When someone looks at the world of Christianity, there are diverse beliefs about God and the scriptures. It is no different in regard to the range of beliefs about how God answers prayers. I could write a book about it, but my purpose here is to address only a concern about how prayers are answered.
It can be hard for a floundering member of this Church when he/she doubts the doctrines taught by the apostles and prophet, then go out, investigate and compare the doctrines and beliefs of other Christian denominations, especially in terms of how God answers prayers, leading themselves to think that another church or another Christian denomination or group knows more about prayers and God. This usually happens through accounts given by other Christians of how their prayers were answered.
I have heard and read personal accounts of prayers answered from a range of people, both in and out of this Church. I have heard accounts of the results from prayers that range from the mundane to the impressive. From all of that, I heard other Christians claim that God’s Spirit is therefore always within them, as they explain about their answered prayers, believing wholeheartedly that God is working in their life and guiding them. With all the differing accounts, especially from people outside the Church, how can a member discern if what was said is true and prevent getting pulled into the deluge of false claims about God and his Holy Spirit?
Goodness, even the New Age believers claim God works and answers their prayers in their lives, even with their idol worships and false deities. It really can make a person confused as to how God deals with people outside the faith or seemingly, outside the true gospel. It seems that if God answers prayers of people who are not of the faith, guiding them and teaching them within their false religions or beliefs, making it appear that God works from their prayers no matter what faith they have or do not have, then where is the reason to be in this Church at all?
It kind of discourages a person from remaining in the Church, does it not? It surely makes for a very blurred line as to if God answered a prayer or if he did not. A person who cares about the truth would ask, “Do the scriptures show or prove differently and is there a line drawn by God?”. A search of the scriptures is therefore needed, for those who care about the truth. A search of the scriptures will provide a basis to discern this deluge of personal claims to help filter out the frivolous, the false and the misled.
Having done so, the first thing found in the scriptures that pertains to God and answering prayers, is faith. Without the right faith, there is not much a person will find to his/her prayers, if at all answered, especially in regards to the truth about God and his word. Faith is what determines if a person can receive the mind of God on spiritual matters of doctrine and principles and the faith must be right, else a person will not receive what he/she seeks. This is the warning that God gave in James 1:5–8, in the words,
James 1:5–8
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
God said in James 1:5–8, that “let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord“, which refers to a wavering faith.
Faith is the basis of all things with God. A person cannot please God without the proper faith (Romans 8:4–16), and faith gives the ability to walk in the Spirit, which is what determines if a person is with God or not. The ways of the flesh, the carnal mind, are not of the faith and therefore, any prayers that come from the flesh and/or the carnal state of mind (means the manner and type) are prayers God will not answer. This is true because the flesh and carnal mind are an enmity (means enemy) to God. Therefore, when a person’s life is not a walk after and with the Spirit, his/her heart and mind are not with God and God is not with them. Then, prayers made by that person are therefore questionable and likely not answered, especially when prayers regard spiritual things, such as God’s doctrine and principles and truth. A person will not be enlightened because of the lack of proper faith.
What of those general claims by many that God helped them with their personal concerns in life? Is that part of faith? Concerns as to a job, business, family, etc? Are the words I speak about faith now in error? No, my words are not in error because these people are dealing with a different aspect of life and God and this different aspect, in itself, does not confirm they have the right faith or the Spirit of God in them.
God made this world and the life within it. He organized all things in the heavens, on the earth and in it. All things work in an order that we have not yet fully understood. Yet there are things in this realm that are unseen and things in spirit that are unseen. We know that we are all connected to each other in many ways. For example, people tend to know something about a friend or relative without any communication, so this leads us to see that there is a power, or a connecting thread of sorts that exists between us that people can tap into and this comes as part of life itself. Some people who are not of God, who are not faithful, still seem to have the ability to tap into things of life and get results, where others are not so skilled. Yet, this occurs without prayer to God.
