We are social beings, and interacting with people is an indispensable part of life. The most important aspect of dealing with people is being able to communicate effectively. Are you truly eloquent? Do you aspire to become someone who can speak well? Today, let Pastor Liu lead us in training our speaking abilities to become articulate and persuasive individuals!

Reflecting on Key Questions

• Did the words of Job's three friends build up his faith?

• Based on this chapter, how do you approach reading the Bible?

• Through what means does the devil deceive people? How can one resist the enticements of the devil?

The Deceptive Nature of Things

After reading the Book of Job, you may feel perplexed. What were those three friends doing?

The Bible contains passages that are difficult to understand, with Satan, God, Job, and Job's three friends all speaking. While the words of Satan are not recorded in the Book of Job, his enticements to Eve are documented in the Scriptures, as are his temptations of Jesus. If you treat Satan's words as truth, that is a mistake.

What were Job and his three friends doing? As we read Job chapters 15-17, we find it quite interesting that all four were engaged in one activity: speaking. Communication can be very deceptive and easily mislead. Sometimes, after a conversation with someone, you may find your thoughts inexplicably confused. Of course, there are also people with whom, after talking, you feel particularly clear and enlightened.

We can see that words transmit a spirit: the words of God are spirit and life; the words of the devil are also spirit, but they corrupt.

For in many dreams and many words there is also vanity. But fear God. (Ecclesiastes 5:7)

The Bible tells us that many words and many dreams are full of vanity, so we must recognize that God can give you dreams, and the devil can also give you dreams, but much of it is illusory. God can release information to you, and the devil can also release information, but the devil's information is always excessive.

Practicing God's Word is Faith

What else do we discover today as we read the Book of Job? They are all arguing, and only talking and not doing. You will find that Job's three friends never gave him any encouragement, which is why God disliked them, wanting them to repent. However, there is still some faith in Job's words, because without faith it is impossible to please God, so today we must be people of faith. God is a God full of grace and mercy, abounding in love and power, willing to give us all things, if only you believe.

Job believed that in the end he would stand before God, because he walked in fear of God and had faith in Him. Today, we often find that many reasonable things can be deceptive, and many things that seem right can be misleading. The only difference between a true prophet and a false prophet is a slight one, and the same is true for genuine currency and counterfeit currency—only a tiny difference determines the authenticity of something. And false prophets and deceptive things are usually found in the church, which is why I want to lead everyone on the path of walking in the word of God.

Be a Person of Wisdom

We often find that arguing about something for a long time is useless. If you think it is useful, then you have been deceived. To use a common example: a bag of poison and a cup of tea with poison added. A bag of poison alone cannot deceive anyone, but when added to tea, it becomes deceptive, and people die from drinking it.

We must be wise, and this wisdom must come through prayer. The Spirit of God is not by your wisdom, but by the Spirit of God that things are accomplished. Truth exists in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and if you can digest all that Jesus Christ and Paul taught, you will be a wise person. If you can practice the word of God, you will not be easily deceived.

There are many spiritual principles in the Bible that sound different from worldly principles: But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. (Matthew 5:39-40) These don't sound like reasonable principles, but they give life, and that is the key to truth.

Methods of Bible Reading

Establish a Complete System

First and foremost, when reading the Bible, you must establish a complete system. If you have not established a complete faith system, you will be very disoriented because you are just filled with fragmented content that has not formed a comprehensive whole. It's like constructing a building; if you see not a beautiful edifice, but a pile of scattered materials, you will be confused and not know where to start.

So what is a system? A foundation is a foundation, a pillar is a pillar, and you are very clear about what role each part plays. For example, in building a house, pillars are vital supports. We must learn to construct a complete faith system; even if the details are not perfect, if we grasp the foundation and the most important supports, the pillars, we can continue to build on this foundation.

Don't get caught up in the minutiae. Many people like to look at the details without seeing the whole picture; the Pharisees are like this, and such people are dangerous. Today, I want to teach everyone to look at the whole while also looking at the details—grasp the whole first, then grasp the details. After all, no one starts decorating the house before it is built and the foundation is secure, because that is ridiculous.

Prioritize

When reading the Bible, it is essential to distinguish between primary and secondary and prioritize. If you have not yet established a system, I recommend participating in the church's writing ministry. You can do editing, re-planning, and as you organize it repeatedly, it will become systematic.

