#prosperity gospel is a lie

[ranthaven]

Chris Hedges is quite correct. You really don’t need divinity school, whether Harvard or anywhere else, to understand that the prosperity gospel is a fucking HERESY!!! Just read the parts where Jesus chases the moneychangers out of the temple. If that doesn’t clarify it for you without deep study, then I don’t know how to help you understand.

Anyway, follow in Mr. Hedges’ footsteps and denounce the prosperity gospel far and wide. Anyone getting rich on religion is fake, a liar, a con man, and totally unworthy.

Citations: Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18, Luke 18:45-46, and John 2:13-17

👍 http://dlvr.it/T6zLy8

[eyes-on-jesus]

I wanna report something to the girlies:

After a hard life and a bunch of toxic relationships and battling being lost (also financially) and stopping my studies last year, I am 29 and got married, started 2 businesses in 3 months time that are both successful, I am financially blessed by God, went on my honeymoon, found a real job, reconnected with my brother after 5 years of no contact, fixed some difficult relationships and even had them thrive, I moved to France and yes, I am finally stepping into my blessings, it is undeniable, God had a plan, and most importantly:

Prosperity gospel is STILL A BIG FAT LIE.

[creature-wizard]

Quick rundown on my actual positions re: the Law of Assumption & reality shifting right now:

I think the practices associated with the Law of Assumption can provide a very real psychological benefit, and I think many practitioners have successfully used it to overcome problems stemming from anxiety, poor self-image, etc.

I am broadly in favor of people using these practices, insofar as they don't exacerbate other mental issues and insecurities, or create other problems. (Needing other people to feel jealous of you to feel good about yourself is inherently unhealthy. Revision is just lying to yourself or others. Everyone Is You Pushed Out is both dehumanizing and victim-blaming.)

I don't think "reality shifting" actually moves people into parallel universes or whatever. I think the manifestation type version works the same way I think the Law of Assumption works. I think the "travel to my favorite fictional world and meet my blorbos" version essentially works by inducing a kind of deep, intense dream state.

I also think confirmation bias leads people to interpret random coincidences and things that probably would've happened anyway as cases of successful manifestation.

I think many cases of successful manifestation can also be explained by the frequency illusion in action. I think they technically count as successes from a psychological standpoint, since it would mean practitioners have successfully trained their brains to hone in on things they want.

I genuinely don't care if you believe that a metaphysical element might be involved. That's fine with me. I draw the line at telling people that they can absolutely, 100% manifest anything at all if they just Do It Right, and at telling people that they are 100% responsible for literally everything that happens to them. There is no context in which claims like these do not lead to psychological and physical harm.

Maybe there are individual cases where Law of Assumption practitioners experienced an extraordinary healing of some kind. I have my own reasons to think that in some rare instances, these things actually do happen. But I also know that there is no reason to think that LOA practices were specifically responsible for it, and I also know that statistically speaking, faith healing kills.

I think a lot of people in this community are lying, because that's just human nature/the nature of the Internet. There's always people who lie.

I also can't rule out psychosis for some people, either.

I have learned from researching and studying scams, cults, and hoaxes that when someone refuses to provide solid evidence to back up their extraordinary claims, it's because they're lying, and that those who play the victim or vilify people when asked for solid evidence want to take advantage of others in some way.

I have also learned that all scammers, cultists/cult leaders, and hoaxters will try to make you think they're the Very Special Exception to this rule. They are not. They never are.

I think the practice of Living In The End is a potential incentive to make false claims. If you're living as if it's already fulfilled, it would only make sense to write a "success story," right?

People who claim they changed the color of their eyes might also not be aware that your eye color can look different under different lighting.

Use the void state or don't, I don't care. I don't think it's harmful. I think it might be beneficial for some. I just don't think it's going to enable you manifest new parents overnight or resurrect the dead or whatever. Again, I think the LOA's benefits are primarily psychological.

I think Neville Goddard was a liar. His ideas didn't come from Kabbalah, they came from Phineas Quimby. They don't derive from Jewish mysticism; they're a close relative of Prosperity Gospel.

I think "Edward Art" is yet another content farm channel.

Spiritual abuse dolled up as self-empowerment is still spiritual abuse. "But we're helping people!" Cool motive, still abuse.

