Originally posted by mjwhite
Dear Quaffer,
IOW means In Other Words
you said,
Just a quick note of appreciation for your respectfull response to Hobie.
I believe there is more balance there than can adequately or fully be conveyed on paper. From my own experience I know that sometimes it's difficult to bring about a particular point and not come across as against another.
Well that is why you can post an answer. Hobie has had several posts to answer me, and he might yet. Until then, I agree with you, he seems unbalanced. (-:
Maybe you can explain what he is missing? If so, please do.
Thanks Mike,
Sorry if what I said sounded as if I was saying he seems unbalanced. . .I was not.
There are many things I'm chewing on simply because God is working on me in the area of faith in particular. What Hobie is sharing is helping me to understand a little more of what God wants for me.
I'm not rich in money and I don't necessarily believe God wants me to be. However, I am greatly saddened when I see a need in the body of Christ and I am unable to give toward it. I want to be able to obey God in the area of giving. If I have only a penny I could at least start with that.
As I have grown in this area of faith, I find the principles work. Whatever a man sows, he reaps. Whether it's discord and bitterness or peace and forgiveness. Whether it's poverty and sickness or prosperity and health. If the person sows it, they can take it to the bank that they will reap it.
In my case, most of the poverty in my life generated through my family. They were always poor farmers barely gettin' by and while I'm not a farmer
I was still barely gettin' by. I do not believe God wanted it that way. It does not bring Him glory to be unable to pay my bills.
I sought Him on the matter. He showed me the areas where I was making the errors and I made the changes that needed to be made. And during this I continued to pay tithes and give as I could. (Giving and tithing are two different things).
Things improved greatly, but I was still far from glorifying God in that area of my life. I continued to seek God. What He showed me, not through the teaching of any one in particular, but in prayer and Bible reading on my own, was that my mouth was continuously out of line with His Word. Such as, I would say "I'm poor" but God says "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills" How can I be poor? Hmm. This was just one of many statements I changed.
Now there will be some who will scoff at that but scoff away. I did what God told me to do and things changed.
In Prov it says, "death and life are in the power of the tongue". I can speak death to my children, "you idiot, you'll never amount to anything", and I produce a child that believes they are what I said. Or, I can speak the opposite, and produce the opposite. Throughout the OT this is shown with the blessings. Look at the blessings and curses in the family line of Noah. Look at what happened to each of his sons that proved out according to what he spoke.
God has given prosperity to all of us. Ps 1 says, "and whatsoever he does WILL prosper." Maybe it's our defination of prosper that needs to change. I believe we are to prosper in all walks of our life. 2 Cor 9:8 says "in all circumstances and all situations". I'm not there yet. But I want to be.
The whole point of prosperity is to not only meet our own needs but the needs of others. We are to be whole so that we can help others be whole. . . That's in body, soul, and spirit.
While it's good to save the spirit, it's only 1/3 of what Christ died for. It's a package deal. We can choose not to use all the package provides. It's our choice. Jesus already paid the price, for the full package. I personally, don't want to toss any of it to the side.
Hopefully this helps you some. I have not been able to completly read through all these pages yet. God has blessed me with an abundance of overtime.
God bless,