Coffee With Pat
Written By: Pat Aman
copyright 2006
All rights reserved

Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty. "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty. Luke 6:38, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." The two verses above are the only verses I have found that God says, "Just try and see what I will do. Test me." They are on financial prosperity. God wants us to prosper. God want to give us the money we need to handle our bills, but He wants to do it. Not the state lottery. Do not depend on man, but "God to supply your needs according to His riches in glory, by Jesus Christ." Philippians 4:19 III John Verse 2 " Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." Luke 4:12 "Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.' In the Bible, the sacred lot was cast as a means of determining the mind of God. Leviticus 16:7-10 Then he is to take the two goats and present them before the LORD at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. He is to cast lots for the two goats—one lot for the LORD and the other for the scapegoat. Aaron shall bring the goat whose lot falls to the LORD and sacrifice it for a sin offering. But the goat chosen by lot as the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the LORD to be used for making atonement by sending it into the desert as a scapegoat." Jonah 1:7 " Then the sailors said to each other, "Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity." They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah." Acts 1:24-26 "Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen to take over this apostolic ministry, which Judas left to go where he belongs." Then they cast lots, and the lot fell to Matthias; so he was added to the eleven apostles. In ancient Israel it was assumed that God was in control of the dice and that He would speak to His people this way. Although there is not such thing as luck and God is in control of everything, when somebody takes money that belongs to God (because everything we have belongs to God) and bets it on the turn of a roulette wheel, or a turn of a card, he is asking for trouble. He is saying by his actions, "God, I am risking Your money (and my tithes and offerings) and my faith on the hope that You'll make it happen!" When you act like that, you are putting the Lord to test. You are tempting God, and that is a sin. Deut. 6:16 Do not test the LORD your God as you did at Massah. Luke 4: 10-12 For it is written: " 'He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." Jesus answered, "It says: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test." Gambling can destroy a person, becoming an obsession and a compulsion just like alcoholism. The habitual gambler ruins his family and his life, and some have stolen to get money for gambling. It can become a disease that has destroyed literally tens of thousands of people. One of the person on our prayer list, that we have been praying for got involved in gambling, as well as drugs. He made $66,000 in six months on his job. When he was fired one week later he had $0.00 to his name. He said he had to be delivered from drugs but gambling also. That the gambling is the main reason he lost all his money and everything he owned. He is doing real good now. Turned his life over to God, and God is doing a work in him. He is in his 4 month of rehab. The pervasiveness of gambling in our society teaches people that fame, success, and fortune are available without work or struggle. The virtues of industry, thrift, careful investment, and patience are all undermined by this vice. In their place come human greed, lust, avarice, sloth, and a live-for-the-moment mentality. How tragic to see legislatures link their budgetary futures to legalized gambling and lotteries that will undermine the very virtues their citizens need for true long-range growth and prosperity!

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