Tag: job-238-12

Job 23:8-12 Amplified Bible

⁸ 
“Behold, I go forward (to the east), but He is not there;
I go backward (to the west), but I cannot perceive Him;
⁹ 
To the left (north) He turns, but I cannot behold Him;
He turns to the right hand (south), but I cannot see Him.
¹⁰ 
“But He knows the way that I take [and He pays attention to it].
When He has tried me, I will come forth as [refined] gold [pure and luminous].
¹¹ 
“My feet have carefully followed His steps;
I have kept His ways and not turned aside.
¹² 
“I have not departed from the commandment of His lips;
I have kept the words of His mouth more than my necessary food

Word of God for the Children of God.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Where Is God in this unyielding fiasco called my life?

Years ago, there were two men I knew who had lost a whole lot of money.

I felt sorry for one of them, but not for the other.

The man I didn’t feel sorry for had applied for a hefty business loan and I had suspected provided a bit of false information; he had also continued to lie as he went from bank to bank and applied and borrowed more and more money.

He used this money to invest in wild and clearly high risk speculative schemes and to live a lavish lifestyle. Eventually his web of lies came apart, he left town, and the bank found that the loan would never be repaid. But the bank was large and this was just one unpaid loan, so the bank was able to continue operating.

The man I felt sorry for was an honest Christian.

He had done business with the other man, had been misled, and had been left with a mountain of mounting late payments due him that would never be paid.

But unlike the large bank, this honest man was ruined financially.

He lost nearly everything he owned.

He wondered why God had allowed this to happen to him and his family.

I pray that this man’s pastor and Christian friends were there for him in his time of crisis.

Even though there were no easy answers to the question “Where is God in this?” the book of Job and many prayers in the Psalms teach us that we may always bring our desperate cries to God. (Psalm 63)

The Thirsting Soul Satisfied in God.

A Psalm of David; when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

63 O God, You are my God; with deepest longing I will seek You;
My ^[a]soul [my life, my very self] thirsts for You, my flesh longs and sighs for You,
In a dry and weary land where there is no water.
² 
So I have gazed upon You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory.
³ 
Because Your lovingkindness is better than life,
My lips shall praise You.
⁴ 
So will I bless You as long as I live;
I will lift up my hands in Your name.
⁵ 
My ^[b]soul [my life, my very self] is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,
And my mouth offers praises [to You] with joyful lips.

⁶ 
When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate and thoughtfully focus on You in the night watches,
⁷ 
For You have been my help,
And in the shadow of Your wings [where I am always protected] I sing for joy.
⁸ 
My ^[c]soul [my life, my very self] clings to You;
Your right hand upholds me.

⁹ 
But those who seek my life to destroy it
Will [be destroyed and] go into the depths of the earth [into the underworld].
¹⁰ 
They will be given over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.
¹¹ 
But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him [honoring the true God, acknowledging His authority and majesty] will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Jesus, cried his own prayer from the cross, will bring our cries to his Father.

One of the metaphors that the Bible says about life is that it is a test.

God continually tests people’s character, faith obedience, love, integrity, and loyalty. Christian Character is both developed and revealed by testing.

And the truth of the matter is – All of Life is a Test.

You are always being tested.

God is constantly watching how you respond to people, problems, success, conflict, illness, disappointment and even the weather.

What I like to do today is offer several ways God’s people have been tested.

For you see trials can be:

1. A Test of Patience.

Trials and tribulation can be a test of patience.

The Lord has a timing for fulfilling His plans and purposes.

Often His plans take much longer than we expect.

In the meantime we go through severe trials and tribulations and they seem to last forever.

These seasons are tests of our patience.

Are we willing to wait for God’s timing?

Listen to what the scripture says in James chapter 1.

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trial, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (NKJV)

Job’s life was a test of patience.

In fact the Bible says in book of James,

“Remember the patience of Job.”

2. A Test of Faith.

Trials can be a test of our faith.

Do we believe in God even in the midst of pain and suffering?

Do we believe in the promises of God even when everything looks impossible?

Do we trust in God even if He does not deliver us?

Do we trust in God even when we do not understand His ways and working in our lives?

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tested and showed their faith.

Daniel 3:16-18 (HCSB)

16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. 17 If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. 18 But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up.”

“It’s not that we can’t do it. – It’s that we won’t do it.”

Thought: How do you know if you are faithful unless you are tempted with unfaithfulness?

3. A Test of Love.

Trials can most definitely test our love.

They can reveal whom or what we love most in our lives.

They reveal our priorities and desires.

The Lord wants us to love Him more than anybody else or anything else.

The depth of our love to God is revealed during the seasons of trials.

Peter is an example of this test.

