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Job is the most popular example of affliction
because the entire book is dedicated to his severe tribulation. It can be
real hard for us to identify with Daniel, Paul and other perfect examples.
These examples are great to give us hope of where we can be IF we allow
His grace to operate in our life continually. They reveal to us the
finishing line of the race that we are now running. They show God’s
maturing process that can end in manifesting purity and righteousness.
These men represent to us that IF we walk in Him we will show the world -
Him.
1 Cor 1:30
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:
We will show the world spiritual attributes
that spring from the life that we have received from abiding in Jesus. Yet
many of us identify more with examples of Peter and David then the
“Daniels” of the Bible. Why is this? Because Peter and David failed in
many areas and yet God held out His hand to restore them to faith. This is
where most of us are now! Therefore we will examine another Bible example
that fell short but God restored – Job. Job presents to us a message for
where we are today.
I avoided reading and studying Job for years.
This was due to it being a difficult book to understand and also due to
the many erroneous teachings relating to Job. Job has become a religious
icon that has allowed unbelief to exist. To teach contrary to the present
teaching tends to be quite difficult, yet in God’s timing His truth
shall be received by those who are pressing into His Inner Courts. God
spoke to my heart strongly one day to read Job and I knew it was God
speaking at that moment (many times you realize it was God only after you
see the result). That day the Holy Spirit taught me the book of Job and in
quite detail – my spiritual eyes were opened. I was changed and I had a
revelation concerning affliction that I never understood before.
We are told at the onset of reading the book
of Job that he was perfect. He is preached by some ministers of the gospel
that he was TOTALLY blameless and perfect. That would put him in the
category of the previous examples that we had observed. Job would be more
like Daniel, the three men or Paul. The Holy Spirit taught me to the
contrary. Many agree with what I have just said and others would disagree.
These types of controversies prove the lack of unity in doctrine. Now the
challenge would be to teach the entire body of Christ that Job was
not perfect when the King James Version says that Job was
perfect. God has the answer. Every controversy in scripture is a
controversy in our heart. With God there are no controversies. A
controversy exists because we fail to see Him and learn about His ways. A
controversy exist because we do not press onward towards the finishing
line when we are told in Hebrews that He rewards those that diligently
seek Him. A controversy exists because we choose to believe man’s
teaching instead of God’s Word. Why do we trust the doctrine of a
minister instead of God? Because of a “lack of confidence” to hear God
for ourselves. The children of Israel in the wilderness “desired not”
God’s voice, the church did this with the Catholic Church and we still
have this same immaturity today.
Job 1:1
There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job;
and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared
God, and eschewed evil.
These are the four qualities of Job. The first
one is the one we tend to stumble on. The word perfect in the King James
Version will rarely mean our current English definition. This instance of
the word “perfect” literally means, “had integrity”. This Hebrew
word was used to describe Jacob BEFORE he tricked his brother Esau into
trading his birthright and BEFORE Jacob deceived his father into
pronouncing the blessing of the birthright on him. How is it then that God
can call Jacob upright with integrity- perfect? Because God was comparing
him to his brother that had very little integrity. Esau represents
everything earthly and Jacob represents everything spiritual, yet Jacob
was not very spiritual at the time, in fact Jacob was destine to learn
many of life’s hard lessons to deal his with this “lack of
integrity”. Job had integrity compared to the rest of Job’s generation
(probably right before Abraham’s time) and yet there was in his heart
something that had to be dealt with.
So we see that perfect does not mean our
thoughts on being perfect, it simply means to have integrity and is used
comparatively against others who demonstrate less integrity. If Job was
the most upright man of his time - why test him? We are a people that like
to compare ourselves to others. Others become our standard of measurement.