If you're more upset by people calling out the toxic bullshit going on in the Law of Assumption community than you are by the toxic bullshit going on in the Law of Assumption community, you need to fix your heart.

For anyone reading this: If you are leaving or questioning the Law of Assumption and need help, please see this post.

[the-magic-school-bus]

Favorite Bible verse?

this is literally an entire chapter but i was raised with prosperity gospel, with minimal mentions of people in the bible thinking God abandoned them or struggling with their faith because that was VERY BAD to do.

anyways @ominouspositivity-or-else sent this to me a while ago and it stuck with me because im always shocked that stuff like this exists in the bible

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭88‬:‭1‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Lord, you are the God who saves me; day and night I cry out to you. May my prayer come before you; turn your ear to my cry. I am overwhelmed with troubles and my life draws near to death.

I am counted among those who go down to the pit; I am like one without strength. I am set apart with the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more, who are cut off from your care. You have put me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.

Your wrath lies heavily on me; you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. You have taken from me my closest friends and have made me repulsive to them. I am confined and cannot escape; my eyes are dim with grief. I call to you, Lord, every day; I spread out my hands to you.

Do you show your wonders to the dead? Do their spirits rise up and praise you? Is your love declared in the grave, your faithfulness in Destruction? Are your wonders known in the place of darkness, or your righteous deeds in the land of oblivion? But I cry to you for help, Lord; in the morning my prayer comes before you.

Why, Lord, do you reject me and hide your face from me? From my youth I have suffered and been close to death; I have borne your terrors and am in despair. Your wrath has swept over me; your terrors have destroyed me. All day long they surround me like a flood; they have completely engulfed me. You have taken from me friend and neighbor— darkness is my closest friend.”

[mostlysignssomeportents]

This day in history

NEXT WEEKEND (June 7–9), I'm in AMHERST, NEW YORK to keynote the 25th Annual Media Ecology Association Convention and accept the Neil Postman Award for Career Achievement in Public Intellectual Activity.

#15yrsago Canadian cinema fined $10,000 for privacy invasion over bag-search https://web.archive.org/web/20090529094117/https://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090525/cinema_lawsuit_090525/20090525

#10yrsago Majority of Americans think Snowden was right to leak https://www.darkreading.com/endpoint-security/a-year-later-most-americans-think-snowden-did-the-right-thing

#10yrsago The English Method: UK taught modern torture to Brazil’s dictators https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27625540

#10yrsago What’s the story with the Makerbot patent? https://memex.craphound.com/2014/05/30/whats-the-story-with-the-makerbot-patent/

#10yrsago NSA can’t find any emails from Snowden, then it can (convenient, no?) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/29/nsa-email-snowden-surveillance-internal-whistleblowing

#5yrsago How Mexican labor unions tried to rescue Freud from the Nazis https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/mexico-attempt-save-freud-nazis/

#5yrsago Wealth is correlated with greed, dishonesty and cheating — are these effects or a causes? https://www.thejournal.ie/readme/opinion-why-do-rich-people-lie-cheat-and-steal-more-than-those-on-low-incomes-4647197-May2019/

#5yrsago New Amazon patent application reveals “solution” to missed Alexa instructions: always on recording https://www.sciencealert.com/creepy-new-amazon-patent-would-mean-alexa-records-everything-you-say-from-now-on

#5yrsago How the “prosperity gospel” convinces poor people to give everything to grifty millionaire preachers https://www.bbc.com/news/stories-47675301

#5yrsago After viral Youtube denunciations, Germany’s establishment parties falter — so the ruling party’s leader faxed her colleagues demanding action https://www.techdirt.com/2019/05/30/german-political-leader-questions-youtubers-right-to-tell-fans-not-to-vote-her-party-urgently-summons-her-advisers-response-fax/

#1yrago Ian McDonald's "Hopeland": A novel so eerily good it almost made me angry https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/30/electromancy/#the-grace

[wisdomfish]

The shallow follower...

“Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.” [John 6:15]

They never got past thinking of Jesus as an earthly king who would give them the earthly freedom and revenge they wanted. [ref. John 6]... All they wanted to do was force Him to be their personal miracle-worker and use His power politically and militarily against the Romans… They looked at Jesus as the one who was going to solve their daily dilemmas, fix their lives, meet their needs and desires, and make them rich…

You cannot call people to Christ because it’s the thing to do and everybody’s doing it. You can’t call people to Christ to get swell miracles or have their lives straightened out. This is the lie of the health-wealth-prosperity gospel and the felt-needs gospel, and all it does is draw people in who soon become disillusioned. As Jesus said in John 18:36,

“My kingdom is not of this world.”

