Christianity that Works - Part 2

[John42]

Everyday, it seems to me that we have an enemy, Satan, we have ourselves, and we have a helper, God. I've figured out how to take Satan out of the equation. Surprisingly, pleading the blood of Jesus works. For more, see Kenneth Copeland Ministries - How to Plead the Blood of Jesus.

But that just prevents the bad stuff from happening each day. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good happens either. I can only do so much. What about God? I've tried loosing angels, the prayer of Jabez, praying. What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf - so that the lady at the grocery store isn't just not rude but actually put there to bless us?

 

[redleghunter]

Everyday, it seems to me that we have an enemy, Satan, we have ourselves, and we have a helper, God. I've figured out how to take Satan out of the equation. Surprisingly, pleading the blood of Jesus works. For more, see Kenneth Copeland Ministries - How to Plead the Blood of Jesus.

But that just prevents the bad stuff from happening each day. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good happens either. I can only do so much. What about God? I've tried loosing angels, the prayer of Jabez, praying. What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf - so that the lady at the grocery store isn't just not rude but actually put there to bless us?

We are to pray to God according to His will and purpose. Not get Him to see it our way.

Pray for the woman at the grocery store as we are to love our neighbor. Your prayer for her may just be praying that the peace of Christ you have that she may have too.

Smile when she speaks to you.

 

[HTacianas]

Everyday, it seems to me that we have an enemy, Satan, we have ourselves, and we have a helper, God. I've figured out how to take Satan out of the equation. Surprisingly, pleading the blood of Jesus works. For more, see Kenneth Copeland Ministries - How to Plead the Blood of Jesus.

But that just prevents the bad stuff from happening each day. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good happens either. I can only do so much. What about God? I've tried loosing angels, the prayer of Jabez, praying. What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf - so that the lady at the grocery store isn't just not rude but actually put there to bless us?

If that is what you are looking for you aren't going to find it. It sounds like "prosperity gospel". That idea actually flies in the face of Christian history.

Are we to say that the early Christians were relying on God for an easy and prosperous life as they were being fed to lions or burned at the stake or crucified? Or that they had the ridiculous idea of being "raptured" to avoid the tribulation?

The teachings of Christianity do not have it that life will be easy for you, but that you will have the patience to endure it. You cannot bless those who spitefully use you if no one is spitefully using you.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Everyday, it seems to me that we have an enemy, Satan, we have ourselves, and we have a helper, God. I've figured out how to take Satan out of the equation. Surprisingly, pleading the blood of Jesus works. For more, see Kenneth Copeland Ministries - How to Plead the Blood of Jesus.

But that just prevents the bad stuff from happening each day. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good happens either. I can only do so much. What about God? I've tried loosing angels, the prayer of Jabez, praying. What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf - so that the lady at the grocery store isn't just not rude but actually put there to bless us?

I thought we were servants of God, not God being our personal servant. I wonder which God you are believing in - the God of the Bible, who is no-one's servant, or the push-button, vending machine god of your imagination?

 

[crossnote]

What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf

God is not our servant, nor a genie to do our bidding.

 

[topher694]

What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf

Start with acting on His behalf.

 

[royal priest]

We need to realize the spiritual dangers of covetousness. If we are not receiving the desire of our heart, and God is not answering according to our will, then we need to submit to His will.
As it is a violation of the 10th commandment, we ought to be careful to steer as far from it as possible. Agur has left us a model prayer in this regard:
Proverbs 30:8-9
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny you and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

 

[Sketcher]

Everyday, it seems to me that we have an enemy, Satan, we have ourselves, and we have a helper, God. I've figured out how to take Satan out of the equation. Surprisingly, pleading the blood of Jesus works. For more, see Kenneth Copeland Ministries - How to Plead the Blood of Jesus.

But that just prevents the bad stuff from happening each day. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good happens either. I can only do so much. What about God? I've tried loosing angels, the prayer of Jabez, praying. What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf - so that the lady at the grocery store isn't just not rude but actually put there to bless us?

God will bless you when he feels like it. There are no formulas to predictably earn earthly blessings from him.

 

[Greengardener]

I'm all for making life work, and it appears to me that what God gave us in His written word and evidenced to us in the life of Jesus Christ was what makes life work. But, since it evidently led Jesus to the cross (for us, and I'm thankful) and to a resurrection, and it led many if not most of the first disciples to a death by persecution (and to a hope of a resurrection), I would have a hard time buying into a religious premise that following Christ will lead me to a prosperous and easy life, even though John's prayer was that we prosper. My prayer for you would be that you prosper too, first in your knowledge of Him and that you also would have all that you need for life and godliness in your knowledge of Him. But there has definitely been an expectation out there that if I just do or say this special code, I get answers from God that suit my particular idea, and I'd have to agree, that genie in the lamp approach just doesn't work and is offensive to the concept that we are HIS people, HE is the potter. But on the other hand, HE has made us more than conquerors in Christ and we can indeed overcome as we are called to overcome. What are we overcoming? The world, sin, lusts, wickedness, depravities, bondages. We are called to a life of freedom from these things in Christ - free to be the people willing to do God's will in His kingdom while on earth, strangers and pilgrims here, looking for a city whose foundation is indeed God.

 

[Tolworth John]

Everyday, it seems to me that we have an enemy, Satan, we have ourselves, and we have a helper, God. I've figured out how to take Satan out of the equation. Surprisingly, pleading the blood of Jesus works. For more, see Kenneth Copeland Ministries - How to Plead the Blood of Jesus.

But that just prevents the bad stuff from happening each day. Nothing bad happens, but nothing good happens either. I can only do so much. What about God? I've tried loosing angels, the prayer of Jabez, praying. What can we do each day to get God to act on our behalf - so that the lady at the grocery store isn't just not rude but actually put there to bless us?

God is not your helper, he is your Lord the one you serve and obey.
Any teaching that say God is your helper is false.
Your rude lady in the shop is probably over worked, stressed and tierd. Be nice to her and pray intelligenly for her. None of the oh god bless the shop lady, that is not how Paul or Jesus prayed for others. Read the start of the epistles to see how Paul prayed and you pray like that for others.