The problem with the "prosperity gospel" is that it teaches the *now*, with only material blessings and abundance. The Good News is twisted. That we are atoned for by Jesus is removed from the equation, and it becomes that we are destined for health, wealth, and happiness. This is 100% out of alignment with what the early apostles taught and experienced. It ignores the ENTIRE message, which is to repent and accept everlasting life, and to reject this world of decay and selfishness.
"There is no greater love than this: to lay down ones life for his friends." (John 15.13). "Name it and Claim it" is New Thought repackaged and teaches healing WITHOUT preparation! It is a total scam, and makes us God. It is rejection of Christ and is blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is not "feel good", "Be agreeable", "Don't make waves" "One love", It is the original definition of mind control, and is at best egoism.
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves" (Matthew 7.15). False prophets speak of the a path where everyone can get along, where everyone can have their needs met, where God will perform the impossible for the dejected souls and use miraculous stories in the Old and New Testaments to suggest "That could be you!" with, as true to prosperity preaching, not including the ten verses above and below which explain the FAITH and the REDEMPTION through WORKS that are required for the chosen to be granted exception to!
And this is why we who minister call these "witnesses" wolves. Because they devour and destroy. They perpetuate stagnancy and sin by saying that our trouble will go away if we just pray the right way, or believe in the right way, or think the right way. And it is the last point that bothers me the most, because a sick person cannot think themselves well, as the disease starts in the mind (1 Peter 5.8-9).
Which leads me to my next point - spiritual warfare. I understand the desire to come across as a loving, kind, open-minded person. And I am here to say that we can still be those things, and have conviction in Christ. Christ was gentle and meek: he sacrificed for ALL people, even when there were times he tried to go on his own way, he always turned back to help those not of his flock (Matthew 15.21-8), (Luke 17.11-7). We can be tolerant and compassionate while still recognizing the Way of the Cross is violent and requires weapons.
There is healthy fighting, and unhealthy fighting. I know the difference because I have engaged in both. Unhealthy fighting is based in fear and selfishness. It is the product of acting out in sin, and it is 100% futile. Healthy fighting is taking a stand against injustice in the physical world, and maintaining a circumscribed heart in the spiritual world. I know what it's like to want to fight, and to not want to fight. The desire to fight is based in ego and pride. It is an addiction whereby the brain activates the adrenal gland and releases epinephrine. For those of us prone to chemical dependence, this actually feels really good and validates us in many ways.
But healthy fighting is within a respected perimeter where we know it is the absolute last resort and is not desired or necessary to feel satisfied. In fact, though it is healthy it can feel awful, just like a diet or the foods contained in that diet are oftentimes unpleasant. My life has been a fight from the beginning, and because of that, along with my direct experience with Jesus in 2011, I have made peace with conflict. The world I know, my inner world and the world around me is constant resistance, and that my friends can be used for good.
Pretending that things are okay when they are not will not protect anyone from snares, and that is because these are undetectable traps, hidden and camouflaged. Satan doesn't come to us with scary features, he comes as a beautiful angel of light (2 Corinthians 11.14). Know the difference between superficial peace and real world hardship because ignorance might protect us in a fallen world but in the world where our ransom has been paid, it is of no use (Matthew 22.11-14).
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