Day 26 – Chapter 27

“Then Job continued his discourse and said, ‘As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has embittered my soul, for as long as life is in me, and the breath of God is in my nostrils, my lips certainly will not speak unjustly, nor will my tongue mutter deceit. Far be it from me that I should declare you right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days’” (27:1-6).

Job now continues his response to Bildad’s statement and implied accusation by affirming his allegiance and devotion to God. He refuses to do the very things these so-called friends want him to do and steadfastly holds on to his righteousness. He refuses to give in to their ranting and raving and begin to speak unjustly about God. Job is suffering and yet remains determined to keep his tongue from either agreeing with Bildad or muttering deceit. His integrity is far too precious for him to acquiesce to he barrage of misguided counsel coming his way.

Have you ever noticed how the words of others you know to be false can program you? Just by the sheer weight of repetition accusations and inferences made by others about you can begin to have a negative impact on you to the point that the enemy’s work of derailing your destiny is complete. Numbers of people have had the course of their lives completely altered by the words spoken over them by others. If there is no one to counter-balance those life-altering words entire lives can be destroyed and the divine destiny in them aborted.

It is great and advisable to seek and receive counsel. It is what makes us wise, but when we know the counsel is erroneous, off-base, and misguided, we have no choice but to reject it entirely out of hand. The God we serve cannot lie. All of His promises are yes and amen. Counsel that negates these promises and causes us to betray our confidence in Him or surrender our integrity must be rejected. Many of the position changes occurring in our churches, and in the lives of individual believers, have come not through honest study in God’s Word, but through the relentlessly repetitive pontificating of those with specific agendas to promote. Just as Job refused to put away his integrity let us do the same.

Lord Jesus, we confess today how easily we are swayed by the words of others. We confess how often we have been guilty of putting away our integrity just to conform to the counsel of well intentioned but misguided advisors. We confess how easily we have traded expediency for perseverance. Forgive us for not standing our ground and not holding on to our righteousness. Give us the capacity to affirm the truth while remaining committed to Your leading in the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.