Study about whether God intervenes in a person's life

To provoke a discussion, Dale brought up the question "Does God intervene in a person's life?  If so, When? How? Why?"

The first response was that No, he doesn't, because, as  his last words state, "IT IS DONE". Meaning, there is nothing else God would do, could do, should do, can do, ought do, (any or all of the verbs), to bring us to a better place., or to prove Himself to us, or to give us something 'special' that we earned, deserved, or needed. He then reviewed several passages that we read on Sunday last, that answered the most common example of this belief so many have.

• Matt 6: 5-10; , 19-21, 31-37
• James 1:2-15
• James 3: 13-E, 4:1-4
• 1 Peter 1:1-E
• Isaiah 40: 6-8
• 1 John 5:14-E
• John 1:1-14

This addresses the idea that people pray for, or ask for many 'things' that aren't Spiritual which is the only emphasis or focus that God is concerned about.  THAT IS THE KEY!   The only things worth concentrating on are: Spiritual things, (Seek ye first the kingdom...). This is the core understanding about the verse that says that HE has provided all things that pertain to life, (eternal life) and Godliness.

The other aspect of the question, that wasn't specifically addressed in the study, till later, was the situations where people proclaim that God did this (thing) or God did that (thing) that kept the person from suffering, being harmed, or somehow disadvantaged financially or whatever. I guess the most extreme example of this kind of thinking is that so and so was inexplicably kept from boarding a plane or train; something, that later that day was involved in a tragedy.The difficulty with this mentality is that the person who was 'saved' from the tragedy believes they are so much more 'valuable' to God than those who were not 'saved'!  This is blasphemous: to claim God did something that is not in His character. To which Paul says 'He  (God), is no respecter of persons".  If God were so inclined to preserve one, why not preserve all?    Again, this is a carnal focus, a carnal attitude, and misrepresents God's character, it mars His 'Visage', as David prophesies.

Another manifestation of this mentality, is the ubiquitous 'finger towards Heaven' by whoever just scored a touchdown, or made a '3-pointer', or made the game-winning score. This attitude also attributes some action to God that is totally out of His 'realm'. These are 'affairs of men'; thoughts and ways that are so far beneath God's thoughts and ways. These types of false beliefs are based on being carnal, lusting after carnal things, and not looking up, from whence comes our redemption, our salvation.  They in no way, express Paul's yearning, 'to be present with the Lord", but rather the desire to remain in this existence, within these vessels of clay, and remain in the world of 'evil', and gaining carnal gold that moths and rust eat away.