Whenever the words “fear God” are mentioned, most people will think of the story of Job in the Bible. Job feared God and shunned evil, he stood witness for God during his trials, he earned God’s praise and blessings, and he lived out a worthy and meaningful life which is much admired by us today. Now, let’s review the Book of Job and have a detailed look at the ways in which Job manifested his fear of God, and this will help us to gain some new understanding and entry into the truth of fearing God. https://reurl.cc/RDWv6

1. Job Had a God-fearing Heart and He Did Nothing in His Life That Displeased God

It says in the Book of Job 1:5: “And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually.”

Job possessed great wealth and was called the greatest of men among those who dwelt in the east; he was the equivalent of a modern millionaire. To us, it seems as though Job lived such a life of luxury that it must have been fitting for him to hold feasts occasionally, and it would not have been considered over the top for him to live a luxurious and extravagant lifestyle. And yet Job held no feasts and he did not even attend the feasts held by his children. Perhaps some people will be a bit confused by this, and will wonder whether Job was just too old-fashioned and conservative? In fact, Job made such strict demands of himself and he always kept on his best behavior in life, and this behavior bore a direct link to his fear of God. As human beings, we have no power to overcome sin, and if we attend feasts, we then become possessed by the desire to eat, drink and be merry, we can become covetous of physical pleasures, we can be apt to shun God, lose our normal relationship with God and even do things which displease God. Job was clear in his heart on this point, and therefore he preferred to live a simple and plain life rather than do anything that may displease God. It is clear that this kind of behavior was not Job being old-fashioned and conservative, but rather it was him taking the way of fearing God and shunning evil to heart. He paid no consideration to his flesh and paid no heed to enjoying a high-quality material life. Instead, the motives behind everything he said and did was to satisfy God’s will and not to do anything that might displease God. https://reurl.cc/RDWv6

Job was not only afraid of straying from God’s way, he also worried that his children would displease God by their frequent feasting. From this, we can see that Job did not indulge his children’s sins because of their family attachment, but instead he despised and loathed his children’s merry-making, for he knew that God hated it also. Whenever a feast was over, Job would dispatch a servant to tell his children to sanctify themselves, and he often offered burnt offerings for their sake. It is said in the Bible, “Thus did Job continually.” This shows even more that Job feared God with his heart; his behavior and expressions of his fear for God were not just skin-deep, much less were they practices brought about by occasional feelings of high-spiritedness or by some transient arousal of emotion. Instead, he took the way of fearing God and shunning evil to heart, and he began with the little things. As the word of God states: “Job did not go and look in on his sons occasionally, or when it pleased him, nor did he confess to God through prayer. Instead, he regularly sent and sanctified his sons, and sacrificed burnt offerings for them. The ‘continually’ here does not mean he did so for one or two days, or for a moment. It is saying that the manifestation of Job’s fear of God was not temporary, and did not stop at knowledge, or spoken words; instead, the way of fearing God and shunning evil guided his heart, it dictated his behavior, and it was, in his heart, the root of his existence. That he did so continually shows that, in his heart, he often feared that he himself would sin against God and was also afraid that his sons and daughters sinned against God. It represents just how much weight the way of fearing God and shunning evil carried within his heart” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II”).

2. Job Had a God-fearing Heart and Could Submit to God’s Sovereignty and Arrangements During His Trials

Satan accused Job before God and, after God gave His permission, Satan could scarcely then wait to tempt Job. Not long after, the news that Job’s livestock had been stolen, that his servants were slain, and that his ten children had all lost their lives came thick and fast. In an instant, Job went from having everything to having nothing. We can imagine how dreadful it must have been, and no one would have been able to endure it, no matter who they were. And yet Job behaved very calmly; he did not panic and he did not send anyone off to recover his stolen property. Instead, he “arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped.” The calmness he exhibited was completely unanticipated. God’s words say: “Job was very calm and clear-headed then. His perfect and upright humanity enabled him to rationally and naturally make accurate judgments and decisions about the disasters that had befallen him, and in consequence, he behaved with unusual calm: ‘Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down on the ground, and worshipped.’ ‘Rent his mantle’ means that he was unclothed, and possessed of nothing; ‘shaved his head’ means he had returned before God as a newborn infant; ‘fell down on the ground, and worshipped’ means he had come into the world naked, and still without anything today, he was returned to God as a newborn baby. Job’s attitude toward all that befell him could not have been achieved by any creature of God. His faith in Jehovah God went beyond the realm of belief; this was his fear of God, and obedience to God, and he was not only able to give thanks to God for giving to him, but also for taking from him. What’s more, he was able to take it upon himself to return all that he owned, including his life” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II”). “Though he did not see God, he realized that God truly existed, and because of this realization he feared God—and due to his fear of God, he was able to obey God. He gave God free rein to take whatever he had, yet he was without complaint, and fell down before God and told Him that, at this very moment, even if God took his flesh, he would gladly allow Him to do so, without complaint. His entire conduct was due to his perfect and upright humanity. Which is to say, as a result of his innocence, honesty, and kindness, Job was unwavering in his realization and experience of God’s existence, and upon this foundation he made demands of himself and standardized his thinking, behavior, conduct and principles of actions before God in accordance with God’s guidance of him and the deeds of God that he had seen among all things. Over time, his experiences caused in him a real and actual fear of God and made him shun evil. This was the source of the integrity to which Job held firm” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II”). https://reurl.cc/RDWv6

