|
|
|
|
A Job Experience Very few believers have a Job experience; most are not prepared and cannot endure such severity. For the Job experience, God chooses those He knows can come through the test victoriously. He knows their faith and He knows that they will not stop serving Him, no matter what. Job 1:5 (KJV) “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.” The Job experience cannot begin until the believer continually covers his home in prayer. The believer must be a prayer warrior by experience. Thus, this is another requirement to go through the trial. Job 1:8-12 (KJV) “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? 9Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10Hast 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. 11But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12And 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.” How can a believer have a Job experience? Because the Lord sees him as perfect, an upright man, one that feareth God and without evil. Having a Job experience is not a bad thing. It is tough going through, but the purpose behind it is good. God allows it to show the world, even the friends of a man, what it really means to serve God and have such a relationship that the bands of love cannot be torn. Even Satan sees that a hedge of protection is around all the overcomer has. Satan himself sees that everything the man touches is blessed. God allows the Job experience to prove to Satan that the believer will not curse God. Through the book of Job, we see Job’s friends coming and giving “Godly” counsel. To the believer, the same is true. Many Christians will come to speak “Words of Encouragement.” Some may be God and some may be sympathy. The believer will have to discern what is truly God. This mind battle only adds to the trials in his life. But we see in the Job experience that the man knows firmly the sovereignty of God. He doesn’t have to know everything about what God is doing. He just believes that God allows what He wills and that his life is in the Lord’s hands alone, not anyone or anything else’s. God may allow financial trials, health trials, time restraint trials, loss of family, disaster or even tribulation. But He can only allow it in the life of a believer because He knows He can. He knows the heart of man better than we do. He knows how we will react and who we will trust in. Of the believer in the Job experience, He knows that the man will trust only in God. At the end of the book of Job, we see that humility and repentance are the keys to overcoming a Job experience. We also see that the Lord is angry for the selfish ungodly counsel that his friends had given him. He calls the friends to repent to Job with an offering. Then Job prays for his friends and God removes his captivity. Job is healed, and all that was lost is restored doubly. The same is true for the believer who comes out of a Job experience. We see that Job only went through this experience once. Once was enough to prove to Satan, to the world and to his friends his sincerity in relationship with God. No matter how bad it gets, believer must hold fast to the bands of love that God has around us. He has our best interests in mind. But may He do what He will to win our friends. -S. Chad Ross November Newsletter 2002 | Quiet Mind | Living Intercession Pastor's Journal November 2001 | A Job Experience | Destined to Become part 2 of 3
|
Biblical Counseling for Leaders
|
|
Copyright © 1995-2007 Living Word Christian
Fellowship, Inc.
|
