Tag Archives: good

The Devil Works All Things for Your Bad

Romans 8:28

This isn’t the ear-tickle many folks are after—oh no, they much prefer cherry-picking Romans 8 like it’s a cosmic vending machine: “God works all things for your good.” They sling it around like fatalists at a blame-dodging convention, faithless folks shrugging off responsibility faster than they can say, “did God really say?”

In the trusty grip of a true believer, this verse is pure gold— a rock-solid anchor showing God’s sovereignty flexing its muscles through grace to shower blessings automatically. It unfolds in a few proven ways. One, is our identity in Christ and His finished work (you know, the plot twist where the hero already wins). That’s the doctrine we geek out over here, aptly dubbed “You Already Got It.” Another is the autopilot perks of God’s goodness raining down, no strings attached because of our new creation already being reality, and because we are sons of Abraham’s blessing (Galatians 3, Luke 13:10-17). Thus, even when we’re fumbling the ball—imperfect, half-hearted, or binge-watching instead of Bible-studying—He keeps those sweet promises and covenant goodies flowing like a divine subscription we didn’t earn.

That said, the faithless take this verse and wreck it: They twist this gem into a get-out-of-jail-free card, or worse, snooze through the fine print that not every blessing hits the auto-apply button. Spoiler: Many promises and benefits require us to use our faith.

There are many blessings of our Christianity that come automatically, but others only come by active faith in God’s promises. It is the difference between a partial victory and a full victory. Full victories happen when we apply our faith to specific promises and these get piled on top of the automatic ones God is always working in us.

Folks love to trot out Romans 8:28 like it’s a get-out-of-jail-free card for every mess life throws at them. “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” They quote it with a shrug, as if God’s sovereignty means we just sit back and let the chips fall—good or bad; I mean, it’s all part of the plan, right? But that’s fatalism dressed up in Bible verses, a lazy dodge that shirks responsibility and starves faith. It’s not what Paul meant, and it’s sure not how Scripture paints the picture. The truth? The devil is out there working all things for your bad, stealing, killing, and destroying like the thief he is (John 10:10). God flips the script for His elect, but only when we grab hold by faith, resisting Satan and boldly claiming what’s ours. Ignore that, and you’re not just missing out—you’re complicit in the enemy’s playbook.

Let’s start with the basics, straight from God’s Word. Paul doesn’t toss Romans 8:28 into a vacuum; he builds it on the rock of God’s decrees for His chosen ones. As I lay out in Systematic Theology: 2025, “Take for example when Paul says in Romans 8 ‘He works all things for our good.’ God plans for a big good, and so He creates (and causes) temporary evil for the Elect to overcome, and then by this receive this big good. This can be seen in the story of Joseph. What they meant for evil, God meant it for good. This only applies to God’s elect” (p. 114). See that? It’s not a blanket promise for anyone breathing; it’s laser-focused on those God foreloved, predestined, called, justified, and glorified in that unbreakable chain (Romans 8:29-30). God’s working all for good isn’t automatic like gravity—it’s sovereign grace unleashed through faith, turning Satan’s schemes into stepping stones.

But here’s where the rubber meets the road, and where so many faith-fumblers veer off into the ditch. Satan doesn’t twiddle his thumbs while God orchestrates. No, he’s proactive, a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). Sickness? Poverty? Broken relationships? That’s his handiwork, not some divine mystery. Take healing, for instance. In Acts 10:38, Peter nails it: Jesus “went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Sickness isn’t God’s autograph—it’s Satan’s graffiti on your life. Sickness Is Satan’s Glory, Not God’s. The Bible has no issue saying sickness isn’t from God; it is from Satan or the curse. This matters because if we think sickness comes from God, we won’t fight it. That is one reason Jesus battled sickness so hard while tradition doesn’t. Jesus saw sickness as Satan’s direct attack on Him, His Father, and His people. So, He smashed it wherever He found it. Sickness is Satan flipping the bird at Jesus’ atonement. Healing is Jesus slamming His fist into Satan’s face, again and again. There’s a real war here.

Think about it: if a sick person in Jesus’ crowd stayed back, nursing unbelief instead of pressing in by faith, was God “working all for good” or was Satan working all things for their misery? If you can’t tell the different, you are not one team Jesus. That was Satan working all for bad, oppressing them unchecked. The woman with the issue of blood didn’t get her miracle by quoting Romans 8:25 and waiting passively for the mysterious will of God, to show up in her life. No. She stretched her faith like a lifeline, grabbing Jesus’ hem (Mark 5:25-34). Faith activates God’s good; unbelief lets Satan run roughshod. I’ve seen it play out too many times: Christians limp along with ailments, chalking it up to “God’s will,” when Scripture screams otherwise. Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:17—Jesus bore our sicknesses on the cross, just like our sins. To call disease divine is to blur Jesus and Satan, like mistaking the Shepherd for the wolf in a police lineup. And folks who can’t tell the difference want to lecture on theology? That’s rich, like a blind man critiquing Picasso.

This isn’t just about healing; it’s the whole kit and caboodle. Poverty? Satan loves keeping you scraping by, but God promises abundance through faith in His covenant (Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Galatians 3:14). Broken relationships? The enemy sows discord, but faith claims reconciliation and peace (Ephesians 2:14-16). Lack in any area? It’s the devil grinding you down, but God’s working for good kicks in when you repent of unbelief and ask boldly. Peter includes healing in Jesus’ “doing good” (Acts 10:38). Yet unbelievers redefine God’s goodness as handing out cancer then forcing Romans 8:28 down your throat. Why does their definition of God sound like Satan; why does it sound like paganism? Pagan gods are fickle; our God is faithful to His promises when we believe.

Paul’s golden chain in Romans 8 isn’t a passive conveyor belt—it’s a call to live in the reality of God’s decrees. “And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:30). This sorites shows the certainty. The conclusion is: ‘All those God foreloves are those He glorifies. God’s direct and absolute sovereignty is Christian reality and causality. But on the human level, where we live and fight, faith is the key that unlocks it. Without it, you’re letting Satan work overtime for your bad. James 4:7: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Resistance isn’t optional—it’s commanded. And how do you resist? By faith alone, speaking to mountains, commanding demons, claiming healing (Mark 11:23, James 5:15).

