Job Was Severely Tried
Job had battle after battle,
but he knew he wasn’t failing
God. He said, My face is foul with
weeping, and on my eyelids is
the shadow of death; Not for any
injustice in mine hands: also my
prayer is pure. Also now, behold,
my witness is in heaven, and my
record is on high (Job 16:16,17,19).
Job’s so-called friends told him he
was suffering because he had failed
God and done many things wrong.
Bildad the Shuhite told him, If thou
Job wert pure and upright;
surely now he the Lord would
awake for thee, and make the
habitation of thy righteousness
prosperous (Job 8:6).
Eliphaz the Temanite said, Is not
thy wickedness great? and thine
iniquities infinite? For thou hast
taken a pledge from thy brother
for nought, and stripped the
naked of their clothing. Thou hast
not given water to the weary to
drink, and thou hast withholden
bread from the hungry. But as
for the mighty man, he had the
earth; and the honourable man
dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows
away empty, and the arms
of the fatherless have been
broken. Therefore snares are
round about thee, and sudden
fear troubleth thee
(Job 22:5–10).
When someone is going
through a severe trial, that
When you’re being
battled, it doesn’t mean
you’re failing God; but the
devil is an expert at making you
think you are. When difficult trials
come, the devil will make you feel
like you’re failing in some way when
you’re not because he doesn’t want
you to live close to God. If you are a
child of God, you have the faith that
defeats the devil; so use it. Jesus
said, In my name shall they cast
out devils (Mark 16:17). You don’t
have to be tormented by the devil.
When you suffer persecution for the
sake of Christ, do you feel like you
must have done something wrong?
It is easy for those feelings to arise
because battles and trials are hard.
Those same feelings can also arise
when you are being remade on God’s
potter’s wheel and being refined with
divine, purifying fire because that is
not a pleasant experience. You can’t
live in your feelings because when
you do, the enemy moves in to defeat
you.
The truth is that you are being tried
because you’re doing things right.
There would be no reason for the devil
to try you if you were already going
his way. That is why the Apostle
Paul said to Timothy, Fight the
good fight of faith, lay hold
on eternal life, whereunto
thou art also called, and
hast professed a good profession
before many witnesses
(I Timothy 6:12).
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