Dear friends,
Warm Greetings for this season in which we celebrate the birth of our saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. His birth is THE promise and hope of every generation since the first century and the basis for hope and optimism in this New Year season.Several weeks ago, i began reading the book of Job as part of my private devotion. It was also as a result of my own quest to discover more about why prayer sometimes remains unanswered. In the process i discovered a number of scriptural patterns which reinforced a number of convictions i have held.. This includes the following:
1)The conviction that God does not originate Human suffering.
2)That God is a good God.
3)Human suffering is one of the visible signs of the existence of evil.
3)Since the fall of the first couple, the human race has been in legal subjection to Satan and his kingdom of darkness(Colosians 1:13,Ephesians 6:12).
4)Every 'truly' good gift to a human person is a blessing that
comes from God(James 1:17).
5)Human suffering began in the garden of Eden when the first couple 'Adam and Eve' yielded to temptation instigated by Lucifer. He was by then disguised as the serpent.
6)As a result of one act of disobedience , a Divine order in which God had reigned through the heart of mankind, was interrupted.
7)As a result of this Act of disobedience future generations of the first couple became immediately 'enslaved' to an evil order all their lives.
SATAN WAS THE CAUSE OF JOB'S SUFFERING
In Job's case for example, Satan introduced the idea of afflicting Job and then later implemented this idea by CAUSING JOB'S SUFFERING FIRSTHAND(Job 1:6-11).In Job's life the suffering he endured made him extremely vulnerable to temptation but he stood firm(Job 1:22).I am using the Contemporary English Version(CEV)in which that verse reads 'in spite of everything,Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong'.
When we read the story of Job we know Satan to be the accuser whose aim is to discredit Job by turning God away from him. This is also the ultimate aim of any affliction or harassment. They are primarily initiated by Satan and his kingdom to turn individuals away from God. ONE OF SATAN'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVES IS TO CAUSE OFFENSE!I did a brief Internet search for the meaning of 'offense'. The free online dictionary gave four different meanings. Here are some of them:
a)A state of being offended b)A violation or infraction of a moral or social code, a transgression or sin c) A transgression of law.
Warm Greetings for this season in which we celebrate the birth of our saviour and Lord Jesus Christ. His birth is THE promise and hope of every generation since the first century and the basis for hope and optimism in this New Year season.Several weeks ago, i began reading the book of Job as part of my private devotion. It was also as a result of my own quest to discover more about why prayer sometimes remains unanswered. In the process i discovered a number of scriptural patterns which reinforced a number of convictions i have held.. This includes the following:
1)The conviction that God does not originate Human suffering.
2)That God is a good God.
3)Human suffering is one of the visible signs of the existence of evil.
3)Since the fall of the first couple, the human race has been in legal subjection to Satan and his kingdom of darkness(Colosians 1:13,Ephesians 6:12).
4)Every 'truly' good gift to a human person is a blessing that
comes from God(James 1:17).
5)Human suffering began in the garden of Eden when the first couple 'Adam and Eve' yielded to temptation instigated by Lucifer. He was by then disguised as the serpent.
6)As a result of one act of disobedience , a Divine order in which God had reigned through the heart of mankind, was interrupted.
7)As a result of this Act of disobedience future generations of the first couple became immediately 'enslaved' to an evil order all their lives.
SATAN WAS THE CAUSE OF JOB'S SUFFERING
In Job's case for example, Satan introduced the idea of afflicting Job and then later implemented this idea by CAUSING JOB'S SUFFERING FIRSTHAND(Job 1:6-11).In Job's life the suffering he endured made him extremely vulnerable to temptation but he stood firm(Job 1:22).I am using the Contemporary English Version(CEV)in which that verse reads 'in spite of everything,Job did not sin or accuse God of doing wrong'.
When we read the story of Job we know Satan to be the accuser whose aim is to discredit Job by turning God away from him. This is also the ultimate aim of any affliction or harassment. They are primarily initiated by Satan and his kingdom to turn individuals away from God. ONE OF SATAN'S PRIMARY OBJECTIVES IS TO CAUSE OFFENSE!I did a brief Internet search for the meaning of 'offense'. The free online dictionary gave four different meanings. Here are some of them:
a)A state of being offended b)A violation or infraction of a moral or social code, a transgression or sin c) A transgression of law.
A SIGNIFICANT MORAL QUESTION CAN BE RAISED ABOUT WHAT OCCURS BEHIND THE SCENES IN A SITUATION SUCH AS JOB'S! WHY DOES GOD PERMIT SATAN TO AFFLICT JOB AN INNOCENT PERSON WITH THE DEGREE OF SUFFERING HE EXPERIENCED?
IS GOD BEHIND INDIVIDUAL OFFENSES?
Everyone who has done an in depth cross examination of the truths declared in scripture will notice that God is consistently good and benevolent.Satan had already made the discovery about God's goodness in the life of Job.In the story of Job 1:9-12,Satan said to God
'why shouldn't he respect you?''Satan remarked.''YOU ARE LIKE A WALL PROTECTING NOT ONLY HIM,BUT HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND ALL HIS PROPERTY. YOU MAKE HIM SUCCESSFUL IN WHATEVER HE DOES,AND HIS FLOCKS AND HERDS ARE EVERYWHERE. V11 TRY TAKING AWAY EVERYTHING HE OWNS, AND HE WILL CURSE YOU TO YOUR FACE.''.
IS GOD BEHIND INDIVIDUAL OFFENSES?
Everyone who has done an in depth cross examination of the truths declared in scripture will notice that God is consistently good and benevolent.Satan had already made the discovery about God's goodness in the life of Job.In the story of Job 1:9-12,Satan said to God
'why shouldn't he respect you?''Satan remarked.''YOU ARE LIKE A WALL PROTECTING NOT ONLY HIM,BUT HIS ENTIRE FAMILY AND ALL HIS PROPERTY. YOU MAKE HIM SUCCESSFUL IN WHATEVER HE DOES,AND HIS FLOCKS AND HERDS ARE EVERYWHERE. V11 TRY TAKING AWAY EVERYTHING HE OWNS, AND HE WILL CURSE YOU TO YOUR FACE.''.
No comments:
Post a Comment