When Job’s friends heard about his troubles they decided to pay him a visit.
Arriving at Job’s home these friends were shocked to find Job in such a position.
For a while all Job’s friends could do was sit with him and observe his suffering.
They could not believe what they were seeing.
Here was a man of faith sitting in the worst position ever!
At last these friends could not keep quiet.
Job’s suffering was in such contrast to his prior blessings that they thought surely something must be wrong with him.
Why did Job go from being a blessed man of faith to being under such extreme attack?
They could think of only one answer. Job messed up in some way!
Neither Job nor his friends at the time knew what had happened in the court of God.
Satan desired to sift Job in the same way that Satan desired to sift Peter.
God gave his permission for this sifting to occur.
Why do you think God would do that?
Peter tells us in his epistle that our faith in God will be tested by the enemy.
Satan will challenge our walk with Jesus !
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 1 Peter 1:7
Both Peter and Job were men of bold faith.
Peter proclaimed that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He made a loud declaration to the Lord about it.
Peter was ready even to to lay down his life for Jesus.
Job’s life was blessed.
He followed God without wavering. Everything that Job touched prospered.
But if you look closely at these two men you will find a common denominator.
Both of them trusted in their own ability to trust God.
While these men were indeed men of faith, Job and Peter were also men of great strength in the natural realm.
Peter was a strong fishermen used to living a rough life at sea.
Job was a rich businesses man, used to getting things done and having his own way.
Sometimes the line between being a person of faith and a strong person gets blurred.
God allows our faith to be tested in order to reveal our own hearts to ourselves. How much are we trusting in God and how much are we trusting in our own abilities?
In Psalm 66:10 David says
For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.
He goes on to say that God brings his people through the fire purified as silver because of his great mercy.
The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the Lord trieth the hearts. Proverbs 17:3
Peter who knows first hand tells us, not to be upset when these trials come to test our faith.
Jesus himself had trials and testing.
Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. 1 Peter 4:12,13
In James Chapter 1 we are told how trials and temptations work.
1. God allows them
2. It is not God doing the tempting.
3. The lust of our heart is what causes us to sin.
4. God gives his children good gifts.
5. God made us new creations in Christ.
6. God expects us to act like new creations.
7. Be doers of the word not just hearers.
8. Keep our mouths from sinning.
9. Stay separate from the world.
Trials prove whether we are truly in the faith. That is are we trusting God just because things are good or will we still trust God when all hell breaks loose?
God knows our hearts but we don’t know what we are really made of.
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. Jeremiah 17:9-10
Fiery trials reveal our weak areas, our secret sins, and if our hearts are truly sincere.
God tells us in James 1 to be joyful in trials.
This is a tough one.
Who could feel happy when their body is covered with boils and all their family is falling apart?
To be joyful in this context really means to be calmly assured or content knowing that God is working all things out for our good.
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
Paul tells us to be patient in trials. (Romans 5:3-5)
Solomon tells us to trust God even when we don’t understand. ( Proverbs 3:5,6)
James tells us to ask for wisdom in our situation. (James 1:5 )
Trials and temptations are allowed by God according to the Bible.
We are trained by them. We learn and grow from our experiences even though they are difficult. (1 Peter 1:7-12)
Trials let us know how much we need to rely on God in everything. (Psalm 73:26)
. The Bible says that Jesus learned obedience by the things he suffered. (Hebrews 5:8)
Jesus had constant persecution by the religious spirit and even before his crucifixion Jesus was tempted by the devil.
( Matthew 22:34-40, Matthew 4:1-11)
The scriptures tell us that even though the afflictions of the righteous are many, God delivers us out of them all.( Psalms 34:19-22)
The Bible tells us to pray for our deliverance. (Psalm 34:17) (1 Corinthians 10:13)
The Bible tells us to pray for what is lacking in our faith. (1 Thessalonians 3:10)
Recently I found myself under a fiery trial.
I was attacked by all sorts of situations and people. I even got sick to the point of death but I kept standing on the word of God.
I prayed the word, I pled the blood of Jesus over my life 24/7, I listened to worship music and I even got prayer for myself as scriptures tell us.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:14-16
It was a rough one but God brought me through that trial. My body gradually healed and my heart attitudes were dealt with too.
I learned a few things from that trial. No matter how full of the word I am, I cannot rely exclusively on my own faith to see me through. God’s power is the source of all my strength!
While my stand on the word of God was good and it ushered me into the presence of God, I needed to learn to be dependent on the Rhema of God’s word. That is to seek God’s presence and be dependent on him like a small child.
Sometimes we can have faith in our own faith! Now I’m trying to be more careful to be dependent on the Holy Spirit.
Scriptures tell us to ADD to our faith. With faith we need knowledge and understanding, patience and kindness to others even when we are attacked by them.
Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 2 Peter 1:5-7
During trials it is common to have fingers pointed at us with accusation. Peter had a few fingers pointed his way and Job had friends who rather than pray for him chose instead to judge him.
Job’s friends insisted that Job must have done something wrong. He was being judged for his sins.
After all how could a man of faith be going through such a trial?
Sometimes we don’t know until afterward why we are going through a trial.
Job didn’t have a clue why his sufferings were happening to him but he told himself that he was going to trust God anyway.
We must trust the Lord to work all things out for our good even though we don’t understand why we are going through a trial.
Job determined that he was going to seek the Lord for answers.
Then Job prays to God about his miseries.
He pours out his complaint to the Lord. He seeks God’s face for answers.
God did finally answer Job but not in the way he expected.
Job was told the same thing in affect that God told Jeremiah.
Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does? declares the LORD. “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel. Jeremiah 18:6
The answer given to Job was to trust in the Lord even though he wasn’t privy to all the details.
God is molding us into his image and even though Satan wants to kill, steal and destroy, God has a perfect plan.
The Lord is working for us a far greater eternal purpose!
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. 2 Corinthians 4:17
Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. James 1:12
Are you going through a fiery trail right now?
Keep trusting in Jesus. (Psalm 37:3)
Patiently wait on the Lord. (Psalm 27:14)
God promises to heal us. (Exodus 15:26)
The Lord promises to deliver us. (Psalm 34:19)
The Lord asks us to remember to pray for those who are suffering as if we are suffering with them. (Hebrews 13:3)
Pray for one another that you may be healed. (James 5:16)
Comfort one another in our trials. (2 Corinthians 1:3-5 )
Bear one another’s burdens so fulfill the law of Christ. (Galatians 6:2)
In eternity we will have all the details but for now we can trust God’s word and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to bring us forth as pure gold through every trial of our faith!
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