Does a Spider Web of Lies Have you Entangled?

Does a Spider Web of Lies Have You Entangled?

Job’s second friend named Bildad speaks in chapter eight. He asks Job if God perverts justice. He asks Job if God perverts what is right. However, I have to wonder if Bildad is basing justice and what is right on his own contorted web of understanding and experiences. It seems that way.

Bildad also tells Job that God gave his children over to the penalty of their sins. Bildad believes God’s justice is like the justice he follows in his culture. He does not understand God’s justice nor that God could display mercy. It seems to be black or white; good or bad. I think we do that sometimes too. We think God could never love us because of what we have done. We look at others and judge their appearance or actions and think badly of them as well. We think, “If they only turn to God, they would not do, say or look like that.” Isn’t that the same thing Bildad is doing? We cannot disipher God's Truth from our own sticky, tangled truth. Bildad must have known Job’s reputation and character as a man. We rush to a conclusion but don’t know someone at all.  

Bildad believes God is a God of justice and the punishment fits the crime. There is no mercy in the way Bildad or Eliphaz view God. Bildad instructs Job to seek council from the ancestors and forefathers, “Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?” Bildad asks. Does he want Job to conduct a séance to get their advice or what?

Here is the problem: Bildad relies on his own web of understanding. Proverbs 14:12 says, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” Bildad and Eliphaz and me and you, by the way, only know in part. Job was written between 2000-1000 B.C. and they did not know it all. Jesus had not even arrived on the scene yet. We live in 2014, about the same time after Jesus as they lived before. We are no closer to knowing the parts God does not want us to know than they were. I am just so glad I have the knowledge that Jesus’ blood covers me.

I do agree with something Bildad said. In 8:14, he says this about people who forget God, “What they trust is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web. They lean on the web, but it gives way; they cling to it but it does not hold.” Is what you rely on like a spider’s web? Is it sticky? The more you struggle, the more you get entangled. Could it be taken at any moment? Your health, your wealth, your family, your reputation?

Don’t let your faith be like a spider web allowing anything and everything from society and culture to get stuck in your heart. It will weigh you down until you ultimately fall. Inquire of the Lord. Stand firm. Make deep roots for yourself that no man can dig up.    

God's Truth Trumps a Good Friend's Advice

Difficult situations are supposed to get you closer to God, not farther away. What difficult situation are you dealing with? What difficult people are you dealing with? How are you responding to the difficult situation and people in your life? And even the most well meaning friend can lead you astray. If we examine ourselves (our hearts) and our responses (which also comes from our hearts), I think God shows us characteristics he wants removed that we manifest when dealing with others. Are you identifying dross in your character, removing it and replacing it with godly characteristics or fueling the fire of bitterness, greed, lust and dissension?

Job's friends wanted to sympathize and comfort. They were in agony for him and they put dust on their own heads and sat with him for seven days without a word. Do you have friends who will do that? However, after Eliphaz spoke, God had this to say in Job 42:7, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has." So, what did the friends say?? They spoke with the understanding of their culture and traditions. Job spoke with the understanding that he does not understand God's ways. Job spoke focusing on Truth even though he did not know all of it...he had faith.

In chapter three, Job starts talking but does not curse God. He does not justify himself with a list of good deeds. He spoke about his weakness (6:24-7:21). Eliphaz starts naming Job's good deeds in chapter four. This does not show humility like Job.

Eliphaz says:
1) Job has strengthened/supported many
2) His piety should be his confidence
3) His blameless ways should be his hope
4) As I have observed, those who sow evil reap it
5) Seems he thinks God is inaccessible and distant and wants answers (5:1)
6) I would plea my case to God, he advises Job

Eliphaz uses the phrase, "I have seen..." several times. He uses what he observes and thinks that is truth. But remember, he is filtering his knowledge through his culture, traditions, experiences and observations. And tradition says that if you are a good person, good happens to you. And, if you are a bad person, bad happens to you. That is not truth from God.

Conclusion: Basically, Eliphaz went up to Job in his sorrow and said, "So, what did you do wrong for this curse to fall on you?" Have you ever said that to someone at a funeral? I think not. It only makes Job even more anguished. Job's joy according to 6:10 was NOT denying the Holy One even in unrelenting pain. He realizes there is no strength in the flesh, he friends are undependable (6:17), and he should not follow advice from people who turn from the Lord to other stuff (like pride and self righteousness) in search for worldly comforts (6:18-21).

