Walking by Faith in Repentance

Bob’s TFT Wednesday 04-23-2025

Bible Passage: Luke 22:31-32 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has asked permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

The Bible is a living, breathing document. It does not matter how often I have studied a passage; something new is always revealed. I have read or heard today’s scripture passage many times, but have not seen the parallel to the Book of Job, where Satan asks to test Job. God knew that Job could withstand Satan’s attack and remain firm in his faith in God. Christ foresaw Peter’s fall into temptation and his recovery; as Peter’s faith is restored, he must use it to strengthen the faith of his brothers.

These two verses are packed with life lessons for us today. Temptation will come! We will all fall prey to its wilds because it is cloaked in self-centeredness. We will fall to preserve the status quo or advance in the pleasures of life. The good news is that Christ, our advocate, died to pay the penalty for sin, and He stands at the Father's right hand, claiming all who would believe in Him.

Our challenge is not that we will not fall, but rather, will we repent and turn to God for strength and healing once we do? The more time we spend in God's presence, the less time we will have to focus on ourselves.

Think about this passage for a moment. Jesus prayed for Simon, knowing that he would sin. He did not pray for the avoidance of sin, but rather for his recovery after. He wanted Simon to know that He loved Simon despite his sin and that recovery was possible by faith through his repentance.

Christ believes in us! He knows we will fall, and that return is possible when we return to Him in faith. If we continue in sin, there is no repentance or humble submission to Christ in faith. We can walk by faith toward Christ or away from Him in sin.

The final lesson from this passage is that repentance changes us, and that change can impact others. When we learn to walk by faith, we need to teach others. Sin is common to all, but walking by faith is a life lesson for the ages that we can all learn from. We need to strengthen each other as we journey through life together.