Sift Away Satan, Sift Away

 

"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat." – Luke 22:31 (NIV)

"Satan has asked"…

Many of us are of the belief that Satan has free reign to do whatever he wants to do on this earth, and for the most part, that may be true, however, it is clear from Luke 22:31, that when it comes to those in relationship with Jesus – born-again children of God – he must ask.

But from who does Satan seek permission "to sift all of you"?

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them." – Job 1:6, also 2:1 (JUB)

There are days and then there’s that one particular day when Satan, mixing in with the angels, presents himself before God to ask permission to sift you. Permission is required from God. And now that you know this, another question arises: Why, as a child of God, should God grant Satan permission to sift you?

You must keep in mind that Satan is prowling around the earth like a roaring lion looking for prey, ready to pounce at the mere sign of weakness (1 Peter 5:8). He is an astute strategist who studies his prey carefully. He is looking out for even the tiniest chink in your armour – any kind of emotional instability, angry outbursts, spiritual immaturity, pride, self-righteousness, greed, rage, bitterness; if you’re easily offended, hasty, emotionally wounded, and fearful, you’re ripe for the taking.

Satan’s greatest ally is fear. Fear gives Satan cause to move against you; he will use your fear as his compelling reason for proving his case against you before God, just as he did with Job.

When you operate in fear, you give Satan a legal right to put his hands on you (see Job 1:12; 2;6) and God is legally bound to remove His hedge of protection from around you. Satan couldn’t care less about your good attributes or your great works; he is keeping a keen eye out for those skeletons hidden in the back of your closet – your craven fears.

But cheer up because it’s not all bad news. You see, even though Satan has been given permission to sift, there are boundaries that he’s not allowed to cross. Remember, God always sets the boundaries.

As crafty, powerful and clever as Satan is, he is still a created being, just like the rest of us. Created by God, and therefore subordinate to God and, like the ocean, only able to venture as far as God permits (Job 2:6). As God’s own, Satan can only lift a finger against you under divine imposed limitations, and God will use these times of physical misery for a spiritual purpose.

Look at what Jesus told Peter right after he let him know about the sifting.

"But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." – Luke 22:32 (NIV)

God will use this time of sifting as a set up for His glory to be manifested in you and through you, to give you a testimony to share with others so that by it their faith might be strengthened. He will work all things together for your good and His glory (see Romans 8:28).

Beloved, God is the only one who determines the outcome of your life. He does not gamble with the lives of His children. He has already established a great plan for you.

Even if you have to suffer a little while, know that at the end of it all the genuineness of your faith will be proven and you’ll be as refined as fire refines gold, so, sift away Satan, sift away.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Sift Away Satan, Sift Away” © 2016 (07-Jun-2016) revisited September 18, 2026

God has set Boundaries

 

God has set boundaries in nature and also for us, His children. For instance, in Jeremiah 5:22 (NLT) we read,

“I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set.”

God has established clear boundaries that are beneficial to us and are not, as some erroneously believe, restrictions to our freedom. In fact, boundaries create a refuge, which, if not violated, afford us the freedom of being as “naked” and unashamed as Adam and Eve once were in the Garden.

“The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden… Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.” – Genesis 2:15, 25 (NLT)

God’s boundaries help us stay within His will: “…yet not My will but Yours be done.” (ref. Luke 22:42).

God provides boundaries of times and seasons, for all of His creation: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

God has set boundaries throughout His Word which give us a comprehensive perspective of the relationship between God and us. Those boundaries define who we are and allow us to see God as He really is.

With these boundaries in place, we are able to gain an understanding of the unity and oneness we are to have with God so that we may experience all the intimacy that is possible in our relationship with Him.

God has set boundaries for us because He knows the dangers of living without them. When God set a boundary for Satan concerning Job it was to let him know that he may go this far but no farther.

“The Lord said to Satan, ‘Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” – Job 2:6 (NIV)

God’s boundaries are very important if we are to live as He intends for us to live and violating them keeps us away from experiencing His best.

Beloved, God loves you and it is out of His love that He sets boundaries. God wants you to have the promised abundant life and has set boundaries in order to protect and preserve the best He has for you.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “God has set Boundaries”  © 2013 (20-Jun-13) revisited September 17, 2026

Honest Thomas

 

“Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” – John 20:25 (NIV)

This is what Thomas said to the other disciples after they told him that they had seen Jesus. You see, after His resurrection, Jesus had appeared to the disciples, but Thomas was absent. All he knew for sure was that Jesus had been arrested, sentenced, crucified, died and was buried, and even though he would have heard Jesus speak of His death and subsequent resurrection...

