(Case Study- Life of Joab)
Jobs family was perfect. Satan took special permission to attack him, saying thou has blessed him abundantly, that’s why he loves you and worship you, take away everything from him, then you will know his true color
Jobs family was attacked by devil in 5 areas of his family life
1. Finances 2. Children 3. Health 4. Relationships 5. Spiritual life
I. Finances
Job 1.14-17 v14A messenger came to Job and said: the oxen ere plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby v15 and the Sabeans attacked and made off with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one escaped to tell you
V16 while he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, The fire of God fell from heavens and burned up the sheep and the servants and I am the only one escaped to tell you.
V17 while he was sill speaking another messenger came and said, the Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and made of with them. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only escaped to tell you
Job was a wealthy man. Satan stripped him of all that he had.
This verses clearly gives us a picture how devil attacked Job
Three different attacks,
All his business collapsed,
All his agriculture, All his livestock destroyed.
The first areas of his family were attacked was his finances
During the test period you must prove your integrity to the Lord your faithfulness to the Lord and your faith and commitment to the Lord that’s what job did.
The bible says he was immensely blessed and was living in full blessings, nothing was lacking in his life.
Such a blessed life his agriculture and livestock were destroyed at the same day along with all the servants excepts 3.
They just got escaped to report to job, what was happening,
This shows that, Satan may attacked your business, your staff members, employees, your company, your income sources and your assets. This is the first area Satan is targeting to bring a man down
What will be the result. ?
You might be going through the severe financial crisis, death may happen? You are mentally stressed out and feeling everything is gone and I am left alone.
If such things happen, it is not from God, it is from Devil. God is the blesser. But the devil comes to take away the blessings. Devil is thief and is clearly picturized in this book. It is not from God.
II. Children
Joab1.18-19
They were attending a birthday party. Seven sons and three daughters. All the siblings were together. As they were partying together drinking together , feasting together , from fourth corners of the earth wind came and the house got collapsed. All of them died at the spot
This is not from God this is from devil. This natural calamity was generated by devil
Job had raised his children in a godly way. There was family prayer in the home and taught them to walk in Godly way.
Birthday party is ok, but in the feting and drinking their heart was gone away from God and the invited heathen to their parties.
Satan got an entry point and he attacked all the children and all of them died.
Satan can attack your children. When children are attacked, that’s a heart-breaking moment for a parent.
When the children are attacked, they can be attacked in various areas
• They can be hooked with ungodly friends
• They can be hooked with bad friendships
• They can get addicted to drugs
• They can get addicted to pornography
• They can get attacked to sexual abuse
• They can get addicted Sexual pervasion.
• They can show some character issues
• Their education can be attacked
• Their knowledge can be attacked
• Their wisdom can be attached
• Their marriage can be attacked
You must remember this all from devil
Always remember we have a happy end to this story.
To have a successful family life, the head of the family must be present there.
The father nourishes them and mentor them and bring up their children with the fear of the Lord.
Even when are present 24/7 we may not able to protect them always. Only God can protect them, we need to commit them into the hands of the lord every day
Psalms 127: 4 says Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth.
Children are arrows, children’s are arrows in the hands of a warrior.
An arrow -it is pointed,
An Arrow- it is polished,
An Arrow- it is prepared
After that it put on the bow, after that the string is pulled back to the maximum and gets released. In the same way we have to prepare our children.
Point them, they should have a target and goal in their lives
Many youngsters have no goals in their lives, they have no focus in life, but we must raise our children as arrows.
Arrows, they should have a point, a point to be sharpened.
There should be target set, it is our duty to place them in the bow and pull them back and release them to them to the target.
So that they will go to their right destiny and hit there.
Our children are arrows.
They have a purpose, they have to hit a goal, and hit a target,
III. Health
job 2:7-8
v7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. 8 Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes.
This is the third area;
job was a very healthy man. He had a sound body and sound mind, but now he is afflicted by sores all over his body.
Something like psoriasis. Something like skin cancer. It came all over his boy.
Now he is sitting on the ground, and with a piece of pottery he scratching everywhere. Itching everywhere,
Health is the third area where Satan attacks a family, some family members studently become ill,
let me clear this, all the sickness are coming from the devil, not from God. God is not the creator of the sickness.
We live in a society which is constantly trying to fine tune this body. The goal is to look better, younger and live longer.
Yet no matter what we eat, what we take, how much we exercise or how well we take care of this body. We can be all be stricken in a minute with pain and affliction.
Sin is the mother and Satan is the father of the sickness. Whether it is hereditary or any kind of decease , all kinds of deceases are coming not from God but from Devil
Devil came and afflicted this sickness on this righteous man.
He was so righteous.
A praying man,
a godly man, an innocent man, and an upright man. Devil afflicted him.
When devil causes sicken, then God gives the healing. 1 John 3:8 says:- the reason the son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
Any kinds of illness God can take away, whether it is physical or emotional, or spiritual,
IV. Relationships job 2:9, 10
His wife said to them are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse god and die. He replied, you are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from god and not trouble/ in all this Job did not sin in what he said
All his children died, now wife is left and few servants. Now wife says:- hey man are you still maintaining your integrity?
Meaning, now there is no point in believing in the lord,
There is no point in worshiping the Lord
There is no point in serving him anymore.
Because we served him throughout our lives,
We prayed
We offered sacrifices,
We gave him everything, this what we are receiving from him
Now she says, hey man you curse God and die.