God’s sovereignty undergirds it all. Even temporary evils, like Joseph’s betrayal, God means for good (Genesis 50:20). But that’s no excuse to wallow. Faith turns the tide. When you ask for healing, and God heals your cancer, this healing makes you stronger than ever: you grow stronger in your inner man, mature as a Christian, and get more complete with God’s fullness.  Receiving by faith—miracles, provision, breakthroughs—that’s experiencing God’s love poured out (Romans 5:5), and it grows the inner man. It’s not arrogance; it’s agreement with His Word. Vincent Cheung, puts it sharp: mature doctrine is “not what we do for God, but what God does for us” (from his essay “What Is Mature Doctrine”).

Imagine standing in the crowd as Jesus passes by, your body wracked with some chronic ailment that’s drained your strength and hope for years. You’ve heard the stories of His power, yet there you linger at the edges, too timid or doubtful to push forward and claim what’s yours. In that moment, calling your suffering “God working all things for your good” is a flat-out misrepresentation, like confusing a thief’s raid with a father’s provision. No, that’s Satan grinding away at you, stealing your vitality and joy while you stand idle, essentially handing him the reins. Romans 8:28 isn’t a passive blanket over every hardship; it’s God’s sovereign promise activated in the lives of those who love Him through bold action. But if you hang back, refusing to stretch your faith like the woman who grabbed the hem of Jesus’ robe in faith, you’re willingly aligning with the devil’s agenda—letting oppression linger when deliverance is within reach. It’s as if you’re at a banquet, starving because you won’t pick up the fork, all while blaming the host for your hunger, saying, “my host is working all my hunger for my good.” No, that’s just you being stupid and hypocritical.

The instant you shatter that unbelief and cry out in faith for healing, that’s when Jesus steps in to rework that slice of your existence for your ultimate good, much like how salvation dawns only upon repentance, ushering in those refreshing times Peter preached about in Acts 3:19. On our human level, where God engages us relationally, many facets of His benevolent orchestration remain unmoved until we exercise faith—stretching it out, as that bleeding woman did amid the throng, her touch drawing power from Him and turning her torment into God’s testimony (Mark 5:25-34). It’s not that God’s power is stingy; it’s that He’s predestined it this way, honoring faith by giving us the world. Think of forgiveness: the cross already paid the price, but the “working for good” ignites when you confess and receive. So, don’t just quote Romans 8 like a talisman against trouble; live it by resisting Satan fiercely, claiming healing as your inheritance, and watching how faith transforms the devil’s bad intentions into God’s brilliant turnaround—like turning a battlefield rout into a victory parade, with a wink from heaven saying, “See what happens when you believe?”

If there is part of your life you have lived in unbelief for 30 years, then it’s 30 years wasted in the area. We must be honest about that. But once you turn your faith to God to receive purchased gospel blessings and miracles, then at that point God begins to work it for your good, in 100-fold. Sure, even in your lack of knowledge and unbelief, God’s grace still kept you from much harm that you didn’t even see, and helped you in ways you did not notice, but you will not fully experience God working all things for your good until you stop the unbelief and have faith for miracles.

Picture this: Jesus, our ultimate High Priest, locked Himself into an unbreakable covenant with us—a divine deal sealed in the blood of His gospel, doling out every last goodie it promises. That’s His lane, His unbreakable priesthood. He shows up exclusively as the ultimate Good News Delivery Guy, not some cosmic prankster promising healing but sneaking in cancer in the backdoor.

Sickness? Nah, that’s not in His portfolio: it’s not his ministry, it’s not part of His contract with us. That’s Satan’s shady side-hustle, his knockoff priesthood peddling misery like bad infomercials. If you’re gunning for that Romans 8 remix—”all things working for your good”—you’ve gotta strut up to your High Priest with the confidence of a kid raiding the cookie jar. Boldly claim those promises: ask big, receive huge. Skip that step? Congrats, you’re handing Satan the reins on the sickness parade, the poverty pity party, the relationship trainwrecks, and the “why me?” lack attacks. And labeling that mess God’s handiwork. That’s like accidentally calling Jesus “Satan” at a family reunion. Face-slap city.

Want the full God-orchestrated glow-up? Then resist Satan like your life depends on it, because it does. Step up in faith, swing for the fences with audacious asks, and watch supernatural miracles rain down like confetti at a victory bash. No detours, no Plan B hacks. But hey, why chase shortcuts when this is the VIP route? God’s blueprint; its the one where faith alone hands you the keys to the kingdom, the Spirit’s turbo boost, and a lifetime supply of every good thing. All of it? Working overtime for your epic win, in every plot twist of your story.

Why settle for another way? This is God’s way—the good way, where by faith alone you possess the world, the Spirit, and all good things, with every part of life worked for your ultimate victory. Satan plots your downfall, but faith lets God rewrite the story. Choose faith, and watch the devil’s bad become God’s grand slam. After all, if God’s for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

God Made the Gospel First

Let’s dive straight into Genesis, because that’s where God lays out His blueprint for how He operates with us. On the day Adam was created, God had already created the whole world, and then crafted the Garden of Eden—rich, overflowing with gold in Havilah, fruitful trees dangling low-hanging delights, rivers teeming with life, and a landscape screaming abundance. Genesis 2:11-12 doesn’t mince words: gold, bdellium, onyx stones—all there, ready and waiting. God didn’t plop Adam down in a barren wasteland and say, “Earn your keep, buddy.” No, He prepared the whole prosperous paradise first, then created Adam and handed him the keys. Dominion? Check. Wealth management? Absolutely. Adam’s job wasn’t to scrape together provision; it was to steward the riches God had already supplied.

Imagine Adam strolling through, a mango smacking him square in the face, and him turning to Eve with a puzzled look: “Honey, do you think it’s God’s will for me to eat this? Or did God create me so that He could pimp-slap my face with sugary fruit, and then deny it to my stomach?” We’d laugh at such nonsense—it’s sub-animal-level stupid, the kind of delusion that makes you wonder if the guy’s got all his marbles. But that’s exactly how too many Christians approach the gospel today, tiptoeing around blessings like they’re booby-trapped and unsure if they belong to them.