When we do this and the target of our comparison falls short of where we
are, we neglect to look any further and the remaining soil in us is never
dealt with. UNDERSTAND THIS - If there is anything in you – anything at
all that is unlike Jesus Christ that CAN BE TOUCHED – than God will
allow affliction to deal with it. God is after your heart. If there is any
area of your life where you are separated from God – He desires to unite
you with Himself. As you become more spiritual than those around you,
there will be a temptation to compare yourself to their spirituality. As
you compare yourself to their spiritual maturity we leave areas in our
life untouched by God’s Life. These are areas that the Holy Spirit has
reproved as being sin, these are areas that you have went your own way
instead of God’s way, these are areas that become a tare. Job had areas
of his life that he failed to deal with and now God will allow affliction
to get his attention. God does not desire external qualities that have
been untested, God desires internal qualities obtained from heaven
and tried by fire.
Job 1:5
And it came about, when the days of feasting had
completed their cycle, that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up
early in the morning and offering burnt offerings {according to} the
number of them all; for Job said, "Perhaps my sons have sinned and
cursed God in their hearts." Thus Job did continually. (NAS)
Before affliction came, we find a problem. We
have three times where scripture mentions that Job’s children
were feasting and drinking wine. God goes out of His way to mention that
affliction occurs on the day of this feasting. Job believed in his heart
that they were habitually in sin. Scripture is given by inspiration of
God; God includes these events for a reason. It is not a coincidence.
Prov 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is
old, he will not depart from it.
Job offered sacrifice for his children but God
requires us to train them in the way of righteousness. Are we saying that
Job was afflicted based solely on how he raised his children? No, what we
are saying is that the children died because their hearts were evil not
because Job needs to learn a lesson. However, the sin of Job’s children
was an indicator of the impurities in his heart. Our lives affect others
and especially those that are the closest to us. If you were to raise ten
children in Christ, you would have faith that at least a few would serve
God all their days. This was not the case with Job, he raised ten children
that did not serve God. If you do not raise your children in God’s way
than you are guaranteed affliction in your road ahead. This was
true of many examples in the Old Testament. This is God’s first
uncovering of something hidden in Job’s life. If you have failed as a
parent, you simply must receive forgiveness and mostly forgiving yourself
then set yourself to raise spiritual children.
Job 1:8
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,
Does Satan point out Job? Nope, God points out
Job to Satan. My humorous response is “Please Lord, I have enough
problems. It is to be noted that God will point out to Satan our life - to
afflict us - but He will not reveal to Satan the purpose of the
affliction. This is why Satan conspired to destroy Jesus; Satan never
sees the resurrection life on the other side of the cross.
Job 1:10
Hast 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.
Satan
is the source of affliction because in God there is no evil to afflict
with. God has a hedge around us like He had with Job. Sometimes we simply
leave His hedge by violating His way. For example if you drive dangerously
then you leave His hedge of protection by violating common sense “safe
practices”. This is the “suffering for unrighteousness” type of
affliction. At other times it seems like everything hits us and we have
not been doing anything evil to bring the affliction. This is the case
with Job. God lifted up the hedge to get to the deep inner parts of his
being, but the works of Job were not in violation to God’s ways. God
will allow this affliction, but in the case of the dangerous driver, it
was the driver’s choice. When we are afflicted because we were foolish
then we must just respond in crying out to God for mercy. Had it not been
for God’s mercy for all the foolish things I have said and done, I would
have been utterly destroyed years ago.
1 Cor 3:13
Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day
shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall
try every man's work of what sort it is.
Ø
Job was tested to reveal -
“what sort” his uprightness was. All of us shall be tested as James
declared.
James 1:3-4
knowing that the testing of your faith produces
endurance. And let endurance have {its} p
erfect result, that you may be
perfect and complete
Our faith when tested is what will bring
endurance and then completion. In Job’s case we see uprightness, fear of
God and integrity on the surface but in the deep recesses of his heart God
will cause his mouth to speak. For example, let’s say that you are a
rural driver in an unpopulated road system, as you drive daily to your
destinations you are known as a “stress-free driver” to all those that
know you. It is easy to be stress-free when you have few drivers on the
road and this is what Satan pointed out. Therefore it is the PLAN OF GOD
to bring you to a place of busy highways to test that stress-free
condition that resides within, when you drive. If it is God Who is Peace
in your heart then God will be your response. If it is the peace that can
be manifested by the natural man than your response will be one of flesh.
