Scripture: Job Chapter 1: 8,11,12

⁸ Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” ¹¹ But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” ¹² The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

Scripture Commentary:

Job was a man of good character who loved God, his family, and prospered in business. As a Christian Job accepted the responsibility to care for his family, servants, and all that he possessed. Job was loved by his wife, ten children, servants, and friends. He worshiped God, giving sacrifices not only for himself but interceding for his ten adult children. There was none like him in all the earth.

Satan toke all that Job had away from him hoping that Job would surely curse God to his face; but Job did not curse God and God restored all that he lost.

Satan is always seeking to destroy the relationship that we have with God.

Satan looks to prove to God that our faith is not in God, the creator, but in the things that God can give us. He is jealous of God’s love for humanity and humanity’s faithfulness to God.

God told Satan all our earthly possessions are in his power to control but that Satan could not take our life. Satan and Job both knew that God is the creator of all things and that God has a plan for our lives. God gives us all that we have; and God takes them away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

God never abandons us in our situation. Look to your heavenly Father.

As it was with Job, God invites Satan to test and tempt us every day. When we are in Christ Jesus, we have the Holy Spirit who, like Christ Jesus, leads us into situations where our character is under attack by Satan. But God is faithful to his children, God will not abandon us in our situation no matter how dark it may appear to be.

We must learn to not focus on our lost possessions and family members but to look at our heavenly father. God is sovereign in all, over all and through all. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Job 1

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Job:

Good and Evil Are Part of Life

How Should God Reward You?

Scripture: Luke 10: 10-11

¹⁰ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

Scripture Commentary:

God’s Word is being spoken in our country, town and city borders. Are we listening or are we denying it access? In Luke 10, Jesus sent 72 of His followers in groups of 2 each into the towns that He planned to visit. They were to carry His message of repentance, love and forgiveness.

These messages are still being spoken today. Are our countries, towns and cities like Sodom and Gomorrah, so evil that God would destroy us or let us destroy ourselves with the lifestyle we have? Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed themselves. They did not hear of or see the Messiah.

On the other hand, we know the Messiah is Jesus Christ. We have the Word from God, The Bible. We know the way and how to get to God’s kingdom. Our judgment is our rejection of God and His son. We have no excuse!

Jesus told His followers that their names were written in heaven. With all they did in Christ’s name, this was the greatest accomplishment. One day God will ask, “What have you done in My Name?”

What have you accomplished for God? Keep in mind that God knows the answer before He even asks the question.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 10

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

With Christ Your Deliverance Is at Hand

God’s Mercy Extends to Those Who Fear Him

Scripture: Psalm 100: 1-5

A psalm. For giving grateful praise.

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. ³ Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ⁴ Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. ⁵ For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Scripture Commentary:

We are God’s children. Therefore, we need to make a joyful noise to the Lord!

Our earthly parents conceived us and raised us but without God, we would not be. Make a joyful noise! The Lord made each of us different; no two are the same. Even identical twins are not the same. Each of us has been given a unique gift that no one else has. This gift is to serve God for the purpose He made each of us for.

Are you still looking for your unique gift?

If you have given yourself to serve God, then you have found your gift. If you have not, then you are searching. When we enter into His courts, we celebrate our love for God and we see His joy as He looks on His creatures – us.

God’s love for us is truly everlasting.

God alone is worthy to be worshiped for there is nothing and no one above Him. He is the Creator, the one and only Father of us all. When you are lost, He will not stop looking for you until He has found you.

Give yourself fully to God for He has given Himself fully to you by giving His Son, Jesus Christ, for your sins.

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Psalms:

Keep Your Promise – Declare the Truth of God

Apply Your Heart to Wisdom

A Lifetime of Experience Should Not Be Handed Down

Scripture: Ephesians 6: 11-12

¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Scripture Commentary:

We must put on the full armor of God. Until God removes Satan, he and his followers in various places throughout this world, will create havoc. We should not be distracted from what God has for us. Satan’s world is full of glitter and gold, meant to misdirect us.

If for no other reason, the pharaohs of Egypt show us that all the possessions that they thought they would need in the afterlife are still here on earth. Likewise, your properties, money, and clothing will be left here for family and friends when you die. You can’t take it with you.

Satan gives those who place their worldly possessions above everything a false world. To withstand Satan’s attacks we must depend on God’s strength and use the full armor of God. We cannot battle Satan on our own. We need God to use the Holy Spirit He placed in us to defeat Satan.

Satan’s demons are not fantasies; they are real. We face a powerful army whose goal is to defeat Christ’s church. We are the church. Jesus told Peter, “And I tell you that you are Peter,^[b] and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades^[c] will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18)

Amen! 

Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:

Ephesians 6

Matthew 16

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Ephesians:

Servant of Christ: Can Outsiders See Christ in You?

As Christians, We Are All One Body, One Spirit

Scripture: John 3: 16

¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 

Scripture Commentary: You get to choose what you believe

What a gift, what a promise, what a choice we have! God is saying you have a choice to believe in Jesus or not believe. You get to choose!

John 3: 16 is one of the most important verses in The Bible. The entire Bible comes to the choice presented in this verse. Because God loves us, He sent His Son to prepare a way for us so that we can be redeemed.

When you love dearly, you are willing to give freely to the point of self-sacrifice.

God paid the highest price with the life of His Son Jesus. Jesus accepted the punishment for our sins, offering each of us the chance of a new life with His Father in heaven. The eternal life Jesus has for us is not the life we are living here on earth. It is a life free from sin, sickness, death and chaos. This heavenly life is not an extension of what we are living here.