This isn’t some cute analogy; it’s God’s unchanging pattern. He creates the good stuff first—unmerited, lavish, complete—and then gifts it to His people. God’s unmerited favor supplies man; man does not supply God. Adam didn’t sweat for Eden; Eden was ready-made, a divine trust fund dropped in his lap. Fast-forward to Abraham, and you see the same rhythm. Genesis 12:2-3: God promises to bless him, make him great, enlarge his territory—before Abraham lifts a finger beyond faith. And boy, did it pour out: livestock, silver, gold, victories over kings (Genesis 13:2, 14:16). Abraham’s blessing wasn’t piecemeal; it was a pre-packaged explosion of prosperity, miracles, and favor, all because God sovereignly decided to give it by unmerited favor. Paul hammers this in Galatians 3:8-9, calling it the gospel announced in advance: righteousness by faith, and with it, the full blessing kit—including wealth, health, and supernatural power. God didn’t wait for Abraham to prove himself; He prepared the covenant riches first, then called him into it.

Now, zoom in on the gospel itself—the ultimate fulfillment. Ephesians 1:3 blasts it: “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” Notice the past tense: “has blessed.” It’s already done, prepped before you were a twinkle in your parents’ eyes. God didn’t scramble to whip up salvation after Adam blew it; no, Revelation 13:8 calls Jesus the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. The atonement? Finished in God’s mind before creation. The New Covenant? Sealed in blood, with all its perks—forgiveness, righteousness, healing, prosperity, the baptism of power—locked and loaded before you repented. Jesus didn’t die hoping you’d accept; He died knowing the elect would, because God predestined it (Ephesians 1:4-5). The gospel isn’t a reaction; it’s God’s proactive masterpiece, crafted in eternity and unveiled in time. Like Eden, the whole package is ready: low-hanging fruits of healing (Isaiah 53:5), prosperity (2 Corinthians 8:9), and mountain-moving authority (Mark 11:23). They’re slapping believers in the face as we walk by, yet so many stand there debating: “Is it God’s will for me to be healed today? Or does He want me to suffer for character?” Come on—that’s not humility; that’s unbelief dressed in pious rags.

Think about the horror-movie twist some theologians peddle: God dangles milk and honey, then yanks it away with “Not today, kid—builds resilience.” That’s Satan’s playbook, not God’s. I recall a commercial where a guy feasts on cookies, only to find every milk carton empty, realizing he’s in hell. God isn’t a demon toying with us. Jesus’ priesthood seats us in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6), showering “all spiritual blessings”—which spill over into material reality because spiritual power is the parent cause for all motions in the material world. Abraham’s blessing? Yours now, including wealth and health (Galatians 3:14). Jesus’ atonement? It swapped your poverty for His riches, your sickness for health—not metaphorically, but really (Matthew 8:17). In God’s sovereign thoughts, it’s already transferred. God’s Word is His will. No guesswork—He said it, so agree with Him. Confess it.

Reprobates and faith-fumblers love complicating this. They focus on men—Adam’s fall, Abraham’s tests, your failures—and ignore God’s preemptive grace. They do this because reprobates focus on men; Christians focus on God. They say, “Prosperity? That’s greedy, but God has called us to suffer nobly.” However, that’s glorifying the curse, siding with the thief who steals and destroys (John 10:10). Jesus came for abundant life—now, not just pie-in-the-sky. In the Garden, provision was effortless; in Christ, it’s the same. Faith isn’t earning; it’s receiving what’s already given. James 1:17: Every good gift comes from the Father, unchanging. He prepared the gospel’s riches—forgiveness to wipe your slate, righteousness to make you bold, healing to crush Satan’s works, prosperity to fund kingdom expansion—then sovereignly called you into it. God didn’t leave it to chance; He predestined your reception.

What does low-hanging fruit look like? Jesus says, “Your faith has healed you” (Mark 5:34). In the gospel, as in the Garden, prosperity is slapping your face. That is, if Adam was walking in the Garden stuffed with trees filled with fruit, they would be brushing up against him as he walked. The same is with the gospel already being finished and God placing us in it. If you walk around in the gospel, the fruit will be brushing up against you. The only way it won’t is if you are filled with unbelief and doubts. If you are walking by faith in the gospel, then take what God has already given you. Don’t let God’s blessings smack you in the face and keep walking by, disrespecting God’s goodness as if it was of little value.

Confess Deuteronomy 8:18: God gives power to create wealth. Miracles? Ask and receive. You even have the option to command miracles. Jesus has already made you a royal priesthood, who is privileged to use His name and ask for anything you want. This is already your reality. You are already the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), co-heir with Jesus (Romans 8:17). Therefore, walk boldly and approach the throne (Hebrews 4:16); ask and receive. If doubt creeps in, resist it like the devil it is—fleeing required (James 4:7).

In my own trek, losing my twin Joshua could’ve derailed me into poverty theology. But no—God’s prepped gospel held: healing for grief, provision amid loss. I poured faith into pages, birthing my Systematic Theology, because blessings don’t wait for perfect circumstances; rather, they are already given and my possession by grace. Don’t join the faithless jerks, tossing God’s goodness into the trash. Agree with God by confessing: “The gospel is already mine; Jesus has already given His righteousness recorded to my account by grace. I already have the blessing of Abraham. I already am a royal priesthood. I’m already sitting in the heavenly places with Jesus above all names and times. I already have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead working and flowing in and out of me. I already have the rivers of living waters flowing out of me. I already have the Name of Jesus engraved on my tongue.”

Pluck those fruits; they’re slapping you in the face for a reason. I will give you a hint. God put them face level, not for you to ram your face into them, but to make it easy for you to pluck them and ram them down your throat.

Your Empty Pizza Box is the Real Trash.

A few days ago, I posted this quote from Vincent Cheung, and got another, if predictable, yet, unimaginative response:


“The Bible teaches the opposite. Jacob wrestled with God and said, ‘I will not let you go until you bless me.’ So God blessed him, and called him Israel, meaning ‘a prince with God.’ Jacob’s tenacity, his refusal to let go until he received God’s blessing, was counted as faith. This persistence brought him into a deeper relationship with God. Jacob did not separate God from his blessing, but he understood that to seek the blessing of God was to seek God himself.”
(Vincent Cheung, Seek God Through His Blessings.)

Superbole1, responded, with:
“uh no. Jesus said that if you seek God’s will, He will answer. Meaning God is not a wish granter. Secondly, the author of this trash left out that God dislocated Jacob’s hip after blessing him, keeping Jacob reliant on God.”

