God is loving and kind yet He takes seriously how people speak about Him, especially those who claim to know and serve Him. He expects His people to speak accurately and truthfully about Him. This should be no surprise because He detests all lies and deception. We learn more about how He treasures His reputation through the story of Job and his friends.
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar came to commiserate with Job when they heard that he'd lost his family and riches. Upon seeing his condition, they tore their clothes, covered themselves in dust, and sat mute with him for seven days.
Their words eventually began to flow and they weren't always the most charitable to Job. Although he asserted that he had not sinned against God to deserve his hardship, they insisted he must have done something wrong. And from their perspective, he was being punished for it.
When Job's trial ended, God spoke to Eliphaz, saying, “I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has..." (Job 42:7). God was upset about how He'd been characterized. The Berean Standard Bible quotes God as saying, "you have not spoken about me accurately." That was what He took issue with.
One can say many things about what Eliphaz and his friends said during their conversations with Job. On its face, however, their comments about God don't seem rude. None of them insulted the Lord. Nevertheless, their statements revealed that they could not imagine that God could choose to do things outside of their understanding. They put God in a box and did not realize that He could allow His servant to suffer and it wouldn't be to punish the individual.
How many of us have done something similar? How often have we applied our limited human thinking to describe and assess God? Unlike Job's friends, we have 66 books of the Bible which show that God can do things beyond our expectations. Take the different approaches Jesus used to heal blindness. In one case, He created a paste from His saliva and mud and placed that on a man's eyes (John 9:6). For the beggar Bartimaeus, sight was restored with the words, "Go...your faith has healed you." (Mark 10:52).
The Pharisees and Sadducees couldn't come to terms with the fact Jesus did things outside of what they'd been taught. Job's friends were no different. They assumed they knew exactly how God could or would do things. That hubris led them to unintentionally speak wrongly about Him.
This is a mistake many of us can and do make regularly. We need wisdom from the Holy Spirit to reveal when God is doing something outside the scope of conventional wisdom. The Holy Spirit will also help us discern between spirits to know when the Lord is not involved in something at all. This requires the investment of time and obedience. When we relate with the Holy Spirit this way, we limit the chances of speaking untruthfully about our Heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit will break apart our preconceived notions and reveal the mysterious things.
Let us be grateful that although Job's friends stirred up God's anger, He showed them mercy. He instructed them to get animals for an offering and have Job pray for mercy for them. Neither Eliphaz, Bildad, nor Zophar were punished for their comments. Instead, they received God's grace and mercy, the same grace and mercy available to all who believe they have spoken untruthfully about the Lord. When we repent, receive mercy, and allow the Lord's Spirit to guide us going forward, we enjoy all the grace of our Lord Jesus and God, the Father. God bless you.
To learn more about today's topic please read the following messages
Idle Words Block Blessings - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 19, 2021
Job, satan and Return on Investment - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) September 21, 2021
Careful what you say - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 14, 2021
How satan speaks 2: Book of Job - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 9, 2023
Don't Slander or Blaspheme God - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) February 28, 2023
Careful what you say about yourself - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 3, 2023
By Their Actions They Deny Him - Praise & Pray (for others) April 23, 2024
Christian, Guard Your Tongue - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 18, 2024
Your Fiduciary Duty To God - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 6, 2024
The devil's Underlying Scheme - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) February 21, 2025
FINAL MESSAGE
So, can I share a suspicion I've got? I think the messages from about August/September 2024 in this fellowship are building us up for something. I don't know what it is, but I think God is building our faith and teaching us how we will need to stand firm in the faith of some challenge - some attempt by the devil to put in question His assessment of us.
Does that make sense?
My prayer is that we shall all pass the test and endure through the blood of the Lamb, the word of God and His Holy Spirit. Now is the time to go over what's in your toolkit - go over the revelations God has given you, review the Rhema in scripture that you've received, look over your testimonies, and remember your Jericho Moments.
Here are some posts from P&P that could also help
Topic: Don't Break Faith with God
The Sin of Disbelief - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 16, 2024
Topic: Faith At Work Series
Topic: Faith, Trust, Belief in God
Yes, it's a lot of posts, but take your time and skim at least. The Lord will help us all.
God bless you.
CLOSING PRAYER
Lord, another day of fellowship has come to a conclusion and I thank You for this blessing. There are some around the world who have to hide their relationship with You. Thank You that we can use the internet and this platform to gather to Your glory and out of our love for You.
Hallelujah! Thank You!
Lord Jesus, I plead the blood You spilled for all who participated and will engage with this message. I pray for them that they will seek and receive the Holy Spirit through you. I pray they will submit to the Spirit of the Lord and what He reveals, even when it doesn't make sense, but will pick up the Bible knowing that the Spirit will always glorify You and never contradict the word.
