Send me a Big Donation so I Can Buy me a Airplane

I keep learning new things about God. Actually, I guess they’re old things. But the human race threw away a lot of knowledge before I came along, so they’re new to me.

The Old Testament is loaded with symbolism. Earthly things in the Torah symbolize spiritual things in the lives of Spirit-filled Christians. One thing I’ve noticed: when the Old Testament talks about wealth, it symbolizes things like wisdom and faith.

Greedy, confused charismatic preachers go on TV and quote Malachi 3 to us, thinking it’s all about money. If you give money to ministries, God will make you rich. That’s not true. I know someone who gave until she was poor. She gave instead of paying her debts. She spent wildly, in addition to giving. The TBN preachers endorse that way of life. They’re fools. It doesn’t work. I believe we have to be generous with earthly wealth, but it’s very clear that giving to ministries, alone, will not bring you financial security.

People buy into this stuff, and they give (or their elderly, confused parents give), and fortunes are ruined. It’s a bad thing.

I do believe God blesses us for giving, but mainly, he wants us to give real wealth. Giving people money and objects is helpful, sometimes, but it’s better to give them things that transform them permanently.

The story of Samson symbolizes the history of the Spirit-filled church. God’s power rested on Samson, and while it did, he performed acts no unaided human could perform. That power was only on him while he kept his hair, which is a thing that grows with time. When the hair was taken, only the man remained, and he lost his vision and his power.

Christians who pray in the Spirit copiously grow in strength and knowledge. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven (which is inside us) was like a tree. The first Psalm confirms this. It develops over time and becomes great. It grows. Like hair. Like any tree, it has to be watered consistently. Jesus and Paul told us that the “living water” was the language the Holy Spirit put inside us. Use it to water the tree daily, and you will grow in wealth. Whether or not you accumulate money in this world, you will have supernatural, lasting wealth in the spirit realm. And a person who fails to do this will be poor and naked.

I have a close friend who accepted the message of tongues a few years back, and he made great strides, but he backslides sometimes. He has an unfortunate problem. When things go badly, he doesn’t feel like praying, so he cuts off the power he needs to recover. He knows it’s not right, but you know how life is. It’s hard to control your own behavior.

When he called me in the past, I gave him good advice which helped him. I always asked him whether he was praying in tongues daily, and he always said the same thing: he was neglecting it. And when he started up again, things started going well for him and his family.

That was good advice, but I have come to realize that there is more I can do. It’s good to correct people and tell them what to do in order to get back on track. But in view of my beliefs about tongues and power, is that really all I should do? No.

A person who is rebellious and useless is a waste of time, and you shouldn’t get caught up in their troubles, because they’ll take you away from people you can help, and you may interfere with suffering that will turn them to God. But a person who is willing to listen is another story. A certain amount of patience and help is justified, even for people whose main problem is their own character.

I have wealth. I have faith and knowledge. I am not having problems (not serious ones, anyway) forcing myself to pray. I’ve been praying in tongues consistently for years, so I’ve built up a lot of revelation and faith. These are things my friend and his family need. So while I still tell him to sit his butt down and pray, I should also make a serious daily effort to intercede for him and his family until he gets on his spiritual feet. I can’t do this for everyone I know, but the Spirit will tell me who to work on.

I have the same problems he has. I’m just handling them better at the moment. Because I’m prevailing against similar problems, I know the tools he needs. I share them with him.

The body of Christ is like an animal with many feet. When one foot is sore, the others take the weight off of it until it heals.

The Bible tells us a good man leaves an inheritance for his children’s children. I don’t have kids. My friend does. Ordinarily, I would be praying for my own children, but since I don’t have them, I can allot that prayer to my friend’s family.

God is like a river. The Bible tells us water pours from his presence. He expects us to be like him. We are supposed to flow as he does. It’s great when God gives me something helpful, but it’s not right for it to be dammed up in me so it doesn’t help anyone else. If I can’t pass anything on to others, I might as well die right now, because I serve no purpose.

Prayer is the most important thing we do. When your prayer life is strong, everything else works. If you’re praying a lot and getting no results, you are doing something wrong. It may mean you’re doing your own thing instead of serving God, in which case he may not listen. But praying properly will create success.

I told my friend about a few things that have helped me.

1. I try to keep peaceful Christian music going wherever I go. It seems to work like supernatural insect repellant. It’s very helpful for changing the atmosphere of a place. Satan bombards me constantly with his garbage. Half-naked women on billboards. Raucous music. Ignorant people who run their mouths and try to upset me. It troubles my spirit. I believe the music I play troubles the evil things that want to stay around me. I hope they suffer constantly, much more than I ever have.

2. I pray in tongues at least twice a day, for at least half an hour at a shot. And I pray in tongues here and there when I get the chance. This is more important than prayer in English. If I have to choose, I neglect praying in English and make sure I pray in tongues. If you only do it once a day, you’ll grow weak before the next session, and you will start to lose.

3. I repent of my iniquities out loud, so any spirits that are involved can hear it. Let’s say the iniquity is anxiety (which opposes faith, which is considered righteousness). I’ll say I reject it and repent of it, in the name of Jesus. I’ll say I send it back where it came from. I’ll say iniquity has no authority over me; by the blood of Jesus, I have authority over it. If you do this, the results will amaze you. The little stupid voices in your mind that trouble you will go quiet. You may have six or eight things to repent of. When you get done, you’ll have peace. This is extremely helpful if you can’t sleep. You will probably have to do this every day. Don’t expect one shot to last a lifetime.

4. Sometimes God gives me phrases that have surprising power. The latest one is “It’s not important.” I’ll have a thought or a feeling or compulsion I don’t want, and I’ll feel that it’s interfering with my relationship with God. Then I’ll say or think, “It’s not important.” And it goes away. I can’t explain it. I don’t know if this particular phrase will help you, but I know God will reveal similar tools to you if you pray in tongues daily. Satan counterfeits God’s tools. These phrases remind me of the Satanic mantras heathens use in meditation. Those words are said to open the mind to demons. The words God gives me shuts the door.

Don’t worry about giving large, unaffordable amounts of money to preachers. Give what the Spirit tells you to give, and let it go. If you need money, pick an amount and ask God for it until you get it. This isn’t what you should be concerned about. Be concerned about prayer and transformation. Spend your faith. Send it back to God. You’ll get the manyfold return the Bible promises, and it will be in the form of children of the spirit. It will be other people who have been changed by what you do. They will go on and do what you do, and more, whether you continue or not.

This is the best stuff I can give you. Run with it.