Name it and Claim it

There are many people who ask if I can pray for them to become rich. They believe Psalm 37:4 to mean that if you believe in God, you can ask Him for whatever it is that you want and that He will give it to you. If you're one of these people, I'm afraid that you misunderstand what it means to be a follower of Jesus. What you're talking about is called the "prosperity gospel". It's also referred to as "Name it and Claim it" theology or the "Word of Faith" movement. This is the idea that becoming a Christian guarantees an easy, abundant, comfortable life.

 

In fact, Paul warns Timothy about "men...who suppose that godliness is a means of gain" In 1 Timothy 6:5. In verse 1 Timothy 6:6 he goes on to say "But godliness actually is a a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called..."

Being a Christian does NOT guarantee an easy life. In fact Jesus said "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple." Do you know what He meant when said to carry your own cross? He meant that you should bear your sufferings willingly just as He did when He carried that cross up the hill where He was to be crucified. In Matthew 26:53 He tells one of His disciples "Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" Jesus endured all that suffering because of His great love for you! In turn, He expects His followers to be able to endure suffering because of their love for Him.

His followers have endured suffering because of their love for Him too. Let's look at Paul, probably the most famous of all the disciples. 2 Corinthians 11:25-31 records his sufferings. "Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern? If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying." Paul did this because of his love for Jesus. On top of all that tradition tells us that Paul was tortured and then beheaded by Roman Emperor Nero in AD 67.

I'm aware that this is a hard thing to hear. And, knowing this, I understand if you want to reconsider your decision to follow Christ. I would encourage you to really seek God on this matter and decide if following Him is something that you are willing to do. Just know that the reward for your what you suffer now is well worth it. Just as Paul said in Romans 5, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in the hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations [i.e. sufferings], knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one hardly will die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Romans 5: 1-11)

Coming back around to Psalm 37:4, many people like to ignore the first part of that verse, "Delight yourself in the Lord". When you delight yourself in the Lord, HE is your heart's desire. And, praise God, He does not hold Himself back from those who want Him!

Other resources:
http://www.blogos.org/exploringtheword/desires-heart.php
http://www.gotquestions.org/delight-yourself-in-the-Lord.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/name-it-claim-it.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/Word-Faith.html
http://www.gotquestions.org/prosperity-gospel.html

Trials and Tribulations

When you are going through hard times, your prayers may seem to be a one way street - you pour out your heart to God but your prayers seem to be just bouncing off the ceiling. You ask why, why doesn't God respond?  My heart goes out to you.

God does hear your prayers and He understands your burdens.  The most difficult times for all Christians occur when they go through trials and God just doesn't seem to answer.  The reality is that God does listen and that everything in your life has a purpose and is working together for a key purpose - to glorify God.  Romans 8:28 says:  "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."  It is difficult to understand how the trials you are going through now can work for good.  However, although we don't see these things as good, if you are a Christian and are "called according to His purpose," they are part of God's plan for you.  Have you thought about how these things might be according to God's plans?  Maybe He has allowed these things to occur because he wants you to draw closer to Him?  Maybe He has allowed these things because it will put you in a position to have empathy with others in this position so that you can minister to them?  But who am I to say what is behind God's plans?

Three things that I do know are that God loves us, He is in complete control and He does have plans. My life verse is Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you', declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." There are many examples of God using suffering to bring about much good. I will just tell you my story though. When I was younger, I was a very angry hateful person. I took it far beyond the typical "rebellious teenager". I was completely disconnected from my family, barely finished high school (forget about college), ended up on the streets living the whole 'sex, drugs & rock n roll' lifestyle. My own actions brought me to rock bottom, nearly causing my death before I surrendered what was left of my pathetic life to God. Since then I have seen His hand continually. Coming from where I did has enabled me to empathize and lend support and comfort to those that find themselves in similar situations. Parents of particularly difficult teenagers look at me and have hope for their children's futures. In addition to that, because I had no interest in my family during that time, I missed a major falling out between my father and his siblings following my grandparents' deaths. Just recently, because I didn't have any hard feeling towards my aunt and uncle, I was instrumental in reconciliation of these siblings, of whom my father is the only Christian. A lost job during my rebellion resulted in a move that put me in a place to meet the person that would become my spouse. We now have a houseful of beautiful children that I can't imagine life without. Those are only a few examples of how God has used real struggles in my life for good later on down the road. As a result, when I am suffering, I now have complete trust that God knows what He is doing. I may not know why yet, but I do know that He is still in control.