Faced with such great trials, Job did not complain, but was able to prostrate himself on the ground and praise the holy name of Jehovah, and he submitted to the fact that God had taken everything away from him—this was a manifestation of Job’s fear of God. Job’s character was upright, honest, pure and good. In the people, events and things he encountered every day, he sought to understand God’s sovereignty and he walked the path of fearing God and shunning evil. Throughout Job’s decades of experience, though Jehovah God never appeared to him, Job truly witnessed God’s sovereignty and deeds and he became even more sure about the real existence of God, and thus there arose in him a God-fearing heart. He also understood that the wealth, property and children he had in his life had all been given to him by God, and man himself could never obtain such things with his own efforts if God did not choose to bestow them upon him. Therefore, when Job’s property was stolen and his children met their unfortunate demise, he knew very clearly in his heart that this was God’s trial that had befallen him, and his sense of rationality told him that everything he possessed had come from God, that God had the right to both give and take away and that, as one of God’s creations, he absolutely must not blame God, speak sinfully or displease God. Instead, he knew that he should submit to God’s orchestrations and arrangements with a God-fearing heart. Ultimately, in his suffering, Job said, “Jehovah gave, and Jehovah has taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah” (Job 1: 21), and he stood firm in his testimony to God.

3. Job Had a God-fearing Heart and He Rebuked His Wife—He Knew Clearly What to Love and What to Hate, and He Possessed a Sense of Justice

After Job’s whole body broke out in painful boils, Satan once again tried to tempt Job by means of his own wife. As it says in the Bible: “Then said his wife to him, Do you still retain your integrity? curse God, and die. But he said to her, You speak as one of the foolish women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:9–10). Confronted by his wife’s urging, why did Job rebuke her so sternly? https://reurl.cc/RDWv6

God’s words say, “Seeing the torment he was suffering, Job’s wife tried to advise Job to help him escape his torment—yet the ‘good intentions’ did not gain Job’s approval; instead, they stirred his anger, for she denied his faith in, and obedience to Jehovah God, and also denied the existence of Jehovah God. This was intolerable to Job, for he had never allowed himself to do anything that opposed or hurt God, to say nothing of others. How could he remain indifferent when he saw others speak words that blasphemed against and insulted God? Thus he called his wife a ‘foolish woman.’ Job’s attitude toward his wife was one of anger and hate, as well as reproach and reprimand. This was the natural expression of Job’s humanity of differentiating between love and hate, and was a true representation of his upright humanity. Job was possessed of a sense of justice—one which made him hate the winds and tides of wickedness, and loathe, condemn, and reject absurd heresy, ridiculous arguments, and ludicrous assertions, and allowed him to hold true to his own, correct principles and stance when he had been rejected by the masses and deserted by those who were close to him” (“God’s Work, God’s Disposition, and God Himself II”). God is the truth, the way and the life and He represents all positive things; all things that deny God or resist God pertain to Satan and are negative things. Job feared God and shunned evil and he loved positive things. He was utterly upright, he could differentiate between love and hate and God took the uppermost place in his heart. He could not tolerate anyone denying God, judging God or blaspheming against God, and whenever he saw someone denying God, there arose loathing in his heart, and his own family was no exception. He still had to hold fast to the way of fearing God and shunning evil, stand on the side of justice and truth, and not be afraid of displeasing anyone. Therefore, when his wife asked him to abandon God and deny God’s righteousness, Job did not let his feelings for his wife sway him in any way, but instead coldly rebuked his wife for being a foolish woman. By doing so, he once again overcame the temptation of Satan and he stood firm in his testimony to God.