Next week: What does Bildad say and how does Job reply?

Suffering Brings Us Closer to God. How?

Suffering Brings Us Closer to God…If We Let It

Job lost it all. Job 1:20 says he fell to the ground in worship. Wait! He lost it all and he worshiped! That is character! Right now the mom of NFL player who was killed while in the drunk drivers car when it crashed (forgive me, I’m sports illiterate- I don’t know the names)…the mom is glad the driver was reinstated to the Cowboys. That is character. A mom who befriended the boy who shot and killed her son, and treated him like a son…has character. Job 1:21-22 says, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” His wife even asked him in Job 2:9, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die.” I love Job’s response, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Do we accept good from God and not troubles?” Do we do that as well…complain, complain, complain.

The beginning of school has started and I have already done my fair share of complaining! Communication seems to be lacking in several areas, but instead of rolling with the punches, I seem to be complaining. That is not character! If I could do it all again, I think I would just speak the positive and not get caught up in the conversations.

Question…Has anyone ever changed their character in good times? In good times, everything seems to be going well. Everyone is happy and content. Why change that? In troubles, the yuck of our hearts shows through and we see what we need to scrape off...if we are paying attention and not just asserting our rights. That is why we should welcome trials. It shows us how to be closer to God by being more like him. So, when suffering and trials come, look deeper than just the hurt and find out what God so desperately wants you to develop in your life. He wants your character stronger like Jobs.

Suffering brings us closer to God if we let it. The two ladies I mentioned, I bet they are happy, at peace and feel closer to God than if they were bitter, angry and cursing God. Suffering can also drive a wedge if we let it. Choose to build your character or die trying to be independent from God thinking you deserve only good.

What Is the Natural Beat of Your Heart?

This is late! I tried to auto post it on Thursday. Apparently, I need more practice doing that. Here ya go!

In Job, Satan was roaming back and forth on the earth looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 says “Be alert and sober minded because your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion.” Interesting that Satan gives his position away by roaring…if we listen. If we are sober minded and alert, we can decide to resist him in many situations because we have choice and free will. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can endure it." God may not take away pain or bad situations, but he gives us a choice: Depend on Him and endure it or choose independence from God and handle it yourself (which is failure even if you succeed because not depending on God is failure). God doesn't force us to do anything. He wants us to choose Him. He did not force Job to choose him, but Job did it no matter his situation. Could you stand in God's love if you were hit with what Job was hit with?

No person is safe from trials. Why? When you read Job, you figure out that God shows his power in trials. I also think God wants to know where our heart is. I saw a sign that said, “If you want to know where your heart is, look where your mind goes when it wanders.” For this generation the sign could say, "If you want to know where your heart is, look and see what you posted on Social Media."  What do you dwell on? The situation or enduring the situation with God? Whether bad situations come from Satan or our bad choices or just life situations in general (or all three), there are tons of verses that talks about your heart attitude in trials. What is in your heart manifests itself on the outside. Luke 6:45 says, “From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Romans 10:10 says, “It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth you confess and are saved.” Your heart, your actions and your words are all connected. You cannot easily divide one from the other. Some may be able to deceive, but the heart will show through the facade soon enough. 

In Job, God chooses who Satan can test. God does not choose a weak, stubborn or unrighteous heart.God chose Job, a strong, righteous man who loved the Lord with all his heart and was considered blameless, shunning evil (Job 1:1). Job could have chosen to curse God and die, but he chose to stand with God and be restored. I have to believe that after his testing and restoration, he spoke more passionately about God’s goodness and mercy. 

How do you choose to deal with your trials? Trust that God will get you through them or bitterness that you were sent a trial in the first place. I don’t think we ever know how we will act until the trial actually hits, but we can prepare our hearts for trials, we can prepare our minds for struggles and we can practice what flows out of our hearts every day in the little stuff. Hopefully, when the big stuff hits us, we can continue to depend on the Lord because it is the natural beat of our heart.

What is the natural beat of your heart?

Job: We Have a BIG, BIG God

Let’s keep in mind the concepts of Job. I will refer to them often.

1)   God listens to our prayers, our laments, our frustrations, our fears and our doubts patiently.

2)      God is more concerned about our reaction to situations than the situation itself.