“Superbole”? That’s a blend of “superlative” and “hyperbole.” Your name is the highest degree of rhetoric, where something is described as much more impressive than it is. Maybe when reading the Bible, try less exaggeration and more basic logic.

“If you seek God’s will”? You twist this to mean God is no wish-granting genie. That’s cute. However, if we’re going to rub the lamp, let’s rub it well and see what happens. Jesus in Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and all these things—blessings, provisions—will be added. It’s not “God’s will OR blessings”; it’s both, bundled like a cosmic care package.

Seeking God’s will includes His blessings. Seeking blessings from God includes seeking God. Seeking blessings from God is God’s will because it is obeying His command and walking in His definition of a Christian. You cannot seek God to bless you without seeking God.

Jacob wasn’t separating the Giver from the gift; he was grabbing the whole enchilada. However, Jacob’s goal was more basic. He was not seeking God to expand God’s kingdom, he was asking God to expand Jacob’s kingdom. He was not asking God to do God’s will on earth, but to do Jacob’s will on earth. He was not asking God to bless God’s plan; rather, he was asking God to bless Jacob’s plans on earth. God approved of this and blessed Jacob.

Jacob was not looking to be blessed by his self-effort or by going to worldly help. Jacob did not ask Satan or the pagan god Baal to bless him. No. He was asking God to do the blessing. Thus, even if Jacob was mostly self-seeking, it was still a packaged deal that sought God and glorified God. Even if you don’t want Satan in your life, if you ask Satan for money, you have sought Satan and established a relationship with and glorified Satan. The two cannot be separated. God approved of Jacob seeking his own plans and desires, not asking about God’s. By seeking Jacob’s plans and desires to be blessed, Jacob was also seeking God.

You frame the limp as God hurting Jacob to keep him “reliant,” like a divine pimp slap to prevent cockiness. Charming, but let us flip the scripture to the upright position and reread the text. The limp and blessing came at the break of day, after Jacob would not stop until he was blessed. If the limp was meant to crush aggressive seeking for blessings, why bless him? Do you see it yet? This is God marking a transformed man. This is God branding a person who sought a blessing. God gave Jacob His stamp of approval. Jacob enters as a schemer, exits with the relationship of “God’s Prince.” It’s not punishment. It is a fighter’s scar from winning the ultimate match. A badge of honor, a reminder of the encounter that elevated him to Israel, “a prince with God.” It didn’t diminish the blessing; it valued Jacob’s grit and faith.

Calling scripture-inspired insight trash? That’s the type of boldness that would make Satan blush in envy. Your view turns God into a stingy taskmaster, doling out only “will” without the thrill. No. That is not the bold faith we champion. Seeking our own blessings is like pizza; we all want it, and God calls it good. However, when you order pizza, you insist on just the box—sure, it still has God’s logo on it, but it misses the cheesy point entirely. Your empty pizza box is the real trash.

*Polished with a little help from Grok xAI, the AI sidekick who wrestles typos like Jacob wrestled God

The Correction of Righteousness

“And when [the Holy Spirit] comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me. Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. Judgment will come because the ruler of this world has already been judged,” John 16:8-11 NLT

Picture this: Jesus ascends to the Father like the VIP He is, and the Holy Spirit swoops down to earth like a divine fact-checker, ready to set the record straight on sin, righteousness, and judgment. Jesus even gives us the SparkNotes version of each.

First up, “the” sin of the world—singular, folks—is that people refuse to buy what God’s revealing, especially the whole “Jesus is God’s Son” revelation.

Second, the cosmic swap meet—our sin for Jesus’ righteousness—went down at the atonement, but the official press release? That hit when Jesus rose and got the VIP seat at the Father’s right hand of Power. This was the courtroom gavel slam declaring that everyone Jesus died for is now rocking the “Righteousness of God” title. And trust me, it’s not because of our stellar résumé—God’s the one with the authority, power, and dominion here. The law’s DIY righteousness kit? Total flop, thanks to its pesky human origins.

Third, judgment. Salvation’s a two-parter (we will only focus on the first aspect), Judgment. This is like storming the gates, with guns blazing, to free your enslaved loved one by taking out the bad guys. Exhibit A: Israelites wading through the Red Sea while Pharaoh’s army gets a watery goodbye. Exhibit B: Jesus on the cross, shredding Satan’s accusation privileges (Revelation 12:10) and teleporting us from the devil’s grip (Colossians 1:13) to His kingdom. Greater is Jesus in me than that cosmic loser out there. By judging and trashing Satan’s works, Jesus pulls off the ultimate rescue mission. Jesus vs Satan in this context, is the archetype of Hero vs villain. Jesus won. Pharaoh’s army drowned while Israel was delivered; Satan’s power was broken while humanity was redeemed. This frames judgment not as something believers fear but as something already accomplished on their behalf, securing their freedom. We’re free, because our enemy’s toast.

Now, let’s get to the juicy bit. Jesus dropped this as a mic-drop moment for the whole sinful world, but if you’re already “born-from-above”—congratulations, you’re in the club—what’s this mean for us? We’ve already had our sin epiphany, repented, got the forgiveness stamp, and unlocked the power to heal sickness and evict demons like it’s our day job. So, what’s the Spirit correcting now?

For believers, who have already accepted Jesus, the sin of unbelief no longer defines them. Instead, the Spirit’s role shifts to a positive correction—reminding them of their new reality in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21, “Paul writes, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (NLT).

The big idea: if you’re already God’s righteousness, the Spirit isn’t here to wag a finger and say, “You’re not righteous, you naughty thing.” No, He’s correcting you when you forget you’re basically divine royalty and start moping around like a spiritual peasant. The word “convict” here means “correct”—when you’re off-the-mark. Pre-salvation, the Spirit was all, “Yikes, you’re a mess.” Post-salvation? It’s, “Honey, you’re dazzling—act like it.” The correction’s positive now, a holy hype session. You’re not seeing yourself as the perfect, glorious righteousness of God? That’s what He’s fixing.

