again we are not trying to be selfish here, we just want to be in control and spread the wealth wisely. as far as the supposed "vision" goes, who am i to say? it is totally possible. the only way that you/i can discount someones claims (vision ) is that god wouldn't work that way. but the truth is that he does from time to time. he will tell someone at times (in order to prepare them) what he is going to do before he does it. he has in mine ! so really , we will see if it was from god or not. the cool thing about it is that you cannot make it happen. you can claim god told you all you want but you cannot make it happen, only god can. dreams (visions) are a strange thing about life. we dream the strangest things. sometimes i wake up and think "were in the heck did that come from? but god can still work that way. it is pretty simple, if it is it will happen. yes god can use the lottery as a means to bless them. but first you have to understand that if he does it is NOT just for the person who won it. it was given to them as a tool to be used to bless others. the "winner" just happens to benefit. most (but not all) take the money and run, they think about themselves first. that cannot hold true for someone who follows god.i am definitely in the minority when i say that a believer can play the lottery. most site gambling as a reason not to. they have been "told" that gambling is a sin. it is not. nowhere in god's word does it have anything to say about gambling being sin. god's word has alot to say about how you handle your $$$ that god has entrusted to you, but it is not sin. if you go out and waste alot of $$$ on lottery tickets that you can't afford because it takes way from your family situation, then yeh, that would be sinful. that is the problem with religion. it often inaccurately represents god by "legislating" something" that god never intended. man has made a relationship with god alot more difficult by making up "rules". god's word doesn't say anything about gambling but it says that the way to riches is thru hard work. it also says that we have to be a good steward of the things he entrusts us with. there are over 2,000 references about $$$ in god's word. it is important for you and i to have our own "mind". there are too many people who go to church and "suck-in" everything that they are told to believe. and then they try and legistrate that onto others and so on. little religious robots. god intended us to live free (relationship). people intend on making it harder (religion). i have made an effort to have my own mind and purposely try and think the opposite of what i am told, i leave my options open instead of just automatically believe it. consequently god is able to do things thru my life that other people might not let him. it has helped me lead an extraordinary life. BUT I NEVER COMPROMISE WHAT GOD HAS TO SAY IN HIS WORD - NEVER. there is a difference. here is my take that i base soley on what i know god has to say (in his word) about playing the lottery. it is between you and him. if it bothers your concience, then don't do it. but you cannot demand that god let's you win. if it is his will , you will. if it isn't then you must live and act and work like you might not ever. you cannot look at the lottery as your "saviour", if you know what i mean. and it only takes one ticket to find out if you are supposed to. you are wasting $$$ by playin more than one dollar. because you really don't increase your odd's when it is 135 million to one odd's. the person who spends $20 or whatever is wasting money. if you are meant to win, it will happen with one ticket. it's just like the smoking/drinking arguement. god's word says that it is not a sin to drink, it is to get drunk. smoking is another thing that is not addressed. it is not healthy for you but it is not a sin. bogus legislation. tell your sisters to lighten up a bit. you live like that then you live in fear. if you live in fear it is an indicatator that you don't know god as well as you should. god wants us to "respect" him, but if we know him we do not have to fear him. people that "legislate" live in fear. they are afraid that if they make one step out of line that god will thump him. that is no way to live, there is little or no freedom in that mentality. it is not what god created us for. he intends for us to live freeeeeeeeeeee. so we will see my friend what god has for you, time has a way of finding that out. as for you, i am rooting for you that it is so.
.............v - dude
"i am .........."meant to"
P.S., that RJoH is a stand up guy. thanks, vision
until further notice, it's france everyday