Many can be naturally gentle, naturally kind and naturally stress-free but
it takes a testing to really tell of what sort it is.
Job lost all of His possessions and His
children. What was his response? He worshipped God and sinned not! Could
we have passed this test in such a way?
We must become dead to things and we must submit our children to
God – both belong to Him. God was not finished though. Job had yet to
come to the end of himself. Affliction is designed to see yourself in the
deep places of your heart. We become afflicted and we do everything except
place our heart on God’s altar and say, “if there is any wicked thing
in me please show me”. Job now receives bodily affliction!
Job 2:10
What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall
we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.
God makes a point to let us know that Job
still did not sin with his lips. This is where some Bible teachers miss
it. They assume that because it says Job does not sin with his lips in Job
2:10 than he must not be sinning in his following dialogue, however what
we see is Job’s affliction is getting to him. The fire is purging deep
and what is about to burst will be nothing like the uprightness that has
been previous spoken about. Job’s response to this affliction will show
us the “true version” that Job held about God. Job will now speak of
God’s way in a manner that does not resemble the true God in heaven.
There are many that can mimic being spiritual but the mimicking stops at
the test.
The
Discourse
Job’s three friends approach Job and they
mourn with him. In Chapter 3 we have the start of four dialogues. Job and
the three friends take turns in an unprofitable discussion. The difficulty
in reading these passages is that all four of them were wrong and yet made
many true statements, in fact the Apostle Paul quotes a saying of one of
the three friends as a “Gospel Truth”. Most important though is that
there is a truth in these dialogues that gives revelation of the TRUE
condition of Job’s heart. Sometimes we remain confused because the
dialogues around us are “ALL WRONG” but contain an element of truth.
Christians take sides on issues and both sides are many times in error but
both contain an element of truth. The result is unprofitable.
Job opens his mouth in chapter 3 and reveals
his response to his affliction. Our focus will be God’s focus, which is
a focus on the bitter waters. God already said at the onset that He
thought Job was upright, now God will magnify that which is not upright.
When you are in affliction, God has a focus on YOUR BITTER WATER. God will
focus on that which is NOT UPRIGHT in your heart. Our reaction is
normally a focus on what we have done right and therefore we conclude that
we are not deserving of such affliction – this was Job’s response!
Job’s attitude turned to despair, a loss of
all hope. Job cursed his birthday, he wished he had been a miscarriage.
Job’s despair grew and he wanted God to kill him. Always observe your
response to any affliction lest you be blind concerning yourself.
SELF-PITY will never deliver you from your affliction! When severe
affliction comes we want to lay down, we want to quit. We find that there
is no resource within us to overcome and we want to distance ourselves
from our affliction. For some the only way to distance themselves from
their affliction is suicide, or at least the desire to die. Despair is a
killer, it takes away all opportunities for deliverance.
Job 6:11
What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine
end, that I should prolong my life?
Job saw that the road ahead was darkness. Yes,
this is a natural reaction but God wants us to know Him Who is Hope.
Spiritual reactions are pleasing to God and He gives us the ability to
hope because of Jesus. It is easy to preach this, a lot harder to walk it
when you have been terribly afflicted and hurt. God reaches down in our
despair and by His mercy will restore us to a place where despair will
have been swallowed up in hope.
Rom 5:5-6
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to
us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for
the ungodly. (NAS)
Job continues to mischaracterize God in his
dialogue. Job says that God is against him. Job does not look within his
own heart. Job proclaims that he has done nothing deserving of this
affliction. “God has made me bitter” says Job; “who can ever be
right or do good in His sight – God is unpleasable” “God will not
even answer me” “God
blesses the house of the robber – those who provoke Him are secure”
“God is a merciless judge of every infraction”. If that were true, we
would all have been judged long ago.
