Name It and Claim It…Or Not?
I admit it, this post is rather long and rambling…it came together over a couple of writing spurts so it’s also probably somewhat disjointed. Forgive me, please and look at the concepts instead!
The so-called “Name & Claim It” concept / movement has been an annoyance to me for quite some time. Why annoying? Well, simply put, because it seems to often be based in greed more than anything and I see some people take it to a level where they almost approach God as “Santa God” rather than revere His gracious provision. (Mind you, this is MY perception, not an out and out criticsim or condemnation of anyone who belives in the concept / follows the movement!)
Obviously, there are also scriptural aspects to this concept / movement that are true (and as I said, I’m not trying to judge my fellow believers so I’ll try to tread very carefully here.) Some of the common ideas that I hear (which are indeed based in scripture) are as follows: “Ask whatever you wish in Christ’s name and it will be done for you” and “God will give you the desires of your heart.”
These are true but in what context? I want to know what the scriptures actually say about these concepts. Do we have the option of calling upon God to meet all our needs, fulfill all our heart’s deepest desires and while He’s at it, to preferably give us lots of great stuff to boot?
I hear many preaching so yet I also see and know so many Christians who are frustrated because they’re NOT getting…whether it’s an answer, a job or a new car. Some do, some don’t and I’m curious as to why. Bear with me, there are a few scriptures here and you get to decide whether or not they are connected.
In the NIV (New International Version), this chapter is titled “The Last Words of David.” 2 Samuel 23:2 -5 – “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over men in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, he is like the light of morning at sunrise, like the brightness after the rain that brings the grass from the earth.’ Is not my house right with God? Has he not made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part? Will he not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?”
In this scripture I see David having an assurance that God not only had provided for him but indeed granted his every desire. I also see in the preceding verses that it was based on God’s covenant with him and that David’s house was right with the Lord. So on one side, we see God’s part and on the other, we see David’s household being right.
Sounds like it’s more about God than about David’s righteousness (and most Christians know that David did some BIG sins but we also know that his heart was for the Lord) but it does appear that David believed, at the end of his life, that God had indeed granted his every desire. So overall, even throughout all the trials of David’s life, we see that he attributes to God a blessed life where God met his needs. What we don’t know is whether those desires were of a spiritual or physical / financial nature.
Okay, here’s another scripture and this concept is more often spoken of:
John 15:5 – 8 – “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
My take after reading this: remaining in Christ = constant communication and submission to His will. A branch that isn’t bearing fruit = a dry life of religion with no fruit. Most Christians agree that “fruit” is connected to our spiritual life. Asking in this passage seems to be connected to bearing fruit. To me this means that this scripture may be dealing more with spiritual aspects rather than material or financial aspects.
Will a brand new car be more effective for ministry? Some would say “yes, it indicates to the unsaved that a life with God brings many blessings to the saved including financial rewards.”
Some will say “no, it shows that the Christian is simply worldly and uses God’s money for personal things rather than for true ministry.” The world may see it as greedy. Indeed, many inside the church see it as greedy as well…to them, a clean, well running vehicle that is not particularly flashy or showy should suffice.
The world (and make no mistake, the world IS watching the church!) often comments that it sees the sacrificial giving of the faithful and notices that the preachers have the Mercedes while sometimes the faithful are struggling terribly (while being told that if they give to the preacher’s ministry, God will bless them.) Some take it to a rather creepy level, selling prayer items and the like. It often looks like hucksterism (if there is such a word.) Peddling items in exchange for money, promising that God will bless not only the item but the recipient.
Yep, kinda creepy AND rather arrogant if you think about it. In my humble opinion, God’s blessings shouldn’t be put on a such a trivial level nor can buying something (however anointed it might be) possibly convey God’s blessings to whoever bought it!
In effect, it seems to say that whoever prayed over said item is SO holy that their holiness will be tranferred to the recipient (with apparently no recognition that the blessings of God are tied to the recipient’s heart, relationship with God and actions as a Christian…NOT the giver of the said “anointed item.”)
This is part of my annoyance with the Name It & Claim It movement / concept…the idea that if you give, God will bless you. (“Planting a seed” is what it’s usually called and many glowing testimonies are given that God did supernatural blessings for people once they gave to some ministry. We never see the testimonies of those who didn’t get and felt betrayed, used or duped.)
The giving doesn’t appear to be tied to obedience, walking with God, living for Christ, building the kingdom or anything else. Just that His word says He’ll bless us and by golly, He’d better because His word says so! The idea of giving is tied to getting…rather than giving because God tells us to support and expand His kingdom. Annoying.
Last scripture concept that’s pointed to regarding Name It & Claim It, “God will grant the desires of your heart.” While trying to look up the specific scripture, I scanned through my concordance and noticed something rather interesting. I started at the bottom of the list of scriptures and moved up (starting with Jude and moving backward through to the scripture that I was looking for in Psalms.) Almost all the scriptures that mention word “desires” had to do with evil desires, fleshly desires, deceitful desires, desiring the wrong thing and the like. Interesting.
But I digress…on to the actual scripture: Psalm 37:3-9 – “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret–it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off but those who hope in the Lord will inherit the land.”
Hmmm, I’m seeing it again…there is something spiritual tied to the concept (which means using it regarding “getting stuff” seems to be out of context.) In this case, it’s tied very clearly to trusting in the Lord, doing good, delighting yourself in the Lord and committing your way to Him. Inheriting the land is mentioned but it seems that it’s gotten after the wicked have perished…which may mean waiting (patiently) for a long, long time!
Yes, waiting patiently is mentioned, as is not being envious of others and getting angry because they’re succeeding (and apparently, those who are told to wait patiently are not succeeding or they wouldn’t be getting angry.)
Okay, after all this rambling, what are my conclusions? That a movement / concept (which has been nicknamed “Name It and Claim It”) that tosses out scriptures out of context to support a belief system that God will give you whatever you want because His word says so isn’t perhaps such a good thing. It seems to mock God and makes demands on Him based on our desires rather than His will for our lives…whatever that might be.
I mean, really, what if it’s God’s will for someone to be poor because they spend so much time with Him as a result…or because they get self-sufficient when they have money and turn their back on Him as a result? What if He recognizes that money might destroy someone so He keeps them poor to spare their life?
After looking at these 3 scriptures, I see some common themes: obedience, delight and trust in God, spiritual fruit, walking in righteousness, remaining in Christ, doing good and one’s household being right with God.
Are all these things in place in my life? In yours? If so, then we have received more than any financial blessings could possibly ever bring us! It means we have an awesome relationship with God and no material things can EVER match that! Does God bless His followers with financial blessings? Yes, He does. But He seems to be much more concerned with spiritual blessings and our relationship with Him.
Do I think we can look God in the eye and say something like this? ”Look bud, your word says that I’m supposed to be blessed so give me good stuff, bless my business, bless me and give me the desires of my heart.” No, I don’t.
Are we walking with God, trusting Him, delighting in him, refraining from being angry at the success of others, abiding in Christ, doing good, bearing fruit and the other concepts mentioned in just these 3 scriptures? If not, I personally wouldn’t dare demand His blessings (just because the Bible talks about blessings) whether spiritual OR financial! I’d get down on my knees and ask Him to create in me a clean heart and a right spirit.
But that’s just me.