Help all of us to walk in the Spirit for when we do so we will put the flesh to death (Galatians 5:16). And as we do so, our mouths will speak truthfully of God the Father, even during our trials. And like Job, we will be deemed the servants of the Lord and assigned to serve as He pleases, IJMN, Amen.
LAST 10 MINUTES
If you are reading this, I implore you to please take a look at sister @Jesus Is Real response to today's message. She shared how the Lord nudged her to test the spirit of someone and what they were saying. She shared how that experience taught her to be much more careful about how she speaks about God.
Have you mischaracterized the Lord before? Such things typically happen when we are frustrated by what we are going through. However, as you can tell from today's message, Job's friends spoke untruthfully about God but it wasn't because they were stressed or experiencing a tough season. In their case, they were trying to cut their friend's confidence down. In so doing they stirred up God's wrath.
But, God made provision for them to be forgiven and that is what He wants for all of us who have sinned in any way against Him. He knows we struggle and wants to help us be and do better.
Hosea 7:13 - Woe to them, because they have strayed from me! Destruction to them, because they have rebelled against me! I long to redeem them but they speak about me falsely.
God wants to redeem us all and all that stands in the way is the false depiction of Him that we speak. So, let's repent and receive His grace and guidance on how to never repeat this iniquity.
Open your mouth. I pray the Lord will fill it with either words or groaning in the Spirit as you place yourself at His feet for mercy, deliverance, and freedom to walk in His Spirit so you speak truthfully about Him through your words and your very life. IJN, Amen.
No weapon
formed against me
shall prosper
It won't work
From JIR - I pray for the atheists and agnostics to be given a mustard seed of faith, so that mustard seed grows into a tree of faith in You Lord. Nothing is impossible with You in the midst. I pray that You open their hearts to You so that their unbelief can be melted away. I pray that they are given the revelation that without You they and everything around them would fail to exist. Please bless them to humble themselves and open their hearts to hear Your calling Lord. I pray that they fall to their knees and repent and ask You for forgiveness. I pray that they seek You Lord, they call on You Lord and they fully submit their lives to You. IJMN. Amen
Lord, we thank You for being the Balm of Gilead and our Jehovah Ropheka. Glory be to You and You alone.
God, Your word states in Jeremiah 30:17 - But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the LORD,...
And so, good God, though satan seeks to steal good health, we trust You for You are able to do all things and Your purpose will not be thwarted (Job 42:2).
Therefore, we call on You to touch those seeking Your healing. We trust in You to bring about the healing they seek. The mystery behind their illness, Lord, we call it into the light that it be quickly eliminated and they return to the life they are to enjoy by Your grace and to Your glory, IJMN, Amen.
God You have promised that the hungry shall have their tummies filled and that the homeless will have a roof over their heads. For You are the helper of the helpless.
Psalm 10:14 - But you, God, see the trouble of the afflicted; you consider their grief and take it in hand. The victims commit themselves to you; you are the helper of the fatherless.
Lord, I pray for those with empty stomachs. Those who are considered the least among us in our societies. Those who have been taken advantage of. The widows, the orphans. God, stand for them. Thank You in advance for hearing and answering this prayer, IJN, Amen.
From JIR - Lord, I pray for America. I pray that we turn to You and seek You with all of our hearts. I pray that You stir our hearts to depend on You for all things. I pray that You open our eyes spiritually so that we humble ourselves, pray, seek Your face and turn from our wicked ways. I pray that Your children and those who have yet to know You harken to Your voice and fully submit to You. I pray that You have mercy on us for any judgment coming this way and that we all realize that You are the Way the Truth and the Life (John 14;6). IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - Lord, I pray for those who are being led astray by false doctrine. I pray that You stir their hearts to read the Bible with full understanding and clarity without a veil over their eyes. I pray that they rely on You and Your Word for revelation instead of men with platforms. I pray that they test every spirit and that You increase their faith, understanding and discernment. I pray that You open their hearts to receive the truth and the chains holding them back are broken. IJMN. Amen.
Open the eyes of Your children, dear Lord, that they may see what You want them to see.
Open the ears of Your children, good God, that they may hear what You want them to hear.
Open the mouths of Your children Almighty Redeemer, that they may say what You want them to say.
Guard the sheep and keep them, marvelous God, from the wolves in sheep's clothing. Lead them to true shepherds that will lead them and keep them in You. Just as Jesus did for the disciples, keeping them safe, save for the one that was prophesied to fall.
IJMN, Amen.
