I have a red flag inside me that starts waving whenever someone says that the universe brought them something. I want to tell them that it was actually their loving and generous heavenly Father, not the universe. I don't want some impersonal universe trying to replace a personal God. It bothers me. But, are the two mutually exclusive?
The Lord Jesus taught us in Mark 11, "That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."
That is a command: 'Be thou cast into the sea!' It is not a prayer. There is no petitioning of your heavenly Father, no intercession, no fasting; just a simple command in faith. It seems to leave God out of the equation, but it doesn't.
So, how does the mountain get moved in the sea? Could it be that God has created the universe to operate according to principles and laws? Could it be that we are to ask for certain things, but we are not supposed to ask for other things? Could it be that some things are in our realm of control?
Again, the farmer may pray that the Lord blesses the work of his hands, but many farmers simply plant corn and reap the benefits because they are operating according to the laws of growth and harvest.
Perhaps Napoleon Hill, et al. , was not seeking to replace God the Father, perhaps he was trying to explain natural laws that were put in place by God the Giver?
The Lord Jesus taught us in Mark 11, "That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith."
That is a command: 'Be thou cast into the sea!' It is not a prayer. There is no petitioning of your heavenly Father, no intercession, no fasting; just a simple command in faith. It seems to leave God out of the equation, but it doesn't.
So, how does the mountain get moved in the sea? Could it be that God has created the universe to operate according to principles and laws? Could it be that we are to ask for certain things, but we are not supposed to ask for other things? Could it be that some things are in our realm of control?
Again, the farmer may pray that the Lord blesses the work of his hands, but many farmers simply plant corn and reap the benefits because they are operating according to the laws of growth and harvest.
Perhaps Napoleon Hill, et al. , was not seeking to replace God the Father, perhaps he was trying to explain natural laws that were put in place by God the Giver?
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