| |  | Author: Merlin Carothers
Publisher: Kingsway Publications
Category: Book
Used (7) from $4.85
Rating:  16 reviews
Format: Import
Media: Paperback
Pages: 176
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
ISBN: 0902088645
EAN: 9780902088641
ASIN: 0902088645
Publication Date: 1974
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| Customer Reviews:
 Disagree with Ron January 27, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
All I have to say is that you can look at the Bible 100 times over and still have no idea what you are reading. Many truths of God come in prayer and in this case "praise". Ron's review a couple of posts down says that Merlin is preaching to us that we should praise God for the evil that has come. That is completely and wholly FALSE. Merlin is telling us to praise God for the good that he will work through the evil. God does NOT cause evil; the devil creates evil and sin. God works through the devil's horrific(horrific is an understatement) ways and brings dumbfounding presence of Himself to the situation.
So when Ron says,"But it is senseless to praise Him FOR sin or evil. God hates sin and evil, and the Bible is full of clear teaching about it," he is correct that God hates sin and evil, but we do NOT praise Him for sin and evil; we praise him for his wonderful plan fro us to work straight through that evil and fill us with everlasting love. I highly HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book. So listen my brothers and sisters, if you want the true meaning to this life-changing book, pray and trust in the Lord!
Great inspiration and totally tested January 23, 2007
This is a new way of looking at how to overcome challenges.
For all of us up against the wall, this is one way to bring the walls down!!
20 years later, I understand! October 28, 2006
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book had a seminal impact on my life when I read it over 20 years ago. I knew that it captured deep truth and God's heart in some mysterious way. I also know that its principles have not failed me in my experience over all this time.
I say mysterious because for all these years I have also struggled with the conflict between the teachings in this book and teachings from the pulpit. Some aspects of this book go beyond "controversial" and approach "heretical". Read some of the comments in reviews below. But yet, I knew that it was, indeed, correct. I just did not understand how.
My purpose in writing this is that after all this time, God finally gave me understanding in a wonderful way - through 2 different sermons given in two different -unrelated- churches on the same day. They said, essentially, the same thing and directly addressed my long-standing concerns about the theology of this book.
One paster was from Pass Christian, Louisiana, and related how Katrina is re-shaping his world, up to and including opening doors for him to directly minister to the families of the Amish school shooting victims up here in our area.
Praise God for sin and for the works of Satan? Never! That is anathema to us.
Well, carefully consider this. Do we ever thank God for the crucifixion of his Son? Think about it.
From the standpoint of His disciples back then, there could be no clearer act of sin and Satan, yet we praise God for it.
This has been burning in my heart for a week now, so I went to Amazon to order a bunch of these books to give as gifts to my children and close friends, along with a cover letter that will be similar to this (my first) review here at Amazon to help them over the hump that held me for over 20 years. Read this book. It holds a foundational truth for our Christian walk.
Praise God!
Disagree with Ron September 12, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sorry I disagree totally with Ron. I don't think u should praise God for sin, but in the midst of it. This book is a fantastic eye opener. We are all too often prone to wallowing in self-pity when life gets rough. This books encourages you to praise God when you face adversity and hardships. God is the all powerful and faithful and works ALL things to his righteousness. I have read this book a couple times, and have no plans of selling it. I highly recommend it.
 PHONY FORMULAS ARE NOT FAITH November 28, 2005
8 out of 18 found this review helpful
A note to Micah and others who claim to have read this book, and disagree with my comments.
Please look at the book again, and my review. You say you disagree with me, then restate exactly what I am arguing. I agree that we are to praise God IN and THROUGH all times, and troubles, and when praying for the problems of others. This is NOT what Merlin Carothers teaches.
Examples: On page 1 of the book it mentions "the power that is released when we praise God FOR ('for' is emphasized in the original text) everything in our lives..." Further on the page, Jim (the subject of an anecdotal story) says to his wife, "Honey, let us thank God FOR (my emphasis) Dad's alcoholism and praise the Lord that it is part of his wonderful plan for Dad's life!" On page 4 in another story, a couple prays,..."We thank you (God) FOR her (their daughter's) sickness, thank you that she's in the hospital." These sort of examples are everywhere in these books. While Carothers does mention "praising God IN times of trouble" his emphasis is clearly "praising God FOR all things" in his very fatalistic, hyper-sovereign view of our relationship with God.
Please, fellow Christians, be as the noble Bereans who examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true!(Acts 17) This is the first of many "faith formula" teachings and books that have plagued the church of God for the past thirty years.
If we really "praise God with understanding" as Brother Carothers suggests early in the book, we can use our common sense and some careful Bible interpretation to find that this doctrine is foolish. There is a BIG difference between trusting and praising God IN difficult circumstances, and praising God FOR absolutely everything: good, bad, sin, and all circumstances. This is so obviously fanatical and senseless. This creates a false picture of our Savior and Heavenly Father as some evil tyrant, and we as his pawns. God is all powerful and has had to ALLOW many kinds of sin and sometimes great degrees if evil in this world because of the curse upon this world brought about by Adam's sin and the continued sins of mankind (see Romans 5). But it is senseless to praise Him FOR sin or evil. God hates sin and evil, and the Bible is full of clear teaching about it (see Psalms 5, James 1, etc.)
The main texts of Brother Carothers doctrine are I Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks..."; Ephesians 5:20, "Always giving thanks for all things..."; and Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good..." He uses these passages to teach in this book, and in all his others, that "we should PRAISE GOD FOR EVERYTHING, since everything ultimately is God's will for us and will be for our spiritual benefit. This is NOT some new special revelation from God, as he implies over and over in the book. Rather it is a ridicuous idea that contradicts balanced scriptural truth. This "word of faith-type formula" makes our holy, loving God look awful.
In this book the scripture is twisted to fit the doctrine and the modern testimonials are used to support the absurd practices. You won't find ANY BIBLICAL STORIES with saints praising God FOR sin or evil. Throughout the Psalms, for example, we see David calling upon God for help, not praising Him FOR evil, but praising Him for being faithful and loving (see Psalm 13, 16, 18 etc.) We see the saints in Hebrews 11 commended for their FAITH, because, despite suffering and being persecuted, they trusted in the goodness of God, who had given to them (as He has to us) His very great and precious promises of eternal love and deliverance.
God has allowed and continues to ALLOW Christians to suffer and be matured through life's problems (e.g.: Acts 6-8, Hebrew 10-12, James 1, I Peter 1 and 4, etc.), but we are NEVER called to focus on sin, persecution, or any evil and praise God FOR it as if it were "Good". Rather, we are to focus our faith on God, our loving Father (Psalm 25:15 etc.), and fix our eyes on our Lord Jesus Christ,"...the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross..." (Hebrews 12:2).
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