Sometime ago, I was studying the book of Job and God led me to these revelations which I will be sharing with you in this newsletter.
The title of my teachings is “Ten Things You Need to be Aware of While Going Through Testing”. The Bible says in Job Chapters 1 and 2 about Job as a righteous man who fears God and shuns evil. No doubt he loved God and was faithful in all his ways. Yet, the life of Job takes a different course when the devil gets or requests permission from God totest him, up to taking away everything, including his family, possessions and his personal health. According to the Bible we know that Job was able to withstand all these trials and have victory.
Why would the devil try to test Job if he knew that Job would pass the test? My friend, the good news is that the devil does not know your future or destiny. Only God knows that. Therefore, he will try to take you off the course that God has set before you.The devil will manipulate you to destroy your destiny if you allow him.
On the other hand, why would God allow these things to happen? There is a scripture that comes to mind in Genesis Chapter 50, when Joseph at the end said to his brothers, “what you meant for evil God has turned into good.” It means God uses the opportunity to help us grow. Let me prove this to you from the book of Job.
Job was a righteous man. He was a good and faithful servant, yet God was concerned about something in his heart that Job did not know about. It was an idol, and God wanted to get rid of it. Between the 2nd Chapter and the 22nd Chapter of the Book of Job, there is a big gap of time. Approximately nine to eleven months of trials. That led Job to uncover the strongholds that were in his life. Studying carefully how God was dealing with Job’s strongholds, let us pay attention to “Ten Things You Need to be Aware of While Going Through Testing”.
Job 27:2. “As God lives, who has taken away my justice, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter”. Pay attention, Job begins to blame God that He has taken away his justice and that it was God that made his soul bitter. Point one: When you are going through trials, never blame God for anything, God is righteous and holy, He will never harm you nor do you evil.
Job 29:2-3. “Oh, that I were as in months past, as in the days when God watched over me; when His lamp shone upon my head, and when by His light I walked through darkness;”. Note that Job speaks about his past walk with God. Point two: Never allow your past to be your today or tomorrow. We cannot look back at what has happened to us before, we have to just look into tomorrow with what God will do with us.
Job 29:7-10, 21-25. “When I went out to the gate by the city, when I took my seat in the open square, the young men saw me, and hid, and the aged arose and stood; The princes refrained from talking, and put their hand on their mouth. The voice of nobles was hushed, and their tongue stuck to the roof of their mouth. Men listened to me and waited, and kept silence for my counsel. After my words they did not speak again, and my speech settled on them as dew. They waited for me as for the rain, and they opened their mouth wide as for the spring rain. If I mocked at them, they did not believe it, and the light of my countenance they did not cast down. I chose the way for them, and sat as chief; so I dwelt as a king in the army, as one who comforts mourners.” Point 3: Hurt brings pride and rebellion.
Job 30:20-22. “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. But you have become cruel to me; with the strength of Your hand You oppose me to ride on it. You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride on it; you spoil my success.” Point 4: Be patient in your testing.
Job 31:4-10. “Does he not see my ways, and count all my steps? If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit, let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity. If my step has turned from the way, or my heart walked after my eyes, or if any spot adheres to my hands, then let me sow and another eat; yes, let my harvest be rooted out.” If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, then let my wife grind for another, and let others bow down over her.” Point 5: Never justify yourself before the Lord, keep yourself humble.
Job 31:11-12, 22. “For that would be wickedness; yes, it would be inequity deserving of judgment. For that would be a fire that consumes to destruction, and would root out all my increase.”“Then let my arm fall from my shoulder, let my arm be torn from the socket.” Point 6: Be careful not to advise God on how to do things right, but submit yourself to Him and learn while going through the test.
Job 31:24-25. “If I have made gold my hope, or said to find gold, ‘You are my confidence; if I have rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand has gained much;” Point 7: Job says that he never worshipped money.
Job 31:26-28, “If I have observed the sun when it shines, or the moon moving in brightness, so that my heart has been secretly enticed, and my mouth has kissed my hand; this also would be an inequity deserving of judgment, for I would have denied God who is above.” Point 8: Job says that he never worshipped an idol.
Job 31:33, “If I have covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding my inequity in my bosom.” Point 9: Job says that he never covered his sin.
Job 31:35-37, “Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, that my Prosecutor had written a book! Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, and bind it on me like a crown; I would declare to Him the number of my steps; like a prince I would approach Him.” Now let me bring to your attention verse 35 in the NIV version, “Oh, that I had someone to hear me! I sign now my defense – let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing.”
My friend, from these verses I can see the problem God was dealing with in Job’s life. Job came to the point where he was so righteous in his own eyes that even God was mistakenly wrong by allowing Job to go through what he was going through. We see how utterly Job justifies himself before the Lord. As a result, he became angry and bitter, allowing himself to speak to God that God would answer him for his unjust punishment.
We all go through trials in our lives and this is what God wants us to know, that while going through these things we must remain faithful to God, allowing Him to work out every situation. Instead of asking God why He is doing thiswhile we are going through difficult times, we must submit our lives to God in every way and believe God for victory. When we will learn this, we will defeat the devil and will never allow him to interfere into our future destiny with God.
Now let me bring you to the end of Job’s story. In Job Chapter 40:7-8, God spoke to Job and said to him, “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me: ”Would you indeed annul(discredit or disqualify) My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?”
Definitely Job understood what was really in his heart and he was so thankful to God for allowing him to be delivered from these things. Therefore, he said “I will close my mouth and speak no more. “Job repented and God blessed him many times over.
My friend, I pray that we all will allow God to be on the throne of our lives and do everything He wants to make us more faithful and loyal to Him.
God bless you and Shalom |
