God Needs You and Other Lies

Christians within the Word of Faith movement adopt the mentality that God needs them. This statement is not true. Inasmuch as God needs a vessel, God needs us; but the particular person does not matter. God will use anyone he sees fit. It is not as if we have some sort of authority in changing God's plans in the earth by our power. In relationship to God, we simply have no power. Our authority pales in comparison to God's authority. "This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men ... And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou" (Daniel 4:17, 35)? The root of this belief is an over-self-indulgence that humanity seems to hold about itself. We have sanctified ourselves as if we are holy in and of ourselves. We sanctify our objects as if we have power over the earth in and of ourselves. "Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD's thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is" (Deuteronomy 10:14).

In this section, we address two different practices of the "signs believing" Modern Church: Pleading the Blood of Jesus and Stretching Out Our Hands toward someone. We will show that all of these particular practices have at their foundation the idea that God has exalted us beyond our calling to accomplish them.

Pleading the Blood? or Just Another Form of Sorcery?

There are many churches where people are being told "you must plead the blood of Jesus over your life and everything around you." This practice is done because Christians believe that in order to protect something or someone they have to say that the blood of Jesus Christ has been applied to it. Some churches, when attempting to cast out an unclean spirit cry, "the blood of Jesus, the blood of Jesus!" as if to cause the unclean spirit to go away by their declarations over someone. People also attempt to ward off unclean spirits from something by use of the phrase "I plead the blood of Jesus over X."

We, however, do not see the Apostles or anyone else in the New Testament speaking about the blood of Jesus in this manner (see "False Ways and The Way"). In fact, there is no scriptural foundation for such declarations. Pleading the blood, in essence, is a new doctrine that has come about to attempt to apply the power of God in the physical world at our own choosing. We want to hallow the things in our lives so as to cause Satan (misfortune) to leave certain of our property or loved ones alone and to have God protect our stuff or the people close to us. Here we demonstrate that such efforts on our part reflect a heretical point of view that indicates how much of scripture we fail to understand. Instead of just believing God's word for what it says, we attempt to circumvent belief and patience to generate the manifestation of God's power on our own.

The Eucharist of the Roman Church

Christian people have always struggled with their understanding of the focus they should have on the internal as opposed to the external. The Roman Church is a prominent expositor of externalized Christian thinking. They propose that the Priest is the only one who can administer the Communion, which they call Eucharist. In the process of their administration, they hold that the actual bread and wine they are giving becomes the actual body and blood of Christ. They believe that it is through the taking of Communion that one absorbs salvation from Christ into oneself. This practice by the members of the Roman Church is done every Mass because they truly believe that Jesus takes residence among them through Communion. They even believe that this administration is a form of re-sacrificing Jesus, making the act he performed on the cross occur all over again. We take serious issue with the belief. We are certain that most people reading this, do as well. So why do we bring this up? Most protestants contend that the office of a Priest is not a viable gifting or calling for any particular Christian. Rather, they believe that all Christians are priests and that men do not stand between them and God any longer (Numbers 16:48). The belief, however, of the Roman Church specifically contradicts this protestant understanding of the scriptures. They believe that God calls specific people who have power greater than lay-people to manifest Christ. The priest stands in a position between the people and God, and intercedes for the people. As we explained in the "Where is The Church?" section, when "the power of God" is located in a physical building, physical men have the power to say who has the right to participate in the space. He has to have physical rule over the boundaries he set forth. This same understanding extends to the Communion practices of the Roman Church. Imagine for a moment a person who believes they have to stand before God for the people. They believe that the people need him to stand for them. That person will need something physical to make the people believe that they have received from God some divine element as evidence of his mediation. This divine element is the Eucharist. Priests of the Roman church must believe that they have the ability to sanctify and transubstantiate the articles of Communion (the bread and wine) into the physical presence of Jesus so the people will believe they have been able to partake of God. The priest, for them, is the primary avenue for divine interaction. So again, what does this have to do with pleading the blood?