A person who had once professed Christ wrote me a letter, saying, “Your Jesus didn’t work. My husband left, my son’s in the hospital, and I have a terminal illness. Your Jesus didn’t work!”

The shallow follower has no sense of the spiritual, the eternal, the divine, and no particular love for God or attachment to Jesus Christ. The shallow Christian lives for the here and now; and if Jesus doesn’t deliver, that’s the end of it.

~ John MacArthur

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

1st October >> Mass Readings (USA)

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor 

on

Tuesday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time.

Tuesday, Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the feria (Tuesday))

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Tuesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Job 3:1-3, 11-17, 20-23 Why is light given to the toilers?

Job opened his mouth and cursed his day. Job spoke out and said:

Perish the day on which I was born, the night when they said, “The child is a boy!”

Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire? Or why was I not buried away like an untimely birth, like babes that have never seen the light? Wherefore did the knees receive me? or why did I suck at the breasts?

For then I should have lain down and been tranquil; had I slept, I should then have been at rest With kings and counselors of the earth who built where now there are ruins Or with princes who had gold and filled their houses with silver.

There the wicked cease from troubling, there the weary are at rest.

Why is light given to the toilers, and life to the bitter in spirit? They wait for death and it comes not; they search for it rather than for hidden treasures, Rejoice in it exultingly, and are glad when they reach the grave: Those whose path is hidden from them, and whom God has hemmed in!

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 88:2-3, 4-5, 6, 7-8

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

O LORD, my God, by day I cry out; at night I clamor in your presence. Let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my call for help.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

For my soul is surfeited with troubles and my life draws near to the nether world. I am numbered with those who go down into the pit; I am a man without strength.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

My couch is among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, Whom you remember no longer and who are cut off from your care.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

You have plunged me into the bottom of the pit, into the dark abyss. Upon me your wrath lies heavy, and with all your billows you overwhelm me.

R/ Let my prayer come before you, Lord.

Gospel Acclamation Mark 10:45

Alleluia, alleluia. The Son of Man came to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 9:51-56 He resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.

When the days for Jesus to be taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

---------------------

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus, Virgin, Doctor 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

(Readings for the memorial)

(There is a choice today between the readings for the ferial day (Tuesday) and those for the memorial. The ferial readings are recommended unless pastoral reasons suggest otherwise)

First Reading Isaiah 66:10-14c I will spread prosperity over her like a river.

Rejoice with Jerusalem and be glad because of her, all you who love her; Exult, exult with her, all you who were mourning over her! Oh, that you may suck fully of the milk of her comfort, That you may nurse with delight at her abundant breasts! For thus says the LORD: Lo, I will spread prosperity over her like a river, and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing torrent. As nurslings, you shall be carried in her arms, and fondled in her lap; As a mother comforts her son, so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.

When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bodies flourish like the grass; The LORD’s power shall be known to his servants.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 131:1bcde, 2, 3

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O LORD, my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty; I busy not myself with great things, nor with things too sublime for me.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted my soul like a weaned child. Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap, so is my soul within me.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

O Israel, hope in the LORD, both now and forever.

R/ In you, Lord, I have found my peace.

Gospel Acclamation cf. Matthew 11:25

Alleluia, alleluia. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth; you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Matthew 18:1-4 Unless you become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[obsessingonthevalley]

Short n' Sweet. also, Russell T. Davies rant.

So I am a carpenter, fun fact, and I will be talking about Sabrina Carpenter's new album, but there is a lot on today's itinerary. So I will split everything by pictures and the sections will be in this order.

Russel T. Davies rant. (I'm watching you mate) Short n' Sweet debrief

RUSSELL YOU NO-GOOD MAN. WHAT DO YOU MEAN "I can't see River Song making an appearance." I can't see satisfying explanations you decided to cut out because they "weren't necessary" or because "it's pretty obvious what 73 yards meant" WAS IT???

Okay, so I am very happy that this new era seemingly went over well with Disney meaning it will continue to live a long and prosperous life, which ,as the world's largest whovian, YAYYY! however, if Russell continues to cut off important parts of episodes, like a one-off line explaining Sutekh??? yeah, I'm gonna start throwing hands. Like, get on your shit mate. What is this?

