Job's Friend?

Does anyone remember the three friends of Job?

I would guess that not many people could name the three friends of Job without looking it up in the Bible. I remembered the friends but not their names, they were Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar.

As I was reading about them I realized they were no different from our culture today, except that they sat with Job in silence for 7 days and 7 nights on the ground with him.

I have to guess that I know of no one in our day who would sit with anyone on the ground in an ash heap for that long while their friend suffered, that part would be unheard of in our day.

However, after 7 days, the friends began to question Job in a way that was deeply offensive. They began to attempt to speculate why Job must have done something sinful to be punished by God this way. Yes, they assumed Job had sinned for God to be this angry with him.

The three friends encouraged Job to repent and seek God so that God would lift this terrible illness. They had counseled him under a wrong assumption, further exacerbating Job's emotional suffering.

This is very familiar to me in our day too. I have seen people accuse others of lacking faith because they were ill. I have seen unempathetic family members think the ill one was exaggerating their illness, as though they were hypochondriacs, only to find out later that their ailing relative really did have trials that their relatives could not understand nor did they want to understand. Sadely the relatives never came back to confess their sin of gossip that led them to make rash and unwarranted accusations.

One of the problems with arrogance is the inability to empathize with those who are really suffering. God told us clearly that we were to weep with those who weep and laugh with those who laugh, in other words, we are to place ourselves in the shoes of others and either reduce their anxiety by becoming their "wing man" increasing their joy by sharing in their delight.

My husband has a saying that he heard when he was a young man, it goes like this;

"Sharing a joy is double the joy and sharing a sorrow is half the sorrow."

Those who refuse to engage in the joys and sorrows of others, unless it benefits them, are the most selfish people on earth. They bring double the sorrow and half the joy when they waltz through the room acting indifferent to what others are experiencing. And, even worse, negatively judging when they have no knowledge of what God is doing or what the ailing or joyful person is doing.

Jealous people will increase sorrow by judging us as having something wrong and when we are joyful they will find something wrong with that too.

Romans 12:15 "Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep".

Those who are truly loving and kind don't have to work up feelings of joy or sorrow on behalf of their friend, it comes naturally because their soul is one of compassion. They possess the fruit of Christ Who lives in them.

Galatians 5:22-23

"22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law."

Those who enjoy judging difficult things or withholding joy are full of anger and arrogance, desiring to make a difficulty even more burdensome and diminishing the joy by invalidating it.

These are not friends, they are flying monkeys working on behalf of the devil to cause exasperation and annoyance. They actually derive pleasure from the sadness and failures of others. I have seen this many times over the years and have never been able to figure out what these people get out of their hate. I surmised that they are so shallow, small-minded, and childish, that they look for momentary ways to elevate themselves because of their desperation to be the only one gaining attention in the room.

This mentality is gaining momentum in our day as we move toward the tribulation in which the entire world will be this way. Our resolve must be to limit contact with those who are pawns of the devil, pray for them and resolve not to allow them to change us into them.

1 Corinthians 15:32-34 "…32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” 33Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.” 34Sober up as you ought, and stop sinning; for some of you are ignorant of God. I say this to your shame.…"

Proverbs 13:20

"He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed."

Proverbs 22:24-25

"Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man, or you may learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare."

Psalm 1:1

"Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers."

SO... it is clear that God does not want us to keep company with those who operate like the devil, not even if they claim to be Christians. Many people who make this claim have never been born again and will ruin the walk of those who keep company with them.

Protect your walk, and speak openly and boldly, this will reveal the heart of the hearers, and their response and reactions will tell you everything you need to know.

The Foolishness taught in todays seminaries is beyond belief.

So many groups pressure others to become like them.

Matthew 23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves".

Matthew 23:4-6 "…4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5 All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,…"

We see this in the modern church system where people place men in authority over the group and ignore the leading of the Holy Spirit. The men who lead fear that others will have the floor and will not allow them to upstage them.

 
I actually heard a pastor say one time, "I was taught in seminary to "protect my pulpit", in other words dominance over others was the goal and one must fight to keep it. That was a Baptist seminary that taught that foolishness.

 
Lord help us as we navigate through all the nonsense to remain faithful to You!!!!!

Pressure According to the Culture is Ungodly

So many groups pressure others to become like them.
Matthew 23:15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves".

 
Beware of groups of people who are dedicated more to "group-think" than they encourage everyone to be led by the Holy Spirit.

 
We are living in a culture that discourages individuals from analyzing things on their own. Christians analyze things according to the Bible principles but the world analyzes things according to how the rest of the culture thinks.

 
There are many cultures, some are of the world entirely and others have a "religious" bent that teaches false doctrine while dominating those in the group.
No one should allow another human being to dominate them. We make our own choices based on our dedicated belief, as Christians that will be based on Jesus Christ, not any man or any human system.

