Our enemy: Submitted to God (Job)
Job 1:6-12 | One day the members of the heavenly court came to present themselves before the Lord, and the Accuser, Satan, came with them. “Where have you come from?” the Lord asked Satan. Satan answered the Lord, “I have been patrolling the earth, watching everything that’s going on.” Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” “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.
What permission does God give to Satan in regard to Job? What limits does God give?
What can you learn from this passage about the spiritual battle you face in your own life?
Who grants permission for you to be spiritually tested?
Who determines the limits of your testing?
How does knowing this reshape the way you view spiritual battle?
What is Satan’s goal for Job? What is God’s goal for Job?
With these answers in mind, what is Satan’s goal for you during your spiritual struggles? What is the Lord’s goal?
In your past spiritual battles, did your choices align with Satan’s goal for you or the Lord’s? In what ways?