And saying no River Song, and especially no Alex Kingston??? I am so not live, laugh, loving rn.

Something that has got me live, laugh, loving right now is my queen's 6th album!!!!

Yeah, no, I am indeed obsessed. When slim pickins was teased, I'm not gonna lie, I was sceptical about how good the album was gonna be and if my queen was gonna enter her flop era, luckily it was just a "bad time" in a sea of "singular act 1" type situation. So we are so back.

ratings, because duh: 1. Taste - 8/10. When I first listened to it, I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I was swayed heavily by the music video as I have been in love with Jenna Ortega for pretty much as long as I've been in love with Sabrina Carpenter, so you do the maths. 2. Please Please Please - 7/10 I love it, don't get me wrong, but with the other songs on the album, it's not the best now, is it? 3. Good Graces - 6/10 I didn't love it, and with no music video that kicked in my gay panic. It is probably my least favourite, IT ISN'T BAD BY ANY MEANS. I love the chorus and the beat, but the start is so slow. Very much club music x like a weak 2020 doja cat/ariana grande vibe. like it's not the best. Is it stuck in my head 24/7? sure... so 4. Sharpest Tool - 9/10 the next 3 songs are heavenly and incredible that they are back to back. It's such a beautifully soft song like skinny dipping but slightly hornier and sadder. My vibe completely (I love Conan Gray) 5. Coincidence - 10/10 I love it sooo much. RnBina is back besties. The gospel choir in the chorus. ughhhh. deceased. I died from heavenly tunes. It is such a good song, it's so unapologetically ruthless. Just a song for haters (me.) /j 6. Bed Chem - 10/10!! I'm sure it'll be the biggest mainstream success, this and probably Taste and Juno. But this one is for the same reason Nonsense killed because 1 it's iconic, 2 it's funny as shit, and 3 cause it's catchy as hell. It has been on my mind on repeat for ages. Also lowkey giving Rachel Bloom, someone I'm sure no one reading this knows, she's from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and was youtube famous for singing about touching boobies. I don't wanna talk about it. (sharpest tool reference?) 7. Espresso - 8/10 I used to think Please Please Please was better than this but listening to it again when listening to the whole album, it is actually a masterpiece? no, but it is truly spectacular. but I love it? 8. Dumb & Poetic - 8/10 I enjoy it a lot, it's a little depresso, but based on my explanation of Sharpest Tool's ranking, I think it's clear I enjoy that vibe a little. 9. Slim Pickins - 6/10 I'm so sorry just not my vibe, and "the lord forgot my gay awakening" was a humbling experience. But all jokes aside, I felt like it couldn't decide if it was funny or serious. 10. Juno - 10/10 Are you kidding me, again it's a bit horny, but one of my faves from eics was fast times so it's not an issue for me. 11. Lie To Girls - 8/10 I like it, I think. A bit too real. I feel like it's a song that in like a month or two I've cried to it so I love it, like most most Superache songs, ya get me? 12. Don't Smile - 9/10 Yes, I like this one a lot. its sad as well, but it hits so heavy, the beat is delicious, again its giving doja/ariana for some reason, also "doja/ariana" makes no sense and i under stand that, but it's just a delectable vibe, WHEN DONE RIGHT, (sorry good graces...)

overall 9/10 nothing can beat singular act 1. sorry not sorry (demi lovato reference)

[for-the-writing-artist]

My pastor was discussing the sin of lying the other Sunday ─ an absolute truth is that God hates lies, I am not denying this (see Prov 12:22, I Tm 1:10, Ex 20:16)─ with relative examples of day to day situations. I tell you, it was a real hand-on-your-head kind of day.

And unfortunately for us, ambiguous temporal creatures that we are, not all actions are everything or nothing. But I think to better explain my position, I have to identify the premises of my argument.

The first being:

Every sin holds equal value.

God will condemn you to hell for being an impulsive liar, be that the only sin you have ever committed in your life, just as He will condemn you to hell for murder (see Ja 2:10-11). But notice that, though in the spiritual plane and eternal time, it does not matter what sin you are charged with, in our temporal world, and mortal plane, some sins are more destructive than others. This is my first belief.

