Refusing to sin amid the world’s influences

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. — Job 1:22

The world around us is filled with sin. That statement in itself should not really surprise anyone. Sin runs rampant across the internet, across our televisions, throughout our communities, across our workplaces, and even into the homes that we live in.

So many times we find ourselves falling into sin because of the effects of the things that go on around us. A close friend may slip into sin and we find ourselves tempted to join them. Or perhaps it’s a family member, such as a spouse or a child, and we find ourselves tempted to try and protect them or to help cover their sin. It can be at work, school, or many other places that we go. Sin is present and the temptation to sin is real.

But with all that is going on around us, as Christians, we have something greater within us than anything that Satan can attack us with. That could not be more evident than in the story of Job. Job lost everything that he had. It seemed to happen so quickly, too. Messengers came and said he lost all of his animals. He had three thousand camels, five hundred donkeys, and five hundred oxen. That was a big loss in itself.

Another came and said that he lost all ten of his children, seven sons and three daughters. If losing his animals was not enough, he lost all of his children at one time. It would be bad enough to lose one, but he lost them all.

If anyone should have been overwhelmed with his situation, it should have been Job. Satan even said that he just knew that Job would sin if he were put to the test. Instead, in verse 21 Job said, “the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” We are told that through it all, Job never sinned.

It is possible to face the trials of life and still maintain our composure. It is possible to go through life with influences around us and stay faithful to God without sin. That is not to say it is easy, but we have to keep the mindset of Job that the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. In all things, blessed be the name of the Lord.