For those who think they are encouraging us by telling us we will have a great blessing of money, health, and everything else, I have this to say; God never once promised us earthly comforts and pleasures.
At times we do have these things but generally for the most part we struggle living in a world that hates us because they hate Christ.
If we want to encourage someone in the Lord we must tell them the truth. The truth that life very likely will become harder because we have been born again. People will reject us when they didn't before. We will be mocked and disregarded because we love Christ. I have proof, the proof I have is from the Bible, God's instruction book to us.
2 Corinthians 11:24-29
"24 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. 26 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 at sea, dangers among false brothers; 27 I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?"
I think this is clear that born-again believers will not see continual health, wealth, and pleasure as long as they remain in this world.
It is not encouragement to tell a person they will have only happy things, in fact, it may cause someone to lose their faith when they have come to Christ to get all these perks only to realize that it does not happen this way. Coming to Christ for the perks very likely means the person never repented from their sin and want only the things they believe their false Jesus will give them. There is no thought of dying to self to seek Christ for His will for them.
Someone who comes to Christ to get things out of Him does not understand that He desires and requires worship of Him. He wants to bless us with Spiritual blessings of wisdom and His fruit, but we have to want it.
Galatians 2:20
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
Luke 9:23
"And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."
The life we live in Jesus Christ is not about this world, it's about being an example of the love of Christ while here as well as growing in holiness ourselves. In my experience, those who love this world and are running after health and wealth will have contempt for anyone who is walking with Christ.
Using Christ for our own glory and demonstrating self-righteousness is against Christ.
Mark 8:35
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it."
Matthew 10:38
"And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me."
I see nothing in these verses or any other verses of the Bible in which God's primary purpose is to lavish worldly good and health on us, there is nothing at all to indicate this,, except verse taken out of context to justify greed and avarice.
When I looked up the word "avarice" I realized this is exactly what the Bible condemns.
"Avarice" means an excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or gain: greediness, cupidity.
"Cupidity" means "greed for money or possessions"
When a Christian flatters us with prayers and promises of wealth and health, run like the wind, they will deny what you are experiencing by claiming something must be wrong with your faith because you go through all these hard things. ?The truth is that it is faith that brings on the trials. The stronger our faith the more we are tested by God and the more the devil attacks us.
Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."
Faith is demonstrated in greater measure when we believe God even when we do not see something happening. We obey His Word because we have faith. Those who have little or no faith do not obey His word because they cannot see or understand why He commands what He does.
True faith causes us to obey His Word. No faith takes His Word, twists it to make it say what the twister wants it to say, they do not obey, but they deny Him by denying His Word.
Anyone who would say; "I am having faith that God is going to help me divorce my spouse", is lying, they are claiming God will help them do what He calls sin.
They are assigning to God a weakness of capitulation to His own word. God cannot deny Himself and He does not change His mind about His principles. He does expect obedience.
So many people are remarrying after divorce and claiming the new spouse was from God. God would not send a new spouse to a divorced person when He clearly condemns remarriage as a sin.
Luke 16:17-18 "17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a single stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. 18 Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. "
Those who wish to live happy lives doing whatever they want without obeying God are not interested in the Holy God, they are merely interested in a sugar daddy that gives them the things they want, this is a false god and a false Jesus.
Think about it, better yet pray about it!
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