兒子，媽媽該如何保護你

河南省　小朱

我有一個六歲的兒子，他聰明伶俐，活潑可愛，給我們這個家帶來了很多歡樂。兒子最喜歡看動畫片，我就給他買了各種類型的成套動畫片光盤。看著兒子看動畫片時高興的樣子，我也非常開心。可令我想不到的是，兒子因看動畫片做出了一個驚人的舉動，使我的心像是被針扎一般，久久不能平靜…… https://reurl.cc/6k7bO

兒子模仿動漫人物　我心生憂慮

一天早飯後，我坐在床上縫衣服，兒子在我旁邊玩玩具。不知什麼時候兒子披上一條浴巾，興奮地對我說：「媽媽，你看我像不像超人？」看著兒子天真可愛的樣子，我笑了笑，低下頭接著幹活。兒子披著浴巾在床上跑來跑去，嘴裡不停地喊著：「飛了，飛了，怪獸別跑，我是超人，我要打敗你。」不一會兒，兒子忽然大喊了一聲「哈」，我趕忙抬頭看向兒子，只見他縱身往上猛躥一下，「撲騰」一聲摔倒在地。那一刻我矇了，兒子這是幹什麼？我趕緊跑到兒子身邊，他也從地上爬了起來，雙手緊緊地抱住腳，咧著嘴，眼睛裡含滿了淚水，看著我不敢吭聲。我心疼地擦著兒子的眼淚，著急地問道：「浩浩，你這是幹什麼呀？怎麼突然往下跳呢？」兒子用手拽了拽身上的浴巾，天真地說：「媽媽，原來這不是降落傘啊！」這時我才知道，原來兒子是在模仿動畫片裡的超人飛，我既心疼又生氣，對他訓斥道：「你傻呀，這就是一塊浴巾，怎麼會是降落傘呢！」兒子吞吞吐吐、一臉委屈地說：「超人也是披這個，他都可以飛，還有熊大熊二也會飛，為什麼我不會飛？媽媽，是不是從高處往下跳才可以飛起來呀？」看著兒子滿臉稚氣的樣子，我心疼得不想再訓斥他，就把他抱在懷裡，邊給他按摩疼痛的腿，邊給他談那些都是假的……

過後，我想起前段時間在網上看的幾則小孩模仿動畫片中的人物從高空往下跳，結果慘遭不幸的新聞：

2013年，深圳市一名幾歲的小孩拿著雨傘從幾層高的樓上往下跳，以為這樣可以飛，結果造成全身多處嚴重受傷，差點喪命；2016年，河北省一名幾歲的小孩模仿動畫片裡的飛人，拿著雨傘當降落傘，從十多層的樓上跳了下去，當場死亡；2017年，湖南省一名幾歲的小女孩從樓頂上跳了下去，當場喪命……

想到這些事件，我有些不解：「好好的孩子為什麼看了動畫片後思想變得不正常，變得走極端呢？」同時，我心裡也滿了對兒子的擔憂：「現在兒子可以通過電視、DVD光盤、電腦等各種途徑看動畫片，就連大街上都有各種動漫人物的宣傳片，甚至一些童裝上、學習用具上也都印著超人的圖案，這些東西幾乎遍佈我們生活的每一個角落。兒子年齡小，思想不成熟，每天都受這些東西的影響、薰陶，腦子裡充斥了大量的神奇莫測的事情，於是就開始模仿超人飛，還問我是不是從高處才能飛起來，如果長期這樣下去，兒子不也得像那些新聞中的小孩一樣，做出一些極端的事啊！要真是那樣的話，我該怎麼辦？我怎麼做才能保護好兒子呢？」

神話語揭示　看透動畫片背後隱藏的毒汁

第二天晚上，我看到神的話說：「當你們看完一些超級英雄電影、魔幻電影後，你們是不是也想像電影裡的主人公一樣擁有超凡的能力？有沒有這樣的願望啊？（有。）那有這樣的願望算不算中毒呢？這個毒好不好清出去呀？你要是不看這些電影，能不能中那個毒呢？就不能了。你們看了，就中毒了。我說這話是什麼意思呢？就是你在那樣的環境裡，在你身量還幼小的時候，你沒分辨的時候，你就能先入為主把那些邪惡潮流的東西當成正面的，當成很正常、很正當的一個事情，『為什麼我不能模仿模仿？為什麼我不能有那樣的願望？這是很正常的』。這是撒但毒害人的一種方式，你說撒但邪惡不邪惡？撒但敗壞人真是多種方式啊。可以說，凡是看過這類電影的人都有這樣的願望。」（摘自《信神應首先看透世界邪惡潮流》）「這不得不說是受一定的思潮影響，受一些影視作品的影響，這些東西不是人心靈裡的，是引導人走向邪惡潮流的東西。人傻乎乎的沒分辨，正好心裡喜歡這些東西，喜歡詭異的、刺激的、撒但的那些異能，人追求這些東西，然後把它定義為『我喜歡英雄，蜘蛛俠、蝙蝠俠不都是英雄嗎？』這個人真有那兩下子嗎？沒那兩下子。撒但是用這種方式來演繹、編造、虛構一些故事，就迷惑這些傻乎乎、沒有頭腦的青少年。你們有沒有受點影響呢？（受影響了。）那這個毒容不容易往外清啊？你一旦受了影響，這些東西進到你的思想裡就成一種毒素了，這種毒素只要你不識破它，你就不能完全放棄它。你一天受它的影響，你就一天受它攪擾，受它控制……」（摘自《信神應首先看透世界邪惡潮流》）https://reurl.cc/6k7bO

