Fables of Death

Psalm 37:4 NKJV

Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Job 22:28 NKJV

You will also declare a thing, And it will be established for you; So light will shine on your ways.

Oh how verses like these have been misused.

The Lord is not some genie in a bottle, here to grant our every wish, although some people believe that. Hence the errors of the word of faith movement.

DIRECT QUOTE FROM A WORD OF FAITH FALSE TEACHER:

"As you begin to mature in the Lord, God wants you to come to the place where you decree things and speak them into existence. As a believer, you have that authority and it is scriptural for you to do it. You can take authority over problems, difficulties, circumstances and situations. You can decree that fear and confusion be gone from your life and those around about you. This is part of your inheritance as a child of God.

Job 22:28 says that you shall decree a thing and it shall be established unto you.

That means that when you speak forth words of faith, it is literally an extension of you. When you learn to speak against the devil, sickness, fear, frustration, failure and defeat, you will find that your victorious life is an extension of you." - Elbert Willis (fill the gap ministries)

Joel Osteen says: “Start calling yourself healed, happy, whole, blessed, and prosperous.”

“I DECLARE breakthroughs are coming in my life, sudden bursts of God’s goodness. Not a trickle. Not a stream. But a flood of God’s power. A flood of healing. A flood of wisdom. A flood of favor. I am a breakthrough person and I choose to live breakthrough minded. I am expecting God to overwhelm me with His goodness and amaze me with His favor. This is my declaration.”

LIE 1: THEY TEACH THAT GOD IS OBLIGATED TO OBEY THE COMMANDS OF PEOPLE.

According to this teaching, we can tell God what to do.

In contrast, God's will determines the answers to our prayers

God’s will determines the answer to our prayers

Romans 8:26-27

Romans 8:26–27 NKJV

Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

LIE 2: THEY TEACH THAT WE ARE LITTLE GODS

According to this teaching, we are equal with God, in that we have the power of creation.

To speak things into being, confers on us the power of God, to believe such is blasphemous.

Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:1 NKJV

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:27

Genesis 1:27 NKJV

So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God created man in His image, not as His equal.

If we had this type of power, as implied in the word of faith movement, what need would we have of a savior?

Why did Christ have to die?

Why did Christ have to be made "lower than the angels" when He became a man, if man is equal to God?

Why did Jesus have to give up His equality with God to become a man, if man is equal to God?

Hebrews 2:9

Hebrews 2:9 NKJV

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.

Philippians 2:5-8

Philippians 2:5–8 NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

LIE 3: THIS TEACHING WOULD LEAD US TO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE NO NEED OF GOD

According to this teaching, we have no need of God. We can solve our own problems.

The Bible teaches reliance on God, and that we are to cast our cares on Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5–6 NKJV

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

1 Peter 5:7

1 Peter 5:7 NKJV

casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

Why would we do that if we could solve our own problems?

LIE 4: THEY TEACH THAT GOD'S FAVOR RESULTS IN RICHES.

All of this implies that that we could use these supposed god-like powers to attain riches. Many false teachers stress that point.

Why not, wealth is what our sin-depraved minds would naturally desire.

However, If the purpose of our prayer is financial gain, then we are in opposition to the Word of God.

If the purpose of our prayer is financial gain, then we are in opposition to the Word of God.

1 Timothy 6:9-11

1 Timothy 6:9–11 NKJV

9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11 But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness.

Righteousness, Godliness, faith, love and patience are what we should be pursuing.

The two verses that we looked at, are the ones that are primarily used as an explicit teaching that we can decree things into being, but. . .

We can't speak our troubles away.

We can't speak our diseases away.

We can't speak ourselves into prosperity.

Speaking good things will not necessarily cause good things to happen.

You have to understand that the counsel of Job's friends was wrong, and God rebuked them for it.

God said that Job’s friends were wrong.

Job 42:7

Job 42:7 NKJV

And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has.

We don't declare to God how things are going to be!

We don't make the rules, God does!

We can't speak things into being, only God has that power.

We ASK God for what we want, and if you want your prayers answered, you will ask according to His will, not yours.

We must pray in Jesus’ name. We can’t do that if we aren’t praying according to to His will.

John 14:13

John 14:13 NKJV

And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

God answers prayer for His glory, not for ours. If something doesn't glorify God, then saying "in the name of Jesus, Amen" isn't going to help.

What are we to do?

2 Timothy 4:2

2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV

Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.