Trials Will Teach Me And Cleanse Me From Evil

From: November 4-10, 2008

Pastor: Edith Cruz

Study #565 TOPIC: “Trials Will Teach Me And Cleanse Me From Evil”

Job 9:1-17 Job was a man who loved perfection with God, he was righteous and fearful. He complied with everything, he lived according to what God wanted for him, but the day of the ferocious trial arrived and took everything he had. We always expect the well-being because it comes from God, but the day of trial comes and one day it began for Job. There was no reason to say that they were trials from God for him, as if they were necessary to destroy his evilness. Because it was God who said that he was a perfect man, who feared God and shunned evil. God knows everyone’s intention, those of the devil, ours, and also knew why the devil would present himself before him. Job was totally unaware of what he was about to live in that terrible moment of trial. Satan incited God to prove the faith and fidelity of Job and God allowed it. Sometimes, when we are going thru trials, we try to find the cause of these. Everything was taken away from Job, his livestock, his children, and also he became ill, which came not from God but from the devil. His body was being completely destroyed due to a malignant illness of scabies that covered him from head to toe. Job 2:7 A great affliction began in his life. During the affliction, most people escape and become angry with God. Concupiscence speaks of what is inside of us, lawless desires, that sinful inclination that is within us which is what come out of us. The only way we can conquer our concupiscence is with the help of the Holy Spirit. When we are in trials we cannot understand them or its purpose. Our mind is in no way prepared to receive and overcome the trials. We don't understand these trials will teach us and cleanses from evil, because our thoughts are to live as righteous. But, we must keep in mind that the devil’s thoughts are to find a way to launch an attack that will destroy us day after day. God has had many reasons to eliminate us from His kingdom because in occasions we have given Him a motive, but the Lord will not do this, but rather we receive of Him His great mercy. Glory to God! How will men justify themselves before God? This is the great question that men ask based on Job’s experience. But, Job was able to understand clearly man's sinfulness and his own sinfulness. Men have a tendency towards sin and if God didn't work with us the way He does but rather treated us how we deserve because of our sins, then, what would have happened to us! The least that we should do is to contend with our Creator because if we do we will have everything to lose. God is the one who has every right over us, His creatures, and what we should ask Him for is mercy. It is ridiculous to contend with God, because we are not capable of responding not even to one question among a thousand if He asked us, just as it happened to Job when he was confronted by the Omnipotent. In Job, Chapters 38 and 39, we can read that God has control of everything. Then, what do we fear? What worries us? God surely can accuse us of a thousand offenses and we cannot respond and accuse Him, and much less of an offense for He has never made any offenses. He is the sovereign, sage and almighty, righteous and perfect God. As the Lord controls and cares for everything, likewise, He will take care of our lives. We must understand that to contend with God is a serious mistake. There is nothing to gain when we contend except discomfort, bitterness and hatred. God is wise of heart and powerful in strength. For that reason, we cannot respond to anything. God has laws and rules. It is impossible to fight against Him.

The devil wanted Job to curse God and have his honor taken away from him, but Job gave God the entire honor and glorified Him. Bitterness makes our body ill when we become harsh against God and then evil comes along. For those who hold anger against God things will go wrong, because in the worse days, to whom will they turn in prayer? And in the moment of death, what will they do when the demons come to take them to Hell? Because Jehovah will no longer be their shield, everything will be lost. God is the Creator; we depend on Him for everything. No one can hold God accountable or resist Him. Let us understand that because of His immense love for us everything that God does is for our well-being. Roman 8:28 For those who love God, all things will go well. It is better for us if we understand this and remain silent. Sometimes we don't understand the things that happen to us, but it has been for our well-being. Satan asks to sift us, but the important thing is how much we resist and how we conserve our heart. Job, in his desperation to maintain God’s favor, could only sigh before God. And this is the way we are because our favor comes from Him. Even when we choose the right words, we cannot justify ourselves before God. We will be known by our acts, by the way we live. It is not with our mouth that we speak what we want people to hear, because in the difficult moment we say what we really are. Job was beaten for no reason because of the devil’s wickedness. Before this trial Job was excessively comfortable, blessed and surrounded by God. For God he was a perfect man, integral, who shunned evil. Job ignored what the devil was plotting against him and he thought that it was God. Sometimes, although the answer to our prayers can be seen, we don't see them because our soul is very upset. There was a great outburst in Job’s body that upset him. He was not a sinner and he was attacked unreasonably. But, at the end he was able to understand a lot about himself and about his God. He learned to expect help from God. Let us learn this great lesson for our lives and always remain faithful to whom we believe and we love, to our wonderful God. Amen.