Rating: Summary: It is not "Fault". It is "Misleading" Review: This is the first time I write a review and possibly the last time. I have read this book and I feel that I should share my feeling with others, especially to my brothers and sisters in Christ.I describe Bruce's book "The Prayer of Jabez" as "Poison in candy". Bruce does cover some Bible truth in his book, but he twisted those truths into his advantage. I am not going to talk about how he misused Bible here. I will just talk about how he misleads people in the book. Candy #1: Bruce says that God is full of grace and He loves to bless us. Most of the times we are not blessed because we did not ask. Also, Father can and will blessing us in anyway He wanted. Those are common truth that people know about. But what he did is twisted the meaning of blessing. Using Jabez, a person with a painful life, then ask Father for blessing and his life changed. This mislead people to believe if there is blessing, there is no pain. On the other hand, if there is pain, there is no blessing. Bruce describe blessing as something super natural, which imply there is no need of contribution at our part. However, we all know that Father's blessing does not necessary mean no pain, nor there is no contribution in our part. Bruce's logic is that if we want to glorify Father, we need to ask for more blessing. By using Jabez, blessing means no pain. However, we all know that sometime a painful life can glorify Father much better than a life without pain. How many people they suffered and so they give their lives, in Father's name, to help others in the same situation? How many people feel joy in suffering because they know Father is with them, and amazed all non-believers around them? Are we not calling those "Glorifying God"? Linking "blessing" to "pain" also opens a big door to people's imagination. People feel pain for various reasons. Family problem, material life unsatisfaction' Bruce encourages people to ask for blessing, like Jabez does, and you will have a new life. And the best part of it is -- It will happen super naturally. So no more family problem, and you will have a good material life, but the most important is, ANYTHING causing you pain is gone - super naturally. Bruce really does not tell us to selfishly ask for material life, he just misleads you to do so. Candy #2: Bruce mentions that people should pray for more opportunity to serve God. It is correct. However, he is using it as a "supporting statement" to support his idea of "asking God to give us more business". Please notice that his position on "Let God blesses us in whatever way He wanted" changed here. It is now "Give me this, so I can serve you". "Asking for more opportunity to serve God" is NOT equals to "Asking God to give us more business". Without more business, we can still meet more people, and being use by God to serve Himself. Also, before we ask God for "more opportunity to serve Him", should we be asking Him "to change us, so we CAN serve Him"? Candy #3: Asking God to be with us is correct and we are powerless without God is also true. However, Bruce has narrowed down all these definition to super natural power. Father is with us when we humble ourselves and follow His teaching. Father is with us sometime "can" lead to super natural, but not "must". I am not going to discuss super natural power here. I am just going to give an advice. Super natural power is cheap. God has it and so do Devil. Candy #4: Asking God to keep us from temptations is correct. Our wisdom and experience cannot keep us from doing thing wrong is also correct. However, Bruce has misled people to believe that "without temptation, people will not do anything wrong". Sin is "triggered" by temptation, not "caused" by it. If this is the case, Jesus really doesn't have to die. Please remember if we did something wrong, it is still our problem. You can't go to court and tell the judge that I steal only because I did not pray, so I am temped by Devil. One final word: The Lord's Prayer is what Jesus taught us how to pray, and it is very different from the Jabez's prayer Bruce suggested. So the question is, are we going to replace Jesus' teaching with Bruce's? And pray Jabez's prayer everyday for the next 30 years? Forget to mention. I don't know if you agree with the way Bruce interrupts Bible, but if you stand back for moment and look, Bruce is really using Jabez's name to express his own ideas.
Rating: Summary: Great book for Wiccans Review: Hmmm...repeat this incantation over and over again and you will get what you wish for??? Sounds more like witchcraft than Christianity to me. Great book for Wiccans, lousy book for Christians.
Rating: Summary: A Selfish Version Of The Lord's Prayer Review: Jabez seems to be praying, "Give ME this day MY daily bread...lead ME not into temptation...deliver ME from evil." There is no expression of outgoing concern for his neighbor. Clearly a "gimme-gimme" book.
Rating: Summary: selfish Review: I'm not against God blessing people. I think the author took that one verse about Jabez and made it more than it really is. Isn't it written in the Bible to store up treasures on Heaven rather than on earth because things eventually turn to dust? I believe that it is written in the Bible. What about denying yourself first, taking up your cross, and then finding life? There is a lot of religious materialism going on with Jabez. That's what offends me the most. I am sick of seeing jabez stuff everywhere I go. Everything from calendars, devotionals, versions for kids, teens, women. I think that one book is enough. Wouldn't God bless you in life if that was in His will for you? A better book would be "Money, Possessions, and Eternity by Randy Alcorn" that book is more biblical and unselfish.