My story isn't the only one though. Think of the story of Job in the bible!  Job loved God but lost everything - wealth, family and he was afflicted with a very painful disease.  Through all this, Job continued to have faith in God.  He had three friends and a wife who all turned out to be losers - this is evident by their attempts to give him "counsel."  They said that the reason that he had all these problems is that Job had done something wrong - it was all Job's fault!  His wife even told him to "curse God and die!"  Of course, their "counsel" was worthless - they had it all wrong.  The problem wasn't Job's lack of faith or service to God; the reality was that Job's suffering brought glory to God and eventually, God blessed Job greatly.  So, I'm not going to be like Job's "friends" and tell you that you have done something wrong and that God is punishing you.  I believe that what you are going through now is part of God's plan for you.  The problem is that you and I just can't see God's plan clearly.

So, what should your response be? Let's look at what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:23-33, 12:5b-10.

"Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands....

... I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say. To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Don't lose your faith.  God is listening to your prayers and this trial can be a time when your faith can be strengthened.  This time of turmoil will end with a new direction in your life. What will that direction be and how will it glorify God?  These are the key questions. Accordingly, I suggest that you continue your conversational prayer with God by praying something like this, but in your own words, of course:  

"Dear God, first I want to thank you.  I thank you for loving me even when I was lost in sin and for sending Your Son, Jesus, to die for me.  I also want to thank You for the tough times I am going through right now.  I have prayed to you many times about how much I need this to be turned around and it seems like You haven't answered me.  I confess to you that my prayers have been driven by what I think I need and not about You and Your glory.  God, what I really want is to glorify You. Lord, You promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13 not to allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear.  I can't see the good in my situation and Lord at this time I feel like it is almost more than I can bear, but I claim Your promise in Romans 8:28 that all things in my life are working together for good - to glorify You.  So, although I can't see the good, I know that you have allowed these things in my life.  Thank you for these difficulties.  You have also said, God, that you will give us the desires of our hearts.  My desire is for relief from these trials and I ask that You make that happen, but only in a way that brings glory to Yourself.  Use me, God; I am Your servant; how do You want me to serve and glorify You today and for the rest of my life? God, I want to be close to you. Please use these tough times to bring me close to You and please give me a glimpse of Your plan for me. I commit to trust You in everything.  In Jesus name, Amen."

I hope that this has provided a new perspective for you on your current problems. Here are some articles and resources which I think you will find beneficial. I encourage you to check them out.

Got Questions? - Does God promise to not give us more than we can handle? 

Got Questions? - Why does God allow us to go through trials and tribulations? 

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want... what?

The question was: "re. "The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want...." Psalm 23. Why shall we not want him? What does that mean?"

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You asked about Psalm 23: 1, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." At first glance, I can definitely see why you would think it was telling you that you should not want the Lord. But that's actually not what it is saying. If you look at different translations for this verse (I like biblehub.com for this), it helps to clear up some of the confusion. Let's look at some of the different translations.

"I shall not want." (King James Bible), "I shall not lack" (King James 2000 Bible), "I lack nothing" (New International Version), "I have all that I need" (New Living Translation), "I am never in need" (GOD's WORD Translation). Do you see the theme there? The Psalmist isn't telling us that we shouldn't want God. On the contrary! We SHOULD want God! We should want God more than anything else! What the Psalmist is saying is that when we follow after God, when we allow Him to be the leader of our lives, He will give us everything we need.

