the basic message #E33
Job 1:7
The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.”
It’s scary to think about Satan roaming the earth. Is he in your country today? More importantly, is he on your street today? Who is he looking for?
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Uh-oh, he might very well be on my street. I’ve always heard if you were in the jungle and a lion or tiger was about to attack you, you shouldn’t show any sign of fear. Yeah, right. If a 300 pound lion is about to pounce on you and have you for lunch, you wouldn’t show fear? So what can we do about Satan?
1 Peter 5:9
Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
These are comforting words. First, God simply wants us to resist- God himself will come to the rescue. Secondly, the passage reminds us that backsliding or doubting our faith is a common problem. I know a few Christians who claim they always have unshakable faith. I envy them. I also wonder how much testing they have endured. Where does great faith come from?
Romans 10:17
Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
Many folks struggle with lack of faith, simply because they’re looking in the wrong places, or not looking at all. We can’t begin to accept the promises of support from God until we know what he promised us. Read the book, my friends. Some read the book and still struggle. What about us? The following scripture was written especially for me. You can claim it too.
Mark 9:23-24
(Jesus) “Everything is possible for him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”
Let’s wrap it up: 1. We’re all imperfect. Some folks just hide it better than others. 2. We’re saved by grace. We can’t buy it or work for it. 3. Even after we’re saved, we will still struggle. Jesus didn’t die for our pre-salvation sins, he died for all of them. But- we have a responsibility to make God proud of us. What does he expect? Just like earthly parents, he just wants us to “do our best”. Why is this hard to accept?