08 God Permits Everything for Our Best — Zac Poonen

Satan’s Permission to Test Peter

I'm going to turn to a verse in Luke's Gospel, chapter 22. Jesus told Simon Peter, verse 31, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail and when you have turned against, strengthen your brothers.

Now there are a number of things we can learn from these verses. One is, most important, Satan cannot touch any of God's children without first getting permission from God. You know, so many believers are afraid that Satan may do this or Satan may do that to me.

You can finish with those fears from now on. It says, Satan has asked permission from God, can I sift Peter? If God said no, Satan could not touch Peter. Now even though you may have read this many times, I want to repeat to you what we read in the book of Job.

Because I believe it is very important for the days in which we live. In the book of Job, we read of Satan attacking Job. But before he could do that, he had to get God's permission at each stage. Just read it carefully and see.

Just read it carefully and see. Satan came to God and said, because you have blessed him, Job is afraid of you. We see here an important thing that is not read anywhere else in the Bible. And when Satan speaks to God, it is the truth.

When he speaks to us, he tells lies. I am very thankful that this is recorded here. Because I don't read it anywhere else in the Bible. What is that? Job 1 verse 10. Job 1 verse 10. Because Job was a man who feared God and turned away from sin, that is very important.

This is only for those who fear God and turn away from sin. This is not for everybody sitting here. But if you fear God and you turn away from sin, here are three things that are true for you. Number one.

God has put a hedge around you personally. When man makes a hedge, anybody can come through it. Even if he makes a wall, people can break through it. But when God puts a hedge around you, nobody can come through it.

Number two. God has put a hedge around your family. That includes your wife and your children. It doesn't include your brothers and sisters and all the others. It does not even include your parents. But it does include your wife and your children.

That is what is called your house. And then there is a third hedge God puts around your property. That means your business, your house, all the things in your house. Your bank account, everything that you have.

So there are three hedges that God has put around a godly man. I am very thankful that Satan said it. Because of that I know it. Sometimes he does some foolish things like that. But now I know. I want to be a man about whom God can say like verse 8.

That I am blameless and upright. Blameless means to the level of my knowledge I am not doing anything wrong. Your level may be lower than mine but according to your level you are not doing anything wrong.

Do you know that God does not evaluate you by my standard? If you are in kindergarten God will give you a kindergarten question paper. But if I am in 10th standard God will give me a 10th standard question paper.

Somebody here in 4th standard God will give him a 4th standard question paper. We are like a school with people in different different classes. And the Bible says God will not allow you to be tested beyond your ability.

So he will not test you by my standard. He will not test you by somebody else's standard. He will test you by your standard. So according to your standard if you can say my conscience is clear. I have asked forgiveness from everybody whom I have wronged.

I have given back all the money I have stolen. And if I am in debt I am little by little paying back that debt. You don't have to clear it in one day. When Zacchaeus said to Jesus I will return everything four times.

That may have taken him one year to do it. I am sure he could not do it in one day. Where is he going to find all the people he cheated in the last so many years? But before he gave it back Jesus said salvation has come today to this house.

Had he paid back all that money? No. But he decided to pay back. And when you take a decision. God says I accept it. Even if it takes you ten years to pay back your debt. I accept it today that you have paid it back.

How good God is. So if your conscience is clear. Whatever I have done wrong I have tried to set it right. And wherever I have sinned I have taken the blame hundred percent. I don't blame my wife or neighbor or anybody.

And Lord I really have a desire to become like Jesus. Then you are a blameless person. You are an upright person. You fear God. You reverence God. You tremble at His word. And turn away from everything that you know to be sin.

Then I can tell you in Jesus name. As long as you live like that. There will always be three hedges around you. I have believed that for many years. I don't want any commandos to protect me like all these chief ministers and all that.

I have angels. Not only angels. I have God's hedge. Three hedges around me. And if I am upright. Even if my children are not so upright. There is still a hedge around them because of me. That is amazing.

I don't think Job's children were like him. Even his wife was not like him. Why do I say that? Because God says to Satan. Verse 8. There is nobody like him in the whole earth. His wife is not like him.

