From: Gerhard
To: Victor Hafichuk
Cc: Paul Cohen
Sent: Thursday, June 05, 2014 9:32 PM
Subject: Scripture
Good day uncle where do I find scripture that says God doesn’t answer the prayers of the wicked
From: Paul Cohen
To: Gerhard, Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 8:23 AM
Subject: RE: Scripture
Are you talking about this, Gerhard?
“But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31 MKJV).
Why do you ask?
Paul
From: Gerhard
To: Paul Cohen
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 8:50 AM
Subject: RE: Scripture
Thanks uncle. Are there any others? Two or three witnesses…
I was thinking about it but couldn’t remember where it was written.
From: Paul Cohen
To: Gerhard
Cc: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Friday, June 06, 2014 6:23PM
Subject: RE: Scripture
“Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty look on it” (Job 35:13 MKJV).
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalms 66:18 ESV).
Do you not have a Bible program and concordance to search these things out yourself, Gerhard? You should be doing that first, before asking us.
Also, you haven’t answered my question: “Why do you ask?” Yes, we obviously know you were thinking about it, but why was it important enough to ask us about it? What are your thoughts on the matter?
Remember to include both of us in your emails and responses.
Paul
From: Gerhard
To: Paul Cohen
Cc: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2014 7:51 AM
Subject: RE: Scripture
My apologies for neglecting to send to both.
I honestly don’t know why I thought about it. I asked you because I recall an email to some one that mentioned this.
My thoughts and opinions doesn’t matter, not until they are in line with the Lord’s. Even then, it will be His thoughts not mine. But truth is truth and one can’t ask according to His will if one doesn’t know Him nor His will. It was a thought which lead me to ask don’t know why I thought about. Perhaps from the Lord perhaps my own. I don’t know yet.
Thanks for the scripture uncle.
From: Paul Cohen and Victor Hafichuk
To: Gerhard
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2014 2:19 PM
Subject: RE: Scripture
Hi Gerhard,
I asked you why you asked us about the prayers of sinners not being heard by God. You said you don’t know why, but added:
“My thoughts and opinions doesn’t matter, not until they are in line with the Lord’s.”
If your thoughts don’t matter, then why ask questions? Your thoughts DO matter, and what you do with them matters.
“But truth is truth and one can’t ask according to His will if one doesn’t know Him nor His will.”
According to this kind of thinking, you can’t be held accountable for what you ask because you don’t know the Lord or His will. That’s just plain wrong. The Lord requires each of us to work responsibly with what He’s given us. You can ask questions and give respectful answers wherever you are, if you exercise thought and consideration according to what you have in your possession already. And if correction or instruction is needed, He will supply it.
Okay, you can’t recall why you asked us your question, but I also asked about your thoughts on the matter and you haven’t answered. What do you make of the Scriptures and what God says about the prayers of the unbelieving? How does it affect you? I’m asking questions in order to help you, so forget trying to assess your spiritual stance with God and philosophizing with us in order to justify not answering our questions and just answer us.
Another question and matter about which you didn’t answer: Do you not have a Bible program and concordance to search these things out yourself, Gerhard? You should be doing that first, before asking us.
You are quite irresponsible in your self-serving blinders, acting on impulse without consideration for what you’re doing or how it affects others. We’re called by Christ to be His disciples, having been in great need of the discipline only He can give us. We’re here to teach you His discipline, and not to entertain idle curiosity. Time for you to “grow up” and start doing things for yourself. We aren’t here to spoon feed you.
In the past (and even now), we’ve answered your questions and have been patient with you, but isn’t it time to for you to follow through completely on your commitments and to be responsible with what you’ve been given?
Example: Several months ago you indicated you wanted to make offerings to the Lord. We gave you the necessary information to do so and haven’t heard from you since on the matter. So this is how you respect the Lord? It doesn’t matter what you say, Gerhard – it matters what you do. Is it any wonder that you’ve felt like you’re getting nowhere spiritually?
“I will give honor to those by whom I am honored, and those who have no respect for Me will be of small value in My eyes” (1 Samuel 2:30 BBE).