PRAYER TIME
It is time to pray for others.
Praise be to You Lord Most High. He who called Gideon to Himself. He who Daniel prayed to three times a day. He who chose Ezekiel to serve Him. He who sent Jesus to live and die as a sacrifice for humanity.
Mighty God, I bow before You and I thank You for being great and greatly to be praised!!
From JIR - “I will exalt you, my God and King, and praise your name forever and ever. I will praise you every day; yes, I will praise you forever. Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.”
Psalms 145:1-3 NLT
Psalm 66:16 - Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
God, I confess You have been faithful. I confess You have been kind. I confess You have been merciful.
I thank You for making me a witness of Your might and steadfastness. Thank You, Lord, I am grateful and give You all the glory.
From JIR -
From JIR - Thank You Lord for being the God Who cannot fail. Thank You Lord for being the God Who cannot lie. Thank You Lord for being the only true living God. The I AM that I AM. You are Who I trust. You have never failed me and never will. You are Who I look to. Thank You for being the dependable God that You are. King of kings, Lord of lords! Thank You Lord! Take all the Glory! IJMN. Amen.
From JIR - Lord, You are worthy of all praise. You bring me great peace and make life so beautiful. You comfort me and assure me that You are always right there with me. No matter how challenging life may get You are there to encourage me and lift me up. I can’t live without You. I adore You, I cherish You, I worship You. Thank You for being my Rock Lord. IJMN. Amen.
Psalm 115:1 - Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.
Hallelujah! Lord, You must increase as I decrease and I thank You for this blessing. Hallowed be Your Name now and forevermore.
Psalm 115:16-17 - The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind. It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to the place of silence;
Father, thank You for the privilege to praise You this day. Thank You for breath and ability to write these words and to feel them in the deepest parts of me.
Thank You great God for creating the heavens and the earth for Your glory. Thank You for giving humanity dominion over this earth. Thank You that through Jesus we mortals have authority over what we see and don't see.
All by Your grace and to Your glory IJMN Amen.
PRAISE TIME
It is time to praise the Everlasting LORD!
Don't take Your face away from me
I know this life without You is lonely
God, You are my lifeline
So with all the breath in my lungs
I raise a Hallelujah!
Emmanuel
Let me see Your hand
Let me know You are near
From JIR - Thank You Lord for breathing life into us this morning. Thank You for Your grace and the mercies that you give us anew each morning. Thank You for guiding us in here to receive, take heed and apply to our lives another important message. Thank You for the unfailing love that have for us. We are grateful. We worship You and we praise You. All glory belongs to You, Lord. IJMN. Amen.
Thank you for today’s message sis, @FFJ. I have heard this message before, I can’t remember from where but this message is so timely. I fear speaking of the Lord incorrectly. Whenever I talk about God I try to refer back to examples in the Bible that confirm what I am saying. If I am unsure of what I said the Holy Spirit nudges me to fact check from the Bible and prompts me to correct myself to those I may not have given the full scope or veracity in what was said.
I thank God that He is so merciful with us as with the example that you provided of Job’s friends receiving His grace and mercy after speaking falsely against Him. As I mentioned earlier, this message is perfect timing. I was recommended to watch a certain evangelist on YouTube about fasting over this past week. But, as I watched him, some of the things that he preached and how he met his demise didn’t really sit well with me so the Holy Spirit nudged me to dig deeper.
It was confirmed to me and then it dawned on me that this evangelist who has a huge following was spreading false doctrine and was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I made this observation by reading a couple of articles from a slim picking of people bold enough to go against his followers. In addition, the Holy Spirit reminded me of situations in the Bible that went against this man’s teachings. He ended up dying a tragic death at a relatively young age which through the Holy Spirit made me realize that God wasn’t pleased that he was and still is (through his videos) leading so many people down the wrong path.
This gave me the revelation last night that we must be careful about what we say about God and that we must always speak truthfully and accurately about Him. He doesn’t take it lightly when we spread false information on Him. The message from today confirms this. Thank You Lord for revealing then confirming this to me. Since You don’t take it lightly I will not either and will repent in the event that I have ever spoken falsely against You. IJMN. Amen.
From EC - Amen and good morning ladies!
ALTAR CALL
We're learning how not to talk about God so we don't make the same mistake Job's friends did. The only way to 'stay out of trouble' is the Holy Spirit. He will remind us of the things Jesus taught and guide us so we live, talk, and think in a way that pleases God.
The only way to get the Holy Spirit and all His wisdom is by giving your life to Jesus Christ. Not sure what that means? Watch the video below. It explains why and how to submit to Jesus Christ and become a member of God's royal family.
God bless you.