Trials- When you are behind the 8 Ball?

The most talked about example we have of trials is probably Job.
He was tried by doubts and fears and tried by Fire: Fire of discipline, persecution, bodily affliction and illness.

Job was blameless and upstanding, a man who feared God and avoided evil. Job was a man of moral integrity. In the story it evident that Satan is Bad and God is good. Satan is roaming the earth in his sneaky, conniving way looking for someone to devour. He(devil) ask God about Job, because he was looking for someone to mess with.

In the exchange between God and Satan, Satan says, “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” (1:10) God not only wants prosperity but protection for His people, their families and all they own. God blesses the work of His peoples hands and causes increase, not decrease. The devil's purpose is just the opposite of God's, so it is important to remember that the security of the hedge is dependent on believing and living for God.
A heart full of fear will ultimately bring disastrous results. “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” Fear those, False Expectations Appearing Real, will bring about trouble if you let your mind dwell on it. It is a magnet for trouble. Throughout the Bible and in all of my personal development training we are taught to Trust God and have no fear and keep your mind full of positive thoughts.

Even though Job had been successful in many ways he allowed fear to fester and Satan did and will take full advantage of that weakness if we let him. Job’s livestock was stolen; his servants and his children were killed. Job’s reaction was to fall on his knees and worship God. If that was not enough, after he worshiped God, Satan afflicted him with boils all over his body. Even his wife, as many families do they turn on themselves during times of hardship, told him to “Curse God and die.” But, Job did not blame God for anything happening to him, “Job did not sin with his lips” (Job1:22)

To add insult to injury his friends tried to analyze what was wrong and they started judging that Job must have been guilty of something, if he was upright and pure none of this would have happened, but sometimes bad things happen to good people just like Job. His friends continued to badger him until Job had had enough.
Job finally defended himself. “What you know, I also know; I am not inferior to you. But you forgers of lies, you are all worthless physicians.” (13:2, 4) “Miserable comforters are you all!” (16:2) “How long will you torment my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have reproached me; You are not ashamed that you have wronged me.” (19:2, 3) Job stood his ground, speaking words still powerful and valuable for Christians today. “Far be it from me that I should say you are right; Till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go; My heart shall not reproach me as long as I live.” (27:5, 6)
Remember at the beginning of this story we talked about one of the Great lessons in Job is that God is Good and Satan is bad, well, “And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (42:10) God literally doubled all that Job had in the beginning.

So, how does this relate to me today?

It is not impressive for us to be blessed when everyone is being promoted, the economy is good, business is great and everybody around us is being blessed. But when times are hard and all the news reports we hear is nothing but bad news and it seems like the news is “nobody is going to make it;” then, God looks for his faithful, the ones who still believe even during the bad times. God shows up and does something miraculous or extraordinary that is when we have our greatest testimony. That is when there is no other answer but GOD, Him alone in all His Glory.

Stay Faithful, be a person who seeks God, Keep your eyes and heart open and let God Show up and Show out.