Paul and Victor
From: Gerhard
To: Paul Cohen
Cc: Victor Hafichuk
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2014 8:09 AM
Subject: Fwd: RE: RE: Scripture
Hi uncles,
“According to this kind of thinking, you can’t be held accountable for what you ask because you don’t know the Lord or His will. That’s just plain wrong”
I do not want to be freed of any accountability. If this thinking is wrong then I repent.
“The Lord requires each of us to work responsibly with what He’s given us. You can ask questions and give respectful answers wherever you are, if you exercise thought and consideration according to what you have in your possession already. And if correction or instruction is needed, He will supply it.”
I didn’t mean to be disrespectful in my answers. I apologise if it came through that way. Forgive me. I will focus on correcting this attitude.
“…. but I also asked about your thoughts on the matter and you haven’t answered.”
I thought I answered with this:
“My thoughts and opinions doesn’t matter, not until they are in line with the Lord’s. Even then, it will be His thoughts not mine. But truth is truth and one can’t ask according to His will if one doesn’t know Him nor His will. It was a thought which lead me to ask don’t know why I thought about. Perhaps from the Lord perhaps my own. I don’t know yet.”
By these words I was simply giving you my thoughts. And if these are wrong then my thoughts needs correction, as you have said:
“And if correction or instruction is needed, He will supply it”. But if I did not answer or answered wrong for any reason, allow me to try again. You have asked:
“What do you make of the Scriptures and what God says about the prayers of the unbelieving?”
What I make of the scriptures and what God says is, and I might be wrong, is that it means what it says:
“But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31 MKJV).
“Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty look on it” (Job 35:13 MKJV).
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalms 66:18 ESV).
I think I can add that if there is still sin in my life or I am still living in sin, then I am dead and at enmity with God and God is God of the living and not the dead. There may be more but I can’t say any more unless you will help me on this one, Lord willing.
Then you asked:
“ How does it affect you?”
I think its effects me in the way the scriptures states: if I have sin in my heart God will not hear me. But I don’t know if it is affecting my present reality. I mean ever since I came to TPOT and read the papers and correspondence on prayers, I haven’t been praying much, except for words like :” What will You have me do, Lord” and sometimes ” Lord help me know You, and help me know Your will”. I hardly ask for any thing else. Not like I used to when I was in the church system, with their prayer models, praying for an hour type teachings. Maybe this question about the scripture is connected to this somehow.
Then you said this:
“I’m asking questions in order to help you, so forget trying to assess your spiritual stance with God and philosophizing with us in order to justify not answering our questions and just answer us.”
If I was “trying to assess your spiritual stance with God and philosophizing with us in order to justify not answering our questions” I did so unintentionally. I repent of this and forgive me.
Another question which I did neglect to answer:
“Another question and matter about which you didn’t answer: Do you not have a Bible program and concordance to search these things out yourself, Gerhard? You should be doing that first, before asking us.”
Yes I have a concordance.
Then you said this:
“You are quite irresponsible in your self-serving blinders, acting on impulse without consideration for what you’re doing or how it affects others.”
What do you mean with “You are quite irresponsible in your self-serving blinders” and please tell me how this question for scripture affects others, I don’t see how.
Then you said this:
“Example: Several months ago you indicated you wanted to make offerings to the Lord. We gave you the necessary information to do so…”
This is true and I haven’t forgotten, I just haven’t been able to do so due to reason I’ll mention in the next line which is this:
“…and haven’t heard from you since on the matter. So this is how you respect the Lord?”
This is not true (and I’m not saying you’re lying, just not remembering). You gave me the pay pal info which I took and logged onto their site and opened an account. But I couldn’t continue because I have no credit card and my bank card does not work on pay pal. I then mail you back saying my card doesn’t work. After a while we communicated again and said that my bank will be getting me a global card which might be able to work on pay pal. But this took a while for them to deliver and me to collect. I received the card about two weeks ago. I tried this card two or three nights ago which was also declined due to banking authorisation of some kind. I will follow through on my commitment, I am just being technologically strained at the moment.