His ten children none of them are like him. He is the only one on the earth. Children may be good. But they are not like him. But still there was a protection around his children. It's a wonderful thing to be a righteous man.

Look at what an ungodly wife he had. But because her husband was a godly man. She also got a protection. I tell you. It is the most blessed thing on earth. To be a righteous man. Where you never hurt anybody.

You never go around speaking evil of others. You don't cheat anybody. If you do something wrong. You set it right immediately. If you hurt somebody. You ask forgiveness. If you hurt somebody. You ask forgiveness.

You are ready to ask forgiveness. Even from a beggar on the street. If you spoke rudely to him. You are an upright man. You are one who reverences God. There is a hedge around you brother. But even if your wife is not a godly woman.

And your children are not godly. Because of you. There is a hedge around them also. They should be thankful that they have got such a godly father. And there is a hedge around your money, bank account, property, house, everything.

And no man, no demon, no devil can get into this. But God may sometimes open that hedge for the devil to come. To test you. To make you a better person. You know if you take gold mixed with other things to a goldsmith.

He says, I want some pure gold. He won't just wash it with soap and water. He says, I have got to put this in the fire. He says, no, no, no, don't put it in the fire. Then it will remain like this. So if God has to purify us.

He has to put us in the fire. Soap and water can clean certain things. But some things cannot be cleaned with soap and water. You need fire. So Job had to be purified with fire. And sometimes God may allow some fire to come into our life.

If you say, Lord in 2010, don't let any fire come into my life. You are saying, God, please don't make me any more pure in 2010. This much is enough. You can't pray on one hand, make me more pure. And then say, don't put any fire.

That goldsmith will return the gold to you and say, you keep it then. I have to put it in the fire if you want it pure. Sometimes we pray too contradictory prayers. Oh God, purify me. Oh God, don't give me any troubles.

These are too contradictory prayers. So God had to purify Job. So he told Satan, okay, I will open that outer hedge. Hedge number three. You can go and do whatever you like to his property. But Satan went and destroyed all his property.

All his cattle and all his money and house, everything, God. He had about ten houses for his ten children. Then God said, okay, I will also open this hedge number two. Inside hedge number two, there are eleven people.

One is wife, seven boys and three daughters. And the devil comes in, kills them, kills them, kills them. And when he comes to the wife, the devil tells the demons, don't kill her. Because I can use her to irritate Job everyday.

He could have killed her, God gave him permission. But he says, this woman is better alive than dead. Don't be a wife like that whom the devil says I can use to nag my husband. Job's wife was like that.

That's why the devil didn't kill her. God could have told him, hey, you have got permission to kill her also. No God, I will keep her alive. But he couldn't touch Job. He was in hedge number one. And so God, Job lost everything.

And then, he is still praising the Lord. And then the devil says, that's because you haven't touched his body God, that's why. Chapter two, verse four. Yeah, he may say that he loves his children and all that, but he loves himself more than all his children.

You touch him and then he will start cursing you. If you touch him, Job will start cursing you God. Okay, let me open the third hedge. Let me open the first hedge. But not fully. You can make him sick.

But you can't kill him. And so he went and made him sick. It says in verse seven, from head to foot he was full of boils. And then the devil got a whole lot of preachers to come and preach to him. And nearly for the next thirty chapters, that's what you read.

All these preachers preaching to Job. Your sickness is because of a sin. I want to ask all of you a question. Please listen to me. Whenever you see somebody seriously sick, do you immediately feel, ah, there must be some sin in his life.

And if you are a preacher, do you go and tell him that? Or even if you don't tell him, you think in your heart. There is a reason why this happened. There may be a reason. But only God knows that reason.

And if you think you know that reason, you are an arrogant, proud person. You know, when God allows a godly man to get sick, he is not only testing that godly man, he is testing all the other people who are watching him also.

Sometimes godly people can get sick. One of the godliest people I met in this country was a brother called Brother Bucksing. But you know, for the last 10 years of his life, he was lying down in a bed like a vegetable.

He couldn't speak. He couldn't do anything for himself. This is one of the most godliest man I met. And from, till he finally died when he was about 97 years old. But he was like that for about 10 years.

