The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense

by John Bevere

Satan had requested permission to shake Simon Peter so severely that he would lose his faith. The enemy’s intent was to destroy this man of great potential, who had received so much revelation. But God had a different purpose for the shaking, and, as always, God is way ahead of the devil. He allowed the enemy to do this in order to shake everything in Simon Peter that needed to be shaken. God showed my wife, Lisa, five purposes for shaking an object: 1. To bring it closer to its foundation 2. To remove what is dead 3. To harvest what is ripe 4. To awaken 5. To unify or mix together so it can no longer be separated Any thought process or heart attitude that is rooted in selfishness or pride will be purged. As a result of this tremendous shaking, all of Simon Peter’s self-confidence would be gone, and all that would remain was God’s sure foundation. He would be awakened to his true condition, the dead would be removed and the ripe fruit harvested, bringing him closer to his true foundation. He would no longer function independently but would be interdependent on the Lord.

God's purposes for having Satan sift Peter