Some other verses that are along this same theme include: Philippians 4:19, Revelation 7:17, and Psalm 34:9-10. Psalm 37:4 is also a great one, although it is often misunderstood. What it really means is that when what we desire most is God, He will give us the desires of our heart (Himself!). Two of my personal favorites however are Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28. Romans 8:28 says "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose."

The Fear of God

The question was: 'And fear of God, is that looking up to, adoration?"
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First, let's look at a sample of some of the verses that talk about the fear of God.

Proverbs 1:7 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge"
Job 28:28 - "The fear of the Lord--that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."
Psalm 111:10 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding."
Proverbs 9:10 - "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding."
Proverbs 15:33 - "Wisdom's instruction is to fear the LORD, and humility comes before honor."
Ecclesiastes 12:13 - "Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind."
Proverbs 2:5 - "Then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

Let's look closer at Proverbs 2:5 by looking at it in context. Here is Proverbs chapter 2 as a whole: "My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, Make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; For if you cry for discernment, Lift your voice for understanding; If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures; Then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, Guarding the paths of justice, And He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course. For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things; From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness; Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil; Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways; To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words; That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God; For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead; None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life. So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous. For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it."

Do you see the theme? Wherever the Bible talks about fear of God, it also talks about seeking knowledge of Him and as a result, obeying His commandments. So, for the follower of God, fear of Him is a reverence and awe that causes us to seek to know and understand Him. And as a result, we seek to obey Him. So for you and I, fear of God is not to be afraid, but rather to be amazed by Him.

For the person who rejects God, it is an entirely different story. Luke 12:5 says "But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!" Hebrews 10:31 says "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." For this person, they should fear God in the sense that they should be afraid. Afraid of judgement and hell, that is, eternal separation from God.

I think Hebrews 12:28-29 sums up this concept well, "Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire."

We don't have to be afraid of God, because we know that He has forgiven us and as a result we avoid His judgement. But we should never get lazy in our faith, forgetting what God is capable of.

Here are some other good articles on the subject. http://www.gotquestions.org/fear-God.html and http://www.compellingtruth.org/fear-of-God.html.


****FOLLOWUP****
Question was: "Thanks. I still find that one hard to absorb. I don't get why on earth they called it fear. We must have floated long away from the true meaning of fear."

We very much associate the word "fear" with being afraid of something. That doesn't seem to line up with our image of a loving God. A couple things though. If you look in the dictionary, for instance at http://www.merriam-webster.com/, one of the definitions of fear is "to have a reverential awe of". Also, one of the problems with translations is that there may not always be an English word or phrase that exactly means what the original language did! For instance, in Proverbs 1:7, the word translated as "fear" is the Hebrew word "יִרְאָה" or "yirah". A better translation of that word might be "reverence", according to http://biblehub.com/hebrew/3374.htm. According to Merriam Webster, to revere means "to have great respect for (someone or something): to show devotion and honor to (someone or something)" or "to show devoted deferential honor to : regard as worthy of great honor". So we might re-translate it for our own understanding and say something like "Respect of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" or "Regarding the Lord as worthy of great honor is the beginning of knowledge" or "To be devoted to the Lord is the beginning of knowledge".

The Good News

Because I can't gauge where a person is spiritually simply based on which option they choose, I don't want to make any assumptions. So I always ask a couple of questions to get a better sense of where they're at spiritually so that I can best help them grow.

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First, Who is Jesus to you, personally? Do you know for sure that you are going to be with God in Heaven when you die? If God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My Heaven?” what would you say?

I like to share the following information with EVERYONE I hear from, "just in case". So if this is old news to you, then consider it a refresher course on Christianity 101. However, if you're not sure what you would say to God, then did you know that the Bible tells how you can know for sure that you will be with God in Heaven? The Bible says there are five things you need to know about eternal life: “These things I have written unto you . . . that you may know that you have eternal life . . .” (1 John 5:13) Let's look at those five things:

1 - Heaven is a gift and like any other true gift, it is not earned or deserved. That means that no amount of personal effort, good works, or religious deeds can earn a place in Heaven for you. “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

2 - WHY is it that no one can earn his way to Heaven? Because . . . Man is a sinner. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3: 23). I've heard it said that sin is ANYTHING that we think, say or do that displeases God. If you don't think that you're a sinner, sit back and be honest with yourself. Have you ever lied? Cheated? Stolen? Looked at another person with lust? "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all." (James 2:10) With such a high standard, no one can save himself.

