Dealing With

Stress
By
Marilyn Hickey
LAYMEN'S LIBRARY
BOX 10606
DENVER, COLORADO 0!10
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We need to discern the Body of the
Lord. There can be some marvelous
things happening to us when we discern
the Body of Jesus Christ. When we
correctly discern it, it tells us that there
is healing, forgiveness of sins, all of the
kinds of abundant life that are promised
in the Word. We are the Body of Jesus
and we need to discern the needs and
ministries of one another.
Look at the book of Job. think you
can see where basically all si! of the
people involved know "od, but they didn#t
discern the overall picture of what "od
could do. $o many times we live in a
limited way because we limit "od. We
really don#t discern who %e is and what
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%e wants to be to us.
t is said that Job is the oldest book of
the Bible. #ve always wondered who Job
was and how he got there. %e really is in
the 'ld Testament( )or e!ample, in the
book of "enesis, Job is the son of
ssachar. *ow let me give you a rundown
on that. +braham had saac, saac had
Jacob, Jacob had ssachar, and ssachar
had Job. %e is a very real person. +lso,
Job is mentioned in the book of Jeremiah
and by James in the *ew Testament. %is
name means ,desert, and when you think
of Job you always think of a very deserted
time. -eserted by everyone.
*e!t, let#s look at Job#s friends.
/lipha0. %is name means ,"od is
dispenser.,
%e knew "od. %e is a relative of
saac. %is father was Tema, the son of
/sau, the son of saac. This man
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undoubtedly knew "od because he was of
the right lineage.
Bildad. %is name means ,confusion.,
%e is the son of $huah, who is the son of
+braham and 2eturah. +gain, we can see
that he came from the right lineage, and
must have known "od.
3ophar. %is name means ,chatterer.,
+nd he lives up to it4 he chatters a lot, but
doesn#t say much.
/lihu. %is name means ,he is "od.,
%e is a descendant of Bu0, the brother of
50, the son of *ahor, who is a brother of
+braham. The Bible talks about "od
being the "od of +braham and *ahor.
think we can say that all of them
knew the Lord. *ot as completely as you
do, because you have the written Word4
but they knew the Lord, and they knew
%im because of the background that had
been passed down to them.
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When the book of Job opens, the Bible
lets us pull back a curtain and see what
goes on in heaven between "od and
$atan. Job is probably about seventy
years old as the book begins, and he goes
through this tremendous trial. /very time
we think of Job we think of a very black,
very bleak time, and we don#t like it. But
when you get into the story of Job there is
nothing black or bleak about it. %is trial
lasted only one year out of his life of two
hundred and ten years. %e had only one
time that was really bad. 'ne year out of
two hundred and ten years isn#t bad( We
can hardly gripe about that. 7et we hold
up that one year and moan about poor
Job#s trial. What about Job#s victory8 Two
hundred and nine years when he did not
have this terrible situation. +s we look at
him, and as the story unfolds, let#s
discern the body of Christ.
Job 9.9, "There was a man in the
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land of Uz, whose name was Job; and
that man was perfect, and upright,
and one that feared God and shunned
evil." There are four things about Job
that are said three times. %e was perfect,
which means he was mature4 he handled
things well, but not so that he was
sinless4 he was upright4 he feared "od,
which does not mean to cringe in fear, but
that he reverenced "od4 and he eschewed
evil, he fled from evil. %e had seven sons
and three daughters, and he was very,
very wealthy. The Bible tells us e!actly
how much he had. ;,<<< sheep, &,<<<
camels, 6<< yoke of o!en, 6<< she=asses,
and a very great household. This man
was the greatest of all the men of the
east, and ,greatest, means wealthiest.
Job 9.1,
"And his sons went and feasted
in their homes, everone his da,
and set and called for their three
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sisters to eat and drin! with them.
And it was, when the das of their
feasting were finished, that Job
sent and sanctified them, and rose
up earl in the morning, and
offered burnt offerings according
to the number of them all; for Job
said, "t ma be that m sons have
sinned and cursed God in their
hearts. Thus did Job continuall."
*ot only was Job a very wealthy man,
he was a very spiritual man. This was
said of him in the very first verse, and we
also see in his activity that he was. %e set
his children apart. %e got up early in the
morning and he offered burnt offerings
according to the number of them all.
Before Leviticus, it was the father#s place
to offer the offerings. +braham offered an
offering for his family. Job said, ""t ma
be that m sons have sinned and
cursed God." >?emember this word, ,to
curse.,@ ,Aaybe they#ve cursed "od in
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their hearts., +nd notice, it says ,Job did
this continually., %e was very concerned
that his children serve the Lord.