And the second being:

Our sins do not affect us equally.

Which is obvious. Take the sin of murder (Ex 20:13), for instance; where time and time again the OT shows whoever takes a life will repay ─ in this life ─ with their own. (Gn 9:5-6, Ex 21: 16, Lv 24:17, and in the NT, a reprimand from Jesus himself, Mt 26:52.)

Versus divorce (Ex 20:14), which was acceptable in the OT (Dt 24:1-4), but forbids either party from ever marrying again, lest they be charged with adultery (NT ─ Mt 19:9,6 1 Co 7:10, Mk 10:1-12).

Thus, I can conclude that, if God so wishes, the sin you commit will impact your life proportionally. As an addendum, the above in no way condones the Prosperity Gospel ─ as there is yet to be found in the Bible where faith and financial donations somehow annul the consequences of sin in your life.

Of Lying, and Moral Ambiguity.

In many cases, the intention of our actions leaves no room for moral ambiguity with the sins we commit ─ I cannot be so certain this to always be the truth in the case of a lie. A murderer's intention is premeditated. A divorce is only allowed under the clause of sexual immorality.

Why do we lie, then? To deceive our neighbor with perjury or slander. Strong's Hebrew seems to imply this commandment strongly in the topic of courts, and injury to one's image.

Something my pastor talked of was honesty in the face of our worldly governments ─ in my opinion, this shouldn't always be the case.

I am not talking about small things like tax evasion (← the example he used), simply because the consequences of evading taxes are too big to justify the risk. It is unwise. But I do argue against using the example above as an endorsement for us to always be honest with our governments.

If I were hiding Jews in Nazi occupied Europe in the 40s, would the Christian thing to do be, if the government came looking, to lie or not lie? Simply because lying is a sin, I should therefore reveal that yes, am I hiding Jews?

In this example, I ask that you go back to my second premise, and examine the impact the lie and the truth have in the supposed scenario.

This is a situation where one or multiple lives are my responsibility, along with my own. And what does this ill-placed honesty impact in their lives? Certain death, and mine also, if we take what the Nazis did in Poland to heart.

The lie does not seem unreasonable, as is my responsibility in this situation to keep theirs, and possibly my own safety, intact.

A lie (the sin) is spread due to malice, falsehood, or slander, directed at one or more people ─ a false testimony without cause, intended to cause perjury to another. In such cases, the sin is absolute and easily identifiable.

In conclusion; though I hold that honesty is always the ideal thing to do, I cannot agree that it is absolutely so when it comes to local governments or authorities.

[faithfullyfound]

Don't Pray Away Your Blessings

Trust in the Lord's blessings for your life. Do not let your doubt be what prevents a door from opening. Be open to the Lord's blessings and trust in His will alone not your own.

John 10:10: "A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I [Jesus] come so that they [believers] may have life and have it in abundance."

Our faith in the plans God has for our lives leads to blessings we never thought possible.

(I am not talking about the prosperity Gospel which is a lie)

But instead, life through Christ & faith in Him alone is the only thing that will bring us true joy and life into our lives.

I pray that this month you feel God's presence in your life and are open to the blessings and the plan He has for you. I pray that you do not pray away His plan or blessing for you but instead are open to His will and your unique identity He has planned for you to move forward the Kingdom of God.

Amen.

[shammah8]

🕊️🌺Wendy🌺🕊️:

NEGATIVE THOUGHTS AND MEDITATIONS We must continually be watchful over our thoughts and meditations, whether they center on fear or any other negative emotion or idea. I have often said that “your meditation is your medication.” In Scripture, the word meditation has a much different connotation than its modern application in many circles today (including new age groups), such as repeating a mantra. Just before Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, the Lord said to him, This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth but you shall meditate therein day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. (Joshua 1:8) In this verse, the Hebrew word translated “meditate” is hagah, which means “to moan or mutter (as in under the breath).” This ancient Hebrew practice was used to recite the Torah. It was a powerful tool for Scripture memorization. Unfortunately, many people do not realize the enemy’s insidious attempts to hijack their lives through their thoughts and meditations and keep them from focusing on God’s Word.

