“God must be mad at you since you had a stroke, cancer, etc.” or “What did you do to make God mad?” 

Is it true? No.

If you had truly done something so bad that God would “strike” you, you are not likely to be a follower of Jesus, and more like King Herod (Acts 12:23), Saul (Acts 9:3) or Elymas (Acts 13:8-11) or as Ananias and Sapphira, who had done something directly against the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1).  In any case, you would know if he had and you would know what you had done.

God simply doesn’t go around beating up his children. In addition, he has given us his word, our consciences and the Holy Spirit to let us know when we’ve done wrong—better yet, to avoid doing wrong in the first place.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.1 John 3:8

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:9-11

You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. John 15:3

His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:2,3 (The man’s healing!)

“God makes Christians sick in order to teach them something.”
No good father, human or heavenly would knowingly make his child sick. Those human fathers who do make their children sick are strongly punished by the judicial system (I only know about America)—even hardened criminals are horrified at such behavior! Jesus, who knows our heavenly Father better than anyone said, “Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:9-11

Jesus acknowledged that even “evil” fathers give good gifts and our heavenly Father, who is so much greater, will give us a great deal more—not less!

“God makes Christians sick in order to teach them something.”

Is it true? No.

Those who insist upon this never seem to know just what the “something” is. So how can they learn if they don’t know what they’re being taught? They often add, “I’m so dumb/ stupid, that God has to hit me up-side-the-head in order for me to get it.” Why? We are to be taught by God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16), his anointing (1 John 2:27b) and the Holy Spirit (John 14:26).

If a person continues in Jesus’ teachings (John 8:31,32), is obedient to everything he commanded (Matthew 28:20) and Jesus’ word remains in him or her (John 15:7), he or she will have all the teaching they need (though certainly God uses those he has called to teach as well as situations that come our way), especially if they follow James’ advice to ask for wisdom and believe they have received it. (James 1:5-8)

“God makes Christians sick in order to teach them something.”

Is it true? No.

This teaching/belief is often paired with one that says that God wants Christians to suffer. The confusion so often comes in when people read in the New Testament of the testing, character building and correction God brings about through our suffering. However, to equate this with sickness or everyday difficulties of life is to remove it from its context. The context of every New Testament reference to needed or “beneficial” suffering is that of suffering for Jesus’ name’s sake.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. Hebrews 10:32-34

Read some accounts of Christian martyrs through the ages, of Christians imprisoned in the former Soviet Union and even today in China, to see the difference. (You can contact me for places to read these stories.)

Nowhere does the Bible, Old Testament or New, command wives to obey their husbands.

Sarah was commended for obeying Abraham but never commanded; it was her choice. (1 Peter 3:6) However God commanded Abraham to “listen to whatever Sarah tells you” i.e., do what she says, in regard to Hagar. (Genesis 21:12)

Instead, wives are told to submit to their husbands, which means to “voluntarily come under” with the idea of working together for a common cause. (Ephesians 5:22) Interestingly, all Christians are to “submit to one another”—that includes husbands submitting to wives. (Ephesians 5:21)

“Do all you can do and when you’ve done all you can do, God will take over.”

`For in him we live and move and have our being.’ Acts 17:28

Jesus did nothing, said nothing on his own; everything came from his Father. (John 12:49) It’s not a question of our trying with all our might—us, then God, but God working in us, through us and around us from the start. Why waste time and effort since time is so short? That is not at all to say that we are to sit around and do nothing, but we are to be obedient and bear fruit (deeds)!

“He’s too heavenly minded to be any earthly good.” This one is based on the false premise that to be spiritual is to be aloof, distracted and isolated. Jesus was none of those and you’ll never find anyone more heavenly minded or spiritual. He was always fully present and full of action, “making a difference” in the lives of people around him. Those who are “heavenly minded” do the most good on earth. The key is obedience to Jesus’ commands, not being less heavenly minded.

“You have to add common sense to your spirituality—you’ve got to be practical.”
If common sense is common why is it so uncommon? The slightest observation shows that (good) sense is often lacking in the general population, though the definition varies by the observer. That which is often assumed to be inborn, instead has to be taught. Think of it, we have to be taught such basic things as walking and talking, so how are we supposed to automatically know how to fix things or make good decisions (for example)?

Suppose that we substitute the word “pragmatism”, meaning “practical, testing the results of all concepts by their practical results” (Webster’s New World Dictionary), which seems to be the purpose of this saying. To insist that spirituality isn’t enough alone and must have pragmatism added to it is to compartmentalize God and his life and power; it’s to say, “God can handle only certain parts of my life but I have to appeal to human nature for the rest”.

As followers of Jesus, we are to obey everything that he commanded (Matthew 28:20) and walk in his steps (1 Peter 2:21) whether it is convenient or seems practical—or not. We’re not given any other choice.

“Never pray for patience or bad things will happen in order to build your patience.”

Is it true? No.

God definitely expects us to be patient, so much so that patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22

Life is full of patience-trying situations and people already! There are plenty of opportunities to exercise that which is supposed to be active in our lives including self-control and the leaving behind of our sinful nature. (Fruit in the Bible represents deeds.) We do absolutely need his strength and power to behave as he has commanded us. So pray, but rather than praying for patience we would do better to pray for strength and focus to do what we already know to do–that is, be obedient. And no, I don’t think bad things will happen as a result of prayer—just a testing and a greater awareness of the need.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:9,10

Christians were never instructed by Jesus or his disciples to tithe. This teaching came many centuries later with the proof text of Malachi 3:8-11

“You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.” Malachi 3:8-11

The tithe has been reemphasized in the past three or four decades primarily by evangelical pastors and prosperity teachers, who preach adamantly on one hand that we’re saved by grace and that it’s impossible to fulfill the Law of Moses and on the other insist under much threat of curse on personal goods, finances and lives—one even equated it with salvation, that Christians must follow the Law by tithing.

Curiously, this “Christian” version of the tithe in no way resembles the Levitical tithe or the tithe Abraham gave to Melchizedek but is much more demanding. God commanded the Israelites to tithe food not money and to eat it themselves. (Deuteronomy 12:5-7) Only in the third year were they to give it to the Levites, who were to in turn divide it with the “aliens (immigrants), orphans and widows”. (Deuteronomy. 26:12-13)

Christians are never to be put under the Law! Paul had some scathing things to say about those who attempt to put them there and those who allow themselves to be put under the Law. (Read the book of Galatians).
Read more about “tithing” on my Freeing Truths blog:
http://freeingtruths.blogspot.com/search/label/Tithing%20part%201   http://freeingtruths.blogspot.com/search/label/tithing%20part%202
http://freeingtruths.blogspot.com/search/label/Tithing%20part%203