Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Christian Dilemma - Facing Satan's Attacks Allowed By God

More than likely, you nor I would never severely hurt, punish, or kill someone we love - whether a friend, family member, associate, or acquaintance. In most cases (not all) killing would even be "murder" (if there is/was no 'just cause'). But, God is not restricted as we are restrained.

While we know throughout the Bible how God takes-out His vicious and jealous wrath upon His enemies and non-Elect (slaughtering almost entire races of people, once all but 8 of Noah's people of Adam's descent on Earth with a flood), we seldom think about how He also chastises and even kills His own.

Ponder those simply touching the Ark of the Covenant (trying to stop it from falling), and the Christians in Acts that deceived the apostles with respect to their possessions (God killed the man and his wife). Thousands of Israelites when they refused to perform complete God-ordered genocide on the Midianites??? There are many more instances, but you get the point.

Even Christians are vulnerable to the temperment of God. Job was the most-righteous man on Earth, but God allowed Satan to destroy His life no matter how righteous Job was. His family was killed and his possessions taken. He was plagued with a sickness, himself, etc...

Sure, Job got much back in the end, but how would you feel if your offspring died? What would it all mean to you to be given possessions back, with your initial family dead and gone? (Still, Job survived and made the best of the situation, and kept loving God.) Not to mention Job's poor family members themselves!

The point is that God is God. He can sit and watch people kill and rape each other, or even allow plane crashes without stopping them, and it is not a sin. If we, however, do the same thing, it is sinful and evil. why?

God knows the big picture; we do not. He works all things out to the best or for the good of His Elect ("The Called," according to His purpose - Romans 8:28). 

Sure, I get very angry at God at times, and simply do not know which way to turn. A lot of people do. When there is nowhere to go and few to provide earthly love, we get scared and become very mad and angry.

I, and most people, simply do not have that "absolute faith" necessary to trust God 24/7. We rely on ourselves and our own minds and ways, and even tell ourselves that we are using God's gifts given to us to survive.

The Christian life is not always one of prosperity and love and happiness; there are proportionally few wealthy Christians in the Bible or real life (despite what these self-serving tv preachers claim). 

Christ described Himself as "lowly and meek" and He certainly was not at all rich in Earthly possessions (and in the Sermon on the Mount preached against wealth), yet the tv preachers present Him as being rich and happy and smiling! "JESUS WEPT."

The point is that in the long-run we do reap what we sow, but in the short-term Satan is often allowed by God to test us and tempt us, and if we fail the character test it is due to our own inefficiencies. (The initial situation may or may not be our own doing, but generally IS.)

How we respond to Satan's attacks and bad things allowed by God evidently means a lot, and I often respond viciously and bad.....


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