The Prayer of J'-bez

While recently shopping at a local Christian bookstore, they were apparently sold out of The Prayer of J'-bez
which seemed to cause a flurry of requests for the book. This caused the bookstore employees to scurry around
the store frantically looking for the last three copies the computer told them was there, but seemed to have disappeared
somewhere. (This is nearly as strange as needing to put anti-theft devices on Christian music, because Christian shoppers
apparently shoplift Christian music at an alarming rate. This is another story to be addressed at a later date.) Apparently the
popular trend is to really emphasize the J and sort of slide up to the desired note as if you've just heard it in a country western song,
and then pronounce the bez part of the word about three notes lower.

Here are the actual verses.

(1 Chronicles 4:9-10 NIV)
Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "I gave birth to him in pain."
{10}  Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, "Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me,
and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain." And God granted his request.

You got it.  63 words in the Bible. That's it! Yet the supposed promise of riches that accompany the repetitive daily recitation of
these 29 words (that actually make up the prayer) has skyrocketed this trend into a financial empire. A quick peek at your
Christian bookstore will reveal books, videos, CD's and a plethora of additional materials all based on these 29 words. Sounds a
bit like magic doesn't it? Definitely reeks of the same core message of prosperity teaching, just with a new spin on it. 
Ya`bets (  yah-bates') was a man, the head of a Calebite family from a
town in Judah, probably near Bethlehem. His name means "sorrow" which is derived from an unused root which means "to grieve".
There is only mention of Ya`bates 3 times in the entire Bible, 1 Chronicles 2:55, 4:9 and 4:10.  This is a recorded prayer of a
righteous man to God, and God's response to the actions of his life and his prayer. These are NOT magic words! The faction
of Christianity that considers God to be merely a "power" or a set of "spiritual laws of the universe" to be manipulated for their
personal gain are easily sucked into this diversion of orthodox Christianity. God is an actual being, with a personality. God has likes
and dislikes like us. One of His dislikes is repetitive, impersonal prayers. God has made it abundantly clear in the Bible that He
seeks to have a personal relationship with us, and which means He wants to hear from US. I can't imagine having one of my
children reading a letter someone else wrote to their father a couple of thousand years ago, rather than having a one-to-one
conversation with me. The Prayer of J'bez seems to be just another prosperity ploy with a weak scriptural justification for
Christianized magic that will make the sayer of the magic words rich (or richer). How extraordinarily strange that this trend has
occurred in the Body of Christ, in the richest nation in the history of man, while so many of our Christian brothers and sisters are
starving to death, and being murdered or jailed in other countries. Rather than support ministries that are trying to feed these
starving Christians, or prevent Christian slavery, or prevent Christians from being arrested just for being Christians, we are
spending our money on a book based on 29 words (taken out of context) that tells us to repeat this prayer every morning so
that WE will prosper. This seems to be a truly sad time for the Church.

WAKE UP CHURCH!

I could not find anything in this little misleading book that was in line with either the specific words,
OR the spirit of the entire New Testament. Most of the emphasized portions of this book directly
contradict the Bible. Much of the teaching contained in this book is false, misleading, and attempts to refute
the very words of Jesus.

Jesus taught us to be satisfied not only with our daily bread, but even with asking
for our daily bread, on a daily basis. I think it is truly a shame that Christians in the richest country in the
world would be so distracted by a simplistic ploy to seek riches rather than the kingdom of God!
This is especially true while so many Christians are starving around the world. How will Christians explain
their Jabezic pursuit of riches by endlessly and repeatedly praying for more and more while Christians are
at this moment being herded into huts and being burned alive?
Are we to believe that all the starving people in the world are starving because of their own personal sin?

The claim that "the only that can break the cycle of abundant living is sin" is absolutely false and directly
contradicts the entire book of Job.

Job was not just more righteous than his brothers like Jabez,
Job was the most blameless, righteous and upright man on the entire planet, yet his "abundant living" was
severely "broken"! This is an example of end-time preaching where selfish people gather to themselves
someone willing to tell them what their itching ears want to hear.

CLEARLY the "Prayer of Jabez" book and the Bible are at opposite ends of the spectrum regarding this teaching!
Tape this divisive little book closed (to protect innocent eyes), and use it for a coaster, or to balance your
dining room table. To do otherwise will lead you astray!
Jesus describes the reality of being hungry, thirsty, naked, and a stranger
but He told us to feed, clothe, and welcome others. He made no mention of sin,
or praying to "expand our borders", or to pray for a "larger cup"!
If your cup runneth over, do NOT pray for a larger cup, share what is in your cup with others!

Matthew 25:32-46

All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates
the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
?Then the King will say to those on his right, ?Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.?
?Then the righteous will answer him, ?Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you??
?The King will reply, ?I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these
brothers of mine, you did for me.? ?Then he will say to those on his left, ?Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the
eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty
and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me,
I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.?
?They also will answer, ?Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison,
and did not help you?? ?He will reply, ?I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of
these, you did not do for me.? ?Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.?

Click here for a great article on gospelcom.net.
Here for a great article on agetwoage.org.
Here's another great one.
And yet another great one here on beliefnet.com.

Amen. Franz Sigel Shroy