Are You Fully Converted?

Luke 22:32
"I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. "

In the above passage, Jesus is speaking to Peter. He tells Peter that Satan wishes to sift him as wheat. Jesus then says that He has prayed for him that his faith fail not, and that when he is converted that he is to strengthen his brothers and sisters. This was during the last supper, when Jesus was preparing His disciples for His death. Peter responded saying that He will serve Jesus unto death, however Jesus prophesied that before the cocks crow in the morning he will deny Him 3 times.

How many of you know that we have an enemy of our soul? The Word of God tells us this enemy is satan, and yes he is an enemy, along with his demons. But the true enemy is sin. As Christians, we know that we were all born in sin and shapen in iniquity, inheriting a sinful nature from Adam and Eve. This means that all humans are drawn to sin, they naturally sin. The word sin means to fall short of God's perfection. We sin by our thoughts, by our actions and by our deeds. Before we were born again we had no choice in the matter, we were sinners and practiced a lifestyle of sin. Once we became born again, the Holy Spirit regenerated us and we now have the ability to choose not to sin. But that choice is not always as easy as it may seem.

The enemy of our soul seeks to steal, kill and destroy us. Satan uses sin to accomplish this goal. He can only do this if we give him place, for if we submit to God, and resist the devil, he will flee. If we are serving the LORD, no weapon formed against us shall propser. But too many times we stop serving the LORD. We stop submitting to God. We stop resisting the devil. And we end up in sin.

But Jesus has prayed for us! Romans 8:34 says that "It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." He is praying for us just as He did Peter that our faith fails us not. Now that we know that He has and is praying for us, we must walk in the faith He has given us and be converted.

What does it mean to be converted? In this text it means to turn away from sin and turn to Jesus Christ in worship. To convert means to transform, from the old sinful man to the new Christ-like man. When God drew us and gave us His Spirit, He gave us a new nature. However, it is still up to us to choose to be converted. As long as we live in this mortal flesh, sin will always plague as. The way to true conversion is putting to death the deeds of the flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit and walking according to the Spirit in the newness of Christ. Seems difficult huh? It sounds easy, but I can personally attest that sometimes it seems impossible. But how many of you know that what is impossible to man is possible to God!

When we are converted the things that used to bother us don't bother us anymore. The music that used to tempt us doesn't tempt us anymore. We are able to walk in the midst of demons and they can't touch us. Lust is no longer an issue, even when we are surrounded by images and seducing spirits. Our mind is renewed and we are able to quickly cast down every vain imagination that tries to exalt itself above the knowledge of God.

Only when we are converted will we be able to strengthen our brothers and sisters in the faith without stumbling ourselves. This is important because sometimes we think "oh, I haven't done this in a long time so I'm delivered." But that stronghold may just be lying dorment and as soon as you try to minister to someone else, you will find yourself dealing with that same sin all over again as you cry out: "I thought I was delivered!" Make sure you are delivered. Make sure that there is no common ground with the sins of other people before you try to minister to them. Make sure there are no soul ties present when you attempt to minister to someone from your past. Be mindful of the plots, the plans and the schemes of the enemy!

This may all seem overwhelming. But honestly, God will convert us and make us completely whole. Just as He did Peter. Just as He did Paul. Just as He did all of the other disciples before us who made up in their mind with no compromise, "for Christ I live, for Christ I die!"

He is still working on me. I'm not there yet. But I know that it is possible to be completely converted, fully persuaded as Paul puts it in the book of Romans. Let's all strive to be fully converted and walk in the power and in the authority of the Spirit of the Living God. It isn't easy, but it is possible and it is worth it.

1 Peter 5:6-11
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.