I don't know what God was doing in him. I'm sure God was testing all the people who came and saw him and had their opinions. I went and met him. And I could not understand why God allowed it. I thought maybe God is testing all these other people around him.

To see whether they are humble enough to say, I don't know, I'm God, I'm not God. Or whether they'll be like Job's preacher saying, ah, I know, there must be some secrets in his life. See, that can happen even today.

Particularly when you see somebody else suffering. He is a godly man. You begin to pass your opinions. In that moment, the Holy Spirit will show you what an evil person you are. If you can get light on it.

Oh God, thank you for showing me what a wicked person I am. I want to repent. I don't want to be like Job's preachers. I want to be like Job, not like those preachers who preach to him. Please remember that.

I don't know what you are going to face this year, but maybe the Lord is preparing you right now for something you will face this year. So Job suffered in many ways. Not only he lost his children and property.

Not only he lost his health. But he had all these preachers criticize him. And his wife also started calling him names. But he came out finally such a pure gold. How do you know whether a person has become pure gold?

He will say what Job says. Job chapter 40. Verse 4. Job answered the Lord. Lord, I am nothing. I am zero. I put my hand on my mouth. I will say nothing to you. I will say nothing to you. And he will also say in verse 6.

Chapter 42. Verse 6. This is the godliest man on the earth speaking. Remember. What does the most godly man in the world say? Lord, I put my mouth in the dust. And I repent. There are millions in the world who need to repent more than him.

But this man is repenting. The preachers have to repent but they are not repenting. But the godliest man in the world, he is repenting. The godliest man in the world puts his face in the dust. Remember this brothers and sisters.

You know that you have become like gold when your mouth is in the dust. You know that you have become like gold when you repent about yourself instead of thinking other people must repent. And you know that you have become like gold when you can say to God, I am zero.

When we are first converted, we think we are 100. Or it may be come down to 90, 80, 70. Finally when you become zero. Lord, I am only a zero. Then you know that gold has become pure. That's what Paul said.

He says in 1 Corinthians 3. About himself towards the end of his life. He has already been a Christian 30 years. Raised the dead. Written scripture. Planted churches. Whole hearted. Never served God for money.

What does he say? 1 Corinthians 3. Verse 6. I planted, Apollo watered, but God caused the growth. The one who plants is zero. The one who waters is zero. God is 100%. What did Paul think about himself at the end of his life?

Brothers and sisters, I am zero. To whom is he saying that? He is not saying it to godly elder brothers. He is saying it to the Corinthian Christians who were the most carnal Christians on the earth at that time.

He is writing to the carnal Christians. Brothers and sisters. I am a zero. I am a zero. The Corinthians thought they were very big. See what he says to them in chapter 4 verse 10. We are fools but you people are also wise.

We are also weak. But you are so strong. We are all without honor but you are all so distinguished. We are zero. You all are such big people. The mark of a man of God. And God has done a work in him. He becomes a zero.

In his own thinking. And so we turn to Luke 22. Just like Satan took permission from Job, from God. I will turn to Job. Now after 2000 years. He comes to God and says. Now I want to turn to Peter. He is going to be a leader.

I want to trouble him. The devil is always after the leaders. Trouble them in some way. Trouble their family. Trouble them. But there are three hedges. And he cannot come through. He cannot come through without God's permission.

So God said okay. You can sift Peter. And Jesus explained it to Simon. Listen Simon. This is not going to harm you. Have you seen these women sifting wheat? They don't throw away the wheat. It's only the chaff.

So if the devil sifts you. That's good. All the chaff from your life will go away. And the chaff is usually the pride. Even if everybody denies you. I will not deny you. Okay. Then Satan has to sift you.

That's all. But he says I am praying for you. I am not praying that Satan will not sift you. You need to be sifted Peter. You are too proud. I have got a great ministry for you. I think the Lord is saying that to some of you.

I have a great ministry for you. But you are too proud. You have to go through a lot of breaking. Then only I can fulfill that ministry for you. So I will not pray that Satan will not trouble you this year.

