For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses
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| a televangelist preaching his heresy photo by Flickr user, Manuel W,used under the creative commons license check out more photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/manwhoyells/ |
Jesus says some amazing things- If you ask in faith for something, it will be given to you. This verse has launched the career of many a television evangelist and has lined their own pockets with the meager earnings of those who are looking for a spiritual "get rich quick" scheme. Surely, that is not what God intended nor can it be the whole of what Jesus is teaching. Jesus could have anything He wanted in His earthly life yet He always wanted to please the Father. It may seem like a trick God is playing on us. "Yes, you can have anything you want but only if it something according to My will." But, surely, isn't our goal in life to be in communion with God? And if we are seeking that, then the prayers we make- the things we ask for- will be in line with God's will.
Why is this so? Because faith is not a tool for me to get things. Faith is a relationship I have with God and if that is paramount then the things I ask for in prayer will be lined up with His will. A man striving to following Christ would not pray for revenge on his enemies nor would he pray for opportunities to commit adultery. Such a prayer would be repugnant to him. Instead, he would pray as prompted by the Holy Spirit within him, for those things that are good.
When I was a teenager, I read one of those books by the "Name it and Claim it" televangelists (Jim Baker, it was and to his credit, has renounced his former ways and wrote a book called, "I Was Wrong.") I remember, after reading, "claiming;" a job that I thought I wanted. I didn't get it. I am grateful that I didn't. God, was teaching me that He wasn't my errand boy. Rather, He was interested in treating me like a son.
So God will grant me my heart's desire! May my desire always be for those things that are pleasing to Him. Amen.
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