*ow we get a glimpse into heaven.
The curtain was pulled back and it was a
specific day. /vidently there was an
appointed day that the angels of "od
came before %im and talked to %im. +nd
among the angels was $atan. n /0ekiel
CB.99=96, we see a description of $atan. t
talks about every precious stone that was
his covering, how beautiful he was, how
wise, and how he could sing. %e was the
anointed cherub that covered the throne
of "od. %e walked up and down the
mountain of "od. 'ne day $atan decided
that he was going to be bigger than "od.
Why be number two when you could be
number one8 n his pride he tried to e!alt
himself above the )ather, and "od cast
him down from heaven. But, he still had
access to come before "od, because he
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was still an angel, even though he was
now a fallen angel. *ow you know who
$atan is and how he got the way he is.
%is name means ,accuser.,
$o, on this particular day, $atan
comes up to heaven and "od speaks to
him.
,$atan, what have you been doing8,
,'h, Eust going to and fro from earth
to heaven.,
,What have you been doing on earth8,
,Just been looking around.,
,%ave you noticed Ay servant, Job8
%e#s perfect( %e#s upright( %e fears and
reverences Ae. %e flees from evil(, This is
the second time this is said about Job and
this time it is "od who says it.
$atan is the accuser of the brethren,
so he says, ,$ure, he#s perfect and upright
and he fears 7ou. 7ou#re so good to him,
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who wouldn#t act good when 7ou treat
them that well8 %e#s loaded with money,
he has ten children, he#s got it made( But
if 7ou would take away from him all
these things, then he would curse 7ou to
7our face. %e#d really curse 7ou if 7ou
took away all these things from him.
7ou#ve hedged Job in, along with his
household and his possessions. %e#d
really curse 7ou if 7ou took it all away.,
$atan was accusing Job of serving "od for
what he could get out of "od(
n the *ew Testament it says that
when people teach that godliness is gain,
they are teaching false doctrine. That is
wrong( We don#t love "od because %e
prospers us4 we love the )ather because
we have an intimate relationship with
%im. t isn#t what we have, it#s Who %e is
in us. Frosperity is an outgrowth of it, but
not the end of it. But here $atan is
saying, ,That#s why he serves 7ou, Eust so
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he can have money4 Eust so he can be rich,
and 7ou#re so good to him.,
$o the Lord said, ,+ll right,
everything he has is in your Fower., +nd
$atan went from the presence of the Lord,
and in one day Job lost everything that he
had. 'ne servant came and reported the
6<< she=asses were stolen, along with the
6<< sheep, and that the servants were
killed. While he was talking, another
servant came and told about the ;,<<<
camels, that they had been killed by
lightning, and some of the servants were
also hit by lightning. Before this servant
finished his story another came in and
said that everything else is gone, too, and
,#m the only one left to tell you., Then,
while he was talking, someone else came
in and told Job that his seven sons and
three daughters were having dinner and a
big wind came up and they were by the
wrong wall, and the wall fell over and
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killed all of them. $o Job lost everything
e!cept his wife in one day. 7et, after you
hear what she had to say, you#ll wish he
had lost her, too.
*ow, let#s see what Job did. Look at
the end of chapter one. "Then Job arose
and rent his mantle, and shaved his
head, and fell down upon the ground
and worshipped God." %e did not curse
"od. -id he serve "od because "od
prospered him8 *'( %e served "od
because he loved him. +nd this is what he
said. >This is why know what was really
in Job#s heart, because ,out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth
speaketh.,@ "#a!ed came " out of m
mother$s womb, and na!ed shall "
return thither% the &ord gave, the
&ord has ta!en awa, blessed be the
name of the &ord. And in all this Job
sinned not, nor charged God
foolishl," because he did not love "od
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because he was rich. %e loved "od and
the riches came from that. Because part
of "od#s provision for %is children is
prosperity, Eust a little part of it.
*ow we see the scene in heaven again.