Romans 8:1 declares, “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

If you’re saved and still hearing a naggy voice droning on about how sinful you are, newsflash: that’s not God. It’s either Satan doing his accusatory shtick or you secretly loving a good self-pity party. Sure, the Word’s a sharp sword—ouch, it’ll call out sinful behavior when you’ve been sinful. But that’s about your actions. The Spirit’s correction we’re vibing on here? It’s about your shiny new reality in Jesus. He is correcting our vision when we forget our royal status as co-heirs with Jesus. It’s a call to live boldly from that identity He’s whispering (or shouting, if you’re stubborn) in our hearts, “You’re perfect, righteous, glorious—a prince of heaven! So why are you slumming it with sin? It’s beneath you.” You’re righteous, so act righteous. You’re heaven’s VIP, not some back-alley chump chatting up thieves and creeps. You’re a co-heir with Jesus—stop rummaging in human resources’ dumpster and cash that check from heaven’s bank account: withdrawing from “heaven’s bank account” for all the good things Jesus has already give to you by grace.

That’s the Spirit’s vibe today. So, double-check the voice you’re tuning into—it better be the Spirit’s, not some sleazeball demon with a guilt trip agenda.

 ——

[Grok (xAI), 2025. Proofreading, copyediting, and stylistic enhancements.]


Devil Dogmatics

1 Timothy 4:1-3 NIV

“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.”

We are not talking about denying the resurrection of Jesus, the Trinity, or the forgiveness of sins. Instead, we examine denying people their carnal desires for good sex in marriage and good food. Keeping Christian men from penetrating women in marriage is demon business. According to the Good Book, some morons will ditch faith faster than a priest at a strip club, chasing after demon whispers, from those whose consciences are as burnt as last night’s lasagna.

Marriage offers the pleasure of sex and the joy of family. Although God is a God of fertility and family joy, the biblical emphasis in marriage is on sex. Hence, this becomes our basic emphasis. The Bible has an entire book, the Song of Songs, dedicated to this, not family. Think about that. The Spirit of God, who wrote the Bible, gave the high title, “The Song of Songs,” to celebrate the romance and sex between a man and a woman, not to praise Jesus. Your worldview should include this. Christian sex should be world-envied.

These doctrines did not originate from men but from demons. The concept of restricting sex and food was so vile, a demon conceived it. They’re straight from Satan’s playbook. Only a demon would come up with banning burgers and apple pie. God’s all about the bangin’ and the breedin’, but these fools say no, you can’t enjoy your steak or your spouse.

Some have conspired with demons to spread these doctrines, making them human too. This is the opposite of Isaiah 55. These demon thoughts are too low for a human to think it. Only a demon could think it, and by demon manipulation humans think Satan’s thoughts after him.

The passage states these men have seared their souls with a hot iron. These trash have seared their own souls, not from too much sex or food, but from denying it to others. That’s some twisted stuff! This could mean they become perverted after searing their souls, or teaching such doctrines does this, or both. Either way, the horror is the same. I’ve never heard a pastor use the phrase “seared their conscience with a hot iron” in this context. What else do our pastors not tell us?

Not rejecting the resurrection, but rejecting carnal sex and food is so dark, vile, and rebellious it’s labelled a demon doctrine.

From this, we learn demon dogmatics withhold good things meant for Christians. These doctrines oppose the blessings given to God’s elect. God has given good things in creation, in Abraham and in Jesus, but demon dogmatics are designed to snatch and steal this knowledge. The goal is to ensure faith never has a chance to receive them.

Thus, “how much more,” would rejecting good things, such as miracle ministry, faith and the baptism of the Spirit, be demon doctrine. These good things have the blood of Jesus stained on them, and so they would be greater. If withholding sex is demonic, how much more so is withholding healing and miracles, which Jesus’s blood bought? If withholding a juicy steak is devil’s work, imagine what denying healing or miracles means – that’s like Satan on steroids!

Healing is good; it was part of the atonement, and Jesus spent much time healing, when He could have spent more time preaching. As Peter said, Jesus went about doing “good,” healing all oppressed by the devil. Supernatural healing is a very good thing in the Bible.

And so, to teach healing by putting it behind a paywall of, “if God wills it,” is a demon dogmatic. They block healing’s door, like bouncers at a club you can’t get into. Such a thing is so delusional that only a mind as perverted as a demon, could imagine it.

Jesus said, “if you are not with me, then you are against me.” He said this in context of blaspheming a ministry of healing, miracles and casting out demons. It is the ultimate devil dogmatic.

Those who evangelize these doctrines deserve all the harsh rebukes scripture gives them. Cut them out of your life as you would any demon. Demons cannot enjoy God’s good things and out of envy, they use pastors to propagate their dogmatics, keeping you from God’s gifts.

So, if you’re with Jesus, you’re all about the healing, the miracles, the good stuff his blood paid for. If not, you’re with the other team, the one with the horns and pitchforks.

Cast them out. Expose them for who they truly work for.

[1] Grok Ai 2025 personal editing. Grok aided with proof-reading and some witty summaries.

To Win The Argument You Must Lose Your God

“You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.  Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning?” (James 4:2-5 NLT)

In context of me teaching about faith and prayer by quoting Vincent Cheung, I received an insane attack against this doctrine. Jesus was the most extreme faith teacher ever. He said if you ask for something, then you get it. Jesus said, You ask it, you get it. No word of faith preacher is more extreme than Jesus. He said this in many ways, over and over, as if He knew people would resist it. He said if you ask for a fish then you get a fish. If you ask for bread, then you get bread. If you ask for the baptism of the Spirit, then you get the baptism of the Spirit. This makes God a “good Father.” Jesus said in John 14 that if you have faith you will do miracles and even greater miracles. In chapter 15 Jesus said if you ask for anything God will give this to you and by this bring great glory to God, and then said the same thing in chapter 16, but then Jesus summed it up in a man-centered way saying, it will complete our joy. In places like Matthew 21:21 He said that with faith we can tell something like a mountain to physically relocate, or a tree, and it will “obey you.”

Billy responded by quoting James 4:3, “you ask wrongly with bad motives.” This means to Billy, we cannot always know if God will give us what we ask. To attack a so-called wrong “faith for anything” doctrine by quoting this verse is like trying to cure your headache by cutting off your head. To shoot your adversary with a nerf-gun, you end up shooting your face with a 50-caliber desert eagle. It doesn’t make any sense.  To attack the doctrine of Faith you must become God’s enemy. Even if you win the argument, you lose your soul. You can never attack the bible’s teaching on faith and miracles without destroying yourself in the process.