Making God a Physical Reality

What we do not understand is that when we proclaim the "blood of Jesus" over something or someone, we are doing the exact same thing as the priests of the Roman Church. We are claiming to have the power to manifest God's power over something or someone by blessing it. We call to mind the Roman Church practice of "blessing" objects like water, houses, and the like. The idea is that we have the authority to declare what belongs to God and what does not. The Bible, however, gives us no such authority. We can only express what God has given us the power to express. In that case, we will not be speaking on our own but by the power of God. You can call to mind several examples from scripture. Paul, in on instance, wanted to go to Asia but the Spirit of God told him not to go. If he had chosen to go, God would not have blessed his journey. The same goes for us; we cannot simply choose the things God will bless; God, on his own, tells us what he will bless in our lives.

All of this belief has its foundation in the doctrine that we can present the Lord to the world through our physical possessions. Whether from the notion that people will know God because we have lots of money, or from the belief that we can transform a piece of bread into the physical body of Jesus, the point remains the same. We simply do not have the power on our own to transform others, or—for that matter—draw someone to God on our own behest. The scripture is very clear on this point: none are able to come to the Father except the Spirit of God draws them. It is only if Jesus is lifted up that all people will come to him. We cannot manifest God to the world by our own power; it takes God to manifest God to the world.

Pleading the Blood?

Without our own power, we are forced to depend on Jesus for all that we have and will ever receive. Yet, there seems to be a disconnect in our logic; we seem to believe that we can receive from God without ever involving God in the picture. How does this happen? As is explained elsewhere in this book, the people of God have a serious problem with distinguishing God's blessings from his presence. We want God's blessings minus God. God, however, gave us himself as the blessing in the form of his Son Jesus and his Holy Ghost. But we simply do not think of these as blessings. Instead, we make up stuff we want from God to cover the things we feel are unprotected so we come up with foolishness like "pleading the blood."

To "plead" means to ask of, or make a plea with something. So when we claim to plead the blood, we are claiming to have the ability to ask the blood of Jesus to do something for us. In reflection, that sounds absolutely silly. How could anyone think that they can ask something like blood to do something for them? This is what church people are doing every time they suggest that you plead the blood over something or someone. They are literally asking the blood of Jesus for its blessing or something or someone. Go back and review "The Anointing: The Mojo of God On Earth" section for a similar example. Again, to "plead the blood" is an act of idolatry; the blood of Christ is only as holy as Christ is. To separate the two, is to say we want God's power but not God. That is crazy! Moreover, believing to have the power to "apply" the blood (another way of pleading it) misinterprets the scriptures and what God did in the Old and New Testaments with the blood. Let us look at what God's word has to say about this subject.

But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people: The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience; Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation. But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance ... Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. (Hebrews 9:7-15, 25-26)

Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. (Romans 5:9-11)

These verses testify to the power of the blood of Christ. It was powerful enough to wash us, purge our sins, and bring us into communion with God, but only when used by Christ. Only the High Priest or Moses could exercise the right of power with regard to the blood. Only they could apply the blood. The same goes for us; only Jesus Christ our Moses, our High Priest can apply his own blood to our hearts and our lives. It is through this blood that he reconciles us unto God and we receive the "atonement" and are redeemed from the curse of sin. When we claim to plead the blood, we are claiming authority equal to that of Jesus. We are claiming that what he did on the cross was not a finished work; that we simply have to keep going to get the blood and making it available for ourselves as if it doesn't cover us. The scripture proclaims that we have come into an eternal inheritance, by our pleading the blood, we are saying that it was a temporary inheritance and we, like the Roman Church have to sacrifice Christ all over again. On the contrary, the Bible says that Christ entered into heaven once to put away our sins, and thereby our curses, so there is no more need for us to be doing it.