Ps 103:10
He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor
rewarded us according to our iniquities. (NAS)
Job blames God and depicts God as being an
unfair judge. Job proclaims a false version of Who God is. Job complains
to God and about God. All of these are but symptoms – not the root of
the problem. Many times we go through affliction and respond in self-pity,
anger, blaming others or blaming God. These are responses that usually
spring up from something that has been not dealt with in our hearts. Many
times we see the meanness in another not realizing the mental and physical
abuse they may have experienced in their youth – the meanness may be a
manifestation of a broken heart that God wants to heal. Many in the world
feel that God was unfair to allow abuse to happen to them, their response
to this “mischaracterization of God” is one of bitterness. If we will
learn these important lessons of truth, God can use us to minister to
these, as we learn His dealings and submit to them.
The dialogue of Job revealed a deep-rooted
problem that God wanted dealt with – SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! Job was
stubborn and refused the counsel of his wise friends, but there was a
problem there as well, for the words of Job’s friends were added
affliction to his already miserable condition. The friends actually
pointed out the self-righteousness. They told Job that something was not
right in his life. They told him that his end would be restoration even
greater than before. They preach encouragement, hope, accurate statements
about God’s character, they corrected Job’s wrong statements with
accurate ones and many more wise sayings. Why were they an added
affliction? Because they were bitter water mixed with sweet water. Their
words were from the “natural man” and only caused Job to become more
contentious. They even digressed into giving the “false purpose of
affliction”. They did this by telling Job that the affliction was due to
Job withholding his bread to the hungry which was a false accusation. It
is hard to see the error of the three friends until you observe the
righteousness spoken from the fourth friend.
Elihu
the Prophet
After Job and his three friends have concluded
their unprofitable discourse, we see God’s man come on the scene. God
loves us so much that He sends a true messenger of God. Elihu means “God
of Him”. Elihu definitely belongs to God, and God has much to say
through Elihu the prophet. Elihu begins by stating the problem with Job
– “He justified himself instead of God”. This is such a dangerous
place for us to be in because we will justify our motives when we should
have sought the motives of God. We now become RIGHT IN OUR OWN EYES. May
we fear and tremble in His holy presence and never degrade to this place
of blindness. We can use scripture to justify ourselves, we can use past
accomplishments done in the Name of Jesus to justify ourselves – if this
is our response then God’s response will be to “give you up to your
own way”. Know this - Prov 1:31 Therefore shall they eat of the
fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
Job 32:2-3
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel
the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath
kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled,
because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Revealed are the problems with the dialogues.
The answer has always been in these verses. Job pleaded his case as though
he was innocent and had no sin. The friends preached restoration, God’s
character, and wisdom that they learned from God, but their much speaking
had no answer, to make matters worse they condemned Job and gave him no
help of deliverance. Observe and note carefully! There are many in
ministry that think that all you have to do is interject some accurate
information about God, the cross, restoration and even counseling, but if
you do not provide the answer that is from heaven for that moment – for
that person, than you will have a ministry of wood, hay and stubble. You
will be in sin, you will have become the ministry of the “three
friends”. Fear God in this I beg you. When you preach and counsel those
in their affliction – is there an answer or just information?
Elihu had the answer! Elihu waited for the
three wise and older men to speak first, even though he had the answer.
Have you ever gotten into a small group of people after church or in a
home group setting and you find certain individuals (maybe even you) are
always the first to dominate the course of the conversation with their
much knowledge. You leave those settings not edified, but an Elihu will
wait for the moment when there is no answer and then speak from heaven the
Master’s answer that cuts to heart and restores. I desire to be as
Elihu, waiting for compassion to move me with a word that has His answer.
Job 32:7-22
"I thought age should speak, and increased years
should teach wisdom. "But it is a spirit in man, and the breath of
the Almighty gives them understanding. "The abundant {in years} may
not be wise, nor may elders understand justice. "So I say, 'Listen
to me, I too will tell what I think.'
There
is a public ministry of the prophet, yet every believer is a prophet in
regards to speaking the word from heaven that confounds the wisdom that
comes from elders. We have the breath – the Spirit of God teaching us,
and causing us to learn in a few days what might have taken these wise
friends a lifetime to achieve. God will use an exegesis of scripture to
cause us to rightly divide truth, but in addition the minister must hear
from heaven. Those that hear from heaven as Elihu did – MUST BE BOLD TO
TELL WHAT THEY THINK! Do not let the “supposed wiser” or the elder of
much knowledge prevent you from declaring ALL that you are hearing and
therefore must speak – that provides God’s true understanding of a
matter.