“but now I am going to him who sent me”…Jesus went on to say, “In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.” – John 16:5 & 16 (NIV)

...we are told that some of the disciples were left confused by what Jesus said so, though Thomas isn’t mentioned, it’s safe to assume that he might have been in the “some” group.

At this, some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” – John 16:17 (NIV)

After three years of discipleship, they still didn’t quite understand. A few chapters before this in John 14 Jesus, after giving them yet another heads up of His departure says, “You know the way to the place where I am going.” (v 4), then Thomas says to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (v 5).

Thomas’ use of the pronoun “we” indicates that he was speaking on behalf of all the disciples. The disciples were left confused by what Jesus said; Thomas was not the only one in doubt.

The disciples, upon seeing the resurrected Jesus worshiped him; but some doubted (Matthew 28:17).

Mark 16:14,

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

In his Gospel account, Luke tells of two disciples who encounter Jesus on their way to Emmaus; the two immediately return to Jerusalem to tell the others of their incredible reunion,

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them…He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? – Luke 24:36 & 38 (NIV)

Thomas was not the only one in doubt so, why has he been singled out? Why is he referred to as “Doubting Thomas”?

Thomas may have doubted but he also spoke up while everyone else remained silent. Thomas was honest; he did not sit by murmuring and wondering, he did not stand around smiling and pretending that he wasn’t in doubt or confused or lost, he spoke…

“we don’t know where…we don’t know the way…”

“unless I see…and put…I will not believe”

Who else was honest about how they were feeling? Which one of the other disciples was honest enough to voice their confusion, their doubt, their trepidation?

After years of following his beloved Rabbi, not even Peter was completely confident, this was demonstrated in his attempt to stop Jesus’ arrest – he cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant, causing Jesus to say,

“Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?” – John 18:11 (NIV)

Beloved, Thomas did not hide his uncertainty, the way that so many people, even those in church, tend to do.

Admitting your doubt is not a sign of weakness; revealing your uncertainty is not a character flaw; letting others know that you just don’t get it, does not mean that you are dumb. It’s better to express your lack of understanding, rather than existing in pretence.

Be like Thomas, be honest about your level of spiritual understanding; speak up when you’re confused; admit that you’re lost when something just doesn’t click; ask questions when you have doubts.

Thomas was honest and perhaps he should have been nicknamed “Honest Thomas” instead.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Honest Thomas” © 2026 September 15, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the Present Tense

 

In Luke 19:1-10, we’re told of a guy named Zacchaeus who was the chief tax collector in Jericho. Keep in mind that tax collectors did not have a good reputation and were hated so, Zacchaeus, with oversight over other tax collectors, was even more hated (v 2 EXB).

The story goes…

Jesus was coming into town and Zacchaeus, unable to see above the crowd because he was short, climbed a sycamore tree. Jesus stops at the tree, looks up at Zacchaeus and says,

“Zacchaeus, hurry! Come down! I must stay at your house today.” (v 5 ERV)

Elated to have Jesus stay at his home, Zacchaeus hurried down from his lofty perch, much to the disdain of the townsfolk, who at that point grumbled and indignantly complained, He has gone in to be the guest of and lodge with a man who is devoted to sin and preeminently a sinner (v 7 AMPC).

Then verse 8 in the ESV recounts,

And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” 

In most other translations of the bible, this verse records Zacchaeus’ words in the future tense, as in “I will give” and “I will repay” or “I will give back” but here it’s in the present tense. How come, you may be wondering.

Well, I recently learnt that the original Greek text was written in the present tense. Zacchaeus was not telling Jesus what he will do, he was letting Jesus know what he already does; he already gives half of his goods to the poor and he already restores to anyone whom he may have over charged, four times the amount.

As far as first century Jews were concerned, tax collectors were corrupt agents for the enemy, Rome; they were seen solely as doing Rome’s bidding and therefore incapable of performing good deeds.

But Zacchaeus was different, yet, despite his righteousness, the people, so blinded by the stereotypical, were unable to see the good that he was doing. In their minds, a sinful tax collector could never be doing good works; the two just did not correlate.

