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Simple Thoughts On Promises- 1

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)

Promised by God to Jacob and fulfilled by God. God is faithful and will fulfill that which he has promised you even though it may take some time.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 2

If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you. (Exodus 15:26)

This promise was given to the Israelites after God had made the bitter waters sweet at Marah. Obedience to God and his Word is always an important factor as far as healing and health are concerned.

Are you saying healthy people are completely obedient?

No Bro. David. There are some health problems that arise because of disobedience to God's Word and sin coming into the lives of believer's.

Okay bro, just wanted to help clarify.

Hello Brother David and All,

The study of health from a Biblical standpoint would be a fairly lengthly study. It's a Biblical fact that all of mankind gets sick and dies, as this is part of our inheritance from Adam.

Some obviously evil people appear to have good health, and some Godly people appear to suffer from bad health. What is given from GOD in terms of good or bad health is difficult to determine. However, Christians know that all good things to us come from GOD, and we give HIM all of the Glory.

There are specific events in the Bible where GOD states exactly what HE has done to evil people. The same is true for Bible Prophecy yet to be fulfilled.

As an individual Christian, I don't blame GOD for any of the bad things that happen to me - including health. It's a Bible fact that GOD does NOT promise Christians good health and wealth in this short life. Many of GOD'S most humble and obedient servants throughout history suffered with health and poverty. A good example is the Apostle Paul. However, Paul still had ample lists of things to give thanks for.

GOD can chastise HIS children for disobedience in any way that HE chooses, but it would not be correct to say that GOD gave us a particular illness or calamity. It also would NOT be true to say that GOD will give us good health and wealth if we get right with HIM and totally obey HIM. The Ways of GOD are HIS alone, and GOD does as HE pleases in Heaven and on earth. There are many events in the Bible that were specifically caused by GOD, and they involved large numbers of people. The same will be true in the End Days to come. As Christians, we will always have ample reasons to give thanks to GOD - even in this short life. We also anxiously await our real Citizenship in Heaven. We know that this short life is not all there is, and we have a better HOPE than this world as part of our Promises from GOD.

Love In Christ,
Tom

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 NASB  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:  2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  4  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  5  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  6  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;  7  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.  8  For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;  9  indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;  10  who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,  11  you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.


Romans 8:16-28 NASB  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  17  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.  18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  19  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  21  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  22  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  24  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  25  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.  26  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  27  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  28  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.


2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NASB  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  2  For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,  3  inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.  4  For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  5  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.  6  Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--  7  for we walk by faith, not by sight--  8  we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.  9  Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  11  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.  12  We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.  13  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.  14  For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  15  and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  16  Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.  17  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  18  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  19  namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 3

Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you. (Exodus 23:25)

What a great promise to Moses and the Israelites when they were in the wilderness. May the Lord bless our food and water too and let him take away our sicknesses and heal us by his stripes.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 4

My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. (Exodus 33:14)

A wonderful promise given by God to Moses while he was leading the Israelites in the wilderness. This promise really brought peace and rest to Moses who was often stressed by the erratic behavior of the Israelites. May the Lord's presence go with you and your family and give you rest always.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 5

I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. (Exodus 33:19)
This was the promise given to Moses when he wanted to see the Lord's glory. Remember, we serve a merciful and compassionate God and he is able to guide us and lead us all through our earthly lives, right until the time we join him in eternity. He is faithful to those who have put their trust in him.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 6

Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. (Deuteronomy 5:33)

God always has a desire to bless those who are willing to submit to him and he exhorts us do that through his Holy Spirit as we meditate on his Word day by day.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 7

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. (Deuteronomy 7:12)

We are no longer asked to keep the laws given through Moses but God expects us to pay attention to his Word and live as the Spirit of Truth leads us. How honored we are because God has established his covenant of love with us because of what Jesus did on the cross for us and our believing in his perfect sacrifice.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 8

He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land, your grain, new wine and oil, the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you. (Deuteronomy 7:13)

How wonderful it is to know that the Lord God who created the world and all that is there in it, desired to love his people whom he called out of Egyptian bondage and wanted to bless them in every way possible. He hasn't changed and his love is still the same for them who have put their trust in Jesus.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 9

