We live in a world full of trouble and problems; there are problems after problems. Pollution, natural resources running out, population growth outstripping resources worldwide, etcetera. And then there are individual problems to contend with such as pain, suffering, and death, just to name a few. Very few of us can truly say, "I don’t have any problems" Job even said it himself, "Man born of a woman but for a few days and full of trouble—He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure." These words reflect how Job felt about life in general during his extreme suffering.
Job went through two types of testing, the test of loss and destruction (Job 1: 6-12), and the test of personal suffering (Job 2: 7-10). It was just one thing after the other. Trials and tribulations are not new to any of us, the very moment you exit the comfort of your mother’s womb, and entered into this world, the doctor took you up by your ankles and slapped you on your behind; it was as if you were being welcomed into this mean ol’ world. And from that day on, people, situations; and circumstances will keep on hitting you and knocking you down.
As we journey through this life, we know that there is a constant enemy against the children of God we call ‘the devil’, and he just loves to hit us and knock us down. I don't like to spend a lot of time talking about the devil. He and I are not on speaking terms he is my mortal enemy. But Jesus spoke about him from time to time, so it's no sin for me to do it. For example, Jesus in John 8: 44 while speaking to the Pharisees (who were doing what they did best, trying to set Him up) corrected them as to who they really were. You see, the Pharisees saw themselves as perfect Jews coming straight from Abraham, and they are trying to figure out what Jesus is saying about HIS "Father". Jesus’ response to them was, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
What Jesus meant I believe is, although they walked about ceremoniously and very piously it is actually the devil that is in the details. It is their works that reveals who just who their true father is. The truth is, man’s sinful behavior and evil works that his allegiance in to the devil and not to the Father in heaven. The Pharisees thought that God was their father, but Jesus flat out tells them that SATAN is their father because they are rejecting Jesus's teachings (The Word of God), and even worse, they are looking to kill Jesus for telling them different.
Satan, he is a busy creature; we also know that he is referred to as a thief. But he is much more that just your average run of the mill thief, most thieves are satisfied with taking something that does not belong to them, but this thief wants to do more than that, he wants to kill and destroy because he utterly hates the children of God.
THE DEVIL IS A DEADLINE DEVIL
The book of Revelation tells us Satan has declared all-out war on God's saints. It also mentions that the devil has a deadline to complete his work: because he knoweth that he hath but a short time (Revelation 12:12). He operates on a deadline, he’s a ’deadline devil’ one of his favorite lies he likes to use against us is that our situation is getting worse and that God is not going to answer our prayer in time-and that we might as well take matters into our own hands or better yet just give up.
He’ll say look at these problems that you are facing, one right after the other, nothing’s going to change, every thing will remain the same-all you really have to do is look forward to, is more and more problems. Again, the devil is the "father of lies", in times of trouble, in times of pain and suffering, he comes around to make matters even worse. He tries to turn us against the only hope we have. He’ll try to get us to believe during the times of discouragement, that there is nothing left that we can do. But the God we serve is much too merciful to leave us with nothing, if we make the sad mistake of acting as if everything is gone, then we have no gratitude for the things He has already done for us, we become an ungrateful person and an ungrateful person is always an unhappy person and a very miserable person.
We need to understand that only God can write a period, the most man can do is write a comma, because there’s always something coming afterwards. What do you do when you face one problem after another? What do you do when the dust starts flying? When the smoke gets thick, and the fire is too hot? Do you reason with yourself and say well I’m trying to believe? But the devil is very interested in just how much you believe. Someone once said, “Because God loves us, the devil takes an intensed interest.” He does not want us to know that he is already the biggest loser in all of creation. He does not want us to know that he is the details concerning what we are going through.
THE DEVIL IS A DEFEATED ENEMY
He’s a defeated enemy. God can do no more than He has done. At the cross God judged the devil and overthrew him and his demons (John 12:31, 16:11). He was defeated at Calvary his head was cut off. He’s like a dead snake; they tell me that a dead snake is still dangerous. A dead snake still has a reflex, and if you get too close it can still strike. The devil is called the serpent, and eventhough his head was cut off, eventhough he was definitely defeated there at Calvary. He still is able to strike, if it were but for a season.
Let me say it again, Jesus defeated Satan by His death burial and resurrection (Colossians 2:15) “and having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it”. In Hebrews 2:14-16 “forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death that is the devil. And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels, but He took on Him the seed of Abraham”.
The devil is hoping that many of us will just overlook this one fact, you don’t have to go to the devil and say please devil, leave me alone. All you have to do is just get sick and tired of being sick and tired and do like Jesus told you to do in Matthew 18:18, “Verily I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. You have to use the authority that God has been given to you. And like James says, “submit yourselves therefore to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Resist means fight against. Don’t be like Adam who gave his authority over to the devil. Romans 6:16 says “know you not, that to whom you yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants you are to whom you obey; whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness”.