Practice the Word of God

If you listen to a little knowledge every day, it's like having a pile of building materials in your brain, so you have to start doing something. To use a simple analogy, if you take an exam right after class, the result may be a failing grade, but if you study hard and master all the content, you should pass and maybe even get a high score. The key is not listening, but learning and practicing. If you really understand, you will definitely do it, and when you do it, you will understand.

Today, some of us have received healing and deliverance. After personally experiencing it, you will know that if the person you serve is delivered, you will understand spiritual things. So we must serve and practice. First, you practice on yourself, and when you practice on others, that is service. This process is very important.

Watch What People Do, Not What They Say

Jesus Christ has a unique characteristic: He both said and did, but the Pharisees only said and did not do. Which one would you choose? Never imitate the Pharisees, because they have no practice, and their inner state is chaotic. Relying on listening, speaking, and arguing are all deceptive, and the way to read the Bible is not through listening, speaking, or arguing.

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)

Those who put into practice the words of God are wise, and I hope that you will all be wise. When we read the Bible, we must learn to think about what we need to do and how to do it. The mysteries belong to the Lord God, and what we can do, we should do. Read the word of God and do it, and the more we do, the better we become.

Do not waver, believe that you will receive, and if you ask, believe and do not doubt. (James 1:6-8)

So faith is very important. Hear the word of God and do it; it is not enough to just hear the word and not do it. Do what is before you, read and then do. Keep things simple. If you don't know what to do after listening, then you have fallen into deception.

How Does the Devil Deceive People?

The devil's methods of deception are particularly powerful; he uses the words of the Bible to deceive people.

If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Matthew 4:6)

If your faith is not strong enough, has not formed a complete system, and you do not know the order of priority, you will quickly fall into deception. But if you read the Bible and then put it into practice, you can quickly realize that these words are wrong, because you are a doer of the word. If you jump down, it is not doing the word but martyrdom.

Jesus also responded with words from the Bible, but he never put the cart before the horse. He was very clear about his priority, so he gave the example of David being hungry and taking the consecrated bread offered to God to eat. There is no doubt that he sinned, but he needed food while he was in flight, and he understood that God would not condemn him for this reason, so Jesus did not condemn him either, but the Pharisees thought this was inappropriate (Luke 6:3-5).

There are many such examples in the Bible: for example, Tamar and her father-in-law had a child, who became a member of Jesus' genealogy, something you will never be able to understand (Genesis 38:13-30). For example, Jacob had great faith and wanted to be a blessing to all nations on earth, so he tricked his brother to get the birthright (Genesis 27:18-30). So many people say in their preaching that Jacob tricked people and was also tricked, but I do not agree with this, because you will think that Jacob tricked people, so how can I imitate Jacob? The Bible does not intend for us to imitate his lying but to imitate his faith. Without faith, it is impossible to please God.

The Pharisees often put the cart before the horse, so they became a brood of vipers, the descendants of Satan. Not only did they not listen to Jesus' words, but they also crucified Him. There are many among us who often put the cart before the horse, treating the unimportant as important and abandoning what is important. For example, many people see my faults and therefore ignore the great faith within me. But when you come to me with your problems, I rarely condemn you. First, I will share my faith with you, and then you will find that your problem seems to be getting smaller, and then you will begin to be released in prayer.

In Revelation, the ancient serpent is the great dragon, the one who deceives the nations (Revelation 12:9). Job's three friends and the Pharisees were all deceived, only talking about principles, and they thought they were serving God while doing what was evil in God's eyes. So the devil deceives people by talking about principles. Do not be a person who only talks about principles, but be a person who does the word.

How to Avoid Being Deceived

Grasp the Foundation

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17)

Our faith is the foundation, not love. It is of utmost importance that we build love upon faith. Therefore, Peter said: We have been given exceedingly great and precious promises. We must first enter into faith, and then knowledge, patience, and love. If the foundation is wrong, everything will be destroyed.

Praying in the Spirit

Most importantly: it is not that you will enter into truth after reading the Bible, but that the Holy Spirit, through prayer, leads you into truth.

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)

Two things are mentioned here: First, prayer will bring revelation. Second, you will overcome the weakness of the flesh. What kind of prayer can lead us into truth? It is praying in the Spirit. Therefore, we must pray in the spirit and also with our understanding.

The Christian faith is not a weak faith; it is not just about道理 (principles). Although the道理 (principles) of Christianity may not sound like 道理 (principles), it contains the power to overcome the weakness of the flesh, and our flesh loves 道理 (principles). We often walk according to right and wrong, not according to life, so we must pray and be spiritual people. A spiritual person understands all things.