Christian Superstition

The obvious question is: if all of aforementioned is wrong, then why in the world do people do it? The answer is simple, Christians are superstitious: "I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious" (Acts 17:22). Superstition is born out of doubt of God's real presence in the world. We believe that we have to conjure God up to make him work for us instead of us living out his precepts and having faith that his promises are true. "Hence we must hold, that whosoever adulterates pure religion, (and this must be the case with all who cling to their own views,) make a departure from the one God. No doubt, they will allege that they have a different intention; but it is of little consequence what they intend or persuade themselves to believe, since the Holy Spirit pronounces all to be apostates, who, in the blindness of their minds, substitute demons in the place of God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:20)."⁵⁷ You would be surprised at how many Christians have things that they say are bad to repeat because they believe if you say them they will happen. With cries of "don't confess that" or "don't pronounce that over him," these sad Christians display their ignorance of God's Word and power. One sister in the Lord recently proclaimed "I don't want to buy cancer insurance because I don't want to confess cancer over me." This is just as bad as the "Find a penny. Pick it up ... All day long, you'll have good luck" myth, it assumes that actions are merely external, physical, that they have no real connection to the spirit. The realization must set in that we have to believe in our hearts who God is. That is the only way we can expect results. Everything else is idolatry, sorcery and confusion. "And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts" (Malachi 3:5).

Which Way to Stretch Your Hands?

Alongside this superstitious predilection we have comes the belief in "stretching our hands this way" or "pointing your hands this way" or "lifting your hands this way"; meaning that we are to point at someone when we are praying for them. This, however, is another example of our "God needs us" syndrome. We feel like we have some sort of power in ourselves to bless or to curse someone—that by our power we can confirm someone else. This is not so. Here we want to just offer you scripture on examples of people blessing people. There is never an example of people pointing at someone to bless them. We have two examples of stretching hands, God stretches his hands out to us, and we stretch our hands to God. Other examples exist where Paul may beckon with the hand but this is not to bless but to get someone's attention. Here, we want to make a basic point, there is no precedent in scripture for our stretching our hands towards someone for prayer. In scripture, the command of God is for us to stretch our hands towards the Lord in prayer. You will ask, well what is the difference? The difference can best be understood when we look at all of the relevant passages:

Oops! Sorry. There are no scriptures that say that we should ever stretch our hands towards someone to bless them or that they would be blessed. Scripture does say that we should stretch our hands to God.

We have many examples of what happens when we stretch our hands towards someone:

And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. (Exodus 8:5)

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded. (Proverbs 1:24)

She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. (Proverbs 31:20)

Scripture indicates that we stretch our hands towards someone to either receive help from or to give help to them or harm them. You will find other scriptures addressing this same topic all relating to this point. We can also stretch our hands to God or a false God:

Mine eye mourneth by reason of affliction: LORD, I have called daily upon thee, I have stretched out my hands unto thee. (Psalm 88:9)

I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah. (Psalm 143:6)

If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god. (Psalm 44:20)

When we stretch our hands to God, it is a sign of our submission to him. God is also able to stretch his hands to us and when he does that, he either harms or blesses:

With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever. (Psalm 136:12)

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me. (Psalm 138:7)

Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. (Isaiah 5:25)

Therefore the LORD shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still. (Isaiah 9:17)

I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts. (Isaiah 65:2)

So here is the problem, God stretches his hand to us and we stretch our hands to God. Our stretching our hands shows our ability to help and shows our submission to God. "O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee ... Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name" (Psalm 63:1, 4). "Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens" (Lamentations 3:41). We do not have power to do anything else with our hands besides harming others. This limits our options greatly. We cannot bless someone on our own. Only God can bless, which means that we cannot stretch our hands towards someone to bless them. We are never commanded in scripture to stretch our hands towards someone. Remember God is the only one who has the power to heal or to bless. We can lift our hands to God so that he may bless them: "And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them" (Luke 24:50). Our stretching our hands towards someone assumes that God needs us to heal or bless them. We do not need to do that, however God does command us to lay hands on people: "lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:18). This practice is part of "the principles of the doctrine of Christ ... the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment" (Hebrews 6:1-2). We are used by God to heal others by laying hands on them. Stretching our hands towards them does nothing. If, however, we want to pray for them, we need to stretch our hands to God as Jesus did to bless his disciples. For when we stretch our hands to God, God stretches his hands to us to bless with more of himself.

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