God has Already the Solution

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.  I Corinthians 10:13

It is now obvious that Satan roams in the earth and is determined to "Steal, Kill, and Destroy" as he seeks to frustrate God's kingdom, keep unbelieving people alienated from God, and defeat Christians as they strive to serve the Lord.  (John 10:10)  Satan is not just trying to pick a fight with you but constantly working to defeat the kingdom of God.  And, God's kingdom includes the angels, redeemed believers, and God himself.  He already knows that he can't defeat God.  Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 are the two major biblical passages that reveal the entrance of sin in the universe when Satan fell.  He now seeks to destroy the kingdom rule of God through proxy wars, which means he uses people to leverage his limited power to defeat God's program.

That was shown in the early rebellion recordedThere is a much greater battle than what we experience in our daily journey.  We will see the conflict in smaller skirmishes, but there is a greater war as Satan continues His war against God's kingdom.  The kingdom of God is not land, money, or anything physical.  So, if he cannot defeat God, he must defeat His people hoping to fracture God's plan in every possible way. 

Jesus said that His kingdom was "Not of this world".  Two kingdom's exist.  One composed of Satan, demons, and non-believing humans (people).  The other is built upon God, angels, and those redeemed by faith in Jesus Christ (believing people) who brought us the "Born Again" experience as we trust in His sacrifice on the cross.

Instead of the grand conflict of kingdom, we are given instances where ordinary people are at the point of conflict. Job stands out as one of countless examples of real life encounters that are intended to teach show us how we share in the battle between the kingdoms of unbelief or rebellion and those who live by faith and obedience to the true King of kings. 

In the book of Job, we see the macro view of the clash of kingdoms and the micro view of Job's life. This ancient Biblical story of Job who likely experienced the worst of Satan's destructive power and the best of God's ability to bless His own.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

"And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and avoids evil?"  Job 1:6-8

In God had placed a hedge around job, and blesses him twice over after the test.  So, God was doing something wonderful with Job.  Nonetheless, Before the next level of success in his life, God gave permission for Satan to put him in a stress test.  Job is a grand lesson to every believer in the ultimate victory of Job's life.  

Life Lesson:  I Corinthian 10:13 is a superceding promise is that NO TEST, THREAT, or CRISIS is intended to destroy or defeat us.  This promise is restated in Romans 8:1 that is expanded in 8:28 with God's promise that He will always turn everything to a good end.  There is no time limit offered.  There is no single solution.  And, the good transition may be not what you expected.  Every person ever alive will be attacked by Satan to keep them in darkness, defeat, and bondage to lies and false hope.

This is critical knowledge.  Every good or bad event in anyone's life is not summarized in the moment of joy or hurt.  If so, we stop short of the blessing that God will make of each and every event. (Romans 8:28 which is one of countless such promises)  I believe that God is not FINISHED with any circumstances until it turns out in some turn that glorifies God.  That is why we can muster faith in tough times and strengthen our faith in good times by giving God the credit and praise that He deserves.

A thorn in the flesh (unwelcome problem) is never intended to defeat you, but prepare you for the next phase of growth or duty.  If God permits Satan to trouble you, be assured that God has already made provision for you to overcome the problem and emerge in victory.  That victory is not in your strength, but in your FAITH that believes God's promise despite of the mess we see in the moment. 

Notice what happened to Peter when he was invited to come to Jesus by walking on the water.  That amazing event was exhilerating, but then he took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink.  This is a great metaphor for this subject.  Jesus did not let Peter drown, but took his hand and they walked to the boat.  This was a test of Peter's faith and necessary preparation for the work ahead of him.   

Satan is a loser in every encounter with God.  Though he dared test Jesus in the wilderness, which I find amazingly bold and stupid, Jesus defeated him by quoting scripture.  And, satan was defeated in the moment, but it wouldn't be the end of satan's persecution that culminated in getting the jews and government to take His life on the cross.  That was a dark, dark moment where the best of His followers we broken to the core.  But, the victory arrived on Sunday when Jesus rose from the grave victorious over all sin and condemnation.

Thorns are what I consider tests that pass.  Some problems of life are considered permanent.  Paul's request for his thorn (blindness) to be removed.  He prayed about it fervently three times.  After all, how could Paul travel the known world, preach the Gospel to thousands, write the scripture, or do his tentmaking as a blind person.  You must read II Corinthians 12 to appreciate how profound this experience was.  This was a momentous, life-changing cycle that took him to an encounter at the third heaven.  Earth's sky is the first heaven, the stellar universe is the second heaven, and the glorious abode of God is the third heaven.

From the grandest heights of heaven to the lowest ebb of his physical existence, was a "Rock your world" experience.  

But, God had a better solution for Paul because he would now discover the sufficiency of God in a life that reduces self-dependence to radical faith-dependence on God's plan for his life.