This is how it works: Satan sends thoughts to people, who then allow these thoughts to become a meditation; they speak them over and over again until the words come into manifestation. For example, a woman who has had a miscarriage but is now pregnant again may receive the thought, “This next child will be miscarried or stillborn!” She continues to entertain that thought, and she may begin speaking the idea. This process can open the door to a spirit of miscarriage and eventually lead to a physical miscarriage of the unborn child. Then, well-meaning believers surround her and assure her that God “took” her child. However, the truth is that the accuser took her child.

A precious friend of our family suffered multiple miscarriages, and, as a result, she experienced depression. She was taught and believed that God was the one causing her to have the miscarriages.

It reached a point where she didn’t even want to become pregnant again. One day, while speaking to her, I told her that it was not God’s will for her to have these miscarriages. I showed her this passage of Scripture:And you shall serve the LORD your God, and He shall bless your bread, and your water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of you. There shall nothing cast their young [miscarry], nor be barren, in your land: the number of your days I will fulfill. (Exodus 23:25–26) This woman was shocked! She had no idea that it was Satan taking her unborn babies. Sometimes we unknowingly espouse false (and in certain cases, demonic) doctrines that affect our ability to operate in kingdom authority. Here is another example: many people do not believe they are forgiven by God because they have embraced a legalistic message of religion posing as the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Scriptures teach us that we are justified by grace and faith alone. (See Ephesians 2:8–9.) But the accuser of the brethren capitalizes on the ignorance and fear of believers through this false doctrine by getting them to believe that the difficulties they are going through are the result of their past sins. Indeed, there are natural and spiritual consequences to sin; however, when we believe a lie about the efficacy of the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf, we can unwittingly open the door to familiar spirits.

Remember, the devil is the “father of lies.” (See John 8:44.) If your theology is based on defeat or despair, you run the risk of releasing curses out of your mouth that invite and embolden demonic powers.

(I discuss this process in more detail in coming chapters.) Beloved, we must give the enemy no place. Sometimes doing so can be much more insidious than we realize. Maybe you have been taught that it is not God’s will to heal or that He uses sickness to teach us a lesson. Or perhaps you have formed the impression that God is a God of constant punishment or judgment. My friends, these are lies!

Jesus came to give us life more abundantly. (See John 10:10.) Hallelujah!☕️Kynan Bridges

[the-psudo]

Read all banned books, including the Bible. Reading the Bible without a guide telling you what to believe about it is the surest way to dispose of the Christian Nationalist/prosperity gospel bullshit that makes American Christianity a disgusting perversion of the good news of Jesus like a crucifix featuring a dildo up Christ's ass.

Maybe get into some of the scholarly analysis that casts out dogmas, such as how not a single syllable of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament condemns sexual orientations of any kind because nobody in the eras when those books were written ever had any concept of a sexual orientation. The bible talks about deeds, not intentions or inclinations. Leviticus 18:22 is about not using sex to show domination over lesser/lower class males. They used different words for each man in the act, which some old English bibles translated as "do not lie with a little boy as with a woman" but is most commonly translated today as "do not lie with a man as with a woman." But the Hebrew text uses completely different words for each man. Literally a man (unqualified) and a young man (which might mean a little boy, but also might mean a young adult servant or a man under your authority; a lesser man). A boss making the employee suck his dick to prove that the boss has the power and the employee does not certainly is an abomination, and is indistinguishable from the commandment given in Leviticus 18:22. And that act has nothing to do with either of them preferring sex with men/being homosexual. It has to do with sex as a exercise in power, a means of oppression. It's not about sexual needs or desires, it's about humiliating one's lessers to ensure they remember that they are lesser. Like when Trump calls his sycophants' wives ugly, for example. Humiliation by those in power over those who are obligated to submit. An abomination.

[ifmypeopleza01]

Man Pleasers

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? or am I striving to please men? if I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10 ASV)