For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory. (Deuteronomy 20:4)
In your battle against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms, you are not alone. The Lord is with you to fight against the evil forces of darkness and will give you victory. Trust in him.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 10

All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock--the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed. You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out. (Deuteronomy 28:2-6)

Deuteronomy 28 is a chapter which details the blessings and curses that would come upon the Israelites depending on their obedience to God. Wonder why they chose to disobey more than to obey the Lord? They had a choice and most of them opted for the bad, well knowing that it would spell disaster.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 11

The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, `Destroy him!' (Deuteronomy 33:27)

Eternal & Everlasting, Mighty God, A perfect refuge you are! How wonderful to know that your arms carry all who trust in you. Your faithfulness endures through all generations.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 12

Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. (Joshua 1:8)

Promise given to Joshua by God Almighty and fulfilled. The only time that Joshua failed was when he overlooked sin in the Israelite camp during the conquest of Ai. Of course he fell prey to the Gibeonite deception too. Otherwise God gave him victory over every situation that he encountered, be it the crossing of the Jordan or the conquest of Jericho or the battle with the kings. Meditating on God's Word and living for him always brings blessings.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 13

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7:14)

People of God are called to humble themselves and turn from their wicked ways for healing to come to their land where scores of unbelievers live. Humbling ourselves, praying and seeking God's face and turning from our wicked ways are all vital for God to work out his plans in the places that we live.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 14

But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded." (2 Chronicles 15:7)

Promise given to king Asa during a time of great unrest and turmoil in Israel. When Asa heard this prophecy of Azariah he took courage. Be strengthened this day! Whatever you are doing for the Lord will also be rewarded in due time.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 15

For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

Is your heart fully committed to the Lord? If it is, you have nothing to fear. He will strengthen you in all situations, even when you are without strength and helpless.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 16

In famine he will ransom you from death, and in battle from the stroke of the sword. (Job 5:20)

Even during recessions, the faithfulness of God doesn't change. He who sustained Isaac during the famine and gave him a 100 fold yield still lives and is able to take care of you and your family. Trust in his faithfulness.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 17

Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy. (Job 8:20,21)

Sometimes we may feel that God has rejected us and is strengthening the hands of evildoers. But those are just wrong feelings when we pass through bad times. His promise is that he will never leave us nor forsake us. Take heart. He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 18

You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety. (Job 11:18)

Our hope and security must be in Jesus Christ, not market analysis, expert opinions, intelligent forecasts & wisdom of the wise. All these are good upto an extent but what really matters for a child of God is his ability to trust in the faithfulness of his God.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 19

But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction. (Job 36:15)

Isn't it true that God speaks to us in our afflictions more than at other times? Suffering in our lives makes us think more about God and our relationship with him. Eventually when he delivers us from the suffering, we would have learnt more spiritual truths that would help us live as better Christians.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 20

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (1 Peter 1:3-5)

If you have experienced the new birth in Jesus Christ, you have entered into a living hope and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for you. Nothing greater than this for anyone living on earth.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 21

You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. (Psalm 4:7)

Material possessions can only give temporary joy and satisfaction. The joy that David here speaks of is one that he received because of his intimate relationship with God and God has promised that to each one of us. A Father- Child relationship with God can bring us that great joy.

Hello Jeremiah7,

Brother, I just wanted to tell you that I'm really enjoying Simple Thoughts On Promises. Each one gives great ideas for additional Bible Study.

I also want to tell you that I just came from one of your graphics sites, and it is incredibly beautiful. I'll be praying for your ministry.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 John 5:10 NASB  10  The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.