Job 32:7-22
"Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your
reasonings, while you pondered what to say. "I even paid close
attention to you, indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, not one of you
who answered his words. "Do not say, 'We have found wisdom; God will
rout him, not man.' "For he has not arranged {his} words against me;
nor will I reply to him with your arguments. "They are dismayed, they
answer no more; words have failed them.
Words have failed them. So sad that we sit in
gatherings where hurting people have gathered, sitting next to us and our
words fail us to bring healing to their affliction. May we mature that we
may bring the words that restore. When their words cry out for help, may
we answer them in Christ. There are many that wander in their affliction
because NOT ONE has been found to give words that have answer, to give
words that fail not.
Job 32:7-22
"And shall I wait, because they do not speak,
because they stop {and} answer no more? "I too will answer my share,
I also will tell my opinion. "For I am full of words; the spirit
within me constrains me. "Behold, my belly is like unvented wine,
like new wineskins it is about to burst. "Let me speak that I may get
relief; let me open my lips and answer. "Let me now be partial to no
one; nor flatter {any} man. "For I do not know how to flatter,
{else} my maker would soon take me away. (NAS)
Anyone that has ever prophesied can identify
with Elihu. We are full of words – His words, how can we possibly
contain or make them undelivered. We see here that “words that
flatter” are words that shall puff up the carnal man while
simultaneously deflating the spiritual man. May we fear God as Elihu did
in this matter.
In chapter 33 Elihu rehearses back to Job what
he said in his dialogue that was to be reproved. Then Elihu tells Job that
his depiction of God and his reasoning for the purpose of his own
affliction is “not just”. Many times we deceive ourselves into
thinking we know the purpose to why we were afflicted and the result is
never fruitful. Many think they are suffering for righteousness sake when
they are in fact suffering for not using Godly wisdom. There are
multitudes of teachers that spread false doctrine and suffer because of
it, but their deception tells them that this is the sufferings of Christ.
There are those that misuse the gifts of God and cause reproach from the
world and other Christians, they are deceived into thinking their
suffering is for righteousness sake. You might be one that imposes their
will upon those that you influence, and when afflicted you still never see
“this contradiction” to the steps of Jesus, you will be left to your
own way no matter how much praying or studying God’s Word that you may
do.
YOU MUST NOT BE RESISTANT TO THE DEALINGS OF
GOD. Suppose you are one that has a life of devotion before God and let us
suppose that in your dealings with the consumer market, one day you do not
get “your own way”, when afflicted are these contrary ways of the
carnal nature – laid on the altar? And one more common way we tend to
stay blind to God’s dealings, you are driving and someone “cuts you
off” or someone drives slowly in front of you, what is your response?
Was it an automatic response of the fruit of patience and the fruit of
forbearing wrongs that are suffered? If this was not the response, when
afflicted have we searched our heart to have these immature and sometimes
“wicked responses” dealt with? Discern your affliction, and always
look in your heart for that which does not resemble Jesus that you may
avoid being deceived.
The
Root Purpose of Affliction
Elihu says:
Job 33:13-17
Amplified
13 Why
do you contend against God? For He does not give account of any of His
actions. [Sufficient for us it should be to know that it is He that does
them].
Job contended and judged God as being unfair
instead of listening to His voice. It is that voice that causes us to
understand our affliction. When we understand our affliction then we
can see ourselves as God sees us. When we see ourselves we can respond to
God in repentance of our vile pride and acceptant of His grace for true
deliverance; that is deliverance from ourselves. Even as Job was self-
righteousness - God tries to show us our unrighteousness, if we resist Him
continually we will also become self-righteous. We will be guilty of
having measured our own level of righteousness against a criterion that is
not God and then we are stubborn to change it.
14 For
God [does reveal His will; He] speaks not only once, but more than once,
even though men do not regard it.
15 [One
may hear God’s voice] in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep
sleep falls upon men while slumbering upon the bed.
