God is Good – Story of Job

Lately there has been a message so heavy on my heart that I can no longer resist holding it in… God and His goodness.

There are entirely too many people in this world that believe that our God is a sovereign God. Yes, it is true that God is creator of all things in the Universe and His power reigns above all things, but what is false is that everything good and evil come from God Almighty.

Have you ever heard someone say or said yourself, \”God allowed me to go through this or put me through it to make me stronger?\” or \”He won\’t give me more than I can bare?\” These are lies and idle words, ideas founded by the enemy. It was Satan\’s tactic all along to make people think this way about God so that they would believe that he \”allows\” things to happen in order to \”test\” the heart. This couldnt be further from the truth.

Think back to the story of Job.

He was the greatest man in the land during his time and everything in his life was working out so great! He was very wealthy, and Job loved God. His children on the other hand did not reverence God the way their father did and because of their behavior Job was concerned. This fear about the sins of his children caused Job to offer up a sacrifice to God on behalf of them continually.

The Bible tells us that Satan visited with God, \”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?\” [Job 1:8] Satan then offered up the idea that Job didn\’t truly love God, He ONLY loved the LORD for the many blessings and rewards that God had brought about in his life. \”But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face\” [Job1:11] Satan says that if God were to take away all the good things that he gave to Job, then Job would curse God, essentially revealing his true heart.

\”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 1:12]

Following this interaction, Job\’s life seemed to be falling apart and he suffers severely. His wealth and all that he owns is destroyed, his children are killed as well as his servants, then his health begins to deteriorate. By chapter 3, we can see that Job is using his words to curse his life and the things that are happening to him. He is miserable and wondering why God is doing this to him.

His friends come by to offer counsel. Job is convinced that he is innocent and the suffering that he is experiencing is not fair or justified. He comes to the conclusion that either God does not run the world according to justice or God himself is unjust. His friends assume that Job must have done something sinful to bring on an unjust circumstance in his life. By chapter 32, another character enters the story, Elihu the Buzite, and he suggests that God is doing this to Job as a warning to avoid future sin because it builds character.

By chapter 38, God approaches Job and responds to his thoughts and shows him life from a wider perspective than his limited view by taking him on an adventure through creation causing him to realize how magnificent God truly is. By the end Job repents for such a negative perception and God restores Job. So…

Does God Allow the Enemy to Test us?

The answer is NO. This testing of the enemy was a condition brought into the world when the curse was introduced by Adam\’s decision to give his power and authority away to Satan.

Every time something happens in the Earth it\’s either God, man, angels or demons… it\’s very important to know the personalities and characteristics of each because this will ultimately affect how you think about life.

So, What actually happened?

Job was a man. People often think that Job was perfect, and that God allowed Satan to test Job\’s heart. Job was actually a man living in fear and what happened to him was his expectation being made manifest. \”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 3:25-26] His expectation was fearful; his words are demonstration of this. Fear connects you to an expectation of what you fear coming to pass. If you are living in fear, you are living in confidence in the thing which you fear. Fear is the opposite of faith. \”Now Faith is the substance (confidence) of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.\” [Hebrews 11:1] The reason that you are afraid is because you believe that the thing which you fear will happen. Fear is a connector that connects you to the object in which you fear.

\”God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.\” [2 Timothy 1:7]

Job said, \”It was my fear that came upon me,\” and his actions aligned with that which he feared. \”And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.\” [Job 1:5] Although Job thought that what he was doing would prevent the things which he feared from coming to pass, Job was presumptuous and in fear when he made the offering unto God. He SAID \”It may be…\” the prayer and offering were given in fear instead of faith.

It was obvious during that time that Job was also ignorant of Satan\’s existence.

What Does all this mean?

The New Testament, Jesus taught us that only good things come from God \”Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.\” [James 1:17] and he revealed to us our enemy. \”We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the ruleres of the darkeness of this world, against spritual wickedness in high places.\” [Ephesians 6:12]

Had Job known that his torture was not from God, but from Satan, he would not have blamed God for the things that were happening to him. Also, if he knew how much God loved him, the fear would have been cast out of his heart. In addition, if Job had the power of the Holy Spirit he would have been able to resist the devil.

We are at war.

You are not the victim, but the Victor! Every trial and affliction that you may be experiencing in life is not coming from God, it\’s coming from the tempter himself (Satan_the accuser and prosecutor). The LORD God almighty has given you every tool and weapon that you need to overcome the schemes of the devil.

So, gird your loins with the truth and let\’s conquer the enemy.

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