Thanks Tom. May Jesus bless you abundantly.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 22

The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. (Psalm 9:9)

As believer's we all go through times when we feel distressed, lonely, leftout, despised, oppressed, troubled or depressed. Many such negative experiences make life difficult for us to live. During those times we can rely on this wonderful promise from the Psalms. Truly, the Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 24

You, O LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. (Psalm 18:28)

Afraid that the enemy may extinguish your lamp i.e. your witness for Christ or anything good realted to your life. Fear not! Jesus will keep your lamp burning and turn your present darkness into light.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 27

In the shelter of your presence you hide them from the intrigues of men; in your dwelling you keep them safe from accusing tongues. (Psalm 31:20)

God is a shelter for those who choose to take refuge in him. He hides them from the intrigues of men. If accusing tongues are what you are troubled with these days, this is the promise that you should hold on to for it says that God is able to keep you safe from them.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 28

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18)

Brokenhearted and crushed in spirit? Call out to the Lord even if it be without words. He will bind the wounds of your mind and spirit and bring comfort to you. He is the Prince of Peace; he will give you the peace that passes all understanding.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 29

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you. (Psalm 32:8)

One of the greatest blessings of having Jesus as Savior in our life is that we don't have to live an aimless and unproductive life. He is there to instruct, to teach, to counsel and to watch over us at all times. Take the help of the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit. He is the Spirit of Truth and will guide you in all the right paths.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 31

Consider the blameless, observe the upright; there is a future for the man of peace (Psalm 37:37)

Are you a man/woman of peace? The fragrance of Jesus in this dying world? You have a future in heaven for sure. Not only that; the presence of the Lord will accompany you all the days of your life. He will make you lie down in green pastures, he will lead you beside quiet waters, he will restore your soul and guide you in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 34

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. (2 Corinthians 1:20)

A promise regarding promises. The Bible says, "Not one of all the LORD's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled." (Joshua 21:45) So be strong and courageous. Whatever God has promised you will also come to pass.

Simple Thoughts On Promises- 35

My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. (Psalm 63:5)

Have you been feeding your soul as much as you have been feeding your body? It's vital because God says, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God."While wordly pursuits bring only temporary satisfaction, feeding your soul with spiritual food will bring lasting satisfaction. Time for a new decision??

Hello Jeremiah7,

Brother, the positional statement deals with the Heavenly Kingdom for Christians, NOT THIS SHORT LIFE.

If this were true for this short life, it would mean that there would be no Christians with mature faith poor or in need in this short life. Needless to say, there are Christians with mature faith who are poor and in need in this short life. The TRUTH of this matter is very simple:  GOD didn't promise Christians an easy time in this short life - RATHER THE OPPOSITE. This same POSITIONAL STATEMENT applies to HEALTH. GOD didn't promise that Christians would be healthy or wealthy in this short life.

ALL CHRISTIANS, regardless of how strong their faith is, WILL get sick and eventually die. In fact, MOST CHRISTIANS of the STRONGEST FAITH get sick many times in this short life.

Brother, we must not confuse the miracles, signs and wonders of the TIME OF THE APOSTLES to today. First, there are NO Apostles today because the Office of Apostle was closed by GOD as the original Apostles died and the Canon of the New Testament was completed. If you will remember, the Apostle Paul was not rich, and he wasn't healthy either, but Paul had a strong and mature faith. Further, Paul prayed to GOD for healing, and GOD chose not to.

GOD still does as HE please in Heaven and on Earth, but men DON'T. The MIGHTY MAN OF GOD for today doesn't have SUPERNATURAL POWERS, rather Spiritual Knowledge from GOD'S WORD. Let's talk about being RICH while we're on this subject. GOD isn't impressed with the RICHES of this world, and neither should we be. SPIRITUAL RICHES IN CHRIST are PRICELESS and of much greater value than the baubles of this world.

Bluntly, the health and wealth doctrines that some people teach for this short life ARE FALSE TEACHING. As Christians in this short life, we AREN'T HOME YET and haven't claimed our HEAVENLY INHERITANCE YET. Further, we are still in a corruptible flesh and blood body that can't inherit the things of HEAVEN - OUR HOME! SO, GOD will change our vile bodies of flesh and blood to GLORIFIED BODIES at HIS APPOINTED TIME. That time IS NOT in this short life.

