Bill Winston - Rising To The Top, Part 2
Job, here he was. "He had three daughters and seven sons". Then it says "And His sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. 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". All right, this is where we take off, right here.
Now, what was happening with Job with this? Now his kids were obviously not showing the same reverence to God as he was, which is probably in many cases today. Lets see how Job handled this, because this is a teaching for us. The Bible says that the Word of God is profitable for instruction in righteousness. We're going to look at this and see a mistake perhaps that Job made that we're not going to make. Now in this Job did this continually. Understand what was after Job, the devil. The devil was after Job because Job was the richest man in the east. If this kept multiplying he was going to be the richest man in the east and the west.
You see, he's going to have more influence. The enemy has got to stop his rise, like he tried to stop Joseph's rise. If you hang onto the blessing and have confidence in what God said this blessing will do for you, that this blessing will turn your mourning into joy, into dancing... All right, so what happened? Now Satan has got Job offering this every day. What is Job getting into as he's sacrificing every day in praying for these kids? He's getting into worry. Lets look up a couple of scriptures. Lets look over here at Matthew's gospel please. Matthew six and verse 25: "Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life", stop. Lets look at that same scripture in another translation please. "This is why I tell you not to worry about every day life," not to worry. He's telling them don't worry about a thing. Don't worry about this every day life. Now that's for you.
Lets go to another scripture. Lets go to Philippians chapter four, verse six. Over in Philippians chapter four, verse six he says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known unto God". Now, lets take that scripture and put it up there in the Good News Bible or Living Bible Translation. "Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything". Right there, don't worry about what? Anything. But suppose it's the kids, Lord. Don't worry about anything.
Now if I violate the commands of God I won't get something. Look what he says in Deuteronomy chapter 28. "It shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth:" watch this, "And all these blessings shall come on you, and"... Overtake thee. "If thou shalt hearken unto the voice". Well his voice just told you something. Don't worry about anything. I don't care how serious it is. I don't care what the doctor just said. I don't care what your checkbook just said. I don't care if you just missed the airplane. I don't care what ever it is, don't worry.
Can't you see that if you worry about something you just violated the terms of the blessing, and now the blessing is cut short in your life and where you will be delivered, because the blessing promises and guarantees you that, now the blessing is not working and you stay in the situation that you're in and wonder where is the Lord. The Lord is on the outside of your worry. I'm just saying, if you'll stop worrying you'll see the Lord show up. Look what he says in First Peter, chapter five and starting here at verse six. I'll start right there. He says, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God", under the Word of God. Whatever the Word of God says, get under it. Praise God. It doesn't make any difference if it makes sense or not.
You see, what people think is that worry is being responsible. I beg to differ. Worry is irresponsible. It's irresponsible because you think that money is going to come in if you can worry. Your worry separates you from the power of the blessing, and that money is going to stay right out there. What you're supposed to do is instead of worrying pray about it and then take verse seven, "casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you". Look at the next part, verse eight. "Be sober now and be vigilant; for your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, he's walking around, seeking whom he may devour: Whom you resist steadfast", how? "In the faith".
See, you got to resist him by faith. You got to say it and believe what you said is going to come to pass. My God shall supply all my need. My expectation is only from him. Look what he says in Psalm chapter 62 in verse five. I'm talking about all this is you now, and you got to know. "My soul, wait only upon God; for my expectation is"... From him. Hey, God is going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Abraham, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Sarah, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Joseph, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Gideon, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Esther, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Ruth, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Nehemiah, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Jeremiah, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Peter, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Paul, he's going to deliver me. Just like he delivered Jesus, he's going to deliver me. Are you in a pit? I got news for you. Deliverance is on the way. Rejoice. Glory to God. Sit down.
