A Man of Heroic Endurance 2

Part 2

.....God is permitting things in our life today, all for His glory and ultimately, our good. As we continue in our Bible study of Job, we see that God is doing something, without Job knowing. The Bible takes us up to Heaven to see what is going on in the Throne Room of God. Let's observe the dialogue between God and Satan, which means adversary or accuser.

.....Satan appears before God and the Sons of God, and God asks him, "What have you been doing?" Satan replies, "Going to and fro on the Earth and walking back and forth on it." Now remember, God knows this, just like when He knew all the things that happened when He was talking to Adam in the Garden of Eden. God also asked Satan about Job, knowing that he was like no one else on the Earth, a servant of God, blameless and upright man, who feared God and shunned away from evil. Satan basically said that Job had a hedge of complete protection around him. Divine favoritism, on his body, his family, and his possessions, as well as all his works being blessed. But he challenged God by telling Him that if He stripped him of those things, that he would surely turn on Him. So God said basically, " Let's see what he is made of." God then gave Satan permission to attack and touch Job in the 3 areas of his life, his family, his material things, and his health. So Satan set out on his mission, as an adversary, to strip Job of everything he valued in life, destroying him and bringing disgrace to God.

Let's look at 4 principles that we can gain from this today:

1. There is an enemy we encounter that we can not see. Some of the most real things in life we will never see. His strategy is to play tricks on your mind and bring you down and is willing to do whatever it takes. He wants to ruin your testimony, destroy your life and bring disgrace to God, who created you in His image.

2. There are trials that we endure and God permits things we do not deserve. We are not to try to grasp or change God's profound plan, because we are not able to that. We will only become more confused, ultimately resentful, and finally bitter. This will allow Satan, our adversary to win. We are to accept the trial as permitted by God, for our discipline, and our reshaping, all for His glory, and ultimately for our good. Nothing touches our lives that first has not past through the hands of God. This is either true, or God is partially sovereign, and we know that is not true. God is sovereign.

3. There is a plan we can explore that we will never truly understand, but it is for our best. It all works together for our good, but is not altogether God. God is working right now, and He does not need to explain it all to us. If we knew it all, we still would not completely understand it, and probably mess it up anyway. Sometimes, it is the permission of a demonic attack. Why? I do not know.

The bottom line is that it is a battle of Good vs. Evil.

So, just come to terms with it. Acknowledge it, and seek the power you have in the Lord Jesus. Do not try to understand it.

.....Satan is not just a spy traversing the Earth intent on ferreting out all that he can discover. He is a spirit of malice and wickedness aiming to pervert men from the right ways of God, and destroy all goodness, as far as he can within his power and permission.

.....There is a profound meaning in his appearing among the Sons of God, before the Lord. It was revealed to us through the Word of God, to show us his subordination and subjection to Divine control. He can not act on his own discretion. He is not at liberty to pursue his own agenda to whatever extent he may choose. There is a superior restraint to which he obliged to bow. A superior Will that sets limits to his reign. He can only operate within these limits. His actions are also for a Divine end, by which he has been made to be instrumental in achieving. He is the enemy of Goodness and Humanity. With the powers of an Arc Angel, and the malice and subtlety of a fiend, he is intent on our destruction, and hesitates at nothing to which he can accomplish his goals. He pursues his targets with sleepless vigilance. Invisible to human eyes, he has all the advantages of secrecy, attacking his victims who are unaware.

He never sleeps. He never rests. He never takes it easy. He never takes you out of the cross hairs of his scope. He knows you better than you know yourself. He is permitted by God to do it.

4. There are consequences we experience and can not anticipate, but they are necessary. We are all going through struggles in our life today, things which we do not deserve.

We did not ask for it. We did not anticipate it. We did not think it would happen.

GUESS WHAT?

.....You have just entered Job's turf. Whatever you are going through right now, has been prepared for you by God for a reason and a purpose. So I would ask you to pay close attention to the teachings and study of this book.

.....The Good News is that for all of you who know the Lord Jesus, you have a power within, (Christ), that others who do not know him have. They are at the mercy of the enemy, who has no mercy, and you are not. Greater is He who is in you,(Christ), than he who is in this world,(Satan). In the name of the Lord Jesus, you are able to restrain and withstand the attacks of the enemy.
.