16 Then
He opens the ear of men and seals their instruction.
17 That
He may withdraw man from his own purpose and cut off pride from him.
Memorize verse 17 and never forget it. Your
valleys, tribulations, afflictions, chastisements, hardships are designed
to cause verse 17 – to withdraw you from your purpose, your goal, your
motives and cut off the pride that gave you your own purpose – AT THE
ROOT, but ONLY when you hear from heaven the voice that reveals the
purpose of your affliction. This is the Father’s voice of instruction!
The Holy of Holies is given the name in Solomon’s temple as “THE
ORACLE OF GOD”. This name literally means “THE SPEAKING PLACE”. When
we talk about a life in the Holy of Holies we are talking about a life
that “hears from heaven”, a life that has ears to hear what the Spirit
of God is saying. Some want a “Holy of Holies” for the sole purpose of
giving them a “sense of God”, but the true Holy of Holies speaks to us
and we are to heed that voice – THEN we will “sense God in our
midst”. It is only THEN can we stand holy in the midst of our holy God.
It is only then shall we have God’s GLORY upon our life.
Job 33:22-30
"Then his soul draws near to the pit, and his life
to those who bring death. "If there is an angel {as} mediator for
him, One out of a thousand, to remind a man what is right for him,
then let him be gracious to him, and say, 'Deliver him from going down to
the pit, I have found a ransom'; let his flesh become fresher than in
youth, let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; then he will pray
to God, and He will accept him, that he may see His face with joy, and He
may restore His righteousness to man. "He will sing to men and say,
'I have sinned and perverted what is right, and it is not proper for me.
'He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, and my life shall see the
light.' "Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men, to bring
back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of
life. (NAS)
This passage brings us to the end of ourselves
even to the pit of death itself but then God rescues us. I hope this
message may be the “one out of a thousand” but if not, God will send
him to you - to deliver His word of grace. Elihu preaches with an answer
from heaven of true restoration for Job. This word that Elihu preaches is
restoration for all of us. Jesus is our mediator delivering us out of all
of our afflictions and restoring us - as we follow Him. When we are
afflicted, sometimes we do not see as we should, we do not do many things
as we ought, but the message of the Gospel is this - Jesus lives in our
heart, we have covenant with Jesus, Jesus paid our debt and the debt was
not His – TO RESCUE US FROM THE PIT. We do not deserve it, our pride
should prevent it, but His mercy reaches down in our pain because Jesus
experienced great pain, and He gives you healing. Our part is easy, humble
yourself, knowing that you are the reason for your affliction, invite
Jesus in…into every part of your life - and your life shall see light.
Let Jesus prove Himself to you, and as you yield your life to Him - your
life will become PROOF of Jesus in this earth. HIGGAION <Mediate on
that>
Sow
to the Spirit
God reveals His will in affliction. It is in
affliction that we have revelation of our own pride. It is in affliction
that we see the old man, the natural man – the soul. It is in affliction
that we can appropriate, make relevant, make applicable the truth of us
being dead to sin and alive to God. Now we can reckon ourselves to be dead
to it. We can consider ourselves freed from the slavery of our own pride.
Why? Because now we see it. If you can see it – you can walk in it. You
are in Him Whom all the fulness of the Godhead mightily dwells and that
fact must be seen even as you see your own pride.
Gal 6:8-9
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not.
Elihu lets Job know that when you do
righteousness, it does not affect God at all. It is YOU who benefits from
you doing righteousness. If you do evil – it will not touch God but it
will hurt YOU. It also affects those you touch. When we see the wicked
prospering, we fail to understand and we judge God and this is what Job
did. If a man sows to the flesh corruption than of the flesh he will reap
corruption. Do righteousness and you shall reap righteousness even the
righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.
Many think that because they sow kindness then
their life should receive nothing but kindness from others. That is not
what God is teaching. For example, we know that David feared God and went
to extremes throughout his life to not touch God’s anointed. That is
what he sowed. However, when David was king and became God’s anointed he
was “touched” by Absalom his son and by a man named Shimei who
threw stones at David. What did he reap then? It surely was not an
avoiding of being “touched” – for he was touched. He reaped the
spiritual response of God! David responded with COMPASSION towards
them even though their deeds deserved death. David’s son became his
enemy and yet David’s response was like our Father’s - when we stray.