But he will remove from you all your pride. You will be humbled. But when you are humbled you will come forth as pure gold. Are you ready for that? It's a wonderful message. That Satan could not touch Peter and he cannot touch you without God's permission.

God as a Wall of Fire and Protector

There is a lovely verse in the book of Zechariah that I want to give all of you. Please remember it throughout this year. Please remember it throughout this year. The book of Zechariah. In the book of Zechariah 2.

Two verses. First of all verse 5. The Lord says that I will be a wall of fire around you and the glory in the midst of you. This hedge that God puts around you is a wall of fire. I thank God that almighty God is a wall of fire around about me.

You know when people sleep in the forest and all they light a fire and sleep in the middle so that the wild animals don't come in. Even the snakes cannot come in. They can sleep peacefully. So if God is a wall of fire around about you.

You can live peacefully all your life. And in the middle I will be the glory for you God says. And then he says. The last part of verse 8. If anybody touches you he is touching the apple of my eyes as God.

You know the apple of our eye. If you touch it it is so painful. Even accidentally sometimes we touch it and it is painful. There is no other part of the body where you feel pain. No pain anywhere. Apple of your eye.

It is the most sensitive part of your body. Even if one dust gets in you get so irritated. God says to me and to you. You are the apple of my eye. If anybody touches you. I will deal with him. Supposing somebody tries to poke my eye.

My eye does not do anything. But the eye cannot do anything. But the head says to the hand. Knock off his hand. That's what God will do. I am like a helpless eye. Somebody comes to harm me. I say Lord I cannot do anything.

These are strong people. God says I will deal with him don't worry. Please remember that throughout this year. I am not saying that nobody will come to harm us. But I am saying God will protect you. You can be sure of that.

Not only you. But your family. And your property. God will deal with that. And so. The Lord tells Simon Peter in Luke 22 .32. I am not praying that Satan won't sift you. If you are not sifted. You will not be good wheat.

If you try to make a chapati with wheat that is not sifted. If you try to make a chapati with wheat that is not sifted. There will be chaff. There will be stones. There will be all types of things inside.

That's why every sensible woman sifts the wheat before making the chapati. And I tell you in every one of you and me. There is a lot of chaff and stones and so many things. And I can tell you many things in my life where God has allowed Satan to sift me.

But not one grain of wheat falls away. Only the stones and the rubbish goes away. There is a promise like that in the Old Testament. When you are sifted. Not one grain of wheat will fall away. Only the chaff will go.

That's why I am not afraid. You don't have to be afraid either. When you face some shaking. That is only to throw away the chaff. Don't worry. So Jesus says to Simon. Luke 22 .32. I have prayed for you.

Faith in the Father’s Love

I am praying for you. What did Jesus pray? He never prays. Father don't let him be sifted. No, he has to be sifted. But I am praying. That after all the sifting is over. And Peter has fallen into sin.

That means he denied Jesus three times. I am praying that your faith will not fail. Peter. You are going to deny me three times. You will come down to the bottom. Verse 34. You will come right down to the bottom level.

When you reach that level. Remember one thing. Your heavenly father loves you. You know when so many things go wrong. You can begin to wonder. Does God love me or not? See. Let me give you one or two definitions of faith.

That have helped me. That's what Jesus prayed. Your faith should not fail. So I have tried to understand. What is faith? Number one. Faith is to believe. That God is my loving father. No matter what happens.

He is my father. Even if I failed him a million times. He loves me still. That is faith. Like the prodigal son. If I have gone far away from him. And wasted everything he gave me. He loves me. I can come back to him.

And when I come back to him. He will come running to embrace me. He will forgive me. He will make me sit at his right hand on the table. And say let us celebrate. That is faith. To believe that my heavenly father.

Is much better. Than the father of that prodigal son. If you lose that faith. You have lost your faith. Then you will only sink into the devil's hand. So I want to say to all of you. My dear brothers and sisters.

And all of you lovely young people. Always remember. That you have a father in heaven. Who loves you more than your earthly parents. Whatever may go wrong. If you are knocked down. Get up and say. Dad in heaven.

