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. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Job 2:3

 

Satan accused Job before God, insisting that Job’s godliness was essentially false, and that Job only served God for what he could get from him. He believed that Job would not be able to stand up against his deceptions. By bringing great hardship and tragedy upon Job, he tried to steal him away from his good relationship with God.

Did you ever feel like Job? You’re a follower of God, a person who loves God and serves him faithfully. And yet you’re being made to suffer without good reason. It happened to the good man, Job. It could happen to any of us.

The good news is that when we love God and have faith in his goodness and our own standing with him, we can trust that he will be with us, no matter what. We don’t need to blame God for our suffering. But there’s a possibility that it could be Satan, attacking us like he attacked Job.

The Bible tells us that at times Satan and his demons may take on human form. In his attempts to deceive us, he may even seem like a messenger from God: “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).

He may try to take the place of God—to make us think he’s God, trying to coerce us to worship him instead. But if we hang on to our faith in Christ and let nothing stand in the way of being who God made us to be, we will not be deceived.

Although Satan is a spiritual being, the Bible does tell us that at times he can assume physical form. The Apostle Paul warned that at times Satan may seem like an “angel of light,” appearing to be pure and good in order to deceive us into thinking his ways are best. The Bible warns, “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

Don’t be deceived, no matter how good he seems. His plans for us are always evil. Remember the serpent in the Garden? What greater sin could there be than deception to pull one away from God? And yet it happens.

Stay close to God–he who will never leave you. He who is far stronger than Satan. Our forever God. Our God whose truth we can trust. Our God who loves us, no matter what. The One we must worship above all

marja