In conclusion, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful or irresponsible or self serving in any way. But I am thank full though, that this surfaced, even unintentionally, so that I may receive correction where it is due. Forgive me for any wrong doing on my side and how it affected you. I’m not saying this out of self pity, I’m really asking forgiveness. If you will and Lord willing you may share this correspondence for others to learn.
Gerhard
From: Paul and Victor
To: Gerhard
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2014 7:03 AM
Subject: Our Conversation
Hi Gerhard,
I’ve copied your letter below in order to continue our conversation, my answers in green.
Hi uncles,
“According to this kind of thinking, you can’t be held accountable for what you ask because you don’t know the Lord or His will. That’s just plain wrong”
I do not want to be freed of any accountability. If this thinking is wrong then I repent.
In order to repent of something, you need to know what that something is, and not “if” it’s wrong, but for certain exactly how it’s wrong. Otherwise, how can you repent of it?
And aren’t you depending on your virtue by saying you will repent “if” something is wrong? How can you do that, unless the Lord opens your understanding and gives you the grace to see how you’re wrong and to change?
“The Lord requires each of us to work responsibly with what He’s given us. You can ask questions and give respectful answers wherever you are, if you exercise thought and consideration according to what you have in your possession already. And if correction or instruction is needed, He will supply it.”
I didn’t mean to be disrespectful in my answers. I apologise if it came through that way. Forgive me. I will focus on correcting this attitude.
We didn’t think you meant to be disrespectful and we weren’t offended. We believe you’re trying to do well, and that’s what’s most important if you follow through. Lord willing, we want to instruct you clearly that you might do well.
“…. but I also asked about your thoughts on the matter and you haven’t answered.”
I thought I answered with this:
“My thoughts and opinions doesn’t matter, not until they are in line with the Lord’s. Even then, it will be His thoughts not mine. But truth is truth and one can’t ask according to His will if one doesn’t know Him nor His will. It was a thought which lead me to ask don’t know why I thought about. Perhaps from the Lord perhaps my own. I don’t know yet.”
By these words I was simply giving you my thoughts. And if these are wrong then my thoughts needs correction, as you have said:
“And if correction or instruction is needed, He will supply it”. But if I did not answer or answered wrong for any reason, allow me to try again. You have asked:
“What do you make of the Scriptures and what God says about the prayers of the unbelieving?”
What I make of the scriptures and what God says is, and I might be wrong, is that it means what it says:
“But we know that God does not hear sinners, but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him” (John 9:31 MKJV).
“Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty look on it” (Job 35:13 MKJV).
“If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened” (Psalms 66:18 ESV).
I think I can add that if there is still sin in my life or I am still living in sin, then I am dead and at enmity with God and God is God of the living and not the dead. There may be more but I can’t say any more unless you will help me on this one, Lord willing.
So you asked about the Scriptures that say God doesn’t hear the prayers of sinners because you were wondering if He hears your prayers while there is yet sin (of which you’re unaware) in your life? Is that so?
Gerhard, you need to go by faith, not by figuring out things intellectually, which we’ve warned you about from the beginning. This latter kind of thinking works against the faith of Christ. I’ll explain more.
We all come to God as sinners, and when confessing so, He hears us as He did the publican in Luke 18. Wasn’t he a sinner? Yet, he prayed and the Lord said he went home justified. The key element is that the publican didn’t trust in his own righteousness, as did the Pharisee who also prayed. The publican cast himself fully on the Lord’s mercy, not even expecting mercy because he knew he didn’t deserve it.
This was faith at work, a revelation from God of His righteousness and our unworthiness. If we walk in this revelation and faith, we will be heard and the Lord will grant our prayers according to His will.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15 ESV).
So you can come to the Lord with confidence that He will reveal if anything is wrong and will give you what you need to walk according to His will. You don’t have to be totally perfected without any sin to come to God in prayer. You come to Him as you are, in humility of faith. Read Holy Waters. Indeed, to presume to pray only when you are without sin is to insult God and trample on His blood shed for you.
Then you asked:
“ How does it affect you?”
