God likes to place obstacles and trials in our way so that we can see what is lacking or where our strengths lie. God doesn't need to know this but He wants us to discover it for ourselves.
It is obvious by the condition of our churches that we do not see ourselves in truth just from hearing someone preach it at us. We see ourselves in truth when we have to jump over hurdles to grow and change.
This is why the prosperity gospel is so dangerous, it takes away the trials, hurdles, and struggles and replaces them with emotional hopes based on the desire for ease of life. And to top it all off it lays guilt on those who cannot hope hard enough to make things happen.
We learn very little when things are easy, the trials force us to learn the things we avoided when life is pleasurable, uncomplicated and undemanding.
The worst child abuse a parent can perpetrate on their children is to coddle them, over protect them from life lessons so that they are ill-equipped as adults.
Romans 5:3-5 says, "Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us".
Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us"
James 1:2-4
"2 Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
The devil teaches through the prosperity gospel that we must not have enough faith if we are experiencing life problems. He even uses the mouths of undiscerning people to attempt to guilt us enticing us to the gospel of this world that says the opposite of what God says, that life should be happy and easy and if it isn't it is our own fault.
2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds."
The devil always says the opposite of what God says but makes it sound right. This is why he is said to come as an "angel of light" promising everything we want to hear while withholding the truth. He plays off of our emotions and fleshly desires adding some twisted Scripture to allure us into complacency and even discontent when we don't get what we want.
I have known people who lived by the prosperity gospel working very hard to make things come out the way they want and claim it was God Who gave it, but really it was their own effort their own way.
Galatians 6:9 "Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up".
2 Thessalonians 3:13
"13 But as for you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary of doing good."
Leaving behind all the tapes in our head that accuse us of lacking faith because our trials seem overwhelming, we can progress toward wisdom without the guilt that the devil attempts to lay on us. In fact we can have great joy in the midst of our tears.
Someone once asked me if I was crying because I was overwhelmed by something, my answer was: "This is stress leaving my body."
Tears are Gods way of cleansing the stress within to relieve the pressure. Never feel bad about those tears, they were given for a reason.
Psalm 56:8 "8 You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book?"
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