This places into perspective the claims by people who say that God is in their lives when they got a job at the right time, or that they claim to be led to the right places of work, or the right people, or the right help. These claims show that these results are from life itself, the very thing God made for all people, both the good and the bad, the unfaithful and faithful. A person does not need to believe in God to gain access to the benefits of life. In fact, many religions exist that actually worship this aspect of life believing it is a divine power. In short, they worship the works of God, but not God himself. All of these people pray or hope, in some ways, for things in their life and many receive it. Is this not the same as other Christians who claim the same with their prayers to God? Where then is the difference that shows the result(s) are from prayers or just from life itself, if the unfaithful can gain the same result as the faithful?
What this shows is a contrary nature to James 1:5–8. If a person accepts the general nature of results from prayers as God’s direct interaction, then it puts the word of God into disrepute and makes God and his apostle James a liar. Is then these other Christians liars as well? I would say No, but I would say they are misinformed or misled by false beliefs, whether generated from within them or through the general Christian communities.
Allow me to bring things into focus. When a person begins to set him/herself toward God, at the beginning level of belief and faith, even staying with the Bible and none else, going to a church or no church at all, that person will likely find that he/she will gain some better access to God’s gifts of life and all that life can provide to them. This occurs because of belief. The belief that God is there for them sets many into a better frame of mind, more willing to seek and accept what God has given to everyone for the benefit of living in mortality.
It is in that way, God has worked in their life, not by any direct measure, but because God created the benefits in life and this was by his design. Therefore it is his work, that works within the lives of these people at that level, the ones with lesser faith, where many of them are still caught in the sea of contrary doctrines and false beliefs and that causes them to waver. Yet, good results from their prayers, generally speaking, does not confirm to anyone that these people have the right “faith”, right church or right doctrine. All this confirms is that these people have the right belief or better attitude and they are willing and open to the works and general gifts of God. It has nothing to do with God’s Spirit as being in anyone or with anyone. It has to do with that person being open to God’s love, a love that made life, what it is and that love is present in life for all to acquire. Still, this does not say God is directly working in their lives or God’s Spirit (Holy Ghost) is in them. It is like a free gift God has given to everyone and now any person can gain their share of it. A share that is open to all, no matter the faith, or lack of faith.
Some may counter what I say and try to claim that God is in and around all things. Well, it is not God himself that is in and around all things, for to believe that would be to misunderstand the nature of God. The in and around all things speaks of God’s light and power, which is the light of Christ. It is what God works through for all his creations.
In the Bible, God speaks of the “fruits of the spirit” (Ephesians 5:9–10 / Galatians 5:22), and these fruits of the Spirit proves what is acceptable unto the Lord. Place these things into life and try to see how a person who has little faith or not the right faith, but believes in all good things which match the fruits of the Spirit. Does this person gain the Holy Spirit within him/her? The answer is No, but he/she gains the benefit of these fruits simply because they chose to believe in them and live them.
How is this so, you may ask?
Simple I say, because God already told us that what we sow, so shall we reap (Galatians 6:7). This principle applies to all, whether faithful or not. It is what God included within life. Some non-Christians call this karma. God teaches this basic principle in 2 Corinthians 9:6, where he said that those that sow sparingly, shall reap sparingly, those that sow bountifully, shall reap bountifully and this applies to anything, whether it be good or bad.
A person who seeks answers of where to go in their life, may pray to God asking for his help, but if that person’s faith is minor or of a lesser doctrine or belief, wavering in the sea as God said; would that person gain a greater result from God that would normally go to one of great faith? The answer is No. Would that person gain in accordance to this level of faith or level of belief? The answer is Yes, because it is what he sows and reaps.
What a person sows sparingly, so shall he reap sparingly. Applied into life, a person whose belief and faith is no more than toward his own life shall reap only those things in accordance to it. IF God, to that person, is only a God of fixing and leading his life in the world and not much else, then all that person gets is no more than that, keeping in mind the things God provided as part of life. Those things will work for the nonbelievers as well as the believers. So if a person’s claim of prayers and concerns are no higher than what any nonreligious person in life has, then all that person has done was access the works of God within life itself and has not in any way gained the Spirit of God, being the Holy Ghost and has not received any direct intervention by God.