The curtain is pulled back, we see "od
the )ather, and $atan coming up, and all
the angels with him. t is on that certain
appointed day, and "od says to $atan
>and think it#s rather sarcastic@. ,$atan,
what have you been doing8, ,'h, #ve been
wandering to and fro, going from heaven
to earth., ,What have you been doing on
earth8, ,'h, Eust looking around., ,%ave
you noticed my servant Job8 %e#s perfect,
he#s upright, he fears Ae, he flees from
evil( %ave you noticed that8,
,7es, noticed, but >and remember
$atan is always the accuser@ skin for skin
a man will give everything for his life. f
he got sick, he#d curse 7ou( 7ou keep him
very healthy, so he serves you., >$atan
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couldn#t use finances or children
anymore.@ When you feel well you can go
to church, but when you don#t, why
bother8 Why read your Bible when you#re
sick, maybe you Eust don#t want to8 The
Lord said, ,+ll right, $atan, his life is in
your hands, but you can#t kill him. 7ou
can make him sick, but you can#t kill
him.,
$o immediately $atan went forth from
the presence of the Lord and smote Job
with sore boils from the soles of his feet
unto his crown. Job was so bad he went
out and sat on an ash heap. When you
read the description of what he
complained about, you#ll find out he
probably had black leprosy, which is also
called elephantiasis. The only way anyone
could get any relief from these boils was
to sit on ashes and put the ashes in the
running sores. %e really looked bad( %e
took a little piece of broken pottery and
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scraped himself to scrape off all the
corruption that was running out of his
boils. 7ou may not like the description,
but that#s the way it was.
%ere sits Job on his ash heap, and his
wife comes to him and says, "Are ou
retaining our integrit still' (h
don$t ou curse God and die'"
thought, ,Wait a minute, lady, this man
has been offering sacrifices for his
children in case they cursed "od, and
you#re the mother of those children(
$urely you didn#t want your children to
curse "od( +nd now you#re telling your
husband to do it8, What made her do
that8
read a description once of what they
make high bridges out of, and very tall
sky scrapers. They do not use cast iron.
wondered why not because iron is
probably the strongest of material to
build with. But it isn#t used in
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construction because it has no ,give, to it.
nstead, they use high tension steel,
because it is more fle!ible. When the
wind blows against those tall, high
bridges or those huge sky scrapers, the
high tension steel will sway and bend, but
it will not break. t will always come back
to its original position.
The Bible tells us that the storms are
going to come against our house. The
winds and the rains are going to come
against us, and if we get hard and brittle
and don#t allow the Word to move us and
soften us and help us to bend, we will
crack and shatter into pieces. This is
what happened to Ars. Job. $he lost all
her wealth and her children. +nd her
husband is very ill. When she began to
bend under the trial instead of taking the
Word and standing on it in order to come
back to the original position, she became
bitter and brittle, and said to Job, ,Curse
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"od, and die(, don#t believe she would
have said that before the trial came upon
them. believe she was a spiritual
woman, along with Job. But she didn#t
take the Word into the situation and
allow it to bring her back to her original
position. $he became bitter and cracked.
There are times when things are going
to hit you and you are going to bend. But
let the Word be in the bending, because
the Word will always bring you back to
your original position.
*ow, watch it work in Job#s life. t is
beautiful what "od begins to do. Chapter
&.9 opens with Job cursing the day he was
born. t was hard on him. f you think Job
never said anything bad and that he
wasn#t human, Eust read his words. %e
says terrible things. ,#m Eust falling
apart. wish could die. #d like to die,
things are so bad. #m sick, #ve lost my
children, my wife#s nasty and everything
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is bad., Then his three friends came to
see him. They said, ,Job, we#re going to
come and comfort you., When they got
there, Job looked so bad they couldn#t say
anything. They Eust looked at him for
seven days. Things were very bad( Then,
when Job finally opens his mouth, he
curses the day he was born. *ow look at
verse C6. Job says, "for the thing which
" greatl feared is come upon me."
*ow his friends begin to talk to him,
and /lipha0 speaks first and says some
very nice things. Chapter 1, verses & and
1. ")ehold, ou have instructed man,
ou have strengthened the wea!
hands, our words have upholden
him that was fallen, and ou have
strengthened the feeble !nees." f
Job#s words have helped the other people
when they were down, can the same
words help him when he is down8
*ow we are going to see some of Job#s
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words, both negative and positive. We#ll
see him bend, and then watch how the
Word brings him back into position. Job is
not cast iron, he is high=tension steel.
There is only one thing that can make
you high=tension steelG"od#s Word.
'therwise, the flesh gets hard and brittle
and cracks under the trial and we give up
and throw in the towel. Herse ;.
"*emember, " pra ou, whoever
perished being innocent' +r where
were the righteous cut off'" What is
/lipha0 saying8 %e#s saying Eust what his
name says. "od is dispenser. %e#s saying.