There was a huge conflict between the husband and wife
• The Relationship was broken
• The Love was broken
• The Attachment was broken
• The Care was broken
• The Warmness was broken
• The Faith was broken
• The Trust was broken
• The Communication was broken
• The Communion was broken
• The Commitment was broken
She left him from her mind.
Satan attacks the families and break relationships
• He breaks the relationships between Spouses.
• He breaks the relationships between Children’s,
• He breaks the relationships between Father and son,
• He breaks the relationships between Mother and daughter
• He breaks the relationships between Mother and son,
• He breaks the relationships between Father and daughter,
• He breaks the relationships between Brothers,
• He breaks the relationships between Sisters,
• He breaks the relationships between Daughter in law and mother in law
Satan attacks the relationship
He wants to keep a broken mode relationship in the families.
After this incidents, there came 3 friends of Job came and rest of the chapters till 40th chapters, they criticize, blaming and accuses job.
They started to point their fingers at job and said
It happened because of you, it your problem, you are the reason for everything. Till 40 chapters, they are blaming and blaming the job,
He lost the hearts of his intimate friends. All the relationship was broken, and he was left alone.
Inside the family Satan will try to create the fights., arguments, wrong relationships, he will also take away friends who can support you emotionally, encourage you, mentor you, they will be also taken away.
In family Satan will use weapons like
? Number one:- Selfishness-
selfishness is a family destroyer pesticide
It will destroy relationships. Phil 2:3 says do nothing out of selfish ambition, or vain conceit, rather in humility value others about yourselves
? Number two :-Sexual immorality- it will break relationships.
1 Corinthian 6:18 says:- flee from sexual immorality, all other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body
Adultery can break the marriage bond in the eyes of God.
Satan will bring extra marital relationship to break the family
? Number Three Alcoholism
Ephesian 5:18 do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery, instead be filled with Spirit
Alcoholism, drinking habits destroys marriages, it destroys families
India has one of the largest alcoholic beverages industry in the world
It destroys millions and millions of families in our country. We must pray and break that power
V. Spiritual Life
V20 At this Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head, then he fell to the ground in worship V21 and said: Naked I came from my mother’s womb and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, May the name of the Lord be praised. V22 In all this Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing
Job had a understanding heart he had a heart of wisdom, he understood one thing this is purely the activity of the devil
He did not charge God or blame God with any wrongdoing.
When everything collapsed, income sources stopped, sons and daughters died, he felt prostrated before the Lord and he started worshiping the Lord. Saying, the Lord gave, the Lord has taken, his name will be glorified.
Job chapter 1 verse 10 says : have you not put a hedge around him and his house hold and everything he has?
Meaning God has built a fencing around his property.
God uses different fencing to protect us. Let’s see few fencings
? God builds fencing using his blood. – The Blood of Jesus
To protect us from evil one
? God builds fencing using His Love- The Love Of God
So that no one can separate us from the Love of Christ
He builds a fencing of love around us. The love is enveloping us. covering us
? God builds fencing using His word- The Word of God
The sound teaching from the word of God. Our thinking will be protected from false doctrine and teaching.
? God builds fencing using our Family- to protect us going astray in life
Family itself is a fencing. Our family is a fencing around us. Because of the family unity and bonding, we cannot go astray. We cannot go into waywardness in life.
When family is broken, relationship is broken, there is chances that you may go astray from the Lord.
? God builds fencing using Church and fellowship- to protect us from bad company.
The church and fellowship are the fencing around us. It is protecting our faith in Christ Jesus.
If you are not careful this fencing can be demolished
Why devil got a chance to enter into Jobs family, the reason we see in Job chapter 3: 25: What I feared has come upon me, what I dreaed happened to me.
When everything was going on well, still Job had a fear always in heart, something is going to happen, when you get such feeling, don’t wait that to happen, pray against it, and overcome it by faith
Because that can be an open for enemy to come in. Bible says fear is a snare.
Evil things automatically come in, you don’t need to wait for it.
Because Bible says every day has its own evil. Jesus made it clear. You need not to welcome it by expectancy, no need, it will come.
But if you pray against it , resist it, you can overcome. You can block the entry pint of the devil.
When you are attacked any 5 areas of this, remember it is not from God, it is from Devil.
So you have to turn all your guns today towards the devil.
Turn your guns at the devil. Do not accuse God, do not blame God, it is not from God, It is from Devil, of course God gave the permission, why because he has faith in you. Because He know that you will overcome it.
God will give you timely help
He will not leave you alone, when you are going through tough times in your lives, he will be there right very close to you.
Restoration of family then I am going to pray for you
If you think I am attacked in this areas, I am going to pray for you. God will strengthen you to come out with the coloring flags for the glory of the Lord.
God can restore any areas where stan has attacked,
1.Finances 2. Children 3. Health 4. Relationships 5. Spiritual life. Any areas he can restore it.
Heard of a story which Renard Bonges says:-
As long as you give the keys of your life to Jesus nothing will happen
If the Jesus is the owner of the house, if the Jesus is the savior of your life, the devil cannot come and attack you. And you will have a full restoration of your life.
Lord Jesus I pray for the peace in the families. Let them enjoy the peace that Jesus gave. I pray that the will have unit and harmony in the families.
I pray for protection over families, I pray for finance over families, I ray for provision over families, I pray for health over families
Unless The Lord builds the family, the laborer’s work in vain (Psalm 127:1). It is time for us to point our guns back at Satan and ask God to restore our families..