I think its effects me in the way the scriptures states: if I have sin in my heart God will not hear me. But I don’t know if it is affecting my present reality. I mean ever since I came to TPOT and read the papers and correspondence on prayers, I haven’t been praying much, except for words like :” What will You have me do, Lord” and sometimes ” Lord help me know You, and help me know Your will”. I hardly ask for any thing else. Not like I used to when I was in the church system, with their prayer models, praying for an hour type teachings. Maybe this question about the scripture is connected to this somehow.
These are good things that are happening to you, Gerhard, which should encourage and not discourage you. You’re learning that the walk with God is about His will, not yours, and only on this path will you find life and fulfillment in what God has made you for. It’s not an easy path, as the Lord said, because you need to lose everything you have in order to gain the Kingdom of God and eternal life in Christ.
Then you said this:
“I’m asking questions in order to help you, so forget trying to assess your spiritual stance with God and philosophizing with us in order to justify not answering our questions and just answer us.”
If I was “trying to assess your spiritual stance with God and philosophizing with us in order to justify not answering our questions” I did so unintentionally. I repent of this and forgive me.
We understand and forgive you.
Another question which I did neglect to answer:
“Another question and matter about which you didn’t answer: Do you not have a Bible program and concordance to search these things out yourself, Gerhard? You should be doing that first, before asking us.”
Yes I have a concordance.
OK – so now you will use it first when you have questions about what’s in the Scriptures, and our writings where appropriate? Do you understand how to use the search features I told you about months ago?
Then you said this:
“You are quite irresponsible in your self-serving blinders, acting on impulse without consideration for what you’re doing or how it affects others.”
What do you mean with “You are quite irresponsible in your self-serving blinders” and please tell me how this question for scripture affects others, I don’t see how.
If you would like to refill your glass of water with a pitcher right within arm’s reach of you, and your wife is in another part of the house, will you call her over to pour you another glass?
You ask us questions when you have the means on hand to find the answer yourself. Not only that, but we know it would do you good to exercise yourself and have already told you so. We’re not being lazy, but are trying to get you to develop good habits and discipline in being able to think for yourself, not as independent of God, but with the materials He has placed on hand and the mind He has given you. In this way you’ll help yourself and not bog down others with things you should be doing for yourself.
Does this make sense now?
Then you said this:
“Example: Several months ago you indicated you wanted to make offerings to the Lord. We gave you the necessary information to do so…”
This is true and I haven’t forgotten, I just haven’t been able to do so due to reason I’ll mention in the next line which is this:
“…and haven’t heard from you since on the matter. So this is how you respect the Lord?”
This is not true (and I’m not saying you’re lying, just not remembering). You gave me the pay pal info which I took and logged onto their site and opened an account. But I couldn’t continue because I have no credit card and my bank card does not work on pay pal. I then mail you back saying my card doesn’t work. After a while we communicated again and said that my bank will be getting me a global card which might be able to work on pay pal. But this took a while for them to deliver and me to collect. I received the card about two weeks ago. I tried this card two or three nights ago which was also declined due to banking authorisation of some kind. I will follow through on my commitment, I am just being technologically strained at the moment.
We believe what you’re saying here, Gerhard, but we have no record of further communications from you on the tithing other than when you wrote on February 24th, telling us about how the bank offered you an upgrade to a global card. Sara, who was helping you with technical details, also heard nothing further. Is it possible you never informed us?
I also never heard from you on the files you were going to send me of our correspondence. It seems your intentions may be good, but your follow through is lacking?
In conclusion, I didn’t mean to be disrespectful or irresponsible or self serving in any way. But I am thank full though, that this surfaced, even unintentionally, so that I may receive correction where it is due. Forgive me for any wrong doing on my side and how it affected you. I’m not saying this out of self pity, I’m really asking forgiveness. If you will and Lord willing you may share this correspondence for others to learn.
Gerhard
We’ve accepted your explanations and will move forward with you onto better things by God’s grace, thankful for the opportunity to do so. We bless and thank Him for what’s happening with you. Now you need to learn to take responsibility and put action to your words.
Paul and Victor