>>God said, "Anything you ask, believing, it shall be done for you." There weren't any exceptions to that statement.<<
boy, this is the second time that god has come into my investment activities. i disagree, not that god said this, he most assuredly did, but that their are no exceptions. all scripture should be viewed in the context of the entirety of scripture.
as a former member of a christian church that would accurately be characterized as disfunctional in many ways i have mucho experience in dealing with such issues and observing my own lives, the lives of others and the attitudes we all hold from this perspective. btw, i am on friendly terms with the church and always plan on being so - there are many wonderful people that attend this particular church.
before going further, i'd like to be clear that every person should have a map to guide them to the destination they chose and the tenacity to stay on track. my piping in here is not to be negative or get anyone down.
i have seen people be devastated by this type of paradigm, though. i'm not healed b/c i don't believe. my child isn't smart b/c i don't believe (or have faith). my husband beats me b/c i don't believe. and i could go on and on. the trauma of such unfortunate situations deserve compassion and not self inflicted guilt.
donnie, i know you mean to express the positive side. if you don't believe then the odds of achieving are almost nil - with this i agree totally. your purpose is to engender a positive attitude. many others have been involved in situations where this was used to manipulate and control and it may cause them unnecessary grief.
in any case, my experience is that god has an over riding agenda in our lives. if you believe in something that is contrary to god's over riding agenda then you are out of luck. for example, jesus did not want to die on the cross. surely he had perfect belief. yet he was tortured and died anyway as an expression of his compassion and desire help others. the spiritual gift is free (and invaluable) but there is often a physiccal price (temporal). people in trials is a continuous theme throughout scripture.
i don't believe steven was sawed in half because he lacked the belief for another outcome. nor do i believe that daniel was more righteous (god saved him from the fire) than steven because god didn't prevent his murder. god had a purpose for each. not better, not worse, just different. if the bible doesn't portray good people going through severe tragedy than i'd say it doesn't say anything.
job is another example. by all accounts (including god's) he was a great guy. look what happened to him. boils, dead family, riches gone and, possibly worst of all, friends that blamed him for his calamaty. :-(
this provides a little context for the believe and it shall be given to you. the good news is that god will never withhold the most valuable gift ever, salvation.
we all have a lot to learn and i've found that the most efficient learning process (for my thick skull, anyway) is when i'm most uncomfortable.
having said all this, donnie you are absolutely right that you must set goals, believe that you can achieve them and stay very positive. work as hard as you can and stay focused. learn from defeat (i've been beat up oh so bad over the past 6 years - long story) and strive to move on. have compassion and help those who are going through their trials. keep a positive attitude - it is worth so very much. i've never been poorer than when i've had a negative attitude.
just my $0.02 (my current brokerage account balance ;-(
having said all that, don't let it ever be said that i don't believe in miracles :-)
good luck,
jeff |
