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THE
PRAYER OF JABEZ:
A WAY TO BLESSING OR A MYSTICAL MANTRA |
See
Our Other Research
ON BRUCE WILKINSON
"And
when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as
the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard
for their many words."
Matthew 6:8
"During
an uneventful time in Israel's history, a faithful man named
Jabez prayed a simple, straightforward prayer and gained the
favor and blessings of God. Now, a small book has prompted
millions of saints and seekers to memorize and repeat the
same prayer daily. After three thousand years of obscurity,
Jabez has found surprising favor with the world.
So,
what's the problem with promoting a Biblical prayer that God
honored in His Word? After all, our Lord delights in the prayers
of His saints -- all the daily thanks, praises and petitions
that turn our hearts to Him in faith, worship and surrender.
Using Bible verses as a basis for prayer and worship is a
wonderful habit. Why be concerned?
Because
this book -- not Jabez' prayer -- promises rewards from God
that God doesn't promise in the Bible. While author Bruce
Wilkinson enriches the meaning of Jabez' prayer in the rest
of his book, the first part (many readers go no further) seems
to put the book into the unbiblical realm of the "name it
claim it" movement. Consider the opening words:
Dear
Reader, I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer
that God always answers. It is brief--only one sentence
with four parts--and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe
it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with
God....
Thousands
of believers who are applying its truths are seeing miracles
happen on a regular basis. Will you join me for a personal
exploration of Jabez? I hope you will!
"The
Christian mantra! The dictionary says that a Hindu or Buddhist
mantra "is a sacred word or formula repeated as an incantation,
or stock phrase." Before reading Jabez I was warned by
many outstanding Bible scholars that the book reflects such
a mantra approach to the prayer of Jabez. This was hard to believe
at first but my fears were proven to be correct."—
Professor Mal Couch,
A Critique of the Prayer of Jabez
"Unfortunately,
this book is one indicator of the condition of the church
today; it reflects the desire for many to share in His glory,
just like Adam and Eve did 6,000 years ago. Today, we don't
want to submit to God;
we want to be God"
by Bill Koenig
"Despite
its biblical trappings, The Prayer of Jabez is a book
of New Age spirituality-- a gospel of personal empowerment." by Damon
Linker
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Featured Resources
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Contemplative Spirituality: A belief system that
uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness
(the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped
in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality
is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common
terms used for this movement are "spiritual formation," "the
silence," "the stillness," "ancient-wisdom,"
"spiritual disciplines," and many others.
Spiritual Formation: A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case you will find contemplative spirituality. In fact, contemplative spirituality is the heartbeat of the spiritual formation movement. |
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