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I asked God a question and the answer I received contradicts what is written in the Bible. The answer makes more sense to me than what is written.
I prayed about the way people take advantage of those who are willing to give. In the Bible, Jesus said to deny no one anything if they ask you for it. He spoke in several places about giving to those who need or ask. Luke 6:30, Matthew 5:40, Luke 3:11.
There are so many these days that take advantage and use our goodness when they really have no need. This is the answer that I received after prayer.
If you SEE that someone has a need, fill it. If anyone ASKS you for anything, tell them no and be strong about it. Tell them no BECAUSE they asked YOU for it and did not pray to me. If they pray to me first, then I will cause you to SEE the need--THEN you do not refuse, you will fill the need. They are to ask of me FIRST--SEEK me first.
The answer came in just about the exact wording that I used.What do you think?
I asked God a question and the answer I received contradicts what is written in the Bible. The answer makes more sense to me than what is written.
I prayed about the way people take advantage of those who are willing to give. In the Bible, Jesus said to deny no one anything if they ask you for it. He spoke in several places about giving to those who need or ask. Luke 6:30, Matthew 5:40, Luke 3:11.
There are so many these days that take advantage and use our goodness when they really have no need. This is the answer that I received after prayer.
If you SEE that someone has a need, fill it. If anyone ASKS you for anything, tell them no and be strong about it. Tell them no BECAUSE they asked YOU for it and did not pray to me. If they pray to me first, then I will cause you to SEE the need--THEN you do not refuse, you will fill the need. They are to ask of me FIRST--SEEK me first.
The answer came in just about the exact wording that I used.What do you think?
I think that God speaks to all of us all the time. It would appear that you listened.
Over time, God's inspiration will "contradict" what we have been taught about what is in the Bible. That is because we are wrong, and He is right. Remember that the Bible has been used to justify all manner of human evil at the worst. God inspires us to abandon our incorrect understandings of His message,
As for the devil, I find it hard to believe that God sent Jesus to preach his message, to undergo crucifixion to assure our redemption, and then would abandon us by ceding authority over the earth to some prince of evil. I think we humans are capable of too many things , good and evil, and we dont need the help of the devil in order to wander from the path.
if It is from the devil, then it is the devil that people must first worship in order to get you to give. you said " if they pray to me first", but you ask if the answer was from the devil or jesus. If it is from the devil, then you must give to those who pray to the devil? if the answer is no, then you know the answer came from God.
But we are to freely give, are you going to ask the person who is asking " did you pray to God first"? of course not.
I give to the people on the street, most of the time they say " God bless you". you just never know who you are giving to and don't know how you can change their lives.
Some say not to give to those on the street because they will buy beer or drugs. But what if on the way to buy that beer, they get hit by a car, go to the hospital, the nurse is a prayer warrior and witness for Christ. the nurse shares Christ and the homeless man is now living a clean productive life for God? now the person who says to not give will begin giving. sometimes we all are just too tight with our money.
As far as your dilemma, I say trust your heart. give out of love, not to earn cool points with God. Give especially when nobody knows you gave, not even your loved ones.
if It is from the devil, then it is the devil that people must first worship in order to get you to give. you said " if they pray to me first", but you ask if the answer was from the devil or jesus. If it is from the devil, then you must give to those who pray to the devil? if the answer is no, then you know the answer came from God.
But we are to freely give, are you going to ask the person who is asking " did you pray to God first"? of course not.
I give to the people on the street, most of the time they say " God bless you". you just never know who you are giving to and don't know how you can change their lives.
Some say not to give to those on the street because they will buy beer or drugs. But what if on the way to buy that beer, they get hit by a car, go to the hospital, the nurse is a prayer warrior and witness for Christ. the nurse shares Christ and the homeless man is now living a clean productive life for God? now the person who says to not give will begin giving. sometimes we all are just too tight with our money.
As far as your dilemma, I say trust your heart. give out of love, not to earn cool points with God. Give especially when nobody knows you gave, not even your loved ones.
I'm not sure I follow all of this argument, but you do come around to a very good point, to whit, there are consequences to every action.
To paraphrase a sage, our lives are stones, thrown into a pond. The ripples from those stones, our lives, travel through time and space forever, interacting with other ripples from other stones in ways we cannot imagine.
Last edited by chuckmann; 10-16-2013 at 07:51 AM..
If someone asks and we are able, we should help one another. The Bible tells us to not let the left hand know what the right hand does. We need to do and give with no afterthought. Who are we to know if what we do for someone or give to someone isn't the one thing to convict one's soul and turn them to God (if they were asking with sinful intent). It is not up to us to judge whether someone is worthy enough of our help or money.