Now, you don't need to worry. The blessing knows what to do. God has prepared your deliverance before you got in that mess. You got to make room for God. You do that when you don't worry. Isn't this wonderful? Here's Job. Now Job had been worrying and so forth. What happened? Here comes the devil. Satan now comes to God and God said to Satan in verse eight, "And the Lord said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job, there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil"?, stays away from evil. "Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Does Job fear you for nought? Have you not made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his substance has increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch that he hath, and he's going to curse you to your face'. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in your power; only upon himself put not forth your hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord".
Now this is where some people say that God sicked Satan on Job. You know what I mean by that, like sick a dog on somebody. No. What you saw was God telling the truth. He won't lie even to Satan about you. Satan came up and inquired, and he told him the truth. Now what am I saying next? Next Satan came in on Job because he saw the hedge was down in his life. He began to attack him. Now as he began to attack him, he attacked him and took away some things. Job had a very prosperous life. He reverenced God and he had a beautiful family. He had a nice business, big business. He was respectable in the community. I mean everything, he was blessed. When Satan came in on him, he wiped him out.
Look at Job, chapter two if you will at verse seven. "And Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord and smote Job with sore boils form the sole of his foot to his crown". Satan did that, Satan brought that pneumonia, Satan brought that. He talks about over in Luke chapter 13, Jesus said wait a minute, "Should not this woman be loosed who Satan has bound, lo these 18 or 13 years," whatever it was. I'm saying Satan does that. See? Some people think God put Satan on him. Hey, Satan is self employed. God is not employing Satan to do nothing. God teaches you by his Word, not by the devil beating you and kicking you all over town. He teaches you through his Word. Say Amen to that.
All right, so then next thing you know, look at Satan now. He's even talking to Job's wife. Verse nine, "Then said his wife unto him, Do you still retain your integrity? Why don't you curse God, and die"? What is happening here? This is where Satan is using everything possible to stop Job. He has used destroying his business, destroying his cattle, destroying his children because he said Job is only serving you because of what you can give him. Say amen to this. God knew that wasn't the case. What you got to do is understand that, wait a minute, God is going to have you, Lord have mercy, God is raising you up. In that raising up, Satan tries to come in on a weak side to try to stop your rise.
In Job chapter eight in verse seven, "Though your beginning be small, your latter end is going to greatly increase". Now this should happen to you. If it's not happening to you, somewhere you're opening a door here for Satan to keep you where you're at. Say amen to that. Now if you mess up, fess up and get up. You see, he knows you might mess up here or mess up there. Fess it up. Once you fess it up he forgives you. He wipes it clean so you can start again. See, Satan don't want you to fess up. Satan wants you to be full of pride, "Oh I ain't done nothing". Yet something happened because God doesn't change. What he said in here about Abraham, he said about you. What he said and did for Bill Winston, he's going to do for you. We came here with $200 and now we're broadcasting to 800,000,000 households. You explain that. I can tell you how you can explain it.
The blessing of Abraham is on this man's life. That same blessing is on you, and it's where you should be right now. Glory to God in heaven. What am I saying to you? Here is Job, now he's trying to discover what he did. Look what Satan did, he closed in on him with fear in Job chapter three, verse 25. "For the thing which I greatly feared has come upon me, and that which I was afraid of has come to me". Now what was he doing here? This fear had built up such that even when Job was sacrificing, he was sacrificing in fear. You can do the same thing with the Word of God. You have not taken the time to put the Word of God in your heart, and so there's no believing of it in there. What you're saying is what you're releasing is spirits of fear and you're saying some words but you're releasing fear. I'm saying take time, get in the Word of God, give it some study, let that Word of God seep down inside of you, and then begin to decree a thing and it shall be established. Say amen to that.
What am I saying? I'm saying Satan can close in on a person with such fear, I'm telling you that you don't know which way to turn. He can cripple you in terms of God's blessing coming through your life. Now you got to settle down. What Job did is he then started to discover. He said in Job chapter six in verse 23, "Or, Deliver me from the enemy's hand? Redeem me from the hand of the mighty? Teach me and I will", come on say it, "hold my tongue". Why? Life and death are where? The power of the tongue. Now make me understand where I have error. Get down off your high horse. God is not trying to keep something from you. He's trying to get this world to you, and so you have been making the mistake. Soon as Job did that his friends closed in on him and they tried to convince him that it was really God and God was doing some things to him to teach him a lesson.