3)      We must filter our situations through the Word. It never changes like man’s rules, traditions and culture.

4)      Satan does not restore anything.

5)      Satan’s goal is to turn people away from the creator.

6)      God never gives up on us.

7)      Job does not know God and Satan are battling in the heavenly realm over him.

8)      Human understanding can only go so far because it stops at the barrier between the worldly realm and the spiritual realm.

The Word of God is so important and our lives are more fulfilled when we filter every situation through the Word of God. I want to start with the words God said in chapters 38-42. Then I will dissect the three friend’s logic with God’s logic.   

Job discusses what it was like before he was tested in chapter 29. In chapter 30, Job describes how it is now. In chapter 31, Job recounts all the good he had done and basically asks WHY? He wants God to respond and show him his trespasses that warranted this suffering. (Even Job believes in some traditions and thinks unrighteousness = suffering.) Job does not know the conversation God had with Satan nor does he realize this situation will show God’s power of restoration when he finishes the race, does not give up hope and faith and stands firm to the end even during times of no understanding. When God finally speaks, he shows two things: 1) You are small. I am big. I am Creator. You, I created. 2) He also shows that man relies on what God created more than they think. 

This is what God says in Job 38:1-40:2 (I like lists.)

1)      Where were you when I made the earth?

2)      Who laid the cornerstone?

3)      The angels were shouting for joy. (angels here before humans were created)

4)      Who told the waves they could only go this far?

5)      Who brings the morning? Wickedness is done in the dark.

6)      The earth takes shape like clay.

7)      Do you know where the sea starts?

8)      Have the gates of death been shown to you?

9)      Can you get to the light?

10)  Do you know where the darkness lies?

11)  Where is the snow, lightning, wind and hail kept?

12)  Who brings rain and freezes it?

13)  Who can bind up stars?

14)  Do you know the laws of the heavens?

15)  Who satisfies the hunger of the lion and provides food for the raven?

16)  Do you know where animals give birth in the mountains?

17)  Do you rely on the ox's strength in your field?

18)  Who makes the ostrich not fly and the stork fly?

19)  Who did not give the ostrich good sense but made her run faster than horses?

20)  Who gave the horse its strength?

21)  Who makes the hawk take flight and build its nest on high?

God asks, “Will the one who battles with the Lord correct him?”  This ‘lecture’ from God helps Job realize that he does not know the ways of the Lord, he cannot become equal with God and he will not be able to discern all the ways of God, BUT he should strive to be righteous anyway because the Creator is more important than the things he created. And, trust in God is more important than understanding his ways and power. Job is reminded to trust, submit, acknowledge and serve God even in the midst of unseen, spiritual conflicts between good and evil he is not privy to. Job rests in the fact that God understands even if he does not.

What Can We Learn from Job? Introduction: Part 2

Let’s keep in mind the concepts of Job. I will refer to them often.

1)      God listens to our prayers, our laments, our frustrations, our fears and our doubts patiently.

2)      God is more concerned about our reaction to situations than the situation itself.

3)      We must filter our situations through the Word. It never changes like man’s rules, traditions and culture.

4)      Satan does not restore anything.

Here are a few more:

Concept five: Satan’s goal is to turn people away from the Creator. Satan wants to show that people love the gifts God gives more than they love the Giver. Example: Do you only pray (or pray harder) when you want something like healing, financial security or marriage restoration? Is Satan putting a wedge between you and God? The wedge is not understanding. The bridge is faith. How long, deep, wide and firm is your bridge? Satan wants to confuse tradition (world) and spiritual (heaven) so people will turn from God because of their misunderstanding. Satan thinks if Job turns from God, others will follow.

Concept six: God never gives up on us, but we give up on God a lot. But there is a verse that says, “Resist Satan and he will flee from you,” James 4:7. Push Satan and his ways away enough and intentionally, and when Satan figures out you will not give him a foothold, his influence in your life will be greatly diminished. It happened for Job. After 37 chapters of Job not giving into his wife’s plea for him to ‘Curse God and die,’ God steps in and rescues Job and restores all he lost. He resisted the temptation to curse God, Satan had to flee and God restored him.

