The Four Challenges

The strategy of the devil is to keep you from walking in the Agape Love of GOD.  If he and his demons can keep you from this revelation and walk, they know you will be of little value in expanding The Kingdom of GOD on the earth.  You and I are meant to produce fruits of perfection!

In the Book of Job, we can identify four strategies that the adversary will use to keep you from serving GOD.

It is written by THE SPIRIT in chapter 1:

12 “All right, you may test him,” the LORD said to satan. “Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don’t harm him physically.” So Satan left the LORD’s presence.

13 One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting at the oldest brother’s house, 14 a messenger arrived at Job’s home with this news: “Your oxen were plowing, with the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the Sabeans raided us. They stole all the animals and killed all the farmhands. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.”

Others will attempt to move you to scarcity.  The Sabeans and Chaldeans stole Job’s oxen, donkeys, sheep and camels.

18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

Job’s children were killed by a wind that came from the wilderness.  The adversary uses contrary wind to eliminate people, similar to when the disciples were crossing the lake.  Job’s children were targeted and separated from him using “contrary doctrines of unbelief”, especially the firstborn.

In chapter 2:

3 Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.”

4 So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”

6 And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life.”

7 So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. 8 And he took for himself a potsherd with which to scrape himself while he sat in the midst of the ashes.

9 Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”

10 But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.

The third strategy of the devil is to use sickness and disease.  However, Job did not respond as the adversary had hoped.

The fourth strategy is to use close family members.  Notice that Job’s wife challenged his revelation.  When Peter spoke against the revelation of the cross, Jesus responded in Matthew chapter 16:

“Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

The devil has no new methods to challenge us in our walk.  You can expect one of these four areas to be the demons’ focus when attempting to keep us from perfection.  If you haven’t been attacked in all four areas, don’t be surprised if you have to deal with them in some manner. 

When we are aware of those devices, we can circumvent the problem early by walking in the revelation of our authority over them and we understand how to deal appropriately with them.  This describes what being an overcomer is all about!

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