0619 – Beware of the Devil’s Schemes 提防魔鬼的诡计

1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.From the Book of Job, we see that the devil’s tactic was to destroy Job’s life bit by bit. He killed Job’s children, then stole all his wealth, and when he still didn’t manage to get Job to curse God, he used Job’s wife to increase the pressure on him. Therefore, we need to watch and pray because the devil is walking around like a lion seeking whom he can devour.

Job 2:9-10 (NKJV) Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!” 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.

Although Job’s wife only appeared once in the book, she left us with a deep and negative impression. It appears that she has deserted God and her husband when he lost everything. Yes, she suffered the loss of her children too, but it seems it was too much of a fall and an adjustment for her.

The devil’s tactic is that if the external force is unable to break us, he will use the people closest to us, like how he used Job’s wife to strike him by ridiculing him for being in such a state after loving and honouring God all his life. The devil will not hesitate to turn us against our spouse to divide and conquer by sowing strife.

The devil used Job’s wife to utter out his objective which is to “curse God and die” because of their suffering. Remember that the devil told God the reason Job was doing well was because of God’s blessings.

Job 1:11(NKJV) But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!”

Many Christians will lovingly embrace and love God because they have been seeking His blessings. Unfortunately, many have reacted in the same manner as Job’s wife when crisis hit. The true colour of our character will be revealed by whether we are still praising God in the midst of a crisis.

As Christians, we need to know that the devil has the right to sift our faith because God is a just and righteous God. Our faith will also be sifted in time of crisis just as the devil sifted Peter’s faith after Jesus was arrested. Therefore, we must not be ignorant of the devil’s scheme, but make sure that we are thankful to the Lord for His salvation plan. We need to lay the foundation that we are blessed to be saved, and the rest of what we have in life, especially wealth and earthly possessions, are just temporal.

Sermon Series: Job & I (Part 2)


提防魔鬼的诡计

彼得前书5:8务要谨守,警醒。因为你们的仇敌魔鬼,如同吼叫的狮子,遍地游行,寻找可吞吃的人。

从《约伯记》中,我们看到魔鬼的策略是一点一点地摧毁约伯的生命。他杀死了约伯的儿女,然后偷走了他所有的财富,当牠仍然没有办法让约伯诅咒上帝时,牠利用约伯的妻子对他施压。因此,我们需要警醒并祷告,因为魔鬼如同狮子一样遍地游行,寻找可吞食的人。

约伯记2:9-10他的妻子对他说:“你仍然持守你的纯正吗?你弃掉神,死了吧!” 约伯却对她说:“你说话像愚顽的妇人一样。嗳!难道我们从神手里得福,不也受祸吗?”在这一切的事上约伯并不以口犯罪。

虽然约伯的妻子在整本约伯记中只出现过一次,但她给我们留下了深刻而消极的印象。在约伯丧失了所有一切的时候,他的妻子似乎离弃了上帝也背离了他。是的,她也遭受了失去孩子的痛苦,但对她来说,这个打击实在是太大了,她无法接受。

魔鬼的诡计是,如果外部力量无法摧毁我们,牠就利用我们最亲近的人,就像牠利用约伯的妻子来打击他,嘲笑他一辈子敬爱和尊荣上帝,到头来竟然沦落到如此境地。魔鬼会毫不犹豫地在我们和配偶之间种下分歧和纷争,使我们彼此针锋相对。

魔鬼利用约伯的妻子说出了牠的目的,就是要他因为所经历的患难而“诅咒上帝并死去”。还记得魔鬼告诉上帝说:约伯之所以做得好,是因为蒙上帝的祝福。

约伯记1:11你且伸手毁他一切所有的;他必当面弃掉你。

许多基督徒会动情地接受上帝并且爱上帝,是因为他们一直在寻求祂的祝福。不幸的是,当危机骤降时,许多人的反应与约伯的妻子相同。而我们是否在危机之中仍然赞美神,这将显露出我们的真品格。

作为基督徒,我们需要知道魔鬼有权筛分我们的信心,因为上帝是公正又正直的。我们的信心也是在危机时刻经受查验,就如同耶稣被逮捕时,魔鬼查验彼得的信心一般。因此,我们不可轻忽魔鬼的诡计,而是要常常为着上帝的救恩献上感谢。我们要打好这个根基,就是我们得救何其蒙福,生命中其余的一切–尤其是财富和世间的所有–都是浮云。

讲章系列:约伯与我 (第二部分)