Job Description: Kill, Steal and Destroy

Today we are picking up in Job 1 by looking at what satan did to show God he was right about Job and the things he elaborately planned in order to provoke Job to curse God to His face.  First, I would like to start by framing our mind with some truths to enlighten our view points.  All the scriptures are from the NAS translation:
John 10:10-13

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have  it abundantly. 11 "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 12 "He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd,  who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 "He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep.

  Romans 8:20 and 21 where Paul states:

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because  of Him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And  not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan  within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the  redemption of our body.  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.

Luke 11:21-23:

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own mansion, his property is safe.  But a stronger man than he may attack him and defeat him.  Then the stronger man will take away all the weapons in which the strong man trusted and will divide the loot.

Genesis 2:15,16 and 3: 16, 19

Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to farm the land and to take care of it.  The Lord God commanded the man.  He said “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.  But you must never eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when you eat from it you will certainly die.
……"I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children……………
………For you are dust, And to dust you shall return."

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With this frame of thought let’s read about the next few pieces of Job’s journey as satan goes about killing, stealing and destroying what God has created.  Job 1:13-22 (GWT):

One day when Job’s sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s home, a messenger came to Job.  He said “While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, men from Sheba attacked.  They took the livestock and massacred the servants.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “A fire from God fell from heaven and completely burned your flocks and servants.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.” 
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three companies and made a raid on the camels.  They took the camels and massacred the servants.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine at their oldest brother’s home when suddenly a great storm swept across the desert and struck the four corners of the house.  It fell on the young people, and they died.  I’m the only one who has escaped to tell you.”
Job stood up, tore his robe in grief and shaved his head.  Then he fell to the ground and worshiped.  He said, “Naked I came from my mother, and naked I will return.  The Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away! May the name of the Lord be praised.”
Through all this Job did not sin or blame God for doing anything wrong.

There are several things that we need to be aware of here.  First satan uses the people in our lives who are easily manipulated to carry out his plans.  This does not mean that the people are evil or possessed.  It simply means they do not guard against false imaginations by casting them down and filling that space with a truth of God.  Satan spared a mouth piece in each situation who believed exactly what he wanted them to believe and ran in fear to make the report he wanted made to Job.  God did not send the natural disaster, satan did.  Satan must have loved the fact that he was being called God Almighty, he must have felt so very powerful in those moments. 
Can you imagine how his ego shriveled up and he ran when his scheming didn’t overtake Job’s love and trust in the faithfulness of our Lord God Almighty.  Even though Job did not understand that it was not God that took anything away, He only gives blessing.  Job did not allow satan to be the strong man in his land.  Job was righteous as God had stated.  Satan was proven once again to be the deceiver and God was magnified even on the worse day Job had ever imagined possible. 
Satan left a loser but that is not the end of this journey.  Satan does not give up when he sees that we do not fully comprehend the truth.  When he sees a foot hold you can sit back and collect bets, cause he will return…..as soon as we have our house swept and put in order.
Today, just read through this and think about it.  Tomorrow I want you to read it again, and write about it.  I will come back and post notes from one of our groups meeting tomorrow morning to give you some feed back.
Today I give thanks for the things we already see, I give thanks for the hopes that we have in our heart and I ask for his sight to keep your eyes set on the horizon where they will appear before you.  I lift His name on High to receive all praise honor and glory for all eternity.
In Christ, with Love,
Candace

The Little Ms.

We have been speaking about characteristics of crisis and the fool. We have been considering the different scenarios or experiences we have personally had when we cross paths with such individuals. We also discussed that at times in our life we can be Crisis or Fool, however, there is a vast difference between a mistake when we lack understanding verses simply not caring about the effect we have on those around us.


Today we will be considering several passages from Proverbs and then looking at 1 Samuel 25 to read a real life account of what happens when you marry Mr. Fool. So climb aboard and strap in we’re going on his ride again!

Proverbs 8:1 (NAS) Does not wisdom call, and understanding lift up her voice?

I am making an introduction today of Ms. Wisdom,( and no, I didn’t pick the gender the definition did that =D) all her words filled with discernment, discretion, loving reproofs, equality, compassion and love. She is peace loving with the heart of a teacher who is always carefully watching over those less wise. She is trustworthy, filled with integrity and loves the Lord her God with all that she is comprised of, her house stands firm because all that she desires is deeply rooted in God. She is very special so we researched her a bit more to find out that Understanding is her middle name. Without Understanding all that she is would never be able to reach those she desires to teach – Understanding is her action, it gives her volume, speed, perseverance.

