24 “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain fell, the rivers rose, and the winds blew and pounded that house. Yet it didn’t collapse, because its foundation was on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn’t act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, the rivers rose, the winds blew and pounded that house, and it collapsed. And its collapse was great!” -Matthew 7:24-27
There are two people in Scripture that actually shows what Jesus said above to bring it into perspective.
The first person in verse 24 is one who heard God’s Word and lives it out, doing God’s will. You see, the Word of God changes your thoughts to be more like Christ’s thoughts and the way you live will please Him. The rain, the river, and the wind all paint the forces in the spiritual realm who are demons coming against you to knock you out of Christ by destroying your faith. You see this with Peter. Let’s see how this happens to us today.
31 “Simon, Simon, look out! Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” -Luke 22:31-32
Satan came to ask Jesus permission to try to destroy Peter’s faith. As Christians know that the devil cannot attack unless the Lord gives him access to you. And, if the Lord does allow it, it is to strengthen your faith in the Lord.
Jesus told Peter not to worry about the satanic attack because He has prayed for his faith not to fail. That is what Jesus was talking about with the rain, river, and wind pounding against the house yet it didn’t collapse i.e. get destroyed. Those who are in Christ can have complete confidence that Jesus will strengthen your faith to the point of enduring any demonic attack.
Satan attacked Peter by putting him on the spot to see if he would stand up for Jesus or be a coward.
54 They seized Him, led Him away, and brought Him into the high priest’s house. Meanwhile Peter was following at a distance. 55 They lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, and Peter sat among them. 56 When a servant saw him sitting in the firelight, and looked closely at him, she said, “This man was with Him too.”
57 But he denied it: “Woman, I don’t know Him!”
58 After a little while, someone else saw him and said, “You’re one of them too!” “Man, I am not!” Peter said.
59 About an hour later, another kept insisting, “This man was certainly with Him, since he’s also a Galilean.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. 61 Then the Lord turned and looked at Peter. So Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.” 62 And he went outside and wept bitterly. -Luke 22:54-62
Satan uses people or strangers to hit your faith. When you see someone attack your faith in Christ, just be aware that a demon who is behind that person is targeting you. Stand firm in your faith in Christ and don’t shrink back.
In verse 62, Peter weeping bitterly suggests that he was deeply convicted for not standing up for Jesus and repented.
The second person in Jesus’ illustration in verses 26-27 is one who hears God’s Word and does not actually obey it. In the outset, the person might give the illusion that they are obeying the Scriptures but in reality, they are living in sin with no real change. This person can be seen in Judas Iscariot.
Satan also attacked Judas and the way he did it was by possession. The reason Satan had access to Judas in this way was that Judas, since the beginning, belonged to Satan.
66 From that moment many of His disciples turned back and no longer accompanied Him. 67 Therefore Jesus said to the Twelve, “You don’t want to go away too, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered, “Lord, who will we go to? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and know that You are the Holy One of God!” 70 Jesus replied to them, “Didn’t I choose you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is the Devil!” 71 He was referring to Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, one of the Twelve, because he was going to betray Him. -John 6:66-71
In verses 70-71, you can see that Judas always belonged to the devil. Satan placed him there just like a wrench is thrown into the works to damage or ruin something from working properly. Judas was Satan’s wrench to try to bring Jesus’ ministry to a complete stop, as the ministry of Jesus was destroying Satan’s work.
Judas was never changed even though he walked with Jesus for three years. He heard Jesus’ teachings but didn’t live by them as the other disciples did. You see this in John 12.
4 Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot (who was about to betray Him), said, 5 “Why wasn’t this fragrant oil sold for 300 denarii and given to the poor?” 6 He didn’t say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief. He was in charge of the money-bag and would steal part of what was put in it. -John 12:4-6
By living a life of sin, Satan had access to Judas’ life and before Judas betrayed Jesus, Satan entered him (John 13:27). Since Judas didn’t really belong to Jesus, Jesus never prayed for his faith not to fail because he never had faith in Jesus. Judas is the person who built his house on the sand. When trouble came, his faith, the little bit he had was completely and utterly destroyed. How was Judas destroyed?
3 Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What’s that to us?” they said. “See to it yourself!” 5 So he threw the silver into the sanctuary and departed. Then he went and hanged himself. -Matthew 27:3-5
Since Judas wasn’t protected by the Lord, even though he had remorse, he killed himself, why? Because Satan was most likely still inside of him and drove him mad to the point where after Satan finished using Judas, he killed him. A Christian cannot be possessed and our faith can’t get destroyed, but if you are one who hasn’t yet completely given your life to Jesus, you are in danger. You cannot play around with your spiritual life because you have an adversary who wants you dead.
Spiritual Minefield 