Concept seven: Job does not know God and Satan are battling in the heavenly realm over him. Good vs. Evil. We only know in part. We should keep that in mind. The arch angel Michael battles Satan for Moses’ body. Daniel saw that. In 2 Kings 6:17, Elisha prayed for God to open the servant’s eyes. “He looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” It would be awesome to see glimpses of the heavenly realm now, but if God chooses not to show ME, I’ll wait. Always keep in mind things happen behind the scenes and we have angels battling for us...even if we don’t realize it.

Concept eight: Human understanding can only go so far because it stops at the barrier between the worldly realm and the spiritual realm. One of my favorite authors and speakers, who I have met several times, is Mary DeMuth. She describes Thin Places as a “place where heaven and the physical world collide, one of those serendipitous territories where eternity and the mundane meet. Thin describes the membrane between the two worlds, like a piece of vellum, where we see a holy glimpse of the eternal…” If we strive to be in tune with the Holy Spirit, we can have knowledge and understanding of the heavenly realm that never ends (although we will never know it all). We can experience thin places. Hebrews 4:12 says, “God’s Word is active and alive. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul [world] and spirit [heavenly].”

I think I could find a dozen more concepts, but that is enough introduction. Read ahead. Read Job 38:1-40:2. Blessings!

What Can We Learn From Job-It Might Surprise You

Ever since I've been reading Job, I've been wondering about a common question I often hear: Why does God allow bad things to happen? Job answers that question nicely, I think. So, here we go. Let’s delve deeper into these 42 chapters and into the character of God.

But first, two stories to put this question into perspective. My daughter got sick at camp. I am 11 hours away. There were so many people praying for her. My sister-in-law, who is there, rubbed peppermint oil on her and let her inhale when she felt sick. According to Young Living, peppermint oil gives you a renewed feeling of vitality and vigor. I also know it helps with nausea. After my daughter felt better, I told my sis-in-law that God just needed someone to get sick so He could show His power through prayer. Prayer works. And my sis-in-law reminded me that oils are very Biblical. Also, my son got bit by five bees and he is allergic to wasps. I did not send his epipen (I know, I know). Another example that God used to show his power of prayer. My son was barely swollen. I realize wasp and bee stings have very different toxins, but again, I'm 11 hours away and no epipen...its in my purse. So God showed his power this week through my kids. Would I have it any different? No, no I would not.

It has been a while since I have done a Bible chapter study. In the past, I have gone through each chapter, but Job is a whole different kind of book to me. I would have to dangle a carrot in front of you for months if I went from beginning to end in chronological order. Most would get bored and uninterested. So, I've decided to start with the words of God in the last five chapters--after this introduction post. I want to base all the laments, speeches and replies on God’s unchanging Word.

We need to keep some things in mind when reading Job. There are several concepts I've pick up on. It is nice to read Job with these concepts in mind, I think. For a book that is 42 chapters, it is interesting that God only speaks in five chapters. He listens a lot. Concept One: God listens to our prayers, our laments, our frustrations, our fears and our doubts patiently. Have you heard the quote, “The teacher is always quiet during a test”? That can be applied here, too.

In Job’s time, people thought that your amount of suffering equaled the amount of sin in your life. And, that your blessed life equaled the amount of righteousness you possessed.   We all know this is not true when we see criminals succeeding and making millions (NFL) and the best, most selfless woman at church with small children gets cancer. Satan is not mentioned after chapter two. This is not about him at all. Concept two: God is more concerned about our reaction to situations than the situation itself.

Eliphaz, Job’s friend, is trying to find out what Job has done wrong and waits for Job to repent of some known, but secret sin. Eliphaz assumes a lot and falsely accuses Job. Eliphaz tries to answer a spiritual question with the world, culture and tradition in mind.

It is a good idea to be careful about how much man made rules, traditions and culture we interject into any situation. Concept three: We must filter our situations through the Word. It never changes like man’s rules, traditions and culture.

God restores! He restored the temple, he restored Israel after exile, he restored our souls (and a thousand other things in the Bible). If you are not following Jesus Christ, then, you will not be restored and by default, you are following Satan. Concept four: Satan does not restore anything. Satan may not make you ‘bad’, but he will make you so preoccupied you forget about God. Matthew 12:30 says, “Whoever is not with me is against me.” Why would anyone follow a road that was a dead end? Why would anyone follow someone who had no power to heal or restore. 2 Corinthians 13:11 says, “…Strive for full restoration…”. 1 Peter 5:10 says, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” This sounds just like the story of Job!

Two more concepts next week. Then we’ll get into it! Blessings!