Two main points. The first deals with the context of breaking God’s law, or ethics. People have a nubilous idea for what “wrong motives” mean. It is not an icky feeling in your heart. It is law breaking. There is a command somewhere in the bible and you are violating it. You cannot trick God with His commands. You cannot love your neighbor by helping them cut their grass, when you are secretly doing this to plot their murder. You did not find a loophole and trick God. No, the act of cutting their grass is sin for you. In essence you are lying or bearing false witness about yourself. Also, to love your neighbor as yourself, you want people to mean you well in individual acts and long-term goals. We are commanded to never lie and always tell the truth. Jesus commanded us to not commit adultery with our bodies or with our minds. The point, is that wrong motives has to do with a specific law of God and you are breaking it.

Thus, it is irrational to say we do not know if God will answer our prayers because “our motives could be wrong.” Because bad motives deal with specific acts of disobeying God’s commands, you can precisely and intellectually know if you are praying in good or bad motives. So, unless you are just born-again, you know God’s commands and so you know if you are obeying them or disregarding them. By this you can easily pray with good motives and know for certain your prayer is answered. Thus, for the Christian who knows God’s commands, this verse is a non-issue. It does not logically apply to them.

 To say this verse applies to you, then you would need to admit that despite being a Christian for many years and reading God’s word for many years you have no idea what God has commanded and so you have no idea if you are praying for wrong things. Such a person has no business critiquing others about the doctrines of faith and miracles when they do not even know what God has commanded. I could care less what they say. And you should not care either. They should remove the redwood tree sticking out of their eye, before trying to remove a small speck from someone else’s.

But the context of James words makes this much, much worse. James mentions 2 things in particular: murder and adultery. Thus, when praying for wrong things he specifically means praying for God to help you kill your co-worker to steal their money and help you have sex with your neighbor’s wife. A person might not say it so directly, but this is what James mentions by name in this passage.

Obviously, if you ask God to help you sleep with your neighbor, then you are asking God to help you break a command of God. Thus, God will not answer your prayer. This is not a mystery or rocket science. There is a motive to break one of God’s commands, and then you ask God to help you with this evil.  Sometimes it is hidden under another request. “God, give me a million dollars,” but in your heart you plan to use it on prostitutes. Or, “God, heal this girl,” but in your heart you want to win her over, so you can have sex with her. Even though you do not verbalize the law-breaking in the prayer, because it is your true intention, then they are a logical complete unit (like a Modus Ponens). It is a package deal, and so the whole thing is considered as a request to disobey God’s command. Thus a bad motive is simply the non-verbalized request to disobey the command of God, that you conveniently leave out of the prayer. If you are bold you say it out loud.  

The second main point deals with James’ conclusion for this. He says you are either God’s friend or enemy. If you are saved, then you are God’s friend. You cannot both be reconciled to God and His dreaded enemy at the same time. Thus, for James to say you are God’s enemy is saying you are not saved. He says that people who pray like this are friends with the world, but in trade they are God’s enemy. That is, James is not talking self-examination to see if you are a weak Christian versus a mature Christian. No. He is saying examine yourself to see if God is your friend or enemy, to see if you are saved or a reprobate.

This is not the unforgivable sin. All sins and blasphemy, other than blasphemy against the Spirit, is forgivable. In moments of passion, we can say things under our breath that we are ashamed of.  If you have committed this sin, it does not automatically make you a reprobate enemy of God. In a moment of insanity and burning passion it is possible for a Christian to cry out and ask God to let them sleep with person x, because they can’t take the pressure anymore. However, they can realize the horror of this, repent and not do that again. Let us say in their fight for sanctification they say it a few more times, but then they mature and get victory over their emotions. However, if a person does not repent and keeps this type of prayer going in a frequent way, then James is very clear. God is their enemy. They are not saved. They are a reprobate headed to hell. They have declared war on God. The specific details on answers to prayer is the least of their worries.

If you are asking for God to help you break the commands that He has given you, then you are God’s enemy. You are not His friend. This is James’ conclusion for people who pray like this.

I bring this up to show the insanity to use this against Jesus’ teaching, when He says we always get a fish for a fish. If out of 1000 prayers for healing, you said one that had a bad motive (I want this girl healed, so that I can win her over and maybe have sex with her), then the percent is so small it is not worth mentioning as an attack against, “we always get healing when asking for healing.” This is despite the fact we know God would not answer such a prayer, because it breaks a command. However, if your evil motives in prayer were so frequent that the percentage was enough to be a rebuttal against, “we always get healing when asking for healing,” then according to James you are God’s enemy and a reprobate. In order to attack faith and God’s promise you must become God’s enemy. To when the argument you must lose your God and your soul in the process.

The word of God’s enemy and a reprobate means nothing to me. Why would I and anyone care? Seriously, I would respect the word of an orange over an enemy of God.

We are done with the two main points for Billy’s comments; however, I want to quickly deal with good motives. Good motives are plans and requests to obey God’s commandments.

Jesus has already bore our sickness on the cross and by His stripes we were healed. Jesus healed all who came to Him. He did this to bless you and give you joy. To apply the gospel in your life, which is healing, is obedience. Thus, praying for healing is always a good motive. Not applying the gospel in your life is disobedience. Thus not praying for healing is always a bad motive. Jesus says if you have seen Him, then you have seen the Father.  In fact, James in chapter 5 says if you are sick then you must have the church pray so that you can get healed. The prayer of faith will make the sick person get well. This is not a suggestion. It is a command. The command is not merely to pray, but to pray and get the result of healing. Thus, to ask for healing to obey God’s command to get healed is by definition a good motive, and it cannot by definition be bad.

How about money? Jesus says to seek His kingdom first and the “things the pagans seek after,” will be given to you. Have you seriously stopped and thought about what Jesus is saying here? The pagans seek big material blessings and prosperity. This is pagan-level-money-seeking. Jesus says, if you seek after righteousness and His kingdom, then these things will be given to you. He is saying if you want big money, then seek my Kingdom first, and then big money will be given to you. Think about the order of motivation He is laying out here. If your goal is pagan-level-seeking-money, then use the pursuit of seeking righteousness to get it. To ask God to help you seek His kingdom and righteousness, so that you can acquire the level of wealth the pagans want, is by definition a good motive, because it obeys Jesus’ command.  

Some might call this “bad motives,” but they cannot do this without slapping Jesus in the face, because He said it, and He commanded it.  There is much more to say about this, but this is enough to show what some define as bad motives is wrong.

