A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day March 1, 2019
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? (John 14:9)
In our last episode (Part 3) we introduced the thought that Satan was after God’s goodness. I want to expand on that thought today because I feel it is so important for all of us to grasp.
I was in federal law enforcement for 12 years and part of that work included investigating and arresting thieves. A serious thief is not stupid. They don’t just steal anything haphazardly. They know what they are after. They case out a target and plan their attack. They don’t just break into a place and not have a specific target in mind. As an investigator, sometimes you have to start thinking like a thief if you want to catch a thief. Satan is a master thief, and He had a specific motive in Job’s case. What was it?
I was in my truck yesterday, sitting in the parking lot of a gas station eating a couple of hot dogs (God will speak to you in the most unusual places). I had my radio playing on The Message radio station and one of Natalie Grant’s songs “Clean” was playing. As I heard that song I was thinking about Job and it all of a sudden hit me. The thief (Satan) was after God’s goodness. Now, listen to me. I’m not crazy. This is very important!!!
Satan was kicked out of Heaven because he tried to exalt himself above God:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:12-15)
Now, the best way Satan can get back at God is to tarnish God’s reputation. He does that through lies and misdirection. Satan knows that God is good and he knows that when people get even a small glimpse of God’s goodness that it leads to repentance and dedication to God. Think about when Jesus was healing the sick and raising people from the dead. He was so good that thousands followed Him. But the other side of the coin was the religious (Satanically influenced) rulers of the day who said Jesus must die. So they hatched all kinds of lies about Him. They made Him look like He was not as good as He was. That’s been Satan’s plan all along!!!
Our Father God is so good that we cannot even imagine it. There are not adequate words to describe how good He is. He can do exceedingly more than we can even ask or think. His desire is for His kids to prosper and be in health. He is our savior, healer, deliverer, and provider. The lyrics in the song “Clean” say it like this: “There’s nothing too dirty, That Youcan’t make worthy, You wash me in mercy, I am clean”. Only God can do that! If Satan can get us to doubt that just a little bit, then he has been successful in stealing some of God’s goodness that is available to all of us.
Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! (Psalm 31:19)
O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him. (Psalm 34:8)
For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. (Psalm 7:13)
The following is a link to Natalie Grant’s great song “Clean”. Listen to it and thank God every day for His indescribable goodness!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ol1V-sj1gc