Rating: Summary: IF YOU REALLY WANT TO LEARN HOW Review: TO PRAY IN THE WILL OF GOD, YOU'D BE BETTER SERVED BY READING THE CLASSIC BY R. A. TORRY, THE POWER OF PRAYER, OR JOHN PIPER'S HUNGRY FOR GOD. Clearly, it would have been more important for this book to pay closer attention to (and move in) the verse (1Cron4:9) that precedes the "prayer of Jabez" where it is written "Jabez was more honorable than his brothers" to be in a position favorable to answered prayer, than to (as this book can) lead people to believe that God is our magic Genie. We are created to serve Him, not Him to serve us! As the prophet Micha wrote of what God requires of us; Do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. I have always found it spiritually dangerous to build a teaching around a scripture and ignore what the true context of the passage is (as well as being bad biblical hermeneutics). My sincere hope is that Wilkinson's Prayer of Jabez won't leave shipwreck the faith of a believer who is terminally ill and doesn't understand why they didn't get an answer to the "magic pill" that this and the accompanying workbooks can be easily interpreted into.
Rating: Summary: Come on folks.... Review: Christians hurt, suffer and die at the same rate as the rest of the population. Reading this book would have you believe that it's because they haven't recited a self-centered 4 line prayer in First Chronicles. The author paints a picture of God waiting to bestow nothing but blessings upon you but doesn't because you aren't giving him the "secret code"...the Prayer of Jabez. As Christians we work, and sometimes we struggle, to develop a personal relationship with Jesus. Christianity is not a self-help mantra which we repeat so that we can get more goodies. In looking at Jesus we see someone who suffered greatly at the plight of the downtrodden and never once told them they oughta be reciting a mantra from the Old Testament nor did Jesus have the gaul to ask for more blessings while he was on earth. This pamphlet (it's not long enough to be a book) is the diametrical opposite of what Christianity is supposed to be about. I feel sorry for any Christian who embraces this narcissistic theology and recommend you take this book to any third world country and explain it's premise to people who pray daily for more food. Those of you who aren't Christians--please don't think this book is a guide to what it's all about.
Rating: Summary: Unbiblical teaching Review: I strongly disliked Bruce Wilkinson's book. He makes it sound like God is our "sugar-daddy". We simply need to place our order with him, then God will 'grant us our wish'. Where does it tell us that in the Bible? Where does the Bible say that when man prays, he always gets exactly what he wants? I think Bruce Wilkinson needs to label his book what it is: a work of fiction. Better yet, he needs to quit writing books until he becomes well versed in the scriptures.
Rating: Summary: Wants God to be a Genie in a BOTTLE!!!!! Review: I would suggest to Wilkinson that all the money that he is making from writing this book should be well spent trying to make amends with THE IMUTABLE GOD in heaven. Try looking at the second commandment: Though shalt not make a graven image! God is made into a NEW image here. Do not be fooled. This life is but a breath. This book isn't going to help any person get into the kingdom of God, it will destroy you! God OWES YOU NOTHING! He bought those who serve him with a price. WE owe HIM everything! Try to write a book now explaining why God really isn't a Genie to pull out when you selfishly want something. GOD made us for HIS GLORY not OUR pocketbook. We are here to get ready to Marry our glorious God in Heaven. I do not know of many husbandmen who looked for someone selfish to marry. GET your oil lamps ready!!! Look away from yourself and on to the glorious savior and EVERLASTING GOD.
Rating: Summary: False Teaching and misleading. Review: Discovering a 'secret' prayer, a one liner that will score with God, as BW asserts, is the first tip off that this book is from the pit. It caters to those who want to 'use' God on their terms and get the goodies. No wonder its a best seller. But it's also a misuse of scripture. I hope people will be tipped off to this spiritual poison before they start wasting time following its advice. What amazes me is that BW wrote it. I gave it one star because there was no lower option.
Rating: Summary: Agree with most of it.. good book to read through Review: I think the principles of what Bruce Wilkinson is trying to say is a good perspective on what we should ask God for. Certainly we should ask of our Father to receive the blessings He has in store for us. Wilkinson uses illustrative stories. More importantly, we do need to pray for "divine appointments" to share Christ with others. The only thing I wouldn't agree with Wilkinson in, is his obervation & interpretation that this is what the verse is talking about. Though Jabez was set free, I don't believe it was so because of the reason Wilkinson presents. Lastly, too many people are going after the "Lose 10 lbs in 1 week" principle. I don't think we should look at prayer in the same manner. Read the book, but remember prayer as a partnership with Christ, not a way to rub the magic lamp.
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