“After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before.”

Job 42:10

Nobody in this world wants to walk through suffering, or to drink the cup of disease and illness, or to be oppressed, or to have a ruined home. One of the enemy’s strategies is to incite you to say negative words, complaints, give insults, curses, and fruitless words. He knows that these are declarations that give him the legal right to exert his control over your life. Why do you think that Job went through so many trials? We can see that the only thing the adversary was trying to do was make him sin with his mouth and blaspheme against the name of God.

When Satan came before God, he called Job an opportunist, that his love for Him was pure hypocrisy and that he behaved that way only to keep all his privileges. Satan said that if the Lord took His protection from Job, he would become a blasphemer similar to any other man. Job trusted God with all of his heart. Even though he lost all his possessions in one day, including his sons and daughters, he guarded his lips and did not sin with his words. He bowed down and worshipped saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing” (Job 1:21-22). The enemy came back later to attack him once again, and he obtained God’s permission to hurt Job with a disease, a kind of a chronic leprosy that tormented him day and night. Job’s affliction was so intense that, feeling scared, his wife said, “ ‘Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!’ He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’ In all this Job did not sin in what he said” (Job 2:9-10).

We can see that the purpose of the trials that came to Job’s life was to get him to sin against God with his own words. But this man stayed firmed. Job guarded his heart and his words as well. Through all the tribulations that he had to face, he was able to know God in a personal way, thus experiencing a true conversion. That is why he said, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6). After his time of testing, God blessed him abundantly, “…the LORD restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10).

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
“To learn how to defeat fear is to learn to believe that dreams can have life, be enjoyed and be fulfilled. This is what I learned through the process I experienced with David, our second son. He was born premature as a result of the fear that I allowed in my life after the difficulties I had gone through during my first pregnancy. Valery, our first daughter, was born premature. And, since she was born, there have been so many complications, that I did not want to have any more children.

At the moment I found out I was pregnant again, the deepest fear came into my heart. Since the ultrasound scans showed no vital signs, doctors said that “what comes badly, nature rejects.” This meant that I had a miscarriage and that there was no hope. However, while being in prayer, God showed me that fear is a spirit that comes to make us abort our dreams and hopes. If we rely on Him, on the power of His Word, even that which is dead, will live. So, this is what happened. I clung with all of my soul to the word that says, “I am the resurrection and the life; those who believe in Me will live, even though they die.” Not only were circumstances transformed by this word, but it also gave life to a new generation, which are represented in my children, David and Valery. We defeated the giant of fear! I now embrace the miracle of life every day, and I can do nothing but say that there is life in the Word of God. Just one word can transform everything. I believe this with all my heart!” (Lizeth Patiño)

TODAY’S DECLARATION
“All of my trust is in Jesus, and I have partaken from His cup of blessings.”

Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume Four.

TODAY’S BIBLE READING

• Old Testament: Jeremiah 44-46; Song of Songs 1
• New Testament: John 5:16-30; 1 Peter 2:1-8