SPIRITUALITY AND FAITH
Neh. 8:10 also says “joy of the Lord is…”
B. From the story of Job, we can that Satan doesn’t see the big picture of God’s protection and favor on our lives. Satan focused on the external, believing Job was defined by his possessions & success. If Satan had been able to see what God saw, he would have seen a man who was defined by his relation-ship with God rather than his relationship with things. Satan failed to realize that no matter what he did to poor Job, northing would destroy Job’s love for God, nor would he blame God. Finally…
V. RELY ON WORDS FROM GOD RATHER THAN THOTS FROM OTHERS
A. Job was victorious in all this when his wife gave up on their marriage, his faith and Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar and Elihu acted superior and condemning. Job 1:22 says “Job did not sin, nor did he blame God!” you too can experience healing for hurts & rejection…its cure is the Cross—what Jesus for you 2000 yrs ago. So:
1. Its time to confront awful, hidden childhood memories and painful youth & adult mistakes. James 5:16 says in a practical way how healing comes “Confess your faults one to another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed”.
B. Its time to break out of that unhealthy world of blame & hate, and let the Healerwho knows you completely get to the root of the pain! If you will trust in the death of Christ to pay for your pain,
failures, sins and sicknesses…you can have new life, new feelings, attitudes & needed healing! The Holy Spirit knows where to tinker in soul for: deliverance of pain, healing of low self-esteem, and emotional scars.
B. Job’s story shows the amazing truth that God saw things in Job that others did not see. Others saw Job’s loss of natural blessings, God saw Job’s constant spiritual behavior. Others saw Job’s loss of fortune, God saw Job’s gain in faith. Anyone can sing a song of praise in the good days. But it takes a person of tremendous HOPE and faith to sing those songs of praise on the bad days. In the midst of the hurt and accusation by Satan, Job in Job 19:25 said "I know that my Redeemer lives and that in the end he will stand upon the earth." As a result…
C. Job was rewarded as He drew close to God, took His eyes off Himself and prayed for his friends! So get your eyes off your problems and onto God-the problem solver! Moping will do nothing for you, but forgiving & helping others in the midst of their hurt will bring God’s favor to you. Job’s story shows that God is bigger than our understanding or pain, and bigger than Satan’s attack on our lives. Job 42:10-16 are some of the most exciting vserses in the Bible! Verse 16 ends with a divine truth “After this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons and grandsons, four generations!”
Recovery from past wounds is not a 1-2-3 process, but it begins with being honest about your emotions, rejecting what is contrary to God’s Word, and replacing it with Truth. God wants you to live in victory and see the salvation of God! How many of you need and want this forgiveness and healing of emotional hurts that God can give? How many want