The great controversy between good and evil, and spiritual warfare

The devil allows those to live ignorantly comfortable in bliss. Completely unaware regarding of the great controversy between good and evil, and spiritual warfare what wars against them.

Hence, why God has to take away the spiritual lathargy/comfortability to get our attention. Some will suffer just for living righteously by faith. God’s people are mostly blessed as the devil tries to curse them. We see this in the story of Joseph and Job. 

God permits the devil to take away almost everything from Job without taking his life. Falsely accusing God of spoiling him by prosperity and abundance. And if he was to take everything from him and afflict him with physical pain that he would surely curse him.

So Satan tries to cause Job to give up his integrity and curse God. He was left with only his integrity, while his wife was uttering satan’s words. Telling him to let go of his integrity and curse God and die. Job’s attitude was though he slay me, I will trust Him. Not knowing why all of this was happening to him. He will trust God no matter what. 

And his friends were discouraging him to believe he had sin against God for him to suffer so. Causing him to question and reexamine his life and the way he lives.

The devil used them to passively aggressively patronise Job’s faith in God as they appeared to be empathetic with his grievances. To inadvertently bring about doubt. Despite their intentions to be good.

God showed favour to Joseph in the house of Jacob. His father loved him more than all his other children because he was a “son of his age.” Meaning he was wise. Having years of wisdom for his age. He possessed clear discernment. Due to a high reverent respect for the Lord, which is the fear of the Lord. And “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom.” Joseph had cultivated and applied more of the instructions and ways of the Lord than Jacob’s other children. And surpassed the knowledge and intellect of his father in wisdom.

And also, possessing a knowledge of the Holy made him perceptively insightful, and judgment sound respectively. He was then the most obedient and virtuous out of all of Jacob’s children. He walk with honour and integrity. His righteousness he acquired through faith in God. He feared not pain of death to ever compromise and sin against the Lord.

The devil seeing this, stirs up jealousy in his brother’s hearts to try to destroy Joseph if he could. But if he could not, he will attempt to discourage his faith and tempt him.

Joseph’s brothers threw him into a pit. To save them from taking his life, before selling him into slavery. When the devil saw he could not kill Joseph. Due to God’s mercy and favour upon him, he had him thrown into a pit and sold into slavery. 

When Joseph was in Potiphar’s house, “the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.” And he served in the house of his master. His master saw that the Lord was with him, and gave him grace. Making him an overseer over his house and all that he had he put into his hand.

 And “the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field.”Genesis 39:1-5

Satan perverts Potiphar’s wife’s heart against Joseph. Causing her to feel discontented with her husband and bitterly resentful.  She looked upon Joseph with desire. Sexually lusting after him, wishfully hoping for sexual satisfaction from a younger man. A man who seemed to do everything right. A man who was attractive both in beauty and intelligence. 

While singing praises to her husband concerning Joseph and treating him kindly, it was a desperate ploy to subtly get closer to him.  Satan would then use her as a temptress. To pressed him day after day, Intending Joseph to sin against God for a moment of pleasure in the midst of his suffering. If he refused, he would attempt to have he him executed by Potiphar’s wife false accusation. 

Potiphar puts Joseph in prison as an act of God’s mercy. If Potiphar believed his wife, Joseph would have been killed. 

These 2 real life stories is something applicable for today as Christians. We see as God blesses, the devil tries to curse us. And because the devil is granted freewill also, God allows him to do so. But limits him through divine intervention. We see God does not only work all things for our good, but turns the evil around for our good also. 

And despite the difficulty, struggle and pain, we need to have the patience and clinginess of Job. Not knowing why, but to trust in God anyway. We need to have the dreams of Joseph to have hope that cannot be killed, and the perseverance to remain faithful. Amen