Play on what people want to hear, expose their fears and promise them everything will work out. It's what we all want: a guarantee. We want to be assured that we won't get sick and die too soon. We want to believe our families and loved ones will always be safe and secure. We want a safety net from all the worries about money.
Everyone is scared whether they admit it or not. Of course due to past experience, some are much more frightened than others. But no one has the "peace that passes all understanding". This is why people pray like maniacs, fast, tithe and submit themselves to controlling church leadership. If I do ___ then I'll get ____. As long as I pray the prayer of ___ then nothing bad will happen.
Bad happens. Bad happens all the time. Bad happens all the time to good people. What then? Oh that means that you're being tested, or strengthened, or God thinks you can handle it. (cough cough)
A few doozies from Pastor Eric Dykstra's "Big Ask Series":
25:27 – when you open the door to him he ALWAYS comes through
30:40 – as you begin to pray, he will begin to respond
31:30 – God will speak as clearly as a text message if you will talk to him
32:20 – you guys have Caribou coffee in the lobby, however in MY OFFICE we serve Starbucks, because I LIKE Starbucks (...said the raging narcissist)
36:14 – if you go out and pray in the moment you will have supernatural peace
36:46 – you've never prayed a prayer where nothing has happened...when you pray something always changes...every time. (Nope.)
So when you're praying for your uncle to stop molesting you and he doesn't, then God changes your heart. When you pray for a healthy baby and you have a stillborn, God changes your heart. When you pray for financial help and you become homeless, God changes your heart. Gee....see any possible error in this idea? See how this might really hurt people who have been fucked by life?
I'm begging you Crossing, and all prosperity churches, stop using the people of your congregation for your gain. Stop using people's fear to fund your vacations and new homes. You are hurting people and one day you will pay dearly. I ask you, I plead with you, to stop. You aren't doing God's work; this is only for your ego and pocketbook.