In the Old Testament, the priests sacrificed daily animals with no blemish for the sins of the people. God sent Jesus as the sacrifice for our sins. He was perfect, without blemish; the only one who could be sacrificed for the sins of the people.

We are to serve and put our love and trust in Jesus Christ. His promise of everlasting life in His Father’s kingdom is ours for eternity.

To reject Jesus is to spend eternity in hell. If you think you are living in hell now, this is nothing compared to what could be waiting for you.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

How To Prepare For Your Destination

What Do You Believe About Jesus?

Scriptures: Mark 9: 23 and John 14: 1

²³ Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.

 ¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

Scripture Commentary: Believe in God

Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Only Begotten Son, the Messiah? And do you have faith that Jesus Christ loves you? Faith and belief go together; one without the other doesn’t work.

In Mark 9, a father asks Jesus to heal his son. Jesus asks the father if he believes/has faith. The man replies, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.” (Mark 9: 24) When Jesus says all things are possible if you believe, He doesn’t mean that we can automatically obtain anything we want if we just think positively. What we ask for or what we think we need may not be what God has planned for us.

Anything is possible with God.

Faith is a gift from God; believing is a trust we have in God. Faith is a growth process; it is a daily trust with God. Prayer is the doorway to God. This is how we communicate with Him.

The disciples often faced difficult situations that could be answered only in prayer. Prayer unlocks whatever barrier there is between us and God. As we humble ourselves before Him, we submit to His will.

There is no substitute for prayer, especially in circumstances that seem to be impossible.

Jesus’ words show that the way to eternal life, though unseen, is as secure as your trust in God, the Father. Do you truly believe? Do you trust and have faith in Jesus Christ?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Mark 9

John 14

Read Other Commentary From the Book of Mark and John:

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

Believe on the Name of Jesus

Scripture: Luke 22: 31-32

³¹ “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. ³² But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Scripture Commentary:

Peter, a disciple, was always quick to speak out or take action because of his quick temper. Peter told Jesus he would never leave him and would follow Jesus to prison and even to the grave. Jesus prayed for Peter. Jesus told him that although Peter loved him, he would deny Jesus three times before the night was over.

Satan seeks to crush our spirit and sometimes use our words and actions to hurt us or those around us. Satan believes we are useless to God’s plan and wants to sift us like wheat, separating the good from the useless parts.

Jesus prays that our faith continues to grow stronger when we make mistakes. God has already forgiven you. Can you forgive yourself?

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Luke 22

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

Jesus’s Heart Goes Out to Us: Don’t Cry

Will You Follow When Jesus Calls?

Scripture: John 3: 6-9

 ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit^[b] gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You^[c] must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”^{[d] 9} “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

Scripture Commentary:

God, our Father and the creator of all mankind, is in each of us as the Holy Spirit. He sent His son Jesus Christ to redeem us for our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, rose on the third day, and after 40 days ascended into heaven, the Holy Spirit was sent to guide us. His seed was placed in each one of us.

We, as followers of Jesus Christ, carry his seed. Jesus is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1: 29) Because Christ lived a perfect life and sacrificed himself for our sins, we can be completely forgiven.

We are able to look back to his death and resurrection and know that we will never suffer eternal death. The seed of Christ in us is the true love of God in us. Satan will try to remove God’s seed but he does not have the power.

The Word of God, The Bible, is the only nourishment we need to combat any and all of Satan’s attacks.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John 3

John 1

Read Other Commentary from the Book of John:

There’s A Mansion for You in Heaven

Do You Recognize God’s Voice?

Scripture: Hebrews 11: 1, 6

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 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.

Scripture Commentary:

Webster’s Dictionary defines faith as unquestioning belief, complete trust, confidence or reliance, fidelity, loyalty; allegiance, credibility or truth. There are people in our lives who we trust because we know them. We can talk to and listen to them when we seek them out.

Do you have faith in God who you can’t see in the flesh?

God’s spirit is with all of us. He knows everything about us. Do you have the confidence to go to God and believe He hears you and will guide you in the direction you should go? Is your trust strong enough to believe He can do anything?

Believing God exists is only the beginning of faith.

Even the devil believes. God wants a personal, dynamic relationship with you. Do you believe? If not, ask God to help your unbelief. He will show you the way.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Hebrews 11

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Hebrews:

You Must Believe That He Is

Faith is the Substance of Things Hoped For

Scripture: Hosea 2: 7, 23

⁷ She will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will go back to my husband as at first, for then I was better off than now.’ ²³ I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one.^[i]’ I will say to those called ‘Not my people,^[j]’ ‘You are my people’; and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

Scripture Commentary:

I invite you to read Hosea 2 in its entirety so you can see how the Israelites thought they were better off thanking false gods (specifically Baal), who they believed controlled the weather and thus was making their crops grow. They believed that their homes, clothes – everything – was from the god Baal.

Today we can fall into that same belief when we think we are the one who is doing it all. But despite the Israelites actions, God did not forsake them. Nor will He forsake us.

He will continue to love and protect us. This does not mean there are no obstacles in our lives. There will be pitfalls to turn us from the path of destruction that we are on.

Gomer returned to Hosea, her husband, where she knew she would be protected. Returning to God out of desperation is better than rebelling against Him. God does not reject us when we are at our worst. He loves us.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Hosea 2

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Hosea:

Return to God and Ask His Forgiveness

The Rebellious Will Stumble