Shimei would normally have been executed but David’s response was MERCY.
Sow to the Spirit and of the Spirit you shall reap fruit that is given to
all those you meet – this is God’s Life that is revealed. Jesus sowed
to the Spirit and reaped the Father’s response to every affliction.
Let’s say that you have gossiped - which is a sowing to the flesh, you
will then reap corruption. How does this corruption manifest itself? By
producing a response when you are the target of gossip that is not
pleasing to God, by producing a response that does not resemble the mercy
and compassion of Jesus. Surely this is a corruption that is unlike
God’s LIFE, indeed it is a corruption that resembles the death found in
a decayed body.
Gal 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
After God teaches us about sowing and reaping
in Galatians 6:7-9, we see that verse 6:10 still pertains to the principle
of sowing and reaping. When you are gossiped about, when you are
“touched” by others, you are given opportunity - opportunity to do
good, opportunity to respond with fruit. This is your reaping if you have
sowed to the spirit. Do not be weary in doing good! This scripture passage
also pertains to the opportunity to sow good seeds. Therefore when I have
opportunity to edify my brethren or lay down my life for them, preferring
them over myself – I should seize it. When the attack or crisis of
this life bombards me – I respond out of these sowings. It is these
responses that will be gold, silver and precious stones.
Elihu ends his message in the book of Job by
talking about God’s awesome majesty and greatness, then as he stops, the
Lord speaks out of the whirlwind and continues Elihu’s message about
God’s own greatness. God confirmed Elihu’s word with signs following
and shows how the prophet was already speaking from heaven by not even
changing the topic. God spoke to Job through the affliction, God spoke to
Job through His servant Elihu and finally God speaks to Job from heaven
itself. God does not speak once but He speaks to us twice even three
times, but will we be dull of hearing or will we hear from heaven. This is
important! No matter what affliction you are in right this second, even
though you think God is silent, HE IS NOT - He is speaking, we must
determine in our heart to hear from Him and settle for nothing less. Maybe
you have resolved in your heart that a certain affliction may have no
deliverance for you, ok…I can accept that…but only if you can tell me
that you heard from heaven.
Job 42:5-6
"I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear; but
now my eye sees Thee; Therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and
ashes." (NAS)
We must all hear and then finally we must see.
The natural man does not want to see God or His own condition before God.
We manifest the works of the flesh throughout the week and we never see it.
The more resistant we are to see it – the more dramatic will be the
affliction to bring you to see it. Job saw and Job repented. We must
see, we must repent, and we must consider that old man to have been
crucified with Christ and buried. Now we are free, now we can be alive to
Christ - in that area that we held in our own pride. Job was restored and
the ministry of the three friends had to offer sacrifice because they did
not speak of the Lord what is right. And finally God is raising up an
“Elihu”
prophetic people that speak with an answer that reveals and
restores.
Job 36:7
"He does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous;
but with kings on the throne He has seated them forever, and they are
exalted. (NAS)
God will never forsake the righteous but on
the contrary He sets them up with Kings forever. There are many more
details to this glorious book of affliction. I hope that you will now see
the book of Job differently.
Summer
is Here
Scripture gives us different pictures of the
valley of affliction. The Feasts of the Lord that started with the
Passover feast and then proceeded to the feast of Pentecost brings a
picture where we see a pattern of our afflicted life. The first month
celebrated the Passover feast and in this feast was brought forth - Jesus
the Firstborn of many brethren. In the third month came the feast of
Pentecost which brought forth a firstfruits – the church, most
Christians think the story ends there, however God still has four months
to go in His plan. The next three months – (fourth, fifth and sixth)
will bring summer. In the seventh month is where our hope remains - for
that fall season when things get cooler and the fruit of the earth is
ripened – matured.