,Well, if you weren#t guilty these bad
things wouldn#t be happening to you.,
/lipha0 isn#t all wrong. %ebrews talks
about the chastisement of "od4 it says,
",ear not, when ou are chastised of
the &ord." That is one aspect of "od, but
that isn#t all of %im. -oes evil Eust come
upon you when you are bad8 'r do you
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have some problems when you#re good,
too. /lipha0 had a concept of "od, but Eust
a little one. When you#re bad know you
get into trouble, because you reap what
you sow. But it also says the righteous
will be tried too, doesn#t it8 /lipha0 didn#t
see that aspect. %e only had this view of
his %eavenly )ather. +ll he could see was
that Job was being punished for being
bad. Look at Chapter 6, verses 9; and 9B.
")ehold, happ is the man whom God
correcteth, therefore despise not
thou the chastising of the Almight%
,or he ma!eth sore, and bindeth up%
he woundeth, and his hands ma!e
whole." %ad Job been doing something
bad8 *'((( "od said about Job that he
was a perfect man, he was upright, he
feared %im, he fled from evil. This is said
three times( That#s not why Job was
having trials. Job is having trials because
of the devil. $atan is bringing the
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problems. Chastisement is one aspect of
"od, but that#s not what is wrong with
Job. Job, because of his love for "od, had
become a ,marked man by the devil.,
*ow want you to notice what Job
says about "od. Look at chapter :, verse
1. ",or the arrows of the Almight are
within me." Job is saying, , lost all my
children, all my wealth, my health
because of "od. "od did this to me(, *ow
that is not a full concept of "od and Who
%e is, and it is also being totally ignorant
of who the devil is.
*e!t, look at chapter B. Bildad is
speaking, "Job, let me tell ou what "
thin! is wrong. " believe we can get
an answer here for ou; but let me
tell ou where " thin! ou can get it.
$,or in-uire, " pra ou, of the former
age, and prepare ourself to search
of our fathers.$" %e is saying, ,Job, let#s
get some good history books, and let#s Eust
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see what happened to ?ome, and then
we#ll understand what#s happening to the
5nited $tates., %ave you heard all that8
,Let#s see what happened to /ngland, and
then we#ll see what is going to happen to
us., Feople say that this is the pattern of
all nations. They go way up, as the
?oman /mpire, and then they come
falling down. Claiming the same pattern
holds for the 5nited $tates.
%ave you heard all that8 They look to
history for the answer instead of to "od.
There#s a certain truth in that, because
the Bible tells us that the people in the
'ld Testament were set for e!amples for
us. t is true, we can learn from the
history of the Bible, but that is still Eust
an aspect of the knowledge of "od, or the
wisdom of "od, or the Body of the )ather,
and what %e is to us.
$o Bildad is saying, ,Let#s check out
history. 7ou are probably a hypocrite
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>B.9&@., +nd then Job answers. want you
to see what#s in Job#s heart. %e#s not very
happy with these friends, and don#t
blame him. n D.9; and 9B, look at the
humanity of Job. ",or he brea!eth me
with a tempest, and multiplieth m
wounds without cause. .e will not
suffer me to ta!e m breath, but
filleth me with bitterness." Job is
talking about "od +*- his friends. Who
made Job sick8 Who put the boils on him8
Who killed his children8 Who took all of
his possessions8 $atan( But who is Job
blaming it on8 "od. Why is Job doing
that8 %e knew "od. But he didn#t know
the fullness of what "od is. %e Eust didn#t
have a full enough picture. But he#s
starting to get one(
*ow look at verse && of chapter D.
"#either is there an dasman
/mediator0 between us that ma la
his hand upon us both." Job said, ,'h,
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if Eust had a mediator. $omebody that
could connect me with "od., Today we#d
say, ,We#ve got 'ne(, Job saw the need of
one. *ow we can say that he is getting a
revelation, he#s beginning to see what it
is.
Then he says to his friends >9<.C,&@.
"" will sa unto God, 1o not
condemn me; shew me wherefore
thou contendest with me. "t is
good unto thee that thou
shouldest oppress, that thou
shouldest despise the wor! of
thine hands, and shine upon the
counsel of the wic!ed' 1ear God,
2ou$re driving me into the
ground3"
+nd then in verse 9B he says, "(h
did ou bring me out of the womb
anwa' (h was " ever born'" -id
you ever say that8 When did you say it8
When you were under high=tension and
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trials, right8 +nd you begin to bend with
it, and you begin to sway with it, and you
begin to gripe to your wife or husband, or
friends, and say, , Eust can#t take any
more. wish was never born(,
*ow 3ophar comes on the scene
>remember, his name means #chatterer#@.
n 99.91, he says, "+h Job, ou have
been sinning. " !new it all along. "f
ini-uit be in our hand, put it awa.