Brother, I must make these things clear because many FALSE TEACHERS greatly ABUSE their listeners when they preach health and wealth for this short life, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY ALSO CONNECT OFFERINGS FOR THESE BLESSINGS. The PROOF that these doctrines are FALSE is all around us and has been for 2,000 years. All men get sick and physically die, regardless of how strong their faith is. GOD hasn't given any men SUPERNATURAL POWERS TO HEAL US IN THIS SHORT LIFE! We do have doctors, hospitals, and medical facilities that can treat many kinds of illness, but NONE of them have SUPERNATURAL powers given to them from GOD. As a result, all men eventually die in this short life. For a Christian, thats "absent from the body and present with the LORD." Regarding wealth, we must remember the extremely clear teaching of GOD'S WORD. We must not love the things of this world, and we should know what GOD says about the love of money. Many of the strongest and most faithful Christians of history were poor and unhealthy for much of their lives. WHY? - GOD never Promised that Christians would have an easy time in this short life. This world IS NOT our home!

I'll conclude that it's VERY WRONG to teach Christians that they will be healthy and wealthy if their faith is strong enough.

Love In Christ,
Tom

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CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS POST.

2 Corinthians 1:1-11 NASB  Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:  2  Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,  4  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.  5  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.  6  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;  7  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.  8  For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;  9  indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;  10  who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,  11  you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.


Romans 8:16-28 NASB  The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,  17  and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.  18  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.  19  For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.  20  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope  21  that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.  22  For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.  23  And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.  24  For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?  25  But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.  26  In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;  27  and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.  28  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.


2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NASB  For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  2  For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven,  3  inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.  4  For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.  5  Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.  6  Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--  7  for we walk by faith, not by sight--  8  we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord.  9  Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.  10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.  11  Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest to God; and I hope that we are made manifest also in your consciences.  12  We are not again commending ourselves to you but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you will have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.  13  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you.  14  For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;  15  and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.  16  Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.  17  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  18  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,  19  namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.  20  Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  21  He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Agree with your explanation Br. Tom. I just mentioned a few examples of those who were redeemed by the Lord in their distress.

Hello Jeremiah7,

Brother, your post appears to say that if you believe, GOD will change your financial situation. I know that we can pray for GOD to help us in our financial situations, but GOD answers according to HIS WILL and HIS Time.

We have a lot of folks experiencing really hard times right now, and many of them are Christians. Some of our television evangelists teach that being poor or in bad health is a "lack of faith" problem. In the same breath, they ask for big offerings to show their faith, and they feel no guilt at all in taking money from people who are already unable to buy necessities. The lavish lifestyle of the television evangelists I'm thinking about is sinful in my opinion, and taking money from needy people to support their lavish lifestyle is sickening. Some of them actually go so far as to mention minimum amounts of money that will prove their faith. Some of them actually expect to be paid for praying for someone. They get around the laws of men, but they won't get around answering to GOD. The greatest sadness in this involves the victims and their conditions. Many of the victims are elderly, ill, and/or living on small fixed incomes and/or lost their job and have no income.

I'm not hinting that you take money from people in dire conditions. I simply commented on the methods some television evangelists WITH NO CONSCIENCE use. My comments are about men - not GOD. I would hope that all Christians know that our GOD is ALL-POWERFUL and does HIS WILL in Heaven and on earth. Many of GOD'S Children in this short life are poor and ill, but that has nothing to do with a lack of faith, and it certainly doesn't mean that GOD has stopped loving them. We can and should PRAY often and know that the WAYS OF ALMIGHTY GOD are beyond our knowing and comprehension. What GOD intends for HIS Children is NOT in or of this world. HE has prepared a place for us, and our Promised Inheritance awaits. ALL GLORY goes to GOD and none to men.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Colossians 3:15-17 ASV  15  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God. 17 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Hello Jeremiah7,

Edited to add:  I tried nice first, and that didn't work, so the false teaching has been deleted, and any further false teaching will also be deleted. The below will inform other readers what happened in this thread.

Brother, let's discuss this in a peaceful and brotherly way. What do you think that Psalms 72:12-13 actually means?

Let's also consider some Bible facts as we discuss this:

1 - What did Adam bring to all of mankind?

