Daily Devotional – 10/9/13 “Sifted to be shifted!”

At revival on last night, the Pastor spoke on “Satan wants to sift you but God wants to shift you,” from Luke 22:31-32. In this particular scripture Jesus is telling Simon that Satan wants to sift him like wheat. Knowing me, like you all do, you know this piqued my curiosity but before I could go on I had to read about the wheat sifting process and baby, let me break this thang down for you. See, the first process of sifting wheat is called threshing, where the edible wheat grain is separated from the chaff or the stuff you can’t eat and this used to be done by spreading the wheat out and beating it with a flail. You know when the storm first comes, the bad news is just delivered, death has just visited your home, sickness has just been detected, spouse has just decided it’s over, children acting like strangers, friends are showing their true colors as enemies and the job just handed you that pink slip; yea, that’s your threshing. Next is the winnowing process where the loosened chaff is removed and this was normally done by throwing the wheat in the air that caused the loose chaff to be blown out allowing the heavy grain to fall back to the floor. Oh, this is simply that moment when you feel like all hell is breaking loose, you’re looking around trying to figure out where you are even though you’re in the same place or asking what the hell is going on; yea, that moment. However, nowadays, this process is done together in a machine called a combine that allows the threshing and the winnowing process to be done and then the wheat, the useable wheat is then able to be used. You know, how it seems like if you didn’t have bad luck you wouldn’t have any luck at all, you keep getting hit on every side until you’re bruised up, you’ve turned the last cheek and you have no more to use, you’re all cried out, feet tired of pacing, body tired from tossing and turning, throat sore from calling out to God and knees worn out from praying?

Oh but then when the process is over and all of the mess, that unusable mess is removed and everything that has been thrown in the air is finally coming back down, you start to see the sun because the clouds are rolling away, you can smile now because the tears have dried, you can get up off your bed of affliction, you can stand because the water is now receding and you can breathe. Why? Well, that’s because like Jesus told Simon in 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.” So, after you’ve gone through, tell somebody. After you’ve made it through, tell somebody else. After you’ve survived, tell somebody else that. After your scars have healed, tell somebody else that God is. After you’ve been sifted to now be shifted to your destiny, tell somebody else that God is real!