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Billy Mango's avatar

“Jesus said to them, "Prophets are respected everywhere except in their own hometown and by their relatives and their family."

Saint Mark 6:4

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Brian Abel's avatar

The problem with prosperity theology is that it teaches us that prosperity is based upon piety. When life has a downturn, when we do struggle there becomes a disparity in our beliefs and our reality. We doubt our faith as Satan would like us to do but then it gets worse. We fake it…. We fake prosperity, we put on a false front to hide our “failings and faults” from our neighbors and our congregation. We do this all the while frantic and fearful that we are frauds not understanding that the rest of our prosperity theology congregation are caught in the same trap.

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Journal Pathways's avatar

So very, very well written. 👏

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Jim McCraigh's avatar

Thank you for your kind words...

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CovertlyObvious's avatar

It’s the difference in the dark of having a torch vs. nothing. And over time the light and warmth of that torch grows to envelop your entire being. The world and is pain and burden being to fall away.

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Jim McCraigh's avatar

Nicely said!

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Rightful Freedom's avatar

Great advice. The first thing that happened to Jesus after he was baptized was that the holy spirit drove him into the wilderness. We who follow him should expect blessings and trials.

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Martin's avatar

Thanks Jim

You have addressed the issue very well.

The health wealth and prosperity gospel is a lie that undermines peoples relationship with God, turning God into our servant rather than us being his friends, whom he commands to love and obey him:

No one has greater love than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master does.

But I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.

(John 15:13-15)

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Jim McCraigh's avatar

Martin, love your comment! Too often, as humans, we think about God as a sort of a celestial vending machine... insert prayer and immediately get a job, or get healed. You are right... He is NOT our servant!!!

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Amii's avatar

Our Creator has His on timing as He sees fit and we,as His creation,cannot dispute that for any reason! We as mortal human beings in this physical body that we possess cannot fully understand the power of God, our Creator! We cannot fully understand what or who He is in our physical bodies! So, therefore we cannot understand the wisdom of our Creator while we are in these physical bodies (avatars)! I call "God" our Creator because I don't know what His true real name is? I call Him our "Creator" or our "Divine Creator" and I don't mean in a new agey way either! But I do know that our Creator knows what's in our hearts, because He created our hearts after all right! So He definitely knows! I just believe that He's waiting for us to decide who and what to follow and believe in! Because He did give us a brain and freewill to think with and make judgments with! So we can decide to follow our Creator and Jesus Christ or to follow other "spiritual and new age practices" I'm Still researching these other spiritual and new age practices myself because I do believe that they are based on Satanism now after looking at this stuff seriously!

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Jim McCraigh's avatar

You are absolutely correct to believe that New Age religions are Satanic!

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Martin's avatar

Thanks Jim

People want to rule over God to make him do what they want!

But God wants relationships, based on love, not on ritual or mercenary desires.

The relationship between being friends of God or servants of God is interesting.

God gave Israel the honour of being his servants, because they were the seed of Abraham his friend, but if they had the faith of Abraham then they too could also become his friends, as Abraham was. (Isa 41:8-10, Gal 3:7-9)

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Kelliann's avatar

Wow, Jim, perfect timing! Thank you🙏💖

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Jim McCraigh's avatar

You are very welcome...

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Mark smith's avatar

I am a worship leader I'm attacked constantly Satan hates when ppl worship JESUS he (Satan) offered JESUS every kingdom of the world if only JESUS would worship him of coarse HE didn't. So f I'm attacked for worshipping JESUS it's what gets me thru

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Lyle Denham's avatar

Same for me as a worship leader. Thx for this!

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Mark smith's avatar

Satan was worship leader n heaven so he's out for worship leaders like us so he comes after us harder than others so we hafta press thru 2good ways to win these battles is pray n the SPIRIT, read the Psalms out loud, oh 1 more PRAISE HIM N THE STORM

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Jeff Johnson's avatar

Jesus didn't hide the fact that we will have troubles in this world, he came right out and told us to expect them, BUT he has overcome the world. That requires faith. And the truth of what he told Peter on the water in Matthew 14:27 is true for us who have faith today: "Do not be afraid. Take courage. I am here."

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Thad M Brown's avatar

Solid post Jim. It brings to mind John 15:2 “...every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” Pruning is tough.

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C.A. Campbell's avatar

Amen

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