Prosperity Gospel - The desires of your heart!!!

Prosperity Gospel

https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-success/

My friend KB passed a book to me “The Law of Attraction”.  I’m not ready for that yet (I have to do more reading and research).  But, today and tomorrow in a similar vein, I want to write about the “Prosperity Gospel”.

There are many Old and New Testament references to prosper and be in good health.  Today, we are going to look at some of them.

Matthew 7:7 “"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you”  (And similar verses in Mark and Luke).

Matthew 7:8 “For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

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So … pretty simple right?  No conditions set - just ask and it will be given to you.  For EVERYONE who asks receives!!

Well, maybe a little condition from James 4:2-3

“You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

Well, this seems to temper the ‘ask and it shall be given verses.  What are your motives?

Let’s try a Psalm - Psalm 37:3-5 

“Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this:”

Okay, this seems to suggest trusting in God, so you can ask for ANYTHING - IF you trust in the Lord and have the right motives - and HE will give you the desires of your heart!!!!  WOW!!!

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Okay, I have to comment.  I was teaching high school in Keokuk Iowa in 1978 (really from 1973 to 1978).  Our two children had been born (Steve in 1976 and Becky in 1978). By the end of the month, our checking account was empty!!  I had started taking classes to be a school administrator (like a principal). I started to look for positions, even though I didn’t have the degree yet.  At that point in time (way-before-internet / email), the process for a teacher to find a new job in Iowa was (a) look in the Des Moines Register; or (b) open your college placement file and they would send you job openings once a week.  I did the second and had opened my college placement record.

On August 1, 1978, I received a phone call from the college I had attended and gotten my master’s degree.  They had two faculty taking leaves for the next year and needed teachers. The department chair asked, “Would you be interested?”  [Are you kidding - of course, I was interested!! If you will, teaching on the college level was the “desire of my heart”!!!]

I said “YES”.  But, it wasn’t done - it was barely started.

The next day, I went to the School District Superintendent and said I was leaving the school district.  And, he said “not yet are you leaving - you have a signed contract to be in our classrooms in three weeks”!!  (I reflected on the desires of my heart). But, he said he would post an ad in the local (Keokuk) paper looking for a math teacher.

Within a couple of days, they had gotten good applicants and hired one!!  (Hurdle One - passed)

But, we had a house - which we listed and sold in two days!!  And, the selling price was TWICE what we paid for it!! [Okay, I have to comment on that!!  We bought the house for 10,000 dollars - remember this was in 1975 and we sold it from 20,000 dollars in 1978.  Hurdle Two - passed.)

And, a little icing on the cake.  We had a garage sale for some things we didn’t want to move and sold all but TWO things.  About an hour after the garage sale ended, there was a knock on the door. A man was there and apologized for not being able to come to the garage sale, but wanted to know if the TWO things were still available!!!  

Plus we found an empty house in WInona Minnesota that we could move into immediately!!!

So, within two weeks after the initial contact, I was released from my contract, the house sold and all the items at the garage sale sold!!!  WOW - if you will - “God moved us out of Keokuk Iowa and gave me the desires of my heart - to become a college teacher!!!!”

Reflection - with such a dramatic move, I have come to expect God’s hand to be upon me - even now (in my transition and senior years).  Yes, I try to trust in the Lord and commit to the Lord. And, yes, I have seen miracles in my life!!!

Okay - more tomorrow!!

Hugs!!

Karen

(What are the desires of your heart?)