What God Ordains Is always Good

A woman was suffering with cancer asking for prayer on twitter, and a person responded with the Hymn called, “What God ordains is always Good.”

Satan’s little helpers are all over the place.

God ordained all things. True enough. Let us remember that God ordained for me to be born a sinner with a sinful nature (Rom 5). Thus, this is good. No, really, it is good by definition because God did it. God does tell us why He did it, (Rom.9), but this is logically irrelevant. Whatever God does and ordains is good. However, good “relative” to whom or what? If we are asking what is good on the ultimate level, relative to God, then anything God does is good by definition, because God did it. However, if meant relative to me, then good is defined as God’s commandments and promises. Relative to me it is about my obedience to God’s commands and acquiring God’s promises in my life. This is the only definition for biblical ethics. For me, good is defined by me understanding what is happening (what God ordains) and then find a command and promise that relates to it and obey it and make the promise manifest by my faith. Anything less than this is disobedience and rebellion against God. Disobedience is bad; it is not good.

In regard to being born a sinner, I cannot say, “What God ordains is always good,” and so,” because God ordained me to be born a sinner, thus it is good that I remain a sinner who hates God and loves sin.” We know if someone does this, they are making excuses for their rebellion. This is stating something God does and then irrationally concluding an ethic from it. No. God has both commanded me to repent and promised to save me if I call on His name. God ordained me to be born a sinner, but also told me what to do about it, by making His promise of forgiveness a reality in my life by my faith in Him. Jesus told me to save myself by faith in His promise of mercy.

The same with everything else. So, what if God ordained me to have a sickness? God ordains all things; tell me something I don’t already know. However, God has commanded (James 5:15) and promised (Isaiah 53:4-5) me to use faith and I will be healed. I cannot say, “What God ordains is always good,” and so,” because God ordained me to have this sickness, thus it is good that I remain in my sickness.” We know if someone does this, they are making excuses. God’s promise for healing is “good” and His command to be healed is “good.” Those who reject this are bad. You cannot use what God has ordained to invalidate God’s commandments and promises. Those who teach such, teach a doctrine of demons.

What is an Evil Report?

And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.” (Exodus 13:32 NIV)

Notice the evil report was not because they said, “What God promised, He cannot do. God promised this Land but God is too weak to drive them out by our hand.” Rather what they said was focused on empiricism, or what they can see. They saw giants. They saw they were small compared to them in height. They saw the fortified cities and armies and saw they destroyed their enemies.

They did not directly attack God’s promise; rather they only reported what they could see, touch and hear. They gave testimony of sight. And God called this an evil report. God wanted to destroy them right there on the spot. Moses had to step in and plead with God, not to kill them right there. God relented but promised they would never see the Promise Land, and they would all die in the wilderness. God rejected them as reprobates saying, “You will never enter My rest.”  They reported they were too weak and the others were too strong, based on their sensation and observation. God said, you will therefore be bound to this report based on sight. You are too weak for them, and they are too strong for you; you do not have the strength to enter into my good land.

Based on their five senses, human observation, and inductive calculation, it was true that they were weaker than the inhabitance. They did not lie about what they saw. Thus, all they did was give a report based on sight. They testified correctly to what they saw and touched. And yet, God wanted to destroy them for giving a correct testimony of what they saw.

These people truthfully testified about what they saw, and God called them evil and rejected them over it. Think carefully about that.

It was evil and bad because “we live by faith not sight,” 2 Corinthians 5:7. If we see a contradiction with what we see and what God has said, God considers it evil to testify correctly to what you observe. God expects you to testify to what He has said. Because there is a contradiction, if you affirm one and just leave it at that, then you in essence deny the other. This is an either-or logic, where the two terms are a known contradiction and thus if you affirm one you deny the other (fulfilling the requirements of the deduction). It is two testimonies that contradict one another. It is like two people who give two contradictory answers: “2 + 2 = 4,” and “2 + 2 =7.” If you pick one, then you are denying the other. As Jesus said, if you are not with Him, you are against Him. If you do not directly choose Him, then you are against Him. If you do not confess the promise against what you see, then you are against God. If you do not confess faith against your observations, you are God’s hated enemy. 

The command of God is to speak faith. Abraham’s very name was a constant spoken confession of faith in God’s promise. We prove ourselves to be children of Abraham if we do the same.

An evil report is speaking what you see (empiricism/observation), rather than God’s promise. Even if your testimony truthfully describes what you observe, if there is a promise about the same circumstance, you are evil. You are the type of person who spreads evil reports. The more people who see you publicly confess your observations (even if true) rather than the promise, the more wicked the report becomes, and as a consequence the more guilt you heap on yourself. 

I can hear these self-righteous Israelites saying, “but we only testified to what we saw! They are bigger and stronger, with more weapons. They are aggressive people. WHY is God angry with us for speaking the truth?”  The same happens today. “I only testified to what the doctor and I saw. I spoke the truth. The cancer was stage four, all over my body. Why does God call my observation an evil report?”

Yet, God has commanded us to speak His word. He has commanded us to trust His promise. He has commanded us to agree that His word is permanent, faithful and true. He commands us to not only believe in our hearts, but to confess with our mouth.

Adam and Eve had a problem with this. God told them something, and they faced the contradiction that the tree looked good to eat. The first school lessen for mankind was one of faith in God’s word. Faith, as Vincent Cheung says, is the first primordial orthodoxy for man. No other doctrine revealed later will override faith. Faith overrides all doctrines because all other doctrines came after the orthodoxy of faith.[1]

Abraham had a similar situation. Romans 4 said he believed against all hope. That is, he believed against what he saw, felt and observed.  His name, “father of many nations, was a contradiction to reality itself. Yet, it is God’s word that creates and controls reality. If you have faith in God’s word, the Word will always prevail over your observations. This is why we live by faith, not sight.

It is not as if you cannot under any circumstances say what the reality is, but it needs to be said in a way that does not negate your confession that God’s promise is true over what you observe. Jesus said that Lazarus was only asleep. But then when pressed He admitted he was dead, yet again affirmed Lazarus was as good as being alive.

