How To Get God To Give You What You Want: Redux
Some time ago, my buddy and co-conspirator at WSA, Mark Magula, wrote an article entitled “How to Get God to Give You the Stuff You Really Want!” I enjoyed the article, even though I thought he missed the opportunity to turn it into a money-making enterprise. After all, with a title of such import, couldn’t he have made it into a six-CD series available at Christian bookstores everywhere? I mean, we don’t make any money with this webmagazine and showing readers how to get what you want from God, the Creator of everything, ought to at least be worth a $59.95 charge on the good ol’ Mastercard, right?
So, having brooded over Mark’s casual disdain for making a buck, and having gone to lunch with my pastor today (Thanks for the barbecue, Jace), I find myself in the mood to contemplate Mark’s title anew.
Since I seldom ever go to Christian bookstores or, for that matter, secular bookstores, preferring to do business online where I can quickly find what I want, purchase it and then, several days later, get a package at the door (Hey, it’s like Christmas in October!), I felt obligated to do some research on the latest “Christian” teaching series’ available online and at fine Christian retailers near you. So I decided to do some research on Amazon.com.
By the way, here’s how to tell when somebody really has the Christian teaching thing down. Their books, CDs, DVDs, coffee cups, prayer cloths, etc. sell so well that they can be purchased at secular bookstores as well as the Christian stores. Isn’t it great how the marketplace doesn’t give a damn what you believe, as long as you can sell it?
Anyway, I thought I would do some research on Amazon.com. A quick search for “Kenneth Copeland,” a well known television evangelist/teacher, brought up categories of books, CDs, DVDs, music, etc. Opting to check out the CDs, I was stunned to find that inflation has struck—a new, six-CD series now costs $167.66. However, the aftermarket, always a cruel judge of talent, has spoken. The same series can be had in good used condition for the low, low price of $19.99.
I realized that I had an advantage over Kenneth Copeland. That is, since no one has ever heard of me, and hence, no one has a used copy of my teachings, all of my valuable thoughts would sell at the retail price! Hallelujah!
So, having brooded over Mark’s casual disdain for making a buck, and having gone to lunch with my pastor today (Thanks for the barbecue, Jace), I find myself in the mood to contemplate Mark’s title anew.
Since I seldom ever go to Christian bookstores or, for that matter, secular bookstores, preferring to do business online where I can quickly find what I want, purchase it and then, several days later, get a package at the door (Hey, it’s like Christmas in October!), I felt obligated to do some research on the latest “Christian” teaching series’ available online and at fine Christian retailers near you. So I decided to do some research on Amazon.com.
By the way, here’s how to tell when somebody really has the Christian teaching thing down. Their books, CDs, DVDs, coffee cups, prayer cloths, etc. sell so well that they can be purchased at secular bookstores as well as the Christian stores. Isn’t it great how the marketplace doesn’t give a damn what you believe, as long as you can sell it?
Anyway, I thought I would do some research on Amazon.com. A quick search for “Kenneth Copeland,” a well known television evangelist/teacher, brought up categories of books, CDs, DVDs, music, etc. Opting to check out the CDs, I was stunned to find that inflation has struck—a new, six-CD series now costs $167.66. However, the aftermarket, always a cruel judge of talent, has spoken. The same series can be had in good used condition for the low, low price of $19.99.
I realized that I had an advantage over Kenneth Copeland. That is, since no one has ever heard of me, and hence, no one has a used copy of my teachings, all of my valuable thoughts would sell at the retail price! Hallelujah!
As visions of me swimming in a large pool filled with hundred-dollar bills danced through my head, I thought of all the good things I would do with my new-found riches. First, there was paying off my mountain of debt, and then, of course, donating a wad to my church (at least ten percent, maybe eleven). Then, there was the new car that my wife has wanted for several years while watching her old one come near to achieving the vaunted “antique” status. That would, of course, be followed by a large expenditure for “missions,” as we finally took that European tour we’ve always dreamed about and visited churches each Sunday in a different city, while drinking up the culture in the intervening six days. Wow! What possibilities! And all for the Lord!
Just when the vision was getting really good, a troubling thought suddenly intruded. It was just a small thing, but it kept gnawing at me. It was just this: a still, small voice kept quietly saying, “That’s not the way. Trust Me.”
I didn’t want to pay any attention. After all, the vision was pretty good. I could see how to make it happen and enjoy great success. However, that little voice just wouldn’t be denied.
As I watched the vision fade, I thought again about Mark’s article’s title, “How to Get God to Give You the Stuff You Really Want!” I realized, suddenly, that I knew how to answer that title’s offer. It doesn’t take a six-CD series. In fact, it doesn’t require a CD, book, DVD, or any other bit of modern technology. Sure, it makes it hard for me to make money, but that’s not the point. Here’s the way to really get God to give you what you want. Simply pray this prayer, “Lord, change my heart and cause me to want what you want for me.”
See? It’s as simple as that. Surrender to God. Give Him the opportunity to change your desires from what you want to what He wants for you and you will get exactly what you asked for. It isn’t sexy, and it doesn’t guarantee you lots of cool stuff, but I give you, our dear readers, this information with a money-back guarantee. It won’t cost you a dime. No, it just costs you everything: your personal ambitions, goals, objectives, desires, hopes, dreams. All of these things, the things that ancient King Solomon said were “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity,” if surrendered to God, allow us to receive a new set of ambitions, goals, objectives, etc. that are uniquely tailored by Him to our individual talents, training, personalities and circumstances.
Does God do this so that we can find personal fulfillment? Sure. Is that all? No. God’s goal is much bigger. He is working through a motley gaggle of individuals scattered around the globe to establish a church that is corporately seeking, and abiding, in His will for us—to unite people in His love.
Thomas A. Hall
Just when the vision was getting really good, a troubling thought suddenly intruded. It was just a small thing, but it kept gnawing at me. It was just this: a still, small voice kept quietly saying, “That’s not the way. Trust Me.”
I didn’t want to pay any attention. After all, the vision was pretty good. I could see how to make it happen and enjoy great success. However, that little voice just wouldn’t be denied.
As I watched the vision fade, I thought again about Mark’s article’s title, “How to Get God to Give You the Stuff You Really Want!” I realized, suddenly, that I knew how to answer that title’s offer. It doesn’t take a six-CD series. In fact, it doesn’t require a CD, book, DVD, or any other bit of modern technology. Sure, it makes it hard for me to make money, but that’s not the point. Here’s the way to really get God to give you what you want. Simply pray this prayer, “Lord, change my heart and cause me to want what you want for me.”
See? It’s as simple as that. Surrender to God. Give Him the opportunity to change your desires from what you want to what He wants for you and you will get exactly what you asked for. It isn’t sexy, and it doesn’t guarantee you lots of cool stuff, but I give you, our dear readers, this information with a money-back guarantee. It won’t cost you a dime. No, it just costs you everything: your personal ambitions, goals, objectives, desires, hopes, dreams. All of these things, the things that ancient King Solomon said were “Vanity, vanity, all is vanity,” if surrendered to God, allow us to receive a new set of ambitions, goals, objectives, etc. that are uniquely tailored by Him to our individual talents, training, personalities and circumstances.
Does God do this so that we can find personal fulfillment? Sure. Is that all? No. God’s goal is much bigger. He is working through a motley gaggle of individuals scattered around the globe to establish a church that is corporately seeking, and abiding, in His will for us—to unite people in His love.
Thomas A. Hall
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