John 21:15-17 (HCSB)

15 When they had eaten breakfast, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Feed My lambs,” He told him. 16 A second time He asked him, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” “Yes, Lord,” he said to Him, “You know that I love You.” “Shepherd My sheep,” He told him. 17 He asked him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved that He asked him the third time, “Do you love Me?” He said, “Lord, You know everything! You know that I love You.” “Feed My sheep,” Jesus said.

4. A Test of Endurance.

Trials can be a test of our endurance.

How much are we willing to endure for the Lord?

Will we give up easily from following the Lord?

Will we endure till the end?

The life of Paul is an example of endurance.

2 Corinthians 11:24-27 (HCSB)

24 Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea. 26 On frequent journeys, [I faced] dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers; 27 labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and lacking clothing.

5. A Test of Humility.

Trials can be a test of humility.

The Lord humbles us by allowing us to go through seasons of trials.

The Lord wants us to have the mind of Christ who humbled Himself to take the form of a lowly servant and became obedient even to the death of the cross.

Moses went through times of trial and his humility shone forth.

Numbers 12:1-3 (HCSB)

1 Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he married (for he had married a Cushite woman). 2 They said, “Does the Lord speak only through Moses? Does He not also speak through us?” And the Lord heard [it]. 3 Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.

Thought: Humility is not thinking less of yourself. It is thinking of yourself less.

6. A Test of Sacrifice.

Trials can be a test of our sacrifice.

Are we willing to sacrifice everything for the Lord?

Are we clinging to the possessions and treasures of this world?

Are we crucified to the world?

When we lay ourselves on the altar and die to our self then we can bear much fruit for the Lord.

The Lord leads us to the point of total surrender by leading us through the path of trials.

He tests the level of our willingness to sacrifice for Him.

He tested Abraham in this way.

Genesis 22:7-8 (HCSB)

7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together.

7. A Test of Obedience.

Trials can be a test of our obedience to God.

Are we willing to obey God even when He commands us to do what we do not like or what we wish to avoid?

The Lord teaches us obedience by leading us through trails.

Jesus is the prime example of obedience.

Matthew 26:39 (HCSB)

Going a little farther, He fell facedown and prayed, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will.”

Philippians 2:8 (HCSB) He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.

Jesus Passes the Test for Us

Matthew 4:1-11 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Testing of Jesus

4 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. ² He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. ³ The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” ⁴ But he answered, “It is written,

‘One does not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,

‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
    and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, ⁹ and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,

‘Worship the Lord your God,
    and serve only him.’ ”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

Since the beginning, human beings have failed God’s test.

In Eden, Satan asked, “Did God say . . . ?” and then misquoted God’s words.

Adam and Eve responded by questioning the word of God and then doing what seemed right in their own eyes.

So do we. Jesus, the Son of God, came to live among us as a human being.

And, in his case, the Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be severely tempted.

There Satan made some suggestions that sounded rather reasonable—“have something to eat; show your power; fall into the arms of God.”

Jesus responded to each temptation with a quote from the Scriptures.

Without twisting God’s words, said, in effect, “No, I live by the Word of God.”

This is still our challenge as well.

Will we live by God’s Word, or will we do what seems right in our own eyes?

Like Adam and Eve, we are experts at twisting God’s words to suit our own purposes. We lie, we lust, we get angry, we are greedy, we gossip—and so on.

Rarely does a day pass in which we don’t knowingly yield to some temptation.

We need to rely on the only One who passed the test.

He was “tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

What’s more, Jesus also laid down his life to pay the price for our sin—so that we can live forever with God. (Philippians 2:5-11)

If we posses as little as .001% of that mindset…what miracles becomes possible?

In the name of God, the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit … Amen

Praying ….

A Psalm of Fearless Trust in God.

A Psalm of David.

27 The Lord is my light and my salvation;
Whom should I fear?
The Lord is the ^[a]defense of my life;
Whom should I dread?
² When evildoers came upon me to devour my flesh,
My adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell.
³ If an army encamps against me,
My heart will not fear;
If war arises against me,
In spite of this I am confident.

⁴ One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the ^[b]beauty of the Lord
And to ^[c]meditate in His temple.
⁵ For on the day of trouble He will conceal me in His ^[d]tabernacle;
He will hide me in the secret place of His tent;
He will lift me up on a rock.
⁶ And now my head will be lifted up above my enemies around me,
And I will offer sacrifices in His tent ^[e]with shouts of joy;
I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.

⁷ Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
⁸ When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“I shall seek Your face, Lord.”
⁹ Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
God of my salvation!
^10 [f]For my father and my mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.

¹¹ Teach me Your way, Lord,
And lead me on a level path
Because of my enemies.
¹² Do not turn me over to the ^[g]desire of my enemies,
For false witnesses have risen against me,
And the violent witness.
¹³ I certainly believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord
In the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord.

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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