God can deal with your entire life as
dramatically as He did Job’s life but normally He deals with one area at
a time. Therefore one area of your life will be in summer, one area will
be in a valley, and one area will be pressed with great heat – DO NOT
IGNORE IT. God’s design is that summer will always precede the harvest
of maturity; it is a blueprint that the Great Architect will build by.
When God the Gardener comes at the end of the age for a church and bride
without spot, wrinkle and blemish, He will be looking for FRUIT. Remember
it is how you finish that counts, if you allowed the summer to destroy the
autumn harvest – you will suffer great loss. Roots that go deep in
Christ will never wither and will hold up under the intense summer heat.
God’s way is to go through summer – not to avoid summer.
Our life is a mixture and only God can sort it
out. We have bitter and sweet water, salt and fresh from the same well and
usually in the same conversation. We have a leg in the Outer Court, our
head in the Holy Place of God’s tabernacle and our eyes in the Holy of
Holies and sometimes a hand still back in Egypt. One area of our life may
have crossed the finishing line and yet another has refused to race
because of stubbornness or self-deception. We have laid a great foundation
and are now working on the walls of our temple in one area and in another
area we have not even looked at the blueprint. We have a mixture in our
walk of different stages of growth and yet God’s design is that ALL
areas will come into submission and yield fruit. Our life is a continual
wilderness journey and contains a summer that does not end but God’s
mercy dictated that it would be done in one area at a time if we follow in
His steps. But let me also point out that in the final days before the
literal appearing of Jesus, God will be doing a much quicker work of
maturity, yet the fire will be heated much hotter, and more areas of your
life will have to be dealt with simultaneously.
One very HOT topic in the Church has to do
with bodily affliction and this is an area that we must resolve in our
heart. More than one believer has been wounded by the answers that have
been given concerning the purpose of their affliction in bodily suffering.
Many have been used as “Job’s three friends” with no answer yet
condemning and using scripture to do it. There is no COMPLETE or lengthy
answer I can give you. It is possible that God has spoken to you already
through Job’s story, or some of the other truths surrounding the purpose
of affliction. The reason there is no categorical answer is that there can
never be a METHOD to healing; the answer you receive must come through
knowing Jesus. The answer regarding sickness and healing occurs through
our relationship with Jesus Christ and it is up to Him to identify to you
what hinders a healing or why sickness occurred in the first place. Surely
sickness is a “summer”, but we should not accept the idea that we must
continue without hope of healing in this life, we should expect autumn in
this area – bearing Fruit.
“I was told it was because of my lack of
faith”. Though this is a possibility that should not be ignored when
searching your heart, but this may not be the reason. This is a point that
we all should remember when asking the question “Why have I not received
healing” – never allow yourself to be condemned or judged as being
less spiritual for being sick. Know that it is better to die in sickness
having led a fruitful life, than to have been fruitless in your life and
stayed healthy. Being fruitless carries 100 fold the tragedy as having
died of sickness.
Always search your own heart concerning bodily
afflictions and give Jesus the opportunity to speak to you the answer. It
is He that can cause you to touch the hem of His garment, it is He that
can cause you to be in a place of faith, it is He that can direct your
steps to “the Elihu” that has the answer from heaven or to “the
Peter” where healing occurs through his shadow. In Galatians we see Paul
revealing that he had some type of bodily affliction to the eyes. Because
of this affliction Paul remained at Galatia to father them in the faith.
God actually allowed a bodily affliction for the purpose of Paul staying
to do God’s will. Did the Galatians look down on Paul for having this
bodily affliction? Not at all, in fact Paul commends them in that this
bodily affliction was a burden to them and yet they received him as an
angel of God and as Christ Himself. You cannot make a method out of any of
these biblical examples for your own case, but you can let the Holy Spirit
speak to your own situation through these biblical examples. Surely Paul
could hear from heaven in prayer but his bodily affliction spoke in this
particular situation. The point is – Paul had revelation of the purpose
of this affliction, maybe as he suffered it, maybe later on – but God is
not silent concerning our bodily afflictions.
Ø
The important thing is
that we live and die bearing fruits of righteousness and we have an ear to
hear what the Spirit is saying regarding our current bodily affliction.
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