Don't throw away the truths of God's prosperity just because others have twisted it for personal financial gain, or seems to have.
I've sat under the best of the 'name it and claim it' crowd. Had their blessings heaped upon me, particularly so when I had my checkbook in hand. Then "they" wanted me to sit up front, in the purple covered chairs, as an elder. They wanted to "share" their ways with me. That is when conviction came:
Matthew 23:
5
But all their works they do for to be seen of men:
they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,
6 And
love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and
the chief seats in the synagogues,
Jesus, by His Word above, asked me "if" I really wanted to be "that man." I said, Nope. I'll pass on the chief seat with the purple covering. And THANK YOU Lord, for giving me that reminder.
I bet you have a better house and cars than I do (I'm dead serious), and you prolly thank God for them, and rightfully so, recognizing where they ultimately come from. Yet, you slam financial success as not being from God(?)
Yes, I have tasted, close enough, to the "supposed" God's Prosperity,
and found it to be a curse to the soul. It caused thieves and liars by the score, by the boatload, to come to my door, and to bow before me in false honor. They wanted, these various thieves and liars, to carry me up, and to put me on even higher pedestals. To hear what I hear, to do what I did, in order that they too could have what I had (or have.) I hate the authority that money and power brought to me, because it was false. And how it caused others to see me and to deal with me. Chasing after it was, in fact, an illusion.
Money is the magnet of evil, as sure to bring pain as anything there is. The faces of evil will show their face to you, openly, and you DO NOT want to see this ugly part of humanity. You and any other will sacrifice your soul and your integrity by entering into that playground. No man can play there without "worldly' advisers, legal sharks, to "protect" you. It's a fact. I'm pretty sure that Joel Olsteen operates there too, as does every supposed "man or woman" of God (wink wink) who has entered into financial prosperity. ALL of the players with money and power and authority know these things. But they will never speak of these things, publicly. Glen Beck or any other given public talking head is NOT going to tell you 'the real truth' about where they sit, and what they have do to continue to 'sit there.' It's just an ugly ugly place. So they do not speak of it.
IF they did, you would be appalled. So, rather than that, they just continue to play. And they cover up the ugly, and seldom, if ever, speak of it. But there is not a one of them who doesn't know it.
I KNOW they do. They have SCORES of attorney's and financial advisers to "protect" them and their wealth. To counsel them on every move they make. To fight off evil "believers," and an entire WORLD full of wicked greedy people, and from other big money whales, and the government and the IRS, etc etc. You do NOT want to go to this place.
These people are in fact CURSED by God.
But they are also "deeply deeply addicted" to the things they have.
They have scores of idols of their prosperity, set all around them. Mansions, artworks, the most expensive toys you can imagine. Servants, everywhere, all attending to their every need and whim. Snap your finger, it is there. Whatever you want. You want to fly to another country, play the best golf courses. Stay in another elite mansion. And let's have a couple of thousand dollar bottle of wine with a several hundred dollar dinner of the finest food. Let's GO! Hop in my private jet! We're off! zoom zoom zoom. This "activity" assuages their dark soul, and thanks them for their services rendered.
It is the playground of evil wicked greedy idolatrous people. The most wicked there are. The players therein will smile at you, shake your hand vigorously, tell you smooth words, all the while, the greed and idolatry seeping through every pore. Every word that comes from their mouths is a lie. And, so, to counter this, you will live your entire life by the written word, YOUR written word and you will FORCE others who want to play with you, to bow before YOUR written word, and you will pay to have YOUR words written, and you will pay to have it enforced, and you will have to destroy the financial lives of your adversaries, when they violate YOUR written word. You will have "no choice." I know this. I've done this. And if you do not, they will destroy you.
So, in the end, you will find out that all these people
operate in another world, behind the scenes. And, if you have enough money, you are welcome to play there, if you can afford to. And yes, they will kiss your "---" without end. You will find out that even YOUR written word does not mean much, because the only thing that matters in that other world is WHO HAS MORE MONEY, and the ones that have the MOST, always win. The further UP you climb in 'their world' you will then find who the "real" players ARE, who have not only a LOT of money, but also
the power. The power to write laws that favor only them. Then you find out what power is too. The power they have to make your written words comply to their written words and their rules. These are the people that sit on the top of the piles, in our government and at the top of large corporations, even EVERY large sectarian church. You think it to be some 'accident' that most of the players in the 'older christian sects'
are in fact filled with ATTORNEY's and legal adviser's? You will even find some of
these power players have the power of DEATH at their hands. And, if you want to play with them, you might even make MORE money and have even more power. And you will get even MORE power. More than you can even imagine. And you will learn what it is to really be able to manipulate the masses, for your financial gains, so you can have ever more idols of your financial blessings.
I might even observe that it was God who not only said no, but forced no upon me, by up close and personal exposure to these matters of fact. I do not want that kind of life OR their power, which could be "my" power. I can not live or find life in any of that,
because there is no life there to be had. There are only lies and false very HEADY power and endless manipulations and idolatry. None of these people will EVER tell you these things. It just goes with their territory, and if you are not familiar with these matters, what good is it to tell you? That is the taste of their world you do not want anyway, because it would make you sick inside. That power taste. It is the worst addiction there is. Where hundreds of people, maybe even tens of thousands, maybe even millions or more, and their financial lives, even what THESE people, these "followers" are led to believe, are linked to every move you make and every thing you choose to say and do.
And illusions and idols, by the score. More idols than I am interested in bowing to. Every institution you see, yes, even church institutions, have these kinds of people at the top. All of them, down to the last one, play in a very different world. And they pay a dear dear price for their authority and power, to have it and to hold it. They are well paid to do so. And very "polished" on the outside. Seemingly shiny. But every so often one falls from their perch, and we can see them as they really are, just for a reminder.
None of what they do or what they have to say interests me one iota, nor do they speak, truthfully, to any of you, about these things, these facts. And you should not expect them to.
Do they speak the truthful matters of the Gospel? Uh, no. They are in fact as far away from God in Christ as can be gotten.
But, if you look closely, you will see it for yourself. A blind man can see they are surrounded by idols of prosperity.
And you may also see, that they might even be your idol.
Just because any person picks up the Word of God, and tells you want you want to hear, does NOT mean they are telling you the truth.