And let not wic!edness dwell in our
tabernacle." Job, you#ve Eust been bad,
that#s all. There#s iniIuity in your hand.
*ow, look and see what Job says in 9&.96.
/ach friend, /lipha0, Bildad, 3ophar has
given him an aspect of "od, but not the
picture he needs4 they#ve Eust told a little,
little part of "od. Job answers in
bitterness toward "od and in bitterness
toward his friends, but every now and
then we see him get a word, and he starts
to come back into place. %e was swaying,
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but the Word was going to return him to
his original position.
Herse 96, "Though .e sla me, et
will " trust in .im, but " will
maintain m own was before .im."
Who said that8 Job, under high tension
trials and problems. +nd then in chapter
91 he started his own philosophy. %e
says, "4an that is born of a woman is
of a few das and full of trouble."
>7es( 7es(@
Job lashes out at /lipha0, 3ophar and
Bildad in 9:.C. "" have heard man
such things; miserable comforters
are ou all3" +nd in verse B, "2ou$ve
filled me with wrin!les3 "$m so tired
of ou." Then in chapter 9;, verses 9;
and 9D, he talks about his wife. "4
breath is corrupt, m das are
e5tinct, the graves are read for me."
*ow look at 9D.9;, "4 breath is
strange to m wife, though "
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entreated for the children$s sa!e of
m own bod." $he won#t have anything
to do with him. $he says, ,7ou#ve got bad
breath, get away(, %e wouldn#t even use
Clorets(
*ow look at Job 9D.91=9:. want you
to see now, how bad it is. ,Ay wife doesn#t
like me4 have bad breath4 you are all
miserable comforters4 "od#s arrows are in
me4 wish was dead., Job says, "4
!insfol! have failed, and m familiar
friends have forgotten me. The that
dwell in m house, and m house and
m maids count me for a stranger.
"$m an alien in their sight3 " called m
servant and he gave me no answer. "
entreated him with m mouth.
#obod wants to be around me." Look
at 9D.C<, "4 bones cleaveth to m
s!in, and to m flesh am " escaped
with the s!in of m teeth." -id you
know that Job said that first8 7ou#ve been
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saying it for years, but he said it first.
The oldest book.
7ou say, ,%e#s really beginning to
bend under this. f he bends too far he#s
going to break and fall., But watch him4
he#s going to come back up. Look at 9D.C6=
C:, ",or " !now that m redeemer
liveth, and that he shall stand at the
latter da upon the earth, and though
after m s!in, worms destro this
bod, et in m flesh " shall see God."
"od keeps giving him the Word to bring
him back. What did he do8 "od#s Word
began to come to him and began to bring
him back again from this tremendous
wind of a trial that was about to break
him in two.
n C&.9<=9C, want you to see Job
begin to come out of this trial. When he
first started with these friends, he said
almost worse things than they did. But,
he starts into it and begins to get hold of
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the Word of "od. %e#ll bend some, get the
Word, and come back up a little more.
*ow it#s even getting better( %e started
with a mediator and now he has a
redeemer.
What#s happening to Job8 %e#s
beginning to discern the Body. %e#s
beginning to discern who "od really is.
%e says,
")ut .e !noweth the wa that
" ta!e. (hen .e hath tried me, "
shall come forth as gold. 4 foot
hath held .is steps, .is was have
" !ept and not declined; neither
have " gone bac! from the
commandment of .is lips. " have
esteemed the words of .is mouth
more than m necessar food."
'h people, when you begin to take
"od#s word and put it in that place in
your life, what#s going to happen8 %e#s
going to start bringing you back into
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place. *ow look at C&.91.
",or .e performeth the thing
that is appointed for me. And
man such things are with .im."
*ow, want you to go to chapter 1<.
+ll the way through it we begin to see Job
starting to say some things. "6ome wa
"$ll have confidence in God. 6ome
wa .e$ll ta!e me through. Though
.e sla me, "$ll still trust .im. 6ome
wa "$m beginning to see that there$s
something of hope in God." 7et all the
time he said that, he was also saying,
,"od made me sick. "od took my money.