We need to be good stewards of the time, talents and treasures God provides for us...what we do for others we do unto the Lord.
My question about whether it was evil that answered had to do with telling people no. I've always had trouble telling someone no about something and always felt guilty for saying no. I've been taken advantage of many times by people who really didn't need my help but knew that I had trouble turning them down. I like the answer that I got from prayer and it makes sense to me.
Only God knows the hearts and minds of others and I believe that He gave me a way to help without being taken advantage of and a way to grow in my faith in Him, my self-confidence in standing up for myself and in teaching me to trust Him to let me know the difference about those who need and those who are like leaches. It also teaches others about WHO they should ask for help first and to pray.
The answer came in just about the exact wording that I used.What do you think?
Sheila, you are an intelligent woman posting issues that indicate you are searching for some clarity.
IMHO, this latest post is a regression to medieval thinking.
There is no Satan. There is only God.
Satan is a creation to explain evil. Without Satan it would be hard to explain God to the the masses. The first thing they would say is how come there is suffering and evil? How come God does not take care of us? So to explain these hard questions the medieval and primitive men of God had to create Satan; they had no choice. Otherwise God would have been seen as less than successful.
Lastly, I would like you to describe how Satan and God spoke to you. You are placing Satan and God in the same level and that makers zero sense.
You would benefit greatly by reading the Confessions of Saint Agustine.
Sheila, this reminds me of the Lutheran pastor, George Muller who opened orphanages in the 1800s in England to care for the many children who had lost their parents and were living on the streets. His philosophy of prayer was that he should never make his needs known to others, but trust that God would provide. For much of his life he kept records of his prayers and how they were answered.
Greatest of all Muller's undertakings was the erection and maintenance of the great orphanages at Bristol. He began the undertaking with only two shillings (50 cents) in his pocket; but in answer to prayer and without making his needs known to human beings, he received the means necessary to erect the great buildings and to feed the orphans day by day for sixty years. In all that time the children did not have to go without a meal, and Mr. Muller said that if they ever had to go without a meal he would take it as evidence that the Lord did not will the work to continue. Sometimes the meal time was almost at hand and they did not know where the food would come from, but the Lord always sent it in due time, during the twenty thousand or more days that Mr. Muller had charge of the homes. George Muller Evangelist, Orphanages, Bristol, England - Christian Biography Resources
Sheila, you are an intelligent woman posting issues that indicate you are searching for some clarity.
IMHO, this latest post is a regression to medieval thinking.
There is no Satan. There is only God.
Satan is a creation to explain evil. Without Satan it would be hard to explain God to the the masses. The first thing they would say is how come there is suffering and evil? How come God does not take care of us? So to explain these hard questions the medieval and primitive men of God had to create Satan; they had no choice. Otherwise God would have been seen as less than successful.
Lastly, I would like you to describe how Satan and God spoke to you. You are placing Satan and God in the same level and that makers zero sense.
You would benefit greatly by reading the Confessions of Saint Agustine.
The reason I have so much trouble is because some of the answers that I have been getting seem like contradictions. I have even argued with God over some issues. It's like he uses adversity(sometimes called evil) to find your weaknesses and misconceptions but His methods are not very nice. I can give some examples of answers that I have been getting.
Foul language/ what we call curse words---mans language used usually as expletives to express displeasure for pain, fear or anger--only bad when used against another for intent to harm--ignore the language and interpret intent. To curse God is to come against love and sometimes the accuser is the one guilty.
Divorce or living together without papers---no law against love, laws were used to prevent harm to others and in that caused great harm, I put them in remission and asked that you obey out of love. This is so none but I can judge you. It's better to stay married to one when possible for the children's sake. If your actions will harm another put yourself last. Paper's are of mankind, the heart is of God, choose wisely making lasting commitments and taking life and love seriously. All things that are evil are the things which do you and others harm, all things of love create a benefit for you and others. My love is a benefit and a construction. Perception is where things are going wrong.
There are other issues--I ask lots of questions and at times argue. He doesn't seem to mind if I argue as long as I'm honest about my perceptions--then He corrects them.
I know He was speaking about spiritual matters, but Jesus also said not to cast our pearls before swine. Personally, I think your idea about not giving if they ask is a little on the rigid side, but not a bad thought. Don't feel bad about saying no if you feel that they are just panhandling, but allow yourself to give when you have a feeling that there is a real need even if they ask.
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You are placing Satan and God in the same level and that makers zero sense.