 
1 Corinthians 2:16
"16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he will instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ."

Those who follow their system instead of Christ their mindset will be mostly humanistic and logical according to man's wisdom and not God's.

2 Corinthians 2:13-15 "…13 And this is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. 14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual man judges all things, but he himself is not subject to anyone’s judgment."

Let no man convince you of anything, let the Holy Spirit convince you of everything that is true.

What Does it Mean to be Changed by Christ

I meet more Christians who violate more of Scripture than they obey but count themselves as "Bible believers." I often wonder if they are of the Matthew 7:21-23 type.

Matthew 7:21-23 "21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"

They want all the perks of being a Christian but they don't want God. Their life is one of dedication to their idea of religion but not to Christ alone.

Satan Uses People to Divide One Person From Another

The world says; "Correction is a personal attack threatening it's self esteem."

God says; Proverbs 27:5-7 …5 Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed. 6 The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7 The soul that is full loathes honey, but to a hungry soul, any bitter thing is sweet."

The world says; that a good friend tells you what you want to hear.

God says; Psalm 141:5 "Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked."

Proverbs 28:23

"He who rebukes a man will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue."

Many times I have experienced personal attacks because I corrected the wrong thinking of someone who said they were Christians but did or were going to disobey God's Word.

Because of the mentality of those who walk in arrogance, these people would poke at every little thing I was saying and doing that was not wrong, just different from what they would do. It was an attempt to create anger in me so they could dismiss my correction.

I have had people mock my home decorations and illnesses as though I was lying about having them. These people have criticized my cooking, the food I eat, my clothing, and the Biblical beliefs I cling to because God said it in His Word. They have lied about my marriage, my friendships and other matters that were not sins.

One correction toward the arrogant person can bring on a lifetime of demeaning from those who are full of anger and unable to self-reflect to be able to change. They blame their angry heart on those they wish to discredit.

When a rebellious culture hates the truth because it bothers their desired lifestyle, they will attack everything you say and do to make you look unworthy of love and attention. These people make up lies about us and pass them on to others in the hope that we will have no source of support.

This does not work with those who have the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is all we need to sustain our walk with Him. Those who attempt to discredit us through continual condemnation over the silliest matters hate that we are confident and secure in Christ. This leads me to believe demons are at work in their minds even if they do not know it. There is no benefit to the gossiper except to feel momentarily in control of someone else's reactions.

Those who are influenced by the angry party will never go to the person being gossiped about and ask their side of the story. If we are wise we will never tell our side to those who have already believed the angry person. Only once did someone come to me to find out the truth of my side and it was for the purpose of gathering information to carry back to the angry person who sent them. It was a trap and the words I said were twisted and embellished to mean what I never said. And so the monstrous lies and intimidation continued.

The only recourse when dealing with angry people is to remove them completely from your life, at least this way we never know what is going on between the angry person and those who follow them. It is wise to remove from our lives anyone who is friends with the angry person.

Proverbs 10:18 "The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool,"

Proverbs 25:12 "Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear."

Those who reject correction are deliberately misjudging, with misguided and inappropriate perceptions based on their hatred for us rather than the truth without ever listening to the whole matter.

Proverbs 20:19 "19 One who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with a gossip."

Proverbs 25:9-10

"9 Argue your case with your neighbor,

And do not reveal the secret of another,

10 Or one who hears it will put you to shame,

And the evil report about you will not pass away."

It is not wise to tell our encounters with just anyone, we must be careful that the one we share our lives with can be trusted to keep our confidence and will trust in us to be truthful.

Gossipers and their followers cannot be trusted and are deliberately attempting to cause harm without reason, except their intense jealousy of our peace and joy.

It is common for angry people to trust in gossip, hoping to find something to hold against them, even if they have to make it up or embellish innocent actions to make them sound like a problem.

One thing I have noticed is that over time the gossiper loses friends frequently, they have no love, no kindness except when they are manipulating others to elevate themselves. When the honeymoon is over and they can no longer control their friends, they begin the smear campaign to discredit those who have done nothing to them except stand against their attacks.

Satan is using this kind of angry person in every venue all the time now. In families, churches, politics and everything else to cause division and strife.

1 Peter 5:7-9 "…7Cast all your anxiety on Him (Christ), because He cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…"

When someone has proven to be angry judging everything you say and do without cause, remove them and continue following Christ even if you have to do it alone for the present. Eventually God will bring others who love the Lord as you do and your fellowship will be sweet and peaceful.

James 4:7

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Ephesians 6:11-12

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

2 Corinthians 11:14

"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light."

When we lean on Christ there will be no guilt for walking away from evil people. There will be attempts to cause false guilt in us by those who do not understand, ignore them and obey Christ.