Now, I must admit that for years I too saw Zacchaeus as a terrible person, a corrupt tax collector who cheated people out of their hard-earned money, the reason being, that has always been the picture of Zacchaeus that was painted by every Sunday school teacher, from every pulpit and in every bible study session.

It was Zacchaeus who had a lesson to learn, not so? Or maybe, just maybe, Zacchaeus has been the unwitting fall guy all this time and it’s us – the grumblers and complainers, the persons in the crowd, the townsfolk, the judgmental, the label stampers, the ones blinded by their own perceptions and misled by their own assumptions – for whom the lesson is meant.

Like the people in Jericho, we place labels on persons based on our own perceptions and assumptions. Sometimes we draw conclusions about others solely on hearsay and never take the time to see who the person really is for ourselves.

There was a gospel artiste with whom I was acquainted, she has a beautiful voice but because she did not dress in the way some Christians felt she should, throughout her performance, those persons became so fixated on what she was wearing, that their grumbling and indignant complaining caused them to not hear a word she sang.

I must add that she’s European and it was not anything indecent, some people simply had a problem with her style.

Even though the Word warns us about judging others (see Matthew 7:1-2), we all do it; we are no better than the people of Jericho.

Despised by the people of Jericho because of his profession, Zacchaeus must have felt compelled to confess to Jesus.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. – 1 John 1:9 (ESV)

And Jesus’ response to him was so lovely.

“Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” (v 9-10 NRSVUE)

Notice, Jesus was not speaking to Zacchaeus, He was talking to the crowd, the neighbours, the townsfolk, to you and to me. We are constantly looking at the speck of dust in others’ eyes and not seeing the lamppost in our own eyes.

We wrongfully judge others based on a variety of things including their profession. Oh, you don’t? You don’t believe that all politicians are corrupt? That's the impression that many persons hold but it's a case of a few tainting the whole. Moving right along…

Yes, Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector, but he was a tax collector whose heart was in the right place. He did not just repay for his wrongdoing, he repaid four times as much. Zacchaeus’ generosity and grace were not public knowledge before his encounter with Jesus. Jesus let the people know that Zacchaeus was not who they thought he was, for he, too, is a son of Abraham.

Beloved, the person you deem unworthy, he too is a son of Abraham; that girl you disapprove of, she too is a son of Abraham. Zacchaeus wasn’t going to give, he was already giving; he was not making a promise to repay, he was already giving back.

And, Jesus’ promise of salvation is not lying in wait for some time in the future, it’s for today. Salvation comes to you today, right now, it’s all in the present tense.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “In the Present Tense” © 2026 September 14, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

Ceaseless Praying

 

The Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) of 1 Thessalonians 5:17 simply says, Never stop praying.

Now, there are some religious orders that have taken up the mandate to never stop praying; they maintain their vow of ceaseless praying in various ways – some follow a 24-hour shift system where members are assigned to pray at different times throughout the day and night.

But what about the rest of us? Apostle Paul goes on to say that this is how God wants us to live in Christ Jesus. In other words, it is God’s will that believers engage in ceaseless praying.

Some of you, by now, must be wondering how to pray without ceasing with the busy schedule that you have; you want to do what God wants you to do but you just can’t see how you can fit it into the daily grind.

I faced the same “conundrum” years ago. Listen, I had my prayer-time all worked out until Paul messed it up in his letter to the Thessalonians. I just could not fathom how I could accomplish this task. And that was my problem right there – I was seeing Paul’s call for ceaseless praying as yet another task to slot into an already over-burdened to-do list.

Praying is not a task and should never be considered as such. Praying is an incredible privilege – we get to pray; we get to be in communication with God; we get to have conversations with God – it’s truly an honour to be in touch with God.

God has made Himself available to you and me all day, every day and that is the beauty involved in ceaseless praying. Ceaseless praying is not about squeezing prayer into your busy life. Ceaseless praying is about communing with God.

To never stop praying has everything to do with having a keen and constant awareness of God’s presence. It’s knowing that God is always present, it’s maintaining connectivity to Him and being thankful in all circumstances.

The truth is, most days life is demanding and can get difficult; challenges, more often than not, come in waves so, whose wave frequency are you going to tune into?

Remember, God is with you wherever you go (Joshua 1:9) and the more you sensitize yourself to His presence, not just around you but inside you, the more you would become aware of the immutable undercurrent of connection that exists between you and your Creator.