2 - Are there any men, Christian or not, who haven't physically died eventually over the last 2,000 years?

3 - Are there any Christians in the Bible who were starved, beaten, imprisoned, and/or killed?

Brother, I'm not discussing this for the sake of argument. I'm discussing this for the sake of Bible Truth and what it means to the hearers. There are many portions of Scripture that can be isolated out of context and/or be easily misunderstood. Paul suffered hunger, beatings, persecution, imprisonment, and eventual beheading. Does this mean that the Bible isn't TRUE? NO.

Jesus Christ prayed from the Cross to the Father "to let this cup pass from me". Did it? Why not?

There are starving Christians in the world right now who are suffering all kinds of needs, so does this mean that the Bible isn't true? No.

Brother Jeremiah, please don't mistake my purpose for pointing these things out. I don't want people to think that there are contradictions or lies in the Bible, and there aren't - NOT ONE.

Let's answer the possible contradiction in Psalms 72:12-13 so that all reading it will know that it isn't a lie and isn't a contradiction. So, how do we do this? We must rightly divide the word of Truth and go back to the basics. One of the basics is knowing the TIME that is being referred to. In this case, the time being referred to is the Millennial Reign of CHRIST on earth from the throne of David in Jerusalem. That time is not here yet. Many people don't know that Psalms contains a lot of Bible Prophecy - things to come. Psalms 72:12-13 is 100% TRUE for the Rule and Reign of CHRIST over the earth. Go back and put the Scripture in context to determine what TIME is being talked about and for WHO.

There are many other quite beautiful examples from the Old Testament that are Bible Prophecy and haven't happened yet. Here's a couple of examples that will help to illustrate what I'm trying to say:

Isaiah 11:6  And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.


Isaiah 65:25  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith Jehovah.


Brother Jeremiah, the above portions of Scripture are not fairy tales, rather complete Truth. A lost person will say these things have to be lies because they certainly aren't true NOW. So, how do we explain these things?  With nothing but the Truth! This is Bible Prophecy - things to come that haven't happened yet. When will they happen? AGAIN, the Rule and Reign of CHRIST.

Brother, if you teach people that all of their prayers will be granted in this TIME and this short life, it wouldn't be true. However, that would be a man not telling the truth - NOT THE BIBLE. Every word in the BIBLE is TRUE from cover to cover. We must know how to rightly divide the WORD OF TRUTH.

Here's an example from the New Testament from Jesus Christ Himself:

Matthew 17:20  And he saith unto them, Because of your little faith: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.


Is this TRUE? YES! HOW? - Explain it. There is a completely reasonable explanation if you rightly divide the Word of Truth. Brother, do you move mountains with your faith? No, you don't, so what's the explanation. I know, but I'm asking you for purposes of a brotherly conversation.

Here's another one from Jesus Christ Himself:

Mark 16:17-18  And these signs shall accompany them that believe: in my name shall they cast out demons; they shall speak with new tongues;  18  they shall take up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall in no wise hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.


Is the above true? YES! For NOW and by us? NO! GOD had a specific TIME and PURPOSE, and this completely TRUE statement was only TRUE for the people He was talking to. Most obviously, Christians of today aren't going to drink poison, play with snakes, etc. to prove that they are Christians. Obviously, Christians of today will die if they drink deadly things, and others will think that the HOLY BIBLE isn't true. The same is TRUE for the other portions of the quoted Scripture. NO, we don't speak in tongues, cast out demons, or lay hands on the sick and heal them. Those JESUS was talking to DID in the presence of many witnesses, and they were SIGNS Specifically Given by GOD for a specific time and purpose. We must learn to handle the WORD OF GOD properly and with diligence. Otherwise, the lost and others will think that the BIBLE isn't TRUE.


Please, I hope that you take this in the Brotherly manner I intended. I don't like debates, but I do LOVE BIBLE TRUTH. If you would like to discuss this further in a Brotherly manner, I'll be happy to do so.

Love In Christ,
Tom

Posts involving false teaching have been removed, and this thread is closed. The last warning about false teaching has been given.