"Sifted"
by Becky Syfrett
"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:" Luke 22:31
Sifting wheat was the process of separating or filtering the good from the bad, the wheat from the chaff. Sifting is used to purify a product. The process involved winnowing wheat on large forks with six prongs. The forks were waved in the wind until the chaff blew off. Undesirable chaff would at times cling tenaciously to the fork. The women then took the wheat and put it in a large sifter, wrapping their arms around it and shaking it back and forth. This was done until all the chaff was gone and all that remained was the best wheat. This process allowed the undesirable to be removed without destroying the wheat.
Lately in my life, I have felt sifted. I feel like I have been stuck with a fork and waved in the air and if I’m not mistaken, I’m still in Gods arms being shaken back and forth. This is for my own good spiritually. God is working in me to remove all the undesirable things in my life without destroying me. During this process, I have learned some important things. First of all this sifting process reveals my weaknesses but more importantly it has shown me my strengths and this in its self would seem good but it is not. My strengths are what trip me up. Let me give you some biblical examples. Abraham is known for his faith. That is his strength but where did he fail? In his faith, he lied about who his wife was on one occasion and when it came to trusting God for his son, he took his wife’s handmaid. David who is known for his integrity failed in that same area when he took Bathsheba. Peter whose strength was boldness said he would never deny the Lord but did so 3 times. When I rely on my own strengths, my actions have surprised me because I did just the opposite of what I should have. Being sifted is showing me that I cannot rely on my own strengths and that in my weak areas I can rely only on God. Sifting is showing me that I am solely in the hands of God nothing I have will pass the test. He continues to daily shake me but this is not to destroy me but so that I might be made pure. Even my strengths are undesirable if I depend on them instead of God himself, so if you are feeling sifted and shaken remember that it is God who is allowing it, and God who is holding you during this shaking process.
The good news is that even though Abraham, David and Peter all allowed their own strengths to trip them up God shook them enough to allow the wheat to shine forth and for them to be known for those very strengths. Faith, Integrity and Boldness
You can find more encouraging words by Becky Syfrett by visiting her blogspot at Scent of the Spirit