"od took my children. Ay wife doesn#t
like me., %e blamed it all on "od. But
he#s getting a fuller revelation, and now
"od comes on the scene. "And the &ord
answered Job and said, 6hall he that
contendeth with the almight
instruct him' .e that reproveth God,
let him answer it." "od said, ,Job, are
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you smart that you know it all8 7ou are
going to tell Ae how to do it8 7ou act like
you#ve got all the answers., +nd then in
&B.C9, want you to see another
statement. "od is speaking to Job, not the
other men to Job. "(ho is this that
dar!eneth counsel b words without
!nowledge'" -id you ever try to figure
out "od#s ways, and didn#t really
understand8 %e said, ,Job, you#ve been
talking a lot. Were you with Ae when
made the earth8 Were you with Ae when
made the rivers8 Job, do you really
know all about Ae8 7ou act like you#re an
e!pert, Job., -id you notice, %e came and
corrected Job first8 Well, you say, ,t#s the
friends that were so bad(, t was Job, too.
7ou know why8 Because he didn#t totally
see who "od is. %e was self=righteous
rather than word=righteous.
$o now look at chapter 1< and see
what Job#s reaction is to "od#s correction
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under this tremendous trial. %e said,
")ehold " am vile >verse 1@, what shall
" answer ou'"4 ,#ll Eust shut up, #ll put
my hand on my mouth., But he didn#t
say, ,Well, "od, if you#d been through
what #ve been through, 7ou#d have said
bad things about 7ou, too( #ve been sick(
#ve lost ten children, all my wealth, my
wife hates me, and my friends don#t help.
They Eust told me how bad am., 7et we
say, ,Well, Job was perfect, he was
upright, he did fear "od, and he did flee
from evil,, but he still didn#t have the
aspect of "od that the )ather wanted him
to have. %e didn#t discern the Body of
what "od really is to him. %e was smart
enough, when "od came on the scene and
said, ,%ey, buddy, you don#t know it all.,
%e said, ,7ou#re right, #m vile.,
n 1C.:, he did what he should have
done in such a situation. "(herefore "
abhor mself and repent in dust and
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ashes." Job said, ,7ou#re right, "od,
didn#t get it. really didn#t get it., +nd
"od could have said, ,Job, didn#t do this
to you. The devil did it to you. 7ou#ve
been blaming all these bad things on Ae,
didn#t do it. The devil did it. 7es,
allowed it, but the bad things came from
the devil.,
*ow look at 1C.;, "And it was so
that after the &ord had spo!en these
words unto Job >and Job repented@ the
&ord said to 7liphaz, the Temanite%
4 wrath is !indled against ou, and
against our two friends, for ou
have not spo!en of the thing that is
right as m servant Job hath." "od
said, ,7ou have not repented of Eust a
concept, a little aspect, a small
percentage of Who am. Job repented,
but you didn#t so you take seven bullocks,
seven rams, go to Ay servant Job and he
shall pray for you, from him will accept,
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because he repented., "od always accepts
the man that repents. ""$ll accept lest "
deal with ou after our foll in that
ou have not spo!en of 4e the thing
which is right, li!e m servant Job."
$o they had to bring animals and have
the shedding of blood for their sins, and
Job was supposed to pray for them.
Let#s begin to look at this. $ome years
ago we went through a trial in our
household and a friend came to Wally and
said, , discern that you are going
through a spiritual trial., %e talked to
Wally and prayed with him, and then he
came to me. %e said, ,#ve been praying
with your husband and he said that
discerned that he >Wally@ was going
through a trial.,
said, ,7es, he is., 'ur friend
continued, ,+nd have discerned the
problem., said, ,What is it8,
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%e said, ,7ou.,
,Ae(,
,7es, it#s you.,
,What do you think #m doing wrong8,
+nd he told me, ,7ou#re Eust too active
in the ministry.,
This was years ago, long before was
as active as am now. %e said, ,+nd he
can#t have a ministry, because yours is so
important. %e#ll never have one because
yours is so important. %e#ll never have
one because you#re in the way., When he
said that it hurt me so much that
couldn#t tell anybody about it. didn#t go
to anyone. Eust hurt inside. %ave you
ever had anything hurt you so much that
you couldn#t talk about it8 That#s how
much it hurt.