Man pleaser or God pleaser? I guess we are already our question. Before we get to the question though, let us see what we can learn from this statement. Paul had preached the Gospel to Galatia (it is not a specific church but a region or a group of churches in Asia Minor. Verse 4 is a very brief Gospel message "Jesus gave himself for our sins that we may be delivered from this evil world. This according to the Father's will." Being a God-pleaser would then be the preaching of the pure Gospel message. Man-pleaser - a person that perverts the Gospel message. He changes the Gospel of grace to something else. A works based Gospel most likely. In other words, you must earn your way to heaven. This is then a merit based Gospel, not a grace based Gospel. As Gospel means "Good News", Paul is correct to say that this is not a gospel at all. The trouble is that the very fabric of our world suggests that we ought to have a works based Gospel. After all, our world revolves around a system of work and reward. The most pressing issue that Paul addresses in this letter is the issue of circumcision or at least a return to the law of Moses, as this is what the false preachers were preaching. But every false Gospel message is likely to be a man-centred Gospel where man does the good work in order to be saved. Paul says not so. God gets the glory for our salvation. That leaves us with a couple questions depending on whether you are the preacher or if you are the listener. Two Ways to Live? Preacher - are you preaching the whole council of God, letting no words fall to the floor, faithfully preaching expository and exegetically? Expository meaning you preach line by line through a book of the Bible until the entire book is complete, running through every book of the Bible during his tenure in the pulpit. Exegetically meaning that you draw the message out of the Bible as opposed to reading something into the text. Listener - the rise of false prosperity preachers and those that change the grace of God into a lie is at least to some degree a judgement on us. We want to hear easy messages where everyone eventually goes to heaven and hell does not exist. We want to hear that our lotto ticket will win the next jackpot. So we gravitate towards that false teaching, not realizing that the message is false and a twisting of the scriptures. Both preachers and listeners have a responsibility. Preachers to preach sound doctrine, listeners to be careful of listening to nice words we inevitably want to hear. The gospel tells us that we are wicked sinners on our way to hell and it pleads with you to repent and turn to Jesus in faith. This repentance demands humility, something we often lack. Father, thank for your word, Help us as both preachers and listeners of your word to be faithful. Deliver us from false preaching which is so often prevalent in our world.

[an-unanonymous-messenger]

Did you ever hear of an absurd and idiotic teaching called the "prosperity gospel"? Well, apparently, some people say that we as believers are meant to be wealthy, healthy, and successful. As much as it sounds comforting, it is a lie. We are meant indeed to be wealthy, but not in money. We are indeed to be healthy, but differently. We are meant to be successful, but not among people. All three should be pointing to the Kingdom of God, where our reward is. Our reward is not on earth, but rather we are being given what we have in order to survive this evil world of lawlessness in order to make it to the end and spread the Good News to many. We are not citizens of this world, but of the coming one. Don't believe these heresies of the property gospel, but turn to the true Gospel of Jesus Christ, as written in the Bible. All the evidence of it being the infallible Word of God is around you; you just have to look. God bless in Jesus Name! Amen.

[doctor-looneys-remedy]

We have a really bad "It won't happen to me" problem in this country.

I think there are a lot of reasons for this. Main Character Syndrome. The Prosperity Gospel (Main Character Syndrome for Christians). American Exceptionalism in general. Too many movies.

If YOU have never had anything but a mostly problem-free pregnancy and if YOU have never heard any of the stories of people who DID have issues, you probably think, "nah. that will never happen to anyone I know. And if it did, there was probably some reason. They probably did something to make it happen. They are probably somehow less good than me." You don't think you'll be stuck in Texas or Georgia and be bleeding out in a parking lot. Something is always going to come in and magically fix it for you and make it work out for you.

But... what happens when it doesn't?

I've always been a "what if" sort of person. Hearing the stories of other women over the years only cemented that further, rather than making me think "oh, pregnancy is just going to happen and you pop out a baby and it all works like a little fairy tale and where nothing bad happens except to people who secretly somehow deserve it." That never has been my thought process.

And no, it isn't just abortion and women's health. I'm talking about the whole election.

The tariffs won't hurt "me". They won't deport "me". Trump won't lie to "me" about his goals in Israel or Ukraine.

That super special "me" is what is carrying a lot of weight here.

Its also why we see trad wives pretending to be whatever they are pretending to be, and young women following them. The abusive marriage won't happen to "me", because I have the magic formula that will make sure everything is perfect. The bad shit won't happen to "me" because I'm doing things the right way.

There is no you that is right enough to control the actions of someone else.

There is no you that is special enough not to be lied to by a political candidate.

There is no you that is perfect enough to never need women's health services that you currently want to deny to other women.

All the bad stuff that can happen? It can happen to you. And your magical thinking umbrella won't stop it.

[joyful-patient-faithful]

Stalked the guy I think is cute's instagram and noticed he follows a few prosperity gospel preachers and am currently torn between I can fix him and I need to lie down