THE DETERMINED TO DESTROY US
The devil is determined to destroy us by any means necessary, and this explains why we often go from one trial to the next. The devil is an expert in giving out trials and tribulations. A trial always has a purpose or a question; a tribulation always causes damage or loss. If he can keep those trials and tribulations going he hopes that you will start to question God, and while he’s at it, he can kill two birds with stone by causing great damage and loss in your life, just like he did here with Job.
The Bible doesn’t indicate this, but I believe it may have crossed Job’s mind (during this time) that if it ain’t one thing, it’s another. You’ve said this to yourself at one time haven’t you? When trouble comes, trouble, trouble, trouble! You know one thing about trouble is that it’s one of the few things we don’t to have worry about running out of. If you want trouble you don’t have to go out and look for it, trouble will find you! Trouble is smart, trouble can dial your number, trouble knows your address, trouble knows your name and the names of your children, trouble likes to lie down between a husband and wife. Many times trouble likes to clock in with you on your job.
Trouble doesn’t mind getting dressed in its Sunday best, trouble doesn’t mind walking into the church house, trouble is a gossiper and sometimes trouble can fool you and make you think it’s your friend and as soon it decides the time is right, trouble shows its true color. If it ain’t one thing it’s another! Pay you telephone bill, the next day you get another bill-this time it’s for you long distance calls. You paid the cable bill, but you forgot water bill is also due. If it ain’t one thing it’s another!
Ladies, you go to the beautician, and you ask her to make your hair little curly but she decides to make it straight. Brothers, you decide to try on that suit you haven’t worn in a while and discovered that suit’s waistline is no longer compatible with your waistline, if it ain’t one thing—it’s another! Am I right about it? If it ain’t a backache, it’s a headache, and if it ain’t a headache it’s a toothache.
If it ain’t a toothache, its sinus trouble, if it ain’t sinus trouble it’s arthritis, the list goes on and on, if it ain’t one thing it’s another! Think nothing strange about it the devil is determined to make life difficult—the devil is in details.
Job was a man who actually lived on this earth (he was not a mythical character), he was a man of great devotion to God; he was also a very rich man. He was a man who tried his best to avoid evil, Job was a family man, he had seven sons and three daughters. He had land, and cattle, and servants. Job had everything a man could ever want, he was successful, but he didn’t let his success go to his head. He knew that whatever he had and whatever he achieved was only because of God’s grace and mercy.
One day, the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came along. Don’t think that when we come to church the devil is nowhere around, he doesn’t mind coming to church. He’ll probably tell you if he had a chance that some of his best (evil) plans begins in the church. He doesn’t mind if you come to church. He doesn’t mind you singing in the choir, as long as you don’t believe what you’re singing about. He doesn’t mind you shouting in the church, as long as that shout is just like a sounding brass and a twinkling cymbal signifying nothing. The thing that really bothers him is when you get down on your knees and start talking to God about your troubles.
God asked Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job?"
And the devil responded, "Ain’t no use me fooling around with him, seeing as though you’ve built a fence round him" But if you just remove that fence and let me have at him, I think we’ll see a horse of a different color. God gave His permission (with some limitations included) and the devil got started in doing what he does best, tormenting the children of God. While one man gave Job some bad news, another man came with a sad report, and while he was speaking here comes another and another. Look what the devil had in store for Job, he took away his cattle (that was his means for food), he took away his sheep (that was his means for clothing), he took away his camels (that was his means of transportation); but much worse he took away his children (that was gift from God).
But through it all we notice, that Job couldn’t help but to praise God. Sometimes our faith can and will be challenged, one trial after another, sometimes trouble comes in doubles, and sometimes even in triples. We have trouble in our homes, trouble on our jobs, trouble with our children and with the ones we married, and even (believe or not) trouble in the church.
Look at this sad, sad, story; through the devil’s evil determination Job lost everything, 10 caskets of his children stretch out across the altar. His so called friends hanging his name out on the highway, his wife helping the devil to convince him into cursing God and die. But look at Job! He decided to hold on the God’s unchaninging Hand. What an example of faith! No matter what happens to us, no matter what the devil has in store, we need to have the faith of Job today. With war clouds floating over America today, the talk of weapons of mass destruction, chemical warfare and such, we need to hold on to God’s unchanging Hand.
CONCLUSION
The story of Job ends with some good news, it tells that God restored Job even beyond what he could ever expected. God had a purpose in allowing the devil to attack Job, God allowed Satan, the epitome of evil, to enter the Garden of Eden and tempt Adam and Eve to depart from God's instructions. They then had to make a choice. They chose to follow Satan rather than God—but Job endured Satan’s attack and in doing he has showed us that we can to. If you need restoring today, you ought to try to Lord, next time trouble comes (and it will come) Take time out to come to the Lord, tell Him about troubles, and He’ll work it out for you. There’s nothing He can’t handle today, He knows what you’re going through. He worked it out for Job, and He’ll work it out for you. Yes, the devil may be in the details but God is also in the details and tthat’s worth shouting about. Amen.