Practice God's Word

How do we practice God's Word? First, we must not speculate or be opinionated. The education we received in China makes us dislike straightforward things. For example, if I ask you to do something, the other person often gives an ambiguous answer: Let's see. Our implicit culture is like that, so we can only guess, and then we quickly fall into deception. We think we are right, but often we are wrong. So we must act and then speak.

Resist the Devil with Faith

We must have absolute faith in God, because your faith can release God's omnipotence. Relying on God's omnipotence, we can certainly resist the devil.

Scripture:

Job 15:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
Job 15:2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind?
Job 15:3 Would they argue with useless talk, with words that have no value?
Job 15:4 But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God.
Job 15:5 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty.
Job 15:6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you.
Job 15:7 “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?
Job 15:8 Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?
Job 15:9 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have?
Job 15:10 The gray-haired and the elderly are among us, those who are much older than your father.
Job 15:11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you?
Job 15:12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash,
Job 15:13 so that you vent your rage against God and pour out a stream of words from your mouth?
Job 15:14 “What is mankind, that they may be pure, or those born of a woman, that they may be righteous?
Job 15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes,
Job 15:16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink iniquity like water!
Job 15:17 “Listen to me; let me show you, and I will tell you what I have seen—
Job 15:18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors
Job 15:19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigner passed among them)—
Job 15:20 all their days the wicked writhe in torment, the ruthless through all the years stored up for them.
Job 15:21 Terrifying sounds fill their ears; when all seems well, marauders attack them.
Job 15:22 They despair of escaping the realm of darkness; they are marked for the sword.
Job 15:23 They wander about—food for vultures; they know the day of darkness is at hand.
Job 15:24 Distress and anguish fill them with terror; they overwhelm them, like a king poised to attack,
Job 15:25 because they shake their fists at God and strike out against the Almighty,
Job 15:26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield.
Job 15:27 “Though their faces are covered with fat and their waists bulge with flesh,
Job 15:28 they will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to dust.
Job 15:29 They will no longer be rich and their wealth will not endure, nor will their possessions spread over the land.
Job 15:30 They will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither their shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry them away.
Job 15:31 Let them not deceive themselves by trusting in empty riches, for it will not avail them.
Job 15:32 Before their time they will be paid in full, and their branches will not flourish.
Job 15:33 They will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms.
Job 15:34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes.
Job 15:35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit.”
Job 16:1 Then Job replied:
Job 16:2 “I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you!
Job 16:3 Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing?
Job 16:4 I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you.
Job 16:5 But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would relieve your pain.
Job 16:6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, what does it profit me?
Job 16:7 Surely God has worn me out; he has devastated my entire family.
Job 16:8 You have bound me—and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me.
Job 16:9 God has torn me in his wrath and worried me; he has gnashed his teeth at me; my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes.
Job 16:10 People mock me and slap my face; they all gather together against me.
Job 16:11 God has turned me over to the lawless and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked.
Job 16:12 All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target;
Job 16:13 his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground.
Job 16:14 Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior.
Job 16:15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and have buried my brow in the dust.
Job 16:16 My face is red with weeping, deep shadows ring my eyes;
Job 16:17 yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.
Job 16:18 “Earth, do not cover up my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest!
Job 16:19 Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high.
Job 16:20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God;
Job 16:21 on behalf of a mortal he pleads with God as a person pleads for a friend.
Job 16:22 “In a few years I will go on a journey from which I will never return.
Job 17:1 My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me.
Job 17:2 Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility.
Job 17:3 “Give me, O God, some pledge; put up security for me with yourself. Who else will guarantee my integrity?
Job 17:4 You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not exalt them.
Job 17:5 If someone denounces friends for reward, the eyes of their children will fail.
Job 17:6 “God has made me a byword to everyone, a person in whose face people spit.
Job 17:7 My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow.
Job 17:8 Upright people are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.
Job 17:9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger.
Job 17:10 “But come now, all of you, try again! Can I not find a wise person among you?
Job 17:11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered, and so are the desires of my heart.
Job 17:12 These people turn night into day; in the face of darkness they say, ‘Light is near.’
Job 17:13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness,
Job 17:14 if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’
Job 17:15 where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?
Job 17:16 Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?”