Responding To Adversity With Faith

Responding to Adversity with Faith (Job 1:1-3, 8-12, 20-22; 2:7-10) We live in a sinful and dangerous world where bad things happen to good people Some people respond to adversity by questioning or turning away from God In times of sorrow, the faithless ask, “Where is thy God?” (Ps 42:3 & 10, 79:10, Joel 2:17) God WILL answer them! (Micah 7:10; Ps. 42:11) Others respond by drawing closer to Him and “holding on” in hope Hold on to the hope of God’s countenance/presence (Ps 42:5& 11, Joshua 1:9, 24, Num. 6:26)

Rom. 4:20-

Heb., yachal, hope, wait, desire with expectation (Lam. 3:25-26) Job was a man of integrity (Job 1:1) To have integrity is to courageously hold to what is right and true without compromise, to stand undivided, consistent, immovable, to be consistent in both heart and action, word and deed. (see 1 Thess. 2:2) (Synonyms/Related Terms: Honesty, Uprightness, Principled, Complete, Morally Sound) (Opposite: hypocrisy, Mark 7:6, Matt. 23:25-28) The Bible gives us powerful examples of men of integrity: Joseph (Gen. 39:1-20) David (Ps. 78:70-72, 1 Kings 9:4-5) Peter and John...(Acts 4:18) Peter and the Apostles... (Acts 5:28-32) Stephen... (Acts 7:54-60) Samuel, the Prophet... (1 Sam. 12:3-4) An Unknown Man... (2 Sam. 18:10-13) A Man of God... (I Kings 13: 7-9) The Prophet Daniel... (Dan. 6: 1-5 &10) Shadrach, Meshack and Abed-nego... (Dan. 3:12-25) Job... (Job 1:22; 2:10 and James 1:12) Some other scriptures on integrity I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. (1 Chron. 29:17) The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. (Prov. 10:9)

The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. (Prov. 11:3) Righteousness guards the man of integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. (Prov. 13:6) He (God) stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity. (Prov 2:7) But as for me, I will walk in my integrity. (Ps. 26:11) Some blessings from maintaining integrity Integrity draws people to you because they believe they can trust you Integrity brings peace (i.e. a clear conscience) Mark the perfect man (Hebrew Word: Tam = Man of Integrity), and behold the upright: for the end of that man is peace.(Ps. 37:37) (see also 1 Kings 9:4) Integrity enables you to leave a good name. President Harry Truman used to say: "Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings, those who cheer today may curse tomorrow, only one thing endures -- character." Charles Spurgeon wrote, "A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots are withered. Carve your name on hearts, and not on marble." Eccl.7:1 says, "A good name is better than precious ointment." What tends to make us lose our integrity? Peer pressure (1 Kings 22:13), other fears, etc. What helps us to maintain it? Consciousness of our example/witness (Prov. 20:7) Truth faith that God is real and alive (1 Kings 22:14; Jer. 10:10) Remembering that God is faithful and all-powerful. (Jer. 32:17-25, Ps. 119:49-50, Lam. 3:19-23) The aid of God’s Holy Spirit God shall judge us according to our integrity (Ps. 7:8, Matt. 7:21-23). Do you dare to ask what Job asked, “Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity”? (Job 31:6).

Job feared God (Job 1:1) The Hebrew term here, yare, means revered and held in awe He demonstrated this by his obedience (Job 23:11-12) It was also a reason for him to turn away from evil (Prov. 16:6) Job turned away from evil (Job 1:1) Turning away is the first step towards avoiding sin If we dwell on what is evil, we are more likely to be enticed to commit sin (e.g. Looking at pornography) According to God, Job was a servant of God (Job. 1:8) God’s people serve God also referred to Moses (Num. 12:7-8), David (Ps. 89:20) and Jesus in this way (Isa. 42:1) Only God’s opinion of us ultimately matters Note that it was God who raised the issue of Job with Satan Why might this be significant? God had a lesson to teach, both to men and angels! (Ezek. 40:4; Matt. 13:9) Why was Job able to say “The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away”? (Job 1:21) Because he understood that everything belongs to God, and what we have, we have only by God’s grace (James1:17; Isa. 42:24; Matt. 20:15) Why was Job able to say “Should we accept only good from God and not adversity”? (Job 2:10; see also Lam. 3:38-39 and Heb. 12:9-11) Because he recognized God’s sovereignty over His (our) life (lives) Perhaps he understood that all things work ultimately work to the good of those who love God God can place a hedge of protection around us, or not. (Ps. 34:7; Ps. 80:12) God does not perform evil, though he may allow it, within limits (Job 1:12; 2:7) Why?