+ll of our married life, and before,
Wally always encouraged me in every
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aspect. +nd now, thought, ,s this what
he really feels8 %as he Eust been putting
on a front8 %as he not been honest with
me8 s he really down on me8 %as this
really bothered him8, +nd became hard
and brittle inside. #ll be honestG
became like iron. Eust wanted to crack
apart and throw it all in. Then one day
called a friend and told them. Ay friend
said, ,Why don#t you go to him and ask
him8 7ou#re carrying all this around, why
don#t you ask Wally8, $o did. +nd he
laughed at me. %e said, ,%ow could you
think that when #ve always encouraged
you. %ow could you even let that enter
your mind8 7ou know the problem in this
person#s life. %e has a beautiful ministry,
but he has an aspect of women that is not
the total concept of what "od has. %e
doesn#t really discern the fullness. %e
doesn#t understand a call.,
Then remembered the things he told
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us before he was married. When he
married, he said that he didn#t want his
wife to play the piano, the organ, to sing,
teach, or play an accordion. $he couldn#t
do anything but Eust cook and sew for
him. That#s all. Wally said, ,-on#t you
understand that8 There are some aspects
that he doesn#t really discern in the body
of Christ.,
Well, then instead of being mad at
Wally, got mad at the friend( thought,
,That#s a terrible thing( %e could have
broken up our marriage over this., +nd
even his name made me angry. f he came
through town and wanted to be with us,
always had an e!cuse so that Wally could
be with him, and didn#t have to be. #ll
be honest, didn#t like him. got hard
and brittle on the inside. Why8 Because
didn#t discern the Body. Because the
)ather says, ,7ou#re to forgive., ?ight8 t
says that you#re to pray for people that
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despitefully use you. 7ou#re to bless them.
7ou#re to do good to them. +nd surely
didn#t discern that( was too busy being
mad.
But the Lord will help you, because
%e doesn#t want you to be cast iron and
crack. %e may see you sway, but %e
wants to take the Word to you and bring
you back to your original position.
'ne day got a letter from a
university that has a woman in a high
position. This man had a position with
that university. The letter invited me to
come speak there. *ow you know what
went on in my upset mind. thought, ,#ll
see him, and when do #m going to ask
him how he likes working for a woman.
Terrible( Why did feel like that8
Because had not discerned the Body of
Christ is to be forgiven, not cracked. was
still hard and brittle inside. "od really
called me to pray before went down
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there, and when went you know who
saw first8 %im( +nd you know what
felt8 When saw him thought, ,7ou
know, Eust love you., t wasn#t my love,
it was the love of Jesus flowing through
me. had lunch with him, and his wife
visited with me afterwards.
$he told me that they were going
through a terrible trial, and asked me to
pray for them. "od worked with me to
pray for them and %e dropped faith in my
heart for them. To this day, when hear
their names, Eust love them. pray for
them many, many times, and you know
what happened when prayed for them8
believe "od accepted me, and turned a
captivity that was in my spirit that could
have cracked me, and restored me. %e
didn#t want me to be that kind of cast iron
G%e wanted me to be high=tension steel.
$ure, the winds came, but %e wanted the
Word to bring me back into place.
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Job prayed for his friends, and you
know, after you#d had those friends
talking to you like that, you#d feel more
like kicking them than praying for them.
But that#s not discerning the will in the
Body of "od. That#s not it. Job repented
and he prayed for his friends, and in
1C.9< says, "And the &ord turned the
captivit of Job when he praed for
his friends." %e turned the whole
situation at that moment. Job had
repented, and prayed for his friends,
which is a total Bible concept. "od is
beginning to take that old high=tension
steel of Job and %e#s taking the Word,
and bringing it all back in place. But read
on, it also says that "od didn#t Eust bring
Job back into place4 %e restored to Job
twice as much as he had before. Twice as
much( There#s twice as much in
restoration.
*ow, let#s look and see what
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happened. want you to see Job#s
restoration, and then want you to see
the discerning of the Body.
"Then came there unto him all
his brethren, and all his sisters,
and all that the had been of his
ac-uaintance before, and did eat
bread with him in his house% and
the bemoaned him, and
comforted him over all the evil
that the &ord had brought upon
him. >Who brought the evil8 $atan
did( $ee how easily we get out of
balance8 "od is trying to let us see the
whole picture of Who the )ather is.@
7ver man also gave him a piece
of mone, and ever one an
earring of gold. 6o the &ord
blessed the latter end of Job more
than his beginning% for he had
89,::: sheep, ;,::: camels and
8,::: o!e of o5en, and 8,::: she<
asses. .e had also seven sons and
three daughters >which indicates to
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me that his wife changed, because it
never says that she died@.,
$o evidently there is a working of the
Word in bringing this woman out of that
cast iron, brittle, bitter position to be
high=tension steel. $he bent, but "od
brought her back.
+nd in 1C.91 we read.