Here is where we can find her in our cities, country side, roadways as we journey avoiding collisions with Mr. Crisis or the blind, foolish, naive travelers along our paths:

-On top of the heights
-Beside the way
-Where the paths meet
-Beside the gates
-At the openings to the city
-At the entrance of the doors
God was obviously referring to Ms. Wisdom in this passage from Jeremiah 6:16, 17:

Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it. And I set watchmen over you saying, “Listen to the sound of the trumpet!” But they said, “We will not listen”.

In Proverbs 10 we are told that to the fool doing wickedness is simply a sport. But it goes on to state that they live in fear – and not the fear of God. So they are correct, what they fear WILL come upon them. Remember what we were told in Habakkuk – know this and RUN, there is a reason that Ms. Wisdom does not do more than stand at the wayside and lift up her voice – if she goes where he goes she will be caught up in all his chaos and ruin. This is not God’s will for you – NEVER!

This is what the Proverbs states the situation will looks like for the Mr. Crisis and Mr. Fool:

-The years of the wicked will be shortened
-The expectation of the wicked perishes (hope deferred)
-Iniquity will be the ruin of his work
-He will be shaken and will not live in the good land of the Lord
-His perverted tongue will be cut out.

Why is this their outcome? Because of the following things:

-They use false weights and God finds this an abomination
-Their pride causes dishonor

It is their own falseness that will destroy them, their own riches they have built up will not be able to save them when God’s wrath comes twisting in….so even when they bribe you to stay or manipulate you with fear, don’t accept it…RUN!
Listen to Ms. Wisdom she is there to show you the way….follow her wise instruction, as Abigail did. Here is her story, I find it very uplifting.

Now, there was a man in Maon whose business was in Carmel. He was a very rich man. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats. And he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife’s name was Abigail. She was sensible and beautiful, but he was harsh and mean. He was a descendant of Caleb.
While David was in the desert, he heard that Nabal was shearing his sheep. So David sent ten young men and told them, “Go to Carmel, visit Nabal, and greet him for me. Say to him, ‘May you live long! May you, your home, and all you have prosper! I hear that your sheepshearers are with you. Your shepherds have been with us, and we have not mistreated them. Nothing of theirs has been missing as long as they’ve been in Carmel. Ask your young men, and let them tell you. Be kind to my young men, since we have come on a special occasion. Please give us and your son David anything you can spare.’ ” When David’s young men came to Nabal, they repeated all of this to him for David, and then they waited.

“Who is David?” Nabal answered David’s servants. “Who is Jesse’s son? So many servants nowadays are leaving their masters. Should I take my bread, my water, and my meat that I butchered for my shearers and give them to men coming from who knows where?”

David’s young men returned and told him all this.

“Each of you put on your swords!” David told his men. And everyone, including David, put on his sword. About four hundred men went with David, while two hundred men stayed with the supplies.

One of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, “David sent messengers from the desert to greet our master, who yelled at them. Those men were very good to us. They didn’t mistreat us, and we found that nothing was missing wherever we went with them when we were in the fields. They were a wall protecting us day and night as long as we were watching the sheep near them. Now, consider what you should do because our master and his whole household are doomed. And he’s such a worthless man that it’s useless to talk to him.”

So Abigail quickly took 200 loaves of bread, 2 full wineskins, 5 butchered sheep, a bushel of roasted grain, 100 bunches of raisins, and 200 fig cakes and loaded them on donkeys. “Go on ahead,” she told her young men, “and I’ll follow you.” But she didn’t tell her husband Nabal about it.

She was riding on her donkey down a hidden mountain path when she met David and his men coming toward her. David had thought, “I guarded this man’s stuff in the desert for nothing! Not one of his possessions was missing. Yet, he has paid me back with evil when I was good to him. May God punish me if I leave even one of his men alive in the morning.”

When Abigail saw David, she quickly got down from her donkey. She immediately bowed down in front of David with her face touching the ground. After she bowed at his feet, she said, “Sir, let me be held responsible for this wrong. Please let me speak with you. Please listen to my words. You shouldn’t take this worthless person Nabal seriously. He is like his name. His name is Nabal [Godless Fool], and he’s foolish. But I didn’t see the young men you sent.

