PRIME TARGET
Luke 22:1-23

Betrayal, rebellion, and every other wicked act, operates from the heart, because the heart has always been the prime target for the devil. Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? Ecclesiastes 9:3, “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after they go to dead.” Throughout the Bible it is clearly demonstrated that the heart is where the rise and fall of man begins. Most of the time, what flows through the heart of a believer is what makes the believer, or breaks the believer. The heart is the prime target for the devil to bring down the children of God. Judas Iscariot ate and drank with Jesus, and saw all, or most, of the miracles that Jesus did. Judas spent time with Jesus and went to places with Him. Despite all of his exposure to Christ his heart could not held up against the devises of the devil. Luke 22:3-4, “Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. 4 So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them.” Satan went after the heart of Judas, and he was able to establish his plan and purpose of betraying Jesus. Faith fails when the enemy attacks the heart. Peter, as close as he was to Jesus, could also have been a victim of the devil on a number of occasions. Once Jesus said to him, “…Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:31-32) The only proven target for the enemy to strike is the heart. Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, were not forced to voluntarily sell their possession to buttress the fellowship of others, but they came up lying about the proceedings, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep part of the price of the land for yourself? (Acts 5:3). Hearts need to be constantly prayed for, because determination to keep focus from letting Satan have its way, will fail. Determination failed Peter when he was determined not to deny Christ, but eventually denied Him three times. Thank God that Jesus had already prayed for Peter’s faith not to fail. King David prayed in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” It is only the grace of God that can keep hearts from the Satan operation. What is the state of your heart? It is always good to be sensitive to the move of the Spirit of God, for the avoidance of Satan’s manifestation in the heart.

Prayer for today: Ask God to take over your days and your moments, so your heart will be consecrated unto Him.