Let me move a bit higher to hopefully give you an idea of what I speak about.
IN the scriptures Jesus Christ said that those that loose their life, shall save it. (Mark 8:35). This speaks about how faith is focused and based. If all a person is concerned about is his life in the world and not much into the truth of the atonement and salvation, then that person has not lost their life to gain eternal life. They may gain life in this world, but that is all and once this life if over, what they gained is gone.
Does this mean that a person must become destitute and on the street to lose his life? – the answer is No, but a person who has worked out his worldly life in finances, health etc, and has not suffered much adversity for God, then certainly he/she has not lost their (worldly) life as God wants us to do. Read the scriptures rightly. God said in Matthew 19:29 (paraphrased), “he who forsakes houses, brethren, sisters, father, mother, wife, children, or lands for the Lord’s sake shall receive a hundredfold and inherit everlasting life”. It becomes no surprise that God would want us to loose our life to save it.
A person who, by worldly standards, lost many things, but is not destitute. Yet, he/she has food to eat, a place to live, and clothes to wear, with not many amenities to get pleasure from. Yet, suffers much in mind and heart and in life experiences, but remained or gained faith in God, received answers as to his/her issues in life to overcome them, all the while has not gained much in material things, but has gained a deeper understanding of faith and God’s word. In addition, has experienced direct revelation from God through his Holy Ghost that increases that persons knowledge of God, is therefore that kind of person who has lost his/her life in the world and is gaining, line by line, his/her eternal life.
Facing someone who claims the Spirit is in their life, claiming material gain, a fruitful job, bettered their finances, got a good car, house etc, but has not suffered for the Lord, does not live or has not lived in humbled surroundings, is not a person after God’s heart in faith. It is said by God that those who seek after the riches and wealth of the kingdom is of the right faith and shall have the Spirit of God with them.
Luke 12:28–34
28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and call these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
I have been in many circumstances where people who claim only the Bible and claim God’s Spirit is in them or with them, as they give a testimony or account of how God made their life better in the world of employment or career or business, and I wondered if what they said or claimed was really correct and of God? Surely, as I have explained above, they gained the benefit of God’s works called life, but they are not with the Spirit of God and have not gained anything more than what God already provided to everyone, even the unfaithful.
Surely a good job, business, etc can be counted as a blessing, but these are not required to have the Spirit of God with us. It is true, that in the scriptures, God has given abundance to his faithful, they enjoyed wealth, but be assured there was much more God required of his faithful. There is a big difference between the worldly who are wealthy and the truly faithful who are also wealthy. I speak of the difference as to the adversity in someone’s life as one clue as to whether the faith professed is true or not. The Book of Job is an excellent template for this discernment. The professing of material gain and wealth, with little or no true “spiritual adversity” is another clue that these people do not know what having the “Spirit of God in them” really means.
It is important to always be discerning of personal testimonies, be it in the Church or from outside of it. Learn the gospel and God’s principles within it, so you would be able to learn what is from the Holy Ghost, also called the Spirit of God. Know how God works in life and what is given to all, no matter the faith and what is given only to the faithful. It is unfortunate that many other Christians profess faith and God in their life and in truth all they have is what God gave to all, no matter the faith and belief. It is important to see and discern what other Christians have not be able to discern as to the important differences, yet still profess many things that belong only to the faithful, such as the presence of the Holy Ghost.
Learning the difference is very important. In these latter days, with the coming of greater darkness and evil, greater events of false miracles and the sorts, those who only believe in the works of God, or only in terms of worldly gain or worldly level of faith, will find that their belief will become a stumbling block because they will be unable to discern the spiritual things that occur and be unable to tell if those things are of God or not. For Satan will have great power to wrought false works and miracles and a worldly level of belief and faith will fail against these great false works.
Those who have suffered for the faith, learned spiritual discernment and lived not according to the world of gain and benefit, but worked to the gain of spiritual things, will find they have a greater ability to discern the false things to come.
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