I know you love me. And when you are made a mess of your life. Say lord I have sinned. But I know you still love me. Never never lose that faith. Even if the earth shakes. And there are 101 things you cannot explain.

We read in the other day in the paper. That there is one island called Haiti. Where 100 ,000 people died in an earthquake. Just about 2 -3 days ago. Somebody asked me. Why does God allow that? I don't know.

But I know I have a father in heaven who loves me. There are so many things that happen in the world. I don't know the answer. Why has God allowed so many beggars to live in India? I don't know. In Karnataka.

Every month about 400 young girls are kidnapped. Girls. Because they kidnapped them for some evil purpose. I got so angry when I read that. Who are these evil men? And lord if that was one of my daughters.

How would I feel? Why doesn't God kill these kidnappers? I don't know. One thing I do know. That my father in heaven is a loving father. And one day. He will judge everybody absolutely rightly. Nobody will escape.

That is why there has to be a hell. People say how can a loving God keep a hell? That is for people like this. Who kidnap these innocent little girls. God is a loving father. And one day he will judge all the wrongs that people have done in this world.

Since the time of Adam. I have that faith. He is my loving father. The second thing. On faith. Is to believe that God is more eager to bless me. Than I am to be blessed. That is faith. If you for example.

You are praying for the baptism in the holy spirit. But. You feel you are so eager for the baptism in the holy spirit. But God is not so eager to baptize you. Then you don't have faith. You will never get the baptism in the holy spirit.

That is why you haven't got it also. That is why you haven't got it. Because you don't have faith. From now on. Whatever you pray for. Which is according to God's will. If you pray for something like.

Give me a Mercedes Benz car. Or a six bedroom house. Then I don't know. God may give it. He may not give it. But when you pray for baptism in the holy spirit. Or victory over sin. Definitely God will give it to you.

But you must believe. To believe is to say. God you are more eager to give this to me. Than I am eager to ask you for it. So can you remember these two things about faith? There are many other things.

But these two are very important. What are the two? Number one. God is my loving father. No matter what happens. No matter how much I have fallen. He still loves me. He will accept me. Even if I have committed the same sin.

One thousand times. When I come back to him. He will accept me. But he will not force me to come back to him. He will not force me to come back to him. You have to come back on your own. You have to turn from your sin on your own.

And then God will help you. Because God doesn't catch us by the neck and say come back to me. He won't do that. The father of the boy. No. If you go away. He waits for you to come back. So. And the second thing is.

That God is more eager to. Give you his blessing than you are. Asking to ask for it. Particularly about those things which are promised in scripture. Matthew 3 verse 11. Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

Jesus will baptize you in the Holy Spirit. Romans 6 verse 14. Sin will not rule over you. These are promises. You can ask for it. Ask for these things first. The other earthly things. God will help me to pass in my examination.

Give me a job and all. You can pray afterwards. That also God will help you. But that is secondary. But first of all. Lord fill me with the Holy Spirit. Give me power to overcome every sin in my life.

All the bad thoughts. My anger. My lusting with my eyes. And my telling lies. My cheating in the office. My jealousy. I can't love that enemy of mine. I want to love him. I can't forgive somebody who did some harm to me.

I want to forgive him. You ask for these things. God is more eager to give it to you than you are to get it. That is faith. So what did Jesus pray? Simon I am praying that your faith will not fail. And I believe that is what the Lord wants for all of us this year.

Whatever else may fail. But your faith should not fail. Yeah I can say one more thing about faith. There are many things. Because that is only to believe things that are written in scripture. For example.

Satan was defeated on the cross. Completely. You must never doubt it. Satan is not killed. Do you know the difference between an enemy who is defeated but not killed? Satan is not killed but he is defeated.

One day in the future God will destroy him. But today. He is defeated. And if you give your life to Jesus Christ. Satan cannot touch you without God's permission. Very important to believe that. When you have a problem.

Don't say oh Satan is troubling me. Say God has allowed Satan to trouble me. See what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12. It says in 2 Corinthians 12. Verse 7. To keep me from becoming proud. God gave me a gift.

