Date:
Tuesday,
May 26, 2015
Chapters: Job 1-3
Message Title: Afflicted, But Protected
Hello My Friend,
Sandwiched in the center of the Old Testament Books are known as Books of Poetry. Theses books are of human experiences of the people of God under various circumstances of their earthly lives. They first begin with the Book of Job, the Book of Job is the eighteenth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains forty-two chapters. It the oldest written of the Bible books, the timeline is around the time of the Abrahamic Covenant. The author of the book is unknown, but could have been Moses or Job himself and it was written approximately around 1520 BC. The book was written to all people who experience suffering for unexplained reasons. The purpose of the book is to explain the question many people have, "Why do those living for God suffer?". What we are to learn from the book is that there is a spiritual reason behind all the unanswered suffering we encounter. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” - Job 23:10.
Satan, the root of all evil, including sickness and death. It was Satan who rebelled against God and introduced Eve to sin, and cause the curse of death and a sin nature to be passed down to the rest of mankind. And while God can do no evil Himself, it is God who allows Satan to place evil in the world. God decided to allow the Satan to afflict a man name Job, who's name means, persecuted.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” - Job 1:6-12.
As Christians we expect to face affliction when we sin, however, it is a different story when we face affliction and have not been doing anything wrong. The truth is, we will all face affliction at some point in our lives regardless of whether or not we are a Christian. Why? We are in the middle of a spiritual battle between God and Satan, who will win the battle remains up to us in how we choose to handle those afflictions. Trusting Christ and looking beyond the circumstances unto God is what gives life to a Christian, those who choose to hate God and or deny Him, blaming Him for the evil, lose and end up right in the hands of Satan.
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” - 1 Peter 4:12-16.
Satan assumed that the only reason Job was faithful to God was because he was successful and rich, he was certain that Job would curse God and walk away from Him if he lost everything he had. God allowed Satan to afflict Job, and he was not subtle about it either, within a matter of minutes he took away his kids, servants, and livestock, but Job did not sin and remained faithful to God. Stunned by this, Satan shows up before God again, this time questioning Job's integrity. “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” - Job 2:4-7,9,10.
One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is loving God when health issues arise, especially if a child is involved. Sickness comes, but the true test of faith comes from channeling all that sorrow, hurt, and pain into God, and letting Him be our strength and healer when all else is impossible. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:7-10.
Job wasn't always optimistic, he had questions as to why he was even born, but he knew that everything from God is a blessing. “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” - Job 3:3-5,23-26.
You know, when we are facing affliction, whether we are sick or losing things, we are often prone to retrace our steps to see what we have done wrong thinking that God is punishing us. The truth is, God is not punishing us, He is merely looking for us to trust Him. God knows what is best for us and when we trust His decision He blesses us, it may not be the blessings that we expect, but everything is a blessing from God. Even when a person passes away, it is all in God's hands, God takes away our pain according to His will and how much He knows we can handle. “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” - Romans 8:27-30.
Today's Prayer: God, I admit that the first thing I think of when I am being afflicted is, “What have I done and how can I fix it?” It is those thoughts that hinder me from seeing the blessings you are giving me through my affliction. You already know what I am going through, I just need to trust You and let You take care of it as I do what I can in my ability. Lord, help me to walk continuously in my integrity and keep looking to You for help through my affliction instead of trying to fix the problem myself without Your guidance. I love You and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Chapters: Job 1-3
Message Title: Afflicted, But Protected
Hello My Friend,
Sandwiched in the center of the Old Testament Books are known as Books of Poetry. Theses books are of human experiences of the people of God under various circumstances of their earthly lives. They first begin with the Book of Job, the Book of Job is the eighteenth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains forty-two chapters. It the oldest written of the Bible books, the timeline is around the time of the Abrahamic Covenant. The author of the book is unknown, but could have been Moses or Job himself and it was written approximately around 1520 BC. The book was written to all people who experience suffering for unexplained reasons. The purpose of the book is to explain the question many people have, "Why do those living for God suffer?". What we are to learn from the book is that there is a spiritual reason behind all the unanswered suffering we encounter. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” - Job 23:10.
Satan, the root of all evil, including sickness and death. It was Satan who rebelled against God and introduced Eve to sin, and cause the curse of death and a sin nature to be passed down to the rest of mankind. And while God can do no evil Himself, it is God who allows Satan to place evil in the world. God decided to allow the Satan to afflict a man name Job, who's name means, persecuted.
“Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” - Job 1:6-12.
As Christians we expect to face affliction when we sin, however, it is a different story when we face affliction and have not been doing anything wrong. The truth is, we will all face affliction at some point in our lives regardless of whether or not we are a Christian. Why? We are in the middle of a spiritual battle between God and Satan, who will win the battle remains up to us in how we choose to handle those afflictions. Trusting Christ and looking beyond the circumstances unto God is what gives life to a Christian, those who choose to hate God and or deny Him, blaming Him for the evil, lose and end up right in the hands of Satan.
“Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.” - 1 Peter 4:12-16.
Satan assumed that the only reason Job was faithful to God was because he was successful and rich, he was certain that Job would curse God and walk away from Him if he lost everything he had. God allowed Satan to afflict Job, and he was not subtle about it either, within a matter of minutes he took away his kids, servants, and livestock, but Job did not sin and remained faithful to God. Stunned by this, Satan shows up before God again, this time questioning Job's integrity. “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” - Job 2:4-7,9,10.
One of the hardest things to do as a Christian is loving God when health issues arise, especially if a child is involved. Sickness comes, but the true test of faith comes from channeling all that sorrow, hurt, and pain into God, and letting Him be our strength and healer when all else is impossible. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” - James 4:7-10.
Job wasn't always optimistic, he had questions as to why he was even born, but he knew that everything from God is a blessing. “Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, There is a man child conceived. Let that day be darkness; let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it; let a cloud dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it. Why is light given to a man whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? For my sighing cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me. I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.” - Job 3:3-5,23-26.
You know, when we are facing affliction, whether we are sick or losing things, we are often prone to retrace our steps to see what we have done wrong thinking that God is punishing us. The truth is, God is not punishing us, He is merely looking for us to trust Him. God knows what is best for us and when we trust His decision He blesses us, it may not be the blessings that we expect, but everything is a blessing from God. Even when a person passes away, it is all in God's hands, God takes away our pain according to His will and how much He knows we can handle. “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” - Romans 8:27-30.
Today's Prayer: God, I admit that the first thing I think of when I am being afflicted is, “What have I done and how can I fix it?” It is those thoughts that hinder me from seeing the blessings you are giving me through my affliction. You already know what I am going through, I just need to trust You and let You take care of it as I do what I can in my ability. Lord, help me to walk continuously in my integrity and keep looking to You for help through my affliction instead of trying to fix the problem myself without Your guidance. I love You and pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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Ready To Follow Jesus?: God's Price
Visit Our Website: I'm Following Jesus
Like Us On Facebook: I'm Following Jesus
Copyright © 2015 I'm Following Jesus, All rights reserved.
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