From the Amplified Bible:
Philemon 6, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.”
God wants the communication of our faith to become effectual by our acknowledgement of every good thing (not just one thing, but everything) that is in us.
In other words, God wants us to know what has been given to us by Him, and acknowledge it. Because if we don’t know what is in us that is from Him, then we will be looking at and focusing on the worst things, the bad side, the things that are not going well, our weaknesses, our failures.
It is not wrong to notice the difficulties of life. But we must realize that a preoccupation with only the bad things will eventually lead us to a diminishing of our faith or unbelief. Rather, we should embrace His word to gain an accurate knowledge of who we are in Christ.
Speaking verses about ourselves is edifying, but using recitation for the wrong reasons can lead to exasperation, anger and a root of bitterness.
One of the phrases I used to hear while among WOF adherents was "confession leads to possession." In other words, if you say anything long enough, it will come to pass. That led me to believe, as I heard so many times. that I could speak anything I imagined into existence. We know this is not so.
Nevertheless, many believers have needs they desire so earnestly, that they will adopt methodologies that promise to meet that craving. One of those was the daily repetitive recitation of Scriptures, often written and hung on walls, mirrors and refrigerator doors, that we were told would lead to obtaining the item desired. That thing might be a car, a spouse, a new guitar, a job promotion, wealth, whatever comes to mind.
Quoting, in itself, is not wrong or bad, for it is a great way to memorize Scripture. But if it is being used to force God's hand to give you what you desire to consume upon your lusts (James 4:3), it is nothing more than a method, technique or formula. Failure and frustration is often the end to that scheme.
Philemon 6, “I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective and powerful because of your accurate knowledge of every good thing which is ours in Christ.”
God wants the communication of our faith to become effectual by our acknowledgement of every good thing (not just one thing, but everything) that is in us.
In other words, God wants us to know what has been given to us by Him, and acknowledge it. Because if we don’t know what is in us that is from Him, then we will be looking at and focusing on the worst things, the bad side, the things that are not going well, our weaknesses, our failures.
It is not wrong to notice the difficulties of life. But we must realize that a preoccupation with only the bad things will eventually lead us to a diminishing of our faith or unbelief. Rather, we should embrace His word to gain an accurate knowledge of who we are in Christ.
Speaking verses about ourselves is edifying, but using recitation for the wrong reasons can lead to exasperation, anger and a root of bitterness.
One of the phrases I used to hear while among WOF adherents was "confession leads to possession." In other words, if you say anything long enough, it will come to pass. That led me to believe, as I heard so many times. that I could speak anything I imagined into existence. We know this is not so.
Nevertheless, many believers have needs they desire so earnestly, that they will adopt methodologies that promise to meet that craving. One of those was the daily repetitive recitation of Scriptures, often written and hung on walls, mirrors and refrigerator doors, that we were told would lead to obtaining the item desired. That thing might be a car, a spouse, a new guitar, a job promotion, wealth, whatever comes to mind.
Quoting, in itself, is not wrong or bad, for it is a great way to memorize Scripture. But if it is being used to force God's hand to give you what you desire to consume upon your lusts (James 4:3), it is nothing more than a method, technique or formula. Failure and frustration is often the end to that scheme.