"And he called the name of the
first, Jemima; and the name of the
second, =eziah, and the name of
the third, =eren<happuch. And in
all the land were no women found
so fair as the daughters of Job%
and their father gave them
inheritance among their
brethren."
think Job#s daughters were so sweet
and nice, because their mother was sweet
and nice, and because believe that when
Job allowed the Word to work in him, it
worked in his household, too, which was
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his wife. t brought her back into the
position that he wanted, and said that
"Job lived 89: ears, and saw
his sons, and his son$s sons, even
four generations."
*ow, how old was Job when this
happened8 $eventy. +nd how many years
did "od give him beyond that8 %e
doubled the ;<. +nd he doubled the
children, because when they all went to
heaven, there were C< children in heaven(
%e had double children also. When we go
through a trial and it hurts, and it#s hard,
if you will allow the Word in, it will not
only bring you back into position, but it
will bring you into prosperity.
James talked about Job, and want to
read you what he says. ")ehold, we
count them happ which endure. 2e
have heard of the patience of Job,
and have seen the end of the &ord"
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>James 6.99@. Trials do come to an end(
%alleluEah( +nd what is the ,end of the
Lord,8GTo bless you. To give you good
health. Wasn#t that the end of Job8 %e
had good health. What is the end of the
Lord8 To give him double prosperity.
What is the end of the Lord8 To give him
a good family. What is the end of the
Lord8 To give him long life.
What is the Body of the )ather8 What
is the will of the )ather8 To give %is
children every good thing. +nd at the end
we see that "od#s ultimate is for man to
be blessed. The *ew Testament says that
%e wants us to have abundant life, to
bless us in all things. James says the
,Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.,
-o you know where Job and his
friends missed it8 They didn#t reali0e that
"od wanted them in health, in wealth,
and with a good family, for long years.
sn#t that what the Word says8 7ou see,
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Job and his friends didn#t understand it,
and neither did his wife.
f you need forgiveness of sins, above
all, repent before you take communion,
because in the Body of Jesus is cleansing.
Fartake of it as cleansed, and one with
%im as is %is will.
What is the body8 What is the total
will of the )ather8 Look at Corinthians
99.C&,
",or " have received of the
&ord that which " also delivered
unto ou. That the &ord Jesus the
same night in which he was
betraed too! bread% And when he
had given than!s, he bra!e it, and
said, Ta!e, eat% This is m bod,
which is bro!en for ou% this do in
remembrance of me. After the
same manner also he too! the cup,
when he had supped, saing, This
cup is the new testament in m
blood% this do in remembrance of
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me. ,or as often as e eat this
bread, and drin! this cup, e do
shew the &ord$s death till he come.
(herefore whosoever shall eat
this bread, and drin! this cup of
the &ord, unworthil, shall be
guilt of the bod and blood of the
&ord. )ut let a man e5amine
himself, and so let him eat of that
bread, and drin! of that cup. ,or
he that eateth and drin!eth
unworthil, eateth and drin!eth
damnation to himself, not
discerning the &ord$s )od. ,or
this cause, man are wea! and
sic!l among ou, and man
sleep."
f you don#t discern the Body of the
Lord, it says you can die early, you can be
sick, you can drink damnation to yourself.
Because you don#t reali0e that in the Body
of Jesus is %is shed blood for your sins.
That#s why Job had to repent first. There
had to be forgiveness of sins. But also, in
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the Body of Jesus, are the stripes on %is
back. The Word says that many are weak
and sickly among you. Why8 Because they
do not discern that Jesus took stripes for
their healing. Aany are having all kinds
of problems because they haven#t
discerned that Jesus became poor that
they might be rich. They haven#t
discerned that Jesus carried their griefs
and sorrows, that they might have %is Eoy
and %is peace. 7ou haven#t discerned all
the abundant things the )ather has for
you.
#d say to you that when you take
communion, discern from the Body what
you need. $ay, ,Jesus, need healing. +s
take communion, discern that in 7our
Body, that#s part of 7our will., t wasn#t
"od#s will for Job to be sick, it was the
devil#s will.
,Jesus, have a financial need.
discern that 7ou became poor that
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might be rich. take that as partake of
this communion. discern that it is a part
of 7ou for me, because #m part of 7our
Body, and that#s part of 7our promise to
me.,
f you#re worried, up tight, and
fretting, you don#t have to be like that.
7ou can cast all your care on %im, for %e
cares for you. That#s discerning what %e
is to you.
-o trials come to an end8 7es, trials
come to an end, and the Word says, be
patient in them, and don#t crack. Let the
Word take you from that bent position
and restore you to your original position.
"od#s Word works(
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