Now, thank God, but Job began to start waking up. Over in Job, chapter 13, verse 15, Job said this, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him". What was Job saying? Job was saying, I'm not serving him for the money. I'm not serving him for a new house. I'm not serving him for a new car. I'm not serving him because he can get me out of debt. I'm serving him because he is God Almighty, and I'm serving him and I'll serve him forever. Folks, you're going to have to come to that place. I remember in this place when I came to Chicago. Everything looked like it was closing in on me. I only had enough money to get my family's clothes and go over to the washerteria, whatever the place is called and wash my family's clothes. I had holes in my shoes, didn't even have enough money to fix it. I began to cry out. I said, "Lord, it can't be you. Do you want me to go back to Minneapolis? Do you want me to go back to IBM"?. Then something rose up inside of me and I said, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust him".
When I made that decision, everything broke. You make that decision, it's going to break in your life. Satan cannot hold you any longer because you're blessed of the Lord. Sit down. What am I telling you? This happened to Job. It doesn't have to happen to you. You don't have to go through hell to get to heaven. But my point to you is is this, that the blessing is on you. Come back in line with that blessing, and when you do you will see something happen. Job's friends tried to convince him. Here come a young preacher. He began to preach the word. The next thing, Job started getting back over in the faith. When he got back over in the faith, look at verse 10 of chapter 42. "And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before".
Come on somebody. Look at verse 12. "The Lord blessed the latter end of Job greater than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels". Look what he had, verse 13. "He had also seven sons", come on, "and three daughters". Look at God, replacing everything that the devil stole. "He called the name of the first, Jemima;" Jamie, "and the next one was called Kezia;" and the next one was called Karen. Praise God. "And in all the land were no women found as fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren". What am I saying? I'm saying not only are you guaranteed a perpetual prosperity, but you're also guaranteed to pass it on to your next. God has a generational prosperity that he's working out in your life.
Look at verse 16. "After this Job lived", what? "A hundred and", how many years? "40 years and saw his sons", come on. "And his sons' sons, four generations. Job died being old and full of days". I'm telling you right now, you're going to die old and full of days. The devil is not going to take you out before your time. My friends, this blessing is so powerful, but it demands that you walk by faith. It demands that you stay in love. When you have this blessing inside of you, realize that you got to think and see something bigger than money. See, that's not going to take you but so far. That's why when David came to the front line and they accused him of leaving sheep and coming up there trying to show out in front of all the men where Goliath was taunting Israel David says, "Is there not a cause"?
Now what is he saying? He's saying get a hold of something that's bigger than yourself. You see, you'll find that people who got a cause, it seems like people who go all the way. People who got a cause, they can see it. Here's what Martin Luther King said. He said "I may not get there with you, but we as a people shall get to the promised land". You see, he had a cause. He had something bigger than himself that he was willing to give himself for. I'm saying you got a cause called Jesus Christ and the anointing to rescue the helpless world. I'm saying see that cause bigger than any money that somebody can give you. I'm saying this is your day now. God is taking you to the top, but he wants you to go with the right attitude. Say amen to that.
George Washington Carver asked God, said "God, what is the universe for"? God says, "Ask something more your size, little man". He said, "Well what is man for and what is a peanut for"? He said "I want you to decrease your extent and increase your intent". Now what is he saying with him here? He is saying no, no, no. I want you to ask something small enough so you can handle it. Then I want you to increase the intent by which you want to know the answer. You got what I'm saying? It's amazing how the intentions of the heart will work the prosperity of God in your life. I'm just saying, as we go for this thing, go for something bigger than what the blessing can give you. Lets go for the bigness of what the blessing can do for the world.