Satan accused Job of serving God only because of the benefits and blessings he received. Then Satan challenged God to take away all the blessings He had given Job. Satan said, “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 tried to move God to bring destruction on Job.

Since God is altogether good and His purposes toward His people are only to do us good, He is not the source of pain, heartache, failure, sickness, or anything that is evil. He did not use His hand to bring destruction upon His faithful servant, Job, but He removed the hedge — the shield of protection — from around Job and allowed Satan to afflict him. God told Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power” (Job 1:12, RSV).

It is vital to your spiritual survival that you know there is no circumstance that comes into your life that God does not allow. Satan cannot touch you, your children, or your possessions without permission from God. Jesus told Peter, “Satan has asked excessively that (all of) you might be given up to him-out of the power and keeping of God that he might sift (all of you) like grain” (Luke 22:31, TAB).

God allowed Satan to touch all that Job had. He allowed Satan to take away all of Job's possessions. He allowed Satan to steal his oxen and donkeys, burn his sheep, steal his camels and kill his servants. He allowed Satan to kill his seven sons and three daughters — but it was also God Who later restored double what Job had lost!

There is no circumstance that Satan can bring into your life without God's permission. One of the reasons so many Christians are defeated is because they do not understand that God is in control of all the circumstances that come into their lives, whether they are good or bad. They cannot understand how or why God, whose purpose is to do His people good, would allow Satan to attack them through their circumstances. Why did God allow Satan to steal Job's livestock, destroy all that he had and kill his children? The first question asked when a tragedy strikes is “Why?”

God placed a limit on what Satan could do to Job. He told Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only upon himself do not put forth your hand…” (Job 1:12, RSV). Satan was given permission to attack and destroy Job's possessions, including his children. Satan was convinced that he could cause Job to turn his back on God by taking away all his possessions. Satan, being the arch deceiver, disguised himself. Working through Job's enemies and the wind and lightning, he made it appear as if the tragedies in Job's life happened as a result of natural causes. His strategy is to disguise his evil deeds so that people will not recognize him and will blame God for the pain, sickness, and heartache that comes into their lives.

Every good gift comes to me from God. It is the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy in my life.