JOB 1:11-12
"But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
So the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his
person." So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.
Many cities and even small towns have leash laws. You can't simply let your pets run loose; they must
be kept on a leash. The logic is obvious. With no constraints, dogs and cats not only do unsightly
things on people's yards, but they damage shrubs and flowers, dig holes in unwanted places or make a
nuisance of themselves in other ways.
God also has a leash law, and the primary target of that law is Satan. The Devil is a powerful enemy
and can cause you a great deal of damage. The apostle Peter compared him to a lion (1 Pet. 5:8). Yet
the life of Job demonstrates that the Devil can only go as far as God's leash allows him.
With God's permission, Satan could afflict God's servant only to a certain extent and no further. Even
though tragic events took place, God's hand was always on the leash preventing Satan from destroying
Job.
Sometimes when we look at our difficult situations, we become fearful. Our imagination provides
fertile soil for us to grow all kinds of potential problems and disasters.
We fear the worst and are sure that we will be overwhelmed. Yet God never removes His hand from
our enemy's leash. While we may experience difficult people and hard times, Satan cannot attack us
beyond the limit that God allows.

Trust your Heavenly Father's wisdom. Nobody knows better than He does how far to play out the
leash. While Satan may appear as a fearsome lion, he can do no more in your life than what God
allows him. On that you can rely.
YOU CAN'T TRUST THE LION, BUT YOU CAN TRUST GOD'S LEASH.
WOODROW KROLL
www.backtothebible.in