 

看了神的話我才明白，原來造成悲劇發生的幕後黑手竟是撒但。撒但抓住我們追求刺激，想做超人、偉人、大俠的心理，虛構、編造了各種影視、動漫，杜撰一些能飛上高空、跳下懸崖都安然無恙的有特異功能的人物來迷惑我們，侵蝕、毒害我們的思想。這些神乎其神的鏡頭看多了，我們的心靈深處就會產生一種幻想、願望，盼望自己有一天也能像超人、飛俠一樣，成為脫俗超凡、與眾不同的偉人、英雄。因此不少人對超人、飛俠由羨慕、崇拜到模仿，完全陷入了虛擬的世界裡，把這些當成正面事物去追求。特別是那些懵懂、天真的未成年孩子，他們的思想還不成熟，對各種事物沒有什麼認知，對世界充滿了好奇，缺乏分辨能力，當他們看了這些虛構的影視劇和動畫片後，虛構人物的超然姿勢和動作就深深地印在腦海裡，他們覺得這些動作特別酷，就想要去模仿，結果在現實生活中上演了一個又一個悲劇。就像新聞中報道的那些小孩一樣，為了模仿超人、飛俠從高處往下跳，結果不是身殘就是身亡，給自己的身體帶來傷害甚至失去了性命，也使他們的父母、親人陷入悲痛中。今天是神的看顧保守，兒子只是從床上跳到地板上，如果是從樓上跳下去恐怕後果就不堪設想了。https://reurl.cc/6k7bO

明白這些後，我心中不由得一驚，看到撒但毒害人、敗壞人可謂是無孔不入，外表上我們只是看一些虛幻的影視劇和各種動漫，事實上撒但卻藉著這些影片把各種荒唐、極端的思想灌輸給了我們，使我們誤以為這些東西是對的、是正當的，就這樣，我們在不知不覺中被它一步步迷惑、引誘，最終被它殘害、吞吃。要不是神的話把撒但敗壞人的手段、方式揭示出來，有誰能看透這些悲劇發生的根源呢？又有誰能看清這些動畫片背後隱藏著撒但的險惡用心呢？

明白神的心意　教育兒子有路途

後來，我又看到神的話說：「首先，你得認識到邪惡的東西有哪些，它的危害是什麼，撒但為什麼這麼做，人接受了這些東西裡面會有哪些改變，會中哪些毒，人會變成什麼，神要求人做什麼樣的人，哪些是正常人性，哪些是正面的，哪些是反面的……」（摘自《信神應首先看透世界邪惡潮流》）「神造了人是把人放在了地上，讓人吃喝拉撒一切正常，生活有規律，學習做人的常識，學習怎麼做人、怎麼生活、怎麼敬拜神，神沒給人安翅膀，沒讓人在半空中呆著。帶翅膀的那是鳥，在半空中遊蕩的那是撒但，是邪靈污鬼，那不是人！人如果總有這樣的野心，總想把自己變得脫俗超群，變得與別人不一樣，變得另類，這就要麻煩！」（摘自《進入信神正軌具備的五方面情形》）

