“Simon, Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat.”
Lk 22:31 TLB

Out of all Christ’s disciples, Peter was the one who believed that failure couldn’t happen to him. But it did, and in a big way. Jesus told him, “Satan has asked to have you, to sift you like wheat, but I have pleaded in prayer for you that your faith should not completely fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen and build up the faith of your brothers” (vv. 31-32 TLB). Notice three important truths: (1) We are all capable of falling. Don’t believe the lie that says, “If you were really a Christian, you wouldn’t have failed like that.” When God saves you, your spirit is immediately changed. But until your emotions, appetites, and desires come under the control of Christ you’ll always struggle in certain areas. This has nothing to do with your salvation, and everything to do with becoming spiritually mature. (2) We must be willing to repent. The trouble with temptation is that it usually starts out as pleasure. You think you can handle it, and when you become ensnared you try to overcome it in your own strength. But it doesn’t work. The Bible says, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (Jas 4:6 NKJV). God’s grace isn’t for the arrogant. It’s only given to humble, repentant hearts. (3) Once we are free, we stay free by helping others. God takes us out of a bad situation to place us in a good one; otherwise we’ll seek out our old connections. So the way to keep what we have is, give it to others.

“The message…did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith.” Heb 4:2 AMP

A catalyst facilitates change; it makes things happen! For example, Alka-Seltzer without water has no effervescence, flour without yeast produces no bread, seeds without sunshine means no flowers, blue without yellow means no green, an egg without sperm means no baby, a spark without air produces no flame. Faith makes God’s Word work in your life. Without it nothing happens. Talking about the Israelites, Paul said, “When the good news of deliverance…came to them…the message…did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with faith.” One author says: “Without specific catalysts certain results can never be achieved. To make spiritual progress it’s not enough to read the Bible or listen to sermons. The activating ingredient to understanding is faith. After we hear God’s message we must act on it…Maybe you’re experiencing bitterness or anger because of a failed relationship and God told you to put those emotions behind you, but you lack the will to do it. Let me encourage you, trust God’s Word and act in faith. His promises will bloom in your life once you activate your faith.” Faith is not intellectual assent, or paying lip service to what you read in God’s Word. It’s acting on it, confident that God will do what He promised. There’s a difference between faith and trust. You may believe a chair will hold you, but only when you sit down and put your full weight on it are you trusting it. Getting the idea?

9 “Pray, then, in this way : ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’] – Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus Christ gave His followers a pattern for prayer that includes seeking forgiveness daily. The invitation to regular repentance is not a means of renewing our salvation, but rather a maintenance plan for our fellowship with the Lord. When we trust Jesus as our Savior, our sins are forgiven forever. The stains from our past, present, and future wrongs are wiped from our record; however, we’re a fallen people so we do continue to commit sin.

With the exception of Jesus Christ, no person is perfect. Sin is simply a fact of human life. The Lord’s payment for our transgressions means that we can look forward to an eternity spent in God’s presence instead of getting the punishment we deserve. On this side of heaven, though, we still have to contend with our tendency to do wrong–and we must also deal with the consequences. The Lord’s admonition to seek daily forgiveness is a reminder to confess our sins and turn away from them because we are forgiven.

God’s grace is not a license to sin; instead, it’s a reason to pursue righteousness. Bad attitudes, thoughtless actions, and unkind speech do not fit who we are as children of light. We’re new creatures in Christ, bought for a price and set free to live as partakers of His grace.

Salvation makes a way for us to enter God’s presence, while regular confession and repentance keep the pathway well maintained and free of obstruction (1 John 1:9). The so-called “sinner’s prayer” need be said only once, but a saint will tap into God’s forgiveness every day of his or her life.