Who Causes Bad and Good in Our Life?
Pastor J. R. Wilhite, author
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Some think that God causes bad things to happen in our lives. Most of that assumption is based on Job 1:8. In Job 1:8 God was not pointing Job out to Satan, but He was questioning Satan about what he was planning to do to Job. 8. And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Many have read the above verse as if it was God pointing Job out to Satan so Satan could test him. If you read it without any knowledge of Hebrew and do not read it in Hebrew you could intrpret the verse wrong. That is why we are not to interpret the word of God, but to understand. Before I show the scripture to back this up let's first look at Job 1:8 in the literal translation. Understand that in 1612 AD the English written language was basically only one style and type - that formal and poetic. Where today there are many variations based on just the slang of those who live in the United States, let alone other English speaking countries. Think about this, in England the word lift is what we call elevator. The word solicitor is lawyer, the word post is mail here in the states. So as you can see from these few words that the difference in the English language between the United States and England can be just different enough to confuse someone. Now add the fact of 390 years difference and the difference in the two countries and you can see the point I am getting at. English is not the same in all countries and also much different between 1612 AD and present. So now let's look at the verse in the literal translation. 8. |0559| And said |3068| Yahweh |0000| to |7854| Satan, |7760| Have you set |3824| your heart |5650| on My servant |0347| Job? |3588| For |0369| not is {any} |0000| like him |0776| in the earth, |0376| a man |8535| perfect |3477| and upright, |3373| revering |0430| God |5186| and turning away |7451| from evil. As you may have noticed God was not pointing out Job to be tested by Satan, but God was questioning Satan about what his plans were for Job. Ok, you know there are differences some subtle and some not, but the point is that it is not God causing the confusion, but man and Satan. Man has been told in scripture that all mankind is to be taught by God via His Spirit and His Spirit only. John 14 16. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. If the above verse is not good enough here is one that is a little more specific. I John 2 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. And God is very specific about those who teach. Teachers are even held to a higher level of judgement. Hebrews 5 1. For every priest taken from among men is appointed for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. 2. He can have compassion on those who are ignorant and going astray, since he himself is also beset by weakness. 3. Because of this he is required as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. 4. And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was. 5. So also Christ did not glorify Himself to become High Priest, but it was He who said to Him: "You are My Son, today I have begotten You.'' 6. As He also says in another place: "You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek''; 7. who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear, 8. though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10. called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek,'' 11. of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. You must understand that language in itself has many different levels of vernacular; we call them slang. Each generation has its own slang. Then there are certain words that will go unchanged from one generation to the next. With the differences in a language over time and then round the world itself, what you end up with is almost new languages. Just listen to the differences between Italian, Spanish, & Portuguese, for instance...their root language was Latin. Now there is no country that has spoken Latin among the masses, but all these other comon tongues are derived from it. Understand that in the different time periods language in itself is different. So there are different forms of slang based on time, location, and purpose. In the time Jesus walked the earth He made a coment we only understand when we know about the time He walked this earth. He said "you will not know the day or hour of His return". We take that to mean we will not know the date or time, but 2000 years ago the statement "you will not know the day or hour of His return" was actually referring to the last day of the feast of trumpets. Each year in September the Jews would blow the trumpet for 29 days, but not the 30th day. That way Satan would not know of His return. At this feast the trumpet was blown to signify the opening of the gates of heaven for mankind. Also this is the only feast Jesus did not fulfill with his first coming. So, people read this phrase from Jesus and understand it to mean our level of knowledge of His return, when Jesus was actually TELLING us WHEN He would return. So here is another area where we are lost with out true knowledge without the understanding of the Holy Spirit. Hosea 4 6. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. Revelation 1 6. And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. Now the point of this study is to learn how much we do not know, and how much we still need to learn. Unfortunately many over the years have misled others. 2 Peter 2 1. But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 4. For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 5. And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly; Matthew 7 15. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17. Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. 24. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: The point is that we can learn but only that of God via the Holy Spirit. Man is to teach us how to get to the point of learning from God. So now that I have shown you some scripture that had been taught wrong due to interpretation instead of understanding let's get back to the original question. Who is it that brings good and bad to each of us? If you understand the word of God in the New testament it is mankind and Satan that bring bad. Even in the Old Testament it was man who caused the problem. God set down rules and if mankind followed them they would be blessed, but if they did not follow the rules they would be of the curse. Since salvation in the Old testament depended completely on the law it was harder to know God as a loving Father because you wetre always busy trying to follow the rules, and it must have felt like you had a God who was the strictest type f disciplinarian. God knew that the only way mankind could truly be saved, was if someone paid the price for mankind. John 3 16. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Our salvation is based on love, and only in the New Testament are we told of God as abba and Father. Abba is a Greek word meaning daddy. Now look at the fact that God is our Father and Daddy and the fruit of the Spirit itself is love. Galatians 5 22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23. Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Matthew 7 8. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10. Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? If our heavenly Father is as described above, then He would not bring bad, but only good. So it is not God that brings the curse or bad things, but mankind and Satan. God gave Adam the chance to live in Love and Adam in turn threw it away. By doing that Adam fell into sin, and brought all of mankind into sin. What is sin? Sin is that which cuts us off from God. God gave everyone free will. Lucifer took his and misused it and fell from Grace. God chose to come to come to Earth as a man to take all that was of sin unto Himself so we could have life eternal with Him. What was the biggest problem for Lucifer? What is the one thing that will bring Lucifer and 1/3rd of the angels to his pit? Pride, and that is the main problem with mankind. Mankind can not accept the idea that man does not teach man, but God Himself teaches mankind. Pride, ego, vanity, Galatians 5 18. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19. Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The leading of the flesh starts in us. Satan may place a wicked thought, but it is up to us to retain or cast down such thoughts. 2 Corinthians 10 5. Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; So what you should have learned is that it is all up to you. God did it all for you 2,000 years ago at the cross. We are given His faith, power and wisdom and the ability to give it all unto Him. 1 Peter 5 7. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. In Greek the word care is actually care, concern, anxiety, problems in general. Hebrews 11 6. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. So the only way to please God is by faith, and the only way we can cast our cares unto Him is by faith. It is all for a relationship, a relationship between you and God. Take the most perfect father and child relationship you ever heard of and multiply it by 1000 and that is what you have. By now you should know that the only one who can bring problems, misery, sadness, etc unto you, is you. 1 Corinthians 1 24. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. So the power and wisdom of God is in you as long as you are of Christ. Why do we not see all of this more often in other people? Because most are too busy living this life and think they do not have enough time for God. Take time daily, 5 minutes to start and then more listen for God, for He is calling you; can you hear Him. At first it sounds like a still, quiet voice. Keep listening and in time you will hear Him. That is when it all starts getting very exciting. Romans 10 9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10 17. So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. John 1 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2. The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. John 1 14. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Faith comes by hearing the word, and nothing was created without the word. And the word became flesh. Matthew 27 52. And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53. And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. You can have more than you ever imagined, just let faith to come. Mark 11 22. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. 23. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. 24. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. 25. And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. 26. But if ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. Other studies that will help you grow and learn more as well as they were a huge help with this study. Christ Church Life Starts Here God's Plan Hearing from God My prayer for you is: 3 John 1 2.
Job 1
Remember to show faith when you pray, then praise and give thanks.
God Bless You as you hear His words and follow His leading.
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