揣摩著神的話我明白了神的心意，神造了人類，給了我們氣息，也賜給我們陽光明、空氣、雨露，還有我們的衣食住行以及生活所需的一切，就是希望我們能在地上正常地生活，從事正常人的一切活動，學習人該具備的常識、規矩，如：怎麼與人正常相處，怎麼敬拜神、順服神，怎麼做誠實人，追求真理達到敬畏神遠離惡，活出正常人性見證神，等等。而各種飛鳥，神賦予了牠們飛的功能，各種走獸，神賦予了牠們爬行、跑、跳的功能。但不管是人還是各種飛禽走獸，神都賜予不同的本能及生存方式，我們只要按著神命定的規律活著，就能正常地繁衍生息，若是違背了神命定的規律，那必定會給自己帶來嚴重後果。就像海裡的魚，如果非要到陸地上生存，很快就會死亡；空中的飛鳥，如果飛進海裡生存，也會因無法呼吸而死亡。同樣，我們如果違背神的命定，一味地模仿動畫片、影視劇裡的人物飛天入地，那只能像新聞報道中的那些孩子一樣，不是殘廢就是喪生，後果真是不堪設想。我們要想蒙神保守、遠離撒但的殘害，就應按照神的要求做人，守住受造之物的本位，順服神的主宰，按著神命定的規律活著，敬畏神遠離惡，這才是我們該追求的正確目標。從神的話中我找到了教育兒子的路途，我願意根據神的話引導兒子長分辨，只有對來自撒但的反面事物有分辨了，明白了神希望人怎麼生活，人該追求什麼，才能逐漸擺脫那些虛幻的東西，擺脫撒但的殘害。https://reurl.cc/6k7bO

 

真心依靠神　心中憂慮全放下

之後，我每天都把兒子模仿超人、飛俠的事帶到神面前禱告：「神啊！我兒子模仿動畫片裡的人物動作，這都是因著我沒分辨，一味地滿足兒子看動畫片的要求，不會從正面教育兒子導致的。神啊！現在我認識到問題的嚴重性，看到撒但吞吃人的險惡用心，願意從心裡扭轉。神啊！我兒子中毒很深，我願依靠你教育他，求你帶領引導我……」接下來，我常常耐心地給兒子談：「動畫片裡的動作不可模仿，那些都是假的！大人、小孩都沒翅膀是不會飛的，大熊、老虎、獅子、斑馬也沒長翅膀，牠們也不會飛，只有帶翅膀的小鳥會飛。以後你可別模仿動畫片裡的超人，聽見了嗎？」兒子「嗯」了一聲，說：「知道了。」但從兒子疑惑的眼神中，我知道撒但種下的毒瘤還在束縛著兒子，他幼小的心靈意識不到追求這些會給他帶來什麼樣的後果。有時兒子嘴裡還會不停地說：「怪獸，我要打敗你，我是奧特曼……」甚至有時他還會把我當怪獸狠勁地用拳頭打。看到兒子中毒這麼深，我知道自己沒辦法改變他，只有神能改變他，於是我依舊每天把他向神禱告交託。

大約過了十多天，兒子又在動畫片中看到熊大熊二穿過樹林從懸崖上跳下來學飛的一幕，我正想教育他，誰知還沒等我開口，兒子就說：「媽媽，這些都是假的，對吧？人要是這樣飛會摔死的，我不要這樣。」聽兒子這麼一說，我很高興，對神也充滿了感激，我知道這不是兒子突然長大了，而是神的奇妙作為。又過了一段時間，我發現兒子再也沒有這些異常舉動了。https://reurl.cc/6k7bO

 

體嘗神愛　感謝神恩

藉著這次經歷，我看到如果沒有神話語的帶領、引導，我根本看不透撒但是用什麼詭計和方式敗壞我們人類的，也不知道撒但的險惡用心是什麼，更不知道該如何教育兒子免於撒但的殘害。經歷過後我真實體會到，撒但所做的一切都是為了敗壞、吞吃我們，只有神對我們是愛，是拯救，神發表話語帶領引導我們，使我們明白真理，對正反面事物有了分辨，同時也明白神的心意與要求，找到正確的追求方向，我們只有來到神面前，按照神的話生活，才能蒙神的看顧保守，免遭撒但的殘害。而且我也體會到，父母是保護不了兒女的，因為人實在是太渺小了，只有把兒女向神交託，帶領孩子明白真理，得到神的看顧保守，才能免去撒但的苦害。正如神的話說：「神說的話語在表面上來看無論是淺顯還是深奧，都是人生命進入必備的真理，是人的心靈與肉體得以存活下去的活水泉源，他供應人活著的所需，供應人日常做人的法則與信條……他飽含受造人類活出正常人性的真理實際，飽含人類脫離敗壞、走出撒但網羅的真理，飽含造物主對受造人類的諄諄教導、勸勉、鼓勵與安慰，他是引導開啟人明白一切正面事物的指路明燈，是人得以活出與擁有一切正義與美善事物的保障，是衡量一切人、事、物的準則，也是帶領人蒙拯救、走向光明路的航標。」（摘自《認識神是達到敬畏神遠離惡的途徑》）