Job 16:11-12

11 God ['el] hath delivered [cagar] me to the ungodly [`aviyl], and turned me over [yarat] into the hands [yad] of the wicked [rasha`].

12 I was at ease [shalev], but he hath broken me asunder [parar]: he hath also taken ['achaz] me by my neck [`oreph], and shaken me to pieces [puwts], and set me up [quwm] for his mark [mattara']. KJV-Interlinear

11 'God hands me over to ruffians, And tosses me into the hands of the wicked. 12 'I was at ease, but He shattered me, And He has grasped me by the neck and shaken me to pieces; He has also set me up as His target. NASB

Jesus Christ controls history. It is God who allows or disallows things in history to occur. It is God who permits, or commands events to take place. It is God who sets up and makes provision for every possible activity in a persons life. It is God who maintains control over all aspects of life.

No one in the jungle of this world has access to anyone else, except for the permission allowed by God.

When God is dealing with His own, then He provides various forms of discipline or suffering to correct or to educate. Both are designed to keep the person on their spiritual path. Both are designed to advance ones faith.

As for unbelievers, suffering is designed to direct their eyes on the Savior. They have no other future unless they are saved.

But believers area different matter. God will guide and direct believers through life through doctrine. He will provide blessing and He will allow suffering.

The believer has to know that all things come from God, whether good or bad, and all things are intended for the advancement of the believers spiritual life.

With spiritual growth comes capacity for life. With capacity for life comes greater and greater happiness. Happiness is the ultimate goal for life.

As we saw in chapter one, Satan complained, but it was God who established the rules and boundaries by which Satan could function. Beyond these, Satan could not go. It is the same for people with every aspect in life.

God permits great latitude for the evil world, but ultimately it is God who controls everything that happens. Even in death, God takes away the power of evil when He brings the believer to heaven.

When the believer is at ease, then is his greatest danger of falling away from grace. Things in life can easily distract the believer away from their spiritual life. Why do we need to study everyday? Missing a few days here and there can t hurt that much. Why do we need God? We are happy and wealthy, and relaxed in our comforts. We are not hurting anyone, surly no adversity will come upon us?

There is peace, peace all around. Or are our eyes closed to the dangers that lurk just beyond our view.

It is often a good thing to have adversity in ones life in order to keep reminding us that we are not the ones in ultimate control of our lives, apart from God. There is still a real and evil world out there, and believe it or not, it is the ultimate conspiracy, though not a coordinated one, designed to destroy you one way or another.

But as go all conspiracies, none have any real power except that which is allowed by God.

You, as a believer in Christ, are the target. God has set you up as the target for history. That makes you a celebrity of sorts, but not of this world. Your celebrityship is designed from heaven.

While believers who are positive toward God, Christ, doctrine, and their spiritual lives are preparing themselves for a greater eternity, all of those who are not interested in God, Christ, doctrine, or their spiritual lives, are spending and wasting their time targeting believers or everyone else.

The positive believer's focus is on God resulting in a better life for himself. His circumstances are irrelevant.

The spiritually negative persons focus is on themselves, resulting in the worst possible life they could possibly have. Their search for happiness is a frantic one driven by their lusts, and that is all they are interested in.

Now is the time to post a prayer.