“Every son whom He loves, He corrects. Behind the travail of every affliction is a blessing waiting to be born. Satan will try to draw you off your steadfast course to heaven in still another way-- by the presence of circumstances you cannot understand. With them Satan argues against God's love, and for your soul. First (by God's permission) he pillaged Job's earthly possessions, and then fell to work on his spiritual estate. He used every circumstance and everybody at his disposal. He had Job's wife blame God; he had Job's friends condemn the man himself. Satan convinced them all-- except Job-- that and afflicted condition and a state of grace could not live together in the same house.
Here is a timely warning when you find your soul adrift in a heavy fog of tribulation: Neither accuse God foolishly of your enemy's mischief, nor charge yourself with belonging to the enemy. God can chart a straight course in the worst storm. He can be righteous when He uses wicked instruments, and gracious when He dispenses harsh providences. Do not overreact to changes in your temporal estate. Christ told us to expect some rough sailing before we reach heaven's shore.
Your perspective should be very different from that of the unregenerate. Like naive children, they think everyone loves them who gives them plums. They do not realize that prosperity can be a curse to bind them in a deeper sleep of false security. Remember how Jael served Sisera Judges 5:25-26.She gave him milk though he asked for water, that she might more surely nail him to the ground-- milk having the property, it is said, to incline to sleep. But the Christian in an afflicted state has a key to decipher God's providence. The Spirit, through the Word, teaches you to read the shorthand of His dispensations: Every son whom He loves, He corrects. Behind the travail of every affliction is a blessing waiting to be born.”
Strong message today!
Quoted material from, ”The Christian in Complete Armour Daily Readings in Spiritual Warfare” by Gurnall and James S Bell. http://www.moodypublishers.com/pub_productDetail.aspx?id=41823&pid=53617
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