When Satan Attacks

The accusation Satan brought against Job was, “Does Job (reverently) fear God for nothing?” (Job 1:9). Satan accused Job of serving God only for the blessings God had given him. He said,

“You’ve poured out Your blessings upon him, You’ve prospered him, You’ve protected him, his house and all that he has. But put forth your hand now, and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to your face” (Job 1:11, TAB).

Satan’s accusation against Christians today is the same. He points his finger at us and tells God, “Look at those people who call themselves Christians! They don’t really love You. Just look at them! As long as You are pouring out Your blessings upon them — as long as they are prospering, as long as everything is going well — they are willing to serve You. But the minute hardships and trials come, they fall by the wayside. They turn their backs on You and go their own way.” What an indictment against the Church today!

Our churches are filled with Christians who are committed to serving God only for what they can receive from Him. The Church has become unbalanced in its teaching. New Christians have not been taught that they must be willing to lose their lives for Christ’s sake and that they must be willing to deny themselves before they can be true disciples of Jesus Christ. Instead, they have been taught how to be prosperous, how to use their faith to gain material possessions, and how to give so they can get more back from God.

Christians today know all about how to receive from God, but very few know how to stand true to God when their faith is being tested and everything is shaking and crumbling around them. Most Christians have become so prosperity-minded that they are more concerned about the material possessions they can receive from God than they are about what they are willing to give up for the sake of the Gospel.

In the economic shaking of the days ahead, there will be many Christians who are going to be shaken. There will be many who have been taught that if they have enough faith they will be prosperous and never have financial problems, and they will turn their backs on God when they begin to face financial losses. Their faith will be shaken because they do not have a firm foundation. They do not know the truth.

Please don’t misunderstand me. I believe God will bless and prosper His people. But we must be careful to have a full understanding of what God’s Word teaches concerning prosperity and God’s provision for our lives. We must be careful not to get our eyes more on what we can receive from God than what we can do for God. We must not forget that there will be times when we are going to suffer. There are going to be times when our faith will be tested, like Job. There may be times when Satan will attack.