Bible promises us. In reality we are in a winnable war against the
defeated kingdom of darkness. But the lies of Satan can gain a measure of
control if we believe them.
     What right did Satan have to sift Simon (Peter) like wheat?
The context reveals that Peter and the other disciples were arguing
about who was going to be the greatest in the kingdom of God. In other
words, they were exercising pride. Sinful pride affords Satan a huge
opportunity. Peter protested that he was willing to die or go to prison for
the sake of Christ. But Jesus told him that, before the day was
over, Peter would deny Him three times, and he did.
     There are many believers who profess their faith and commit
themselves to behave appropriately but can't seem to follow through. Why?
We dare not overlook the reality of Satan and the ground we give
him through pride and disobedience. God intervened in the early
church and struck down Ananias and Sapphira because they allowed Satan
to fill their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit. The word filled in
Acts 5 is the same word found in Ephesians 5:18: "Be filled with the
Spirit." God delivered a dramatic message early: To whichever source you
yield, by that source you shall be filled or controlled.
     Father, I ask forgiveness for any ways I have allowed Satan
to control me. I want to be controlled wholly by You. by Neil
Anderson.

"I have prayed for thee"
     To every Christian comes the word that was addressed to
Peter, "Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:
but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not" (Luke 22:31,
32). Thank God we are not left alone. This is our safety. Satan can
never touch with eternal disaster one whom Christ has prepared for
temptation by His previous intercession, for grace is provided in Christ
for every soul, and a way of escape has been made, so that no one
need fall under the power of the enemy.
     Satan is preparing many and strong temptations with which
to assail the people of God. He is represented as walking to and
fro like a roaring lion, seeking for some unguarded soul whom he may
be successful in deceiving through his subtlety, and may finally
destroy. We are not safe without Christ for a single step. But what
comfort is treasured for us in the words, "I have prayed for thee, that
thy faith fail not"! Satan does not sift chaff; it is the wheat that
he desires to have in his hands. Then let us take courage and pray
at all times.
     Christ offers our prayers to the Father, mingled with the
merit of His sacrifice, and they come up before God as sweet incense.
. . . Whenever you are tempted to sin remember that Christ's eye
is upon you, and that Satan desires to have you that he may sift
you as wheat. Remember to send your petitions heavenward, and see
Jesus making intercession for you. Send up an earnest cry to God,
"Lord, save me; I perish," and you will not be overcome; you will not
enter into sin. Take your stand firmly on the words of Paul, and in
the strength of Jesus say, "In all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things
present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other
creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 8:37-39). [www.bibleuniverse.com]