3 - However, God created us! He loves us and is merciful, He doesn’t want to lose what he made. He doesn’t want to punish us. This is because “ . . . God is love” But the same Bible which tells us that God loves us, also tells us that God is just and therefore must punish sin. He says “. . . (I) will by no means clear the guilty . . .” (Exodus 34: 7). And “. . . the soul that sins, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4). That seems like a no-win situation, doesn’t it?

4 - God solved this problem for us in the Person of Jesus Christ. Who is He? He is God in the form of a human being. “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus). . . and the Word (Jesus) was God. And the Word (Jesus) was made flesh, and dwelt among us . . .” (John 1: 1,14). Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a perfectly sinless life, but while on earth, what did he do? “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) Why did he do that? To purchase a place for us in Heaven. Bottom line: Jesus Christ bore our sin in His body on the cross and now offers you eternal life (Heaven) as a free gift. 

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5 - This gift is received by faith. Let me clarify what faith is NOT. Saving faith is NOT mere head knowledge, like believing certain historical facts. The Bible says that the devil believes there is one God, so believing that there is one God is not saving faith. Saving faith is also NOT a temporal faith, that is, trusting God for temporary crises such as financial, family, or physical needs. You can trust Christ for these, but they are not saving faith! Saving faith IS trusting in Jesus Christ alone for eternal life. It means resting upon Christ alone and what He has done rather than in what you or I have done to get us into Heaven. “. . . Believe (trust) on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved . . .” (Acts 16: 31).

Have you received the gift of eternal life? Because this is such an important matter let’s clarify just what it involves. It means that you need to: 

1 - Transfer your trust (From what you have been doing to what Christ has done for you on His cross)
2 - Accept Christ as Savior (Open the “door” to your heart and invite Him in.) He says: “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear My voice, and open the door, I will come in to Him . . . .” (Revelation 3:20)
3 - Receive Jesus Christ as Lord (Give Him the “driver’s seat” and “controls” of your life, not the “back seat.”)
4 – Repent (Be willing to turn from anything that is not pleasing to Him. He will reveal His will to you as you grow in your relationship with Him.)

If you weren’t completely sure, before reading this, that heaven is where you’ll end up, you can receive His gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ right now. “For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:10,13).

If this is what you really want, you can talk to God in prayer right where you are. Here’s a suggested prayer: 
“Lord Jesus, thank You for Your gift of eternal life. I know I’m a sinner and do not deserve eternal life. But You loved me so You died and rose from the grave to purchase a place in Heaven for me. I now trust in You alone for eternal life and repent of my sin. Please take control as Lord of my life. Thank you so much!”

If this prayer is the sincere desire of your heart, look at what Jesus promises to those who believe in Him: “. . . I say unto you, he that believes on Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47). If you have truly repented (forsaken, turned away) from your sins, placed your trust in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death, and received the gift of eternal life you are now a child of God! Forever!

Now, faith in Jesus, that is just the beginning! God doesn’t stop at giving us a ticket to heaven. He wants to show you His love right here and right now. That's what happens when we grow in our faith. When you practice the four spiritual disciplines, you open yourself up for experiencing that great love firsthand. These include talking to God (prayer), reading God’s letter to you (the bible), joining a group of other believers (church), and sharing your story with others.

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Friends, Is there anything I can lift up in prayer for you? Please let me know. Do you have any questions about any of what I've shared here? Please don't hesitate to ask about it or anything else that comes to mind. I'm always available to you.

Do you want to know more?? 

Check out these links: Godlife - Gospel & Got Questions? Gospel Presentations