People want to see themselves like Caleb and Joshua, while they still speak like the Israelites who gave a bad (correct) report on what they saw. They read God’s promises of healing in the bible, but then they will get a doctor’s report. They will then give a true testimony of what the doctor saw and spoke. “The cancer is strong, and my old body is weak.” This is exactly what the Israelites said, and God was so furious He wanted to kill all of them, right there and then. If you want to be like Joshua, who received God’s approval, then be like Joshua. Say, “the doctor saw the cancer, but it is food for me. Jesus left my sickness on the cross because it died there with Him. The Father considers Jesus as a substitute atonement for my sickness in my place, and therefore, I do not bear it. By His stripes I am healed. I declare in Jesus’ name, “I am healed.” His promise is more real than what I feel or observe.”

The only way to be obedient is to directly and constantly speak the promise of God against what you see. If you merely omit this and only speak what you see, you are an evil person who spreads evil reports. You will partake in the same destiny as the Jews who died in the wilderness. You will not enter into the good land, into the good promises, into the good things God has. They will be denied to you, if you give correct testimony of your observation over God’s promise.

But why stay silent? If you only believe, then the promise land of blessings are yours for the taking. God has already spoken and revealed His promises. Stand up and agree with Him. Be like Abraham your father and speak the contradiction to all you see and observe. Speak the confession of God’s promise and receive it like Abraham did. The only way to speak good reports and spread good reports is public confession of absolute certainty in God’s promise over reality.  Be a super spreader of faith confessions, and you will have God’s approval. Men, especially church men will hate you, and even try to stone you for good faith reports, but God will approve of you. He will give you what you ask of Him. Joshua and Caleb was delayed from entering the promise land as God rejected that current generation, but they did finally enter. The good report they confessed is the reality they lived and experienced.

God is not the one holding you back. The unbelief spoken by the Israelites is what held them back from entering the promise land. The faith Joshua spoke what allowed him to enter the good things of God.  Unbelief or faith is what will cause you to be held back or move forward into God’s good things.

[1] See Vincent Cheung, “Faith Override.”

Cut From The Same Rock

“Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the Lord: Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; look to Abraham, your father, and to Sarah, who gave you birth. When I called him he was only one man, and I blessed him and made him many. The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins; he will make her deserts like Eden, her wastelands like the garden of the Lord. Joy and gladness will be found in her, thanksgiving and the sound of singing.
Isaiah 51:1‭-‬3 NIV

Paul says we have the blessing of Abraham through Jesus. This blessing means the baptism of the Spirit and miracles. This should not be a surprise because even in the Old Testament we see this over and over. In Isaiah 51 God mentions the blessing of Abraham. He says those seeking righteousness are cut from the same blessed rock. Thus, in context of Isaiah 51 God will come and restore Israel, even to the point of great wealth and happiness.

In Christ we are also cut from the same blessed rock with Abraham. If you call out to God in faith, He will restore any lost part of your life, and He will make it like Eden. He will turn deserts into rivers of healing, prosperity and great joy. If it takes 100 miracles to restore you and uplift you, then God’s faithful blessing will insure you get all 110 of them.

God Owns it All, the Saints Receive it All

God Owns it All, the Saints Receive it All.

Recall an earlier quote from Vincent, from “On Good and Evil,”

The Bible says that, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). It also says that, “God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone” (James 1:13), but that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). This means that God’s nature is inherently good, and it is the objective standard of goodness on which all judgment on these issues must be based.[0]

I would like to point out from this an inference about how God’s children image Him.

There are a few reasons why God cannot be tempted. I will skip the issue that sin is not applicable to God. One reason why God cannot be tempted by evil, is because God already owns it all. How can God be tempted to steal something when He already owns it? The temptation of stealing happens because you perceive a lack in something, and you are tempted you to gain this lack in a manner that breaks God’s law, to lie and/or harms someone to get it. How can God be tempted to lie to get something, when He already owns it, and has no lack in anything? God has infinite power and value. If He does not already have it, if that is possible, then He can just create it. That is, by God’s nature itself, temptation for more than one reason, cannot be applied to God.

Remember Paul’s comments in Corinthians 1-3. He says there is a “wisdom” for the “mature” believer. He defines this maturity as the power, by the Holy Spirit, to know and receive all the goodies God has freely given us in Jesus Christ. This includes all of them, both spiritual and material goodies and favor. Paul goes on to say that, “all things are yours.” Then in context of this mature wisdom in knowing and receiving all God’s goodies, we are told we “think spiritually” and even have the “Mind of Christ.”

Jesus also, talked about degrees of faith. When commenting on the Roman soldier, Jesus said He had not seen such great faith in all of Israel. There is such things as weak and strong faith. With both examples, strong wisdom and strong faith was not related to suffering for Jesus, but the opposite. It was a “knowing and believing” that causes you to receive God’s freely given benefits.

Another example. “

Against hope Abraham believed in hope with the result that he became the father of many nations according to the pronouncement, “so will your descendants be.” Without being weak in faith, he considered his own body as dead (because he was about 100 years old) and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief about the promise of God but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,” (Romans 4:18-20 NET)

When Christians are strong in wisdom and maturity like this, they truly become Godlike, relative to our example above. God is not tempted because He already owns it all. Likewise, mature Christians, strong in faith and wisdom, receive all they ask from God. Thus, God owns it all, and Christians receive it all.

How can a Christian be tempted to steal, cheat their neighbors, and lie when whatever they are being tempted with they have the faith and maturity to receive it? Whether spiritual things like a hopeful mind, a joyous mind and a sound mind, the Christian can grow and receive this in faith. What about healing, finances, a spouse and help from everyday troubles? How can these tempt them in fear and lack to do something evil and sinful, when they can just easily receive it in faith?

There is more to having strength to resist temptation, but this is one aspect many foolishly overlook to their own damnation.

This is something that mature Christians do that truly makes them Godlike, and true image bearers of Christ. When they live this type of mature wisdom and faith, they think God’s thoughts after Him, and walk in His pathways. Leave the milk and elementary things like forgiveness of sins and move on to maturity.[1] Receive not only the doorway (forgiveness) but march to into house of God and sit at His table prepared for you. Receive the bread and wine, where God promises to “be your God, and you His people,” and promises to “never stop from doing good to you.” He defines Himself as a Good Father, in that whatever you ask for, you receive it, and not something different.

[0] Vincent Cheung. On Good and Evil. 2002. Pg. 6-7 (www.vincentcheung.com)

[1] (Not moving on in the sense of casting it aside, but having truly believed it as a foundation, you build on it.)