Beloved, this is what authentic union with Jesus Christ “feels” like – living life ceaselessly praying even if no words are spoken, even when you’re still and knowing amid the noise of busyness, even if all you can murmur is “thank You” or whisper, “Praise God”.

To engage in ceaseless praying is not an unreasonable directive but a loving reminder to stay connected to God who is for you, with you and always present.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Ceaseless Praying” © 2026 September 13, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

What about the word “satan”?

We all know Satan as the adversary of God and the accuser of us humans, but did you know that the word “satan”, in Hebrew, is also a verb? Perhaps you already knew this, or you might only be familiar with the word “satan” as a noun.

You see, our English translation almost always loses the depth of meaning of the original text.  With the definite article prefixed, satan becomes the proper noun that we are accustomed using, however, without the article, the word is used in a general sense to denote someone who opposes or accuses or slanders.

When in Psalm 38:20 we read, Those who render me evil for good accuse me because I follow after good, here “accuse” is “satan” as a verb.

When in Numbers 22:22 we read, God's anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the way as his adversary, here, the angel who stood in Balaam’s way, “his adversary” is “satan” as a noun.

When in 1 Kings 5:4, Solomon told Hiram that he had no adversary who opposed him, it’s “satan” as a noun and a verb.

But now the Lord my God has given me rest on every side, so that there is neither adversary nor evil confronting me. (AMPC)

The Satan is a council, title or office and not a name; it’s “hassatan” or “ha-satan” in Hebrew. It was “ha-satan”, the satan, that appeared before God to accuse Job

One day the angels [sons of God] came to show themselves [stand] before the Lord, and Satan [the Satan; means “the Accuser” or “the Adversary”; either the Devil or a member of God’s heavenly court] was with them. – Job 1:6 (EXB)

And, when Jesus, in Mark 8:33, rebuked Peter saying, “Get behind me, Satan!”, He was referring to Peter as one who was opposing Him and not as one possessed by Satan, who is identified with the devil.

He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years – Revelation 20:2 (NRSVUE)

Peter was attempting to stand in Jesus’ way and the prophecy of the cross. Jesus was in effect telling Peter to get out of His way. Too often, like Peter, we attempt to get in the way of what God is doing.

With our perpetual need to control and belief that we know what’s best, we assume the role of the satan, when we become obstacles in everyone’s way (2 Corinthians 6:3), when we are stumbling blocks or hindrances to our brothers' and sisters' progress (Romans 14:13) and when we attempt to obstruct God’s plan (Acts 5:38-39).

When we accuse the brethren, oppose for opposing sake, use our mouths to slander fellow believers and become their adversaries, we satan others.

Beloved, know that even though the word “satan” has long been attributed to the evil one, that was never the original intention. Know that a believer can be a satan, depending on his or her actions. Even David, in 1 Samuel 29:4-5 was feared to become an adversary.

There’s so much more that can be unpacked regarding the word “satan” so, I encourage you to dig deeper for yourself.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “What about the word “satan”?” © 2026 September 12, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

A word to the weary

[The Servant of God says] The Lord God has given Me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens Me morning by morning, He wakens My ear to hear as a disciple [as one who is taught]. – Isaiah 50:4 (AMPC)

Here, the prophet Isaiah recorded the words of Jesus as the Servant of God. As such, Jesus did not speak anything that did not come from God, the Father. In John’s Gospel, chapter twelve verse forty-nine, Jesus lets us know this when He said,

I have not spoken on My own. Instead, the Father who sent Me told Me what I should say and how I should say it. (GW)

What an example for us to follow if we are serious about our service to God and His children: allowing God to teach us what to say and when to say it; to put His words in our mouths so that we too may “speak a word in season” to those who are weary. Being in communion with God every morning, listening to His wise counsel and obeying it will afford us this privilege. No longer shall we stand by speechless, unable to offer not even one word as weary people cross our paths.

Speaking words in due season to each other keeps us from growing weary…

In this life, we’ll all be faced with problems and situations of one kind or another that can wear us out but today beloved, I want you to know that there is joy and comfort to be found, not in your circumstances or your position, but joy and comfort are found in Christ Jesus. His joy strengthens you (see Nehemiah 8:10), and only He can give you the rest you long for (see Matthew 11:28).

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “A word to the weary” © 2016 (18-Oct-2016) revisited September 11, 2026