It says he has given me something. What was this gift? A thorn in the flesh. A messenger of Satan. To keep me from becoming proud. Who gave it? God. Imagine if somebody gives you a nice gift on your birthday.

Nice box. Blue colored paper. A nice ribbon and all that. Happy birthday. You think is this some diamond or something inside? And you open it all. And there is a thorn. What type of gift is this? God gave Paul a thorn.

You know why? To keep him humble. If Paul needed it. I think sometimes you and I also need a little thorn. Paul was more whole hearted than you and me. But he was in danger of getting puffed up. You know like a balloon getting blown up.

And God was afraid this fellow will burst now with pride. So he lets out the air. And the balloon comes down to the earth. So sometimes we are also in that danger. Especially after God has blessed you in some way.

Maybe he gave you a good marriage. Or a good job. Or good jobs to your children. And he has prospered you with money. And maybe given you a ministry. Maybe you are an elder brother. Your church is going well.

And your head is becoming bigger and bigger and bigger. And God says this fellow will burst now. So he gives a little thorn. And you come down. It's good for you. It's good for me. It's good for the apostle Paul.

To keep us from becoming too proud. Because if we become proud God will become our enemy. God says Paul is such a good man. I don't want to be his enemy. But if he becomes proud I will have to become his enemy.

So he told. When Paul said Lord take away this thorn. Take away this thorn in Jesus name. Take away this thorn. This is a messenger of Satan. Verse 7. Satan I resist you in Jesus name. Nothing happens.

The thorn is there. That sickness is still there. In Paul's case. In Paul's case I believe it was a sickness. He healed so many people but he was sick himself. That was to humble him. Lord heal me, heal me, heal me.

Verse 8. Nothing happens. The Lord says. I will give you my grace. That is better than healing. And that can handle any thorn. It can solve any problem. Once he got that answer from God. He says I am happy.

Verse 10. I don't care what happens now. I don't care what happens. Weakness. Insult. Distress. Persecution. Difficulty. Anything. I am thankful. Because when I am so weak with all these things. When these thorns make me weak.

God's grace will make me strong. So dear brothers and sisters. Remember this word. My grace is sufficient for you. Verse 9. My power will manifest itself in your weakness. There are many times when I have to in different parts of the world.

Sometimes I have to stand in a pulpit and preach. When I am physically weak. Because I have already spoken in 20 meetings. And I say Lord. I believe your power is enough. Your grace, your power is manifested in my weakness.

So God allows the devil to attack us to make us strong. So God didn't stop Satan from attacking Peter. And God did not stop Satan from attacking Paul. These are the two greatest apostles in the New Testament.

And even if you are a great apostle today. God will not stop you. God will not stop Satan from attacking you. But in that he will give you grace. So that you can be an overcomer. So let us have that faith that every day of this year.

I am going to be an overcomer. I am always going to humble myself. I am always going to get grace from God. And Satan was defeated 2000 years ago. He cannot come to me or my family or my property. Without God's permission.

And if God permits it. Then it is to purify me. It will make me a better person. And by the end of this year I will be a more spiritual person. So my brothers and sisters. Don't complain when people trouble you.

Don't complain when things go wrong. Don't complain when you fail. Even if you fail in an examination after studying hard. Say Lord I studied hard but I still failed. But I believe you will make something good out of this.

It is amazing what God can do. Maybe you lost your job perhaps. Maybe because God wants to give you something else. Never get discouraged. Because God is on the throne. See whenever you get discouraged.

And you start complaining. Your spirit is saying. Satan is on the throne. Satan is ruling the world. I don't know where God is. Whenever you complain that is what you are saying. But if you never complain.

Even when so many things go wrong in your life. So many people harm you. And you don't complain against anybody. What is your spirit saying? God is on the throne. When you give thanks for everything. You are saying God is on the throne.

I believe my father is running this universe. And he will solve every problem. I will never be defeated. I may suffer. I may have pain. I may have thorns in my flesh. But I will be an overcomer. This is how the greatest men of God.

And women of God. Have come through till the end of their life. We praise the Lord for these things. The way God leads us. I believe he has wonderful things in store for us this year. He is silently planning for us in love.