Beware of all spiritual blackmail messages

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.(Ephesians 2:8-9)

Firstly this post is not about avoiding sending prayer request messages to each other. Nor is this against sending Bible verses or words that encourage people to follow the Lord God even better. Now, without further delay, let’s get to the main thing. I’m done with certain weird messages that I noticed get passed around too often online and offline. Usually I used to just ignore such messages and the people who indulge such things but then I eventually began to rebuke or correct those people who fall for spiritual chain messages. The one’s who attend very formal overzealous churches are most gullible to such propaganda! One may have heard of emotional blackmail. But here’s spiritual blackmailing.

So here’s how such spiritual blackmail chain mails look like:

1) There’s been so and so miracle by praying for 7 days. If you love God you will pass this but if you love sin you’ll keep it with yourself.

2) Many year’s ago, an angel appeared to so and so ‘devout’ person and gave a ‘miraculous’ prayer.(They then post a longish prayer which one’s supposed to recite). Now on the next page, they write  ‘publication of this prayer must be promised to receive the miracle’. But they also put dire warnings of impending doom for those who don’t print or share the message in its entirety.

3) Pray the following prayer. (another prayer is added with even kneeling down or lying flat on your face recommended when praying that!) If you want this prayer to succeed please pass this to 20 more people or else you are a sinner and will receive God’s wrath on yourself.

Dear reader, if you’ve been sending or forwarding such messages, I’d recommend that you read Ephesians 2:8-9 for yourself. Read it many times if you want. You’ll realize that all the while the messages that forced you to forward them to other’s were not as per the word of God. Will you again think you are to pass on such messages? I’d say never fall prey to such hypocrisy that you emotionally and spiritually trample down people by passing such messages.

In the meantime, when so many thousands of the people had gathered together that they were trampling one another, he began to say to his disciples first, “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Nothing is covered up that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. and therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops. (Luke 12:1-3)

If you receive such chain messages do not forward nor share them. Because it won’t add to nor earn you salvation. Also if its possible to reply, go on and send them back Ephesians 2:8-9. But do be polite not rude.You can even send them the following verses:

But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will. (Acts 15:11)

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)