“The Lord has kept you from spilling innocent blood and from getting a victory by your own efforts. Now,
sir, I solemnly swear, as the Lord and you live, may your enemies and those who are trying to harm you end up like Nabal. Here is a gift I am bringing to you. May it be given to the young men who are in your service. Please forgive my offense. The Lord will certainly give you, sir, a lasting dynasty, because you are fighting the Lord’s battles. May evil never be found in you as long as you live. Even though someone pursued you and sought your life, your life is wrapped in the bundle of life which comes from the Lord your God. But he will dispose of the lives of your enemies like stones thrown from a sling. When the Lord does all the good he promised and makes you ruler of Israel, you shouldn’t have a troubled conscience because you spilled blood for no good reason and claimed your own victory. When the Lord has given you success, remember me.”

David said to Abigail, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you today to meet me. May your good judgment be blessed. Also, may you be blessed for keeping me from slaughtering people today and from getting a victory by my own efforts. But I solemnly swear—as the Lord God of Israel, who has kept me from harming you, lives—if you hadn’t come to meet me quickly, Nabal certainly wouldn’t have had one of his men left at dawn.”

Then David accepted what she brought him and told her, “Go home in peace. I’ve listened to what you’ve said and granted your request.”

When Abigail came to Nabal, he was holding a banquet in his home. It was like a king’s banquet. He was in a good mood and very drunk, so she didn’t tell him anything until dawn. But in the morning, when the effects of the wine had worn off, his wife told him what had happened. Nabal’s heart failed, and he could not move.About ten days later the Lord made him even more sick, and Nabal died.

When David heard Nabal was dead, he said, “Blessed be the Lord, who defended me against the insults of Nabal and kept me from doing wrong. The Lord has turned Nabal’s own wickedness back on him.”

Then David sent men on his behalf to propose marriage to Abigail. When David’s servants came to Abigail at Carmel, they told her, “David has sent us to you so that we can take you to him to be his wife.”

She bowed down with her face touching the ground. “I am ready to serve,” she said. “I am ready to wash the feet of my master’s servants.” Then Abigail quickly got up and rode on a donkey with five of her female servants following her. So she went with David’s messengers and became his wife.

David also married Ahinoam of Jezreel. Both she and Abigail were his wives. Saul had given his daughter Michal, David’s wife, to Palti, Laish’s son, who was from Gallim.

So for all of you that might be married to a character like Nabal, remember not to shut your ears to Ms. Wisdom, not to defer your hope in the Lord, not to seek revenge, not to act as the Godless Fool leaning on your own understanding….but I pray for us that in ALL our ways we will acknowledge Him, so that He will make our paths straight.

I ask you to consider this verse and make this request personally as I have for years: Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.

In the power and victory of Jesus Christ our Lord – let it be done to us as is His good pleasure ~ Amen, Hallelujah, Shalom,
Kisses,
Candace

Eternal Flame

When I was reading the devotion from Ministry in Word yesterday I was reminded of an oil painting that God graced me with the ability to accomplish as a witness to His hearts intent.  I am loading the picture below as well as what God translated through the image and His written word. 

I am also reminded and thankful for the Ministries He has put in place to reach beyond the walls of His body.  Drawing to the Rock and Glimpse of His Glory are just two of such Ministries spilling the creativity of our God out from the hearts and minds of His people to meet unsuspecting individuals right where they are.  I know it is their and the artists hope that the individuals gazing upon these works that Christ will be seen, God will be heard and the Holy Spirit will be received.

It is not the skill of the artist that should be magnified, each work no matter how we deem the skill level is precious in His sight.  He looks at the hearts intent and uses it for His purposes, in His timing, for His will to be done.

Let us remember to encourage those doing the work for Him, not because they are perfect at it....but because they listen and obey for His Name Sake and Glory.

With the Love of our Christ I pray that today each of us take a risk, move out of our comfort zone and believe in the reality of the Lord God Almighty - otherwise the ones along our way might not see Him, turn to Him and be healed for eternity.

Kisses,
Candace

"Eternal Flame"

oil on canvas

2 Peter 3:10 (GWT)

The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.

The cross is God's salvation plan for the lost.  Noone gets to the Father except through the Son.  It is through our belief in Him and acceptance of His gift that we have eternal life.  When I hear the firehouse alarms, I think about the day of the Lord and wonder if anyone else thinks about when it might be, or if they even know what we as Christians know.  I think about how God provides the perfect situations in our lives to communicate His love and His desire for us to have life in abundance.  We are called to listen, hear, and look deeper than this life and to share with the heart of our Savior. 
How tragic if all that transpires from such a calamity is the replacement of lost earthly possessions.  I pray that we all look deeper, move more swiftly and reach more passionately - all the while thanking Christ for His life.

By Candace Huffmaster ©2006 all rights reserved