Cactus Game Design Message Boards

Guys, I'd like to share how awesome God is. Please read, this isn't just another "God is good" thread. It's a real impact.

So I started nationals with a 4-0 record. I was like... "holy crap... I could actually place at nationals!" I was against Gabe... but I typically split games about 50% with him and I had beaten this deck previously. However... I just knew I was gonna lose. After the game (I lost 5-2), I was like "yeah, I lost... no surprise." Then my mom said "why were you so sure you should lose?"

Then it occurred to me. "Ye of little faith," "you have received not because you have asked not." I spoke that I would lose and so I lost. "Ask and you shall recieve." All these Bible verses just plagued me. Even this... I really just couldn't get my faith out there. I ended with a 6-2 record, good enough for top 5 not good enough to place. I didn't take it hard... but of course I was a little dissapointed.

The next day... I prayed. I KNEW I was going to win... not in an arrogant way... I could really feel God directing my playing. He made people draw souls, he made me attack with and draw the perfect heroes, he made everything fall perfectly in place. I ended up a nationals champion... not because I deserved to win because I'm the best... but because he let me win because I prayed to him. I can honestly say that if my faith had not strengthened, I would NOT have had ANY chance of winning multi. As many said, my deck was pretty aweful, lol. It shouldn't have won.

I prayed between rounds, I prayed before every rescue attempt, I prayed whenever it wouldn't stall the game. It helped.

Basically what I'm saying is... prayer really does have power. Not in the "my mom's god" kind of way, not in a "yeah, if god wants to" kind of way, but in a real, my god loves me and wants me to do well kind of way. He is a powerful God... having a person win a redemption tournament is not out of his reach. At all.

Guys... God is moving in Redemption in great ways. I can honestly say that my walk with God was strengthened because of that tournament. Seeing all these Christian people playing a Christian game and being virtuous, it was great. I could, for the first time in my life, feel God's prescence. Guys... pray. That's it.

He made people draw souls, he made me attack with and draw the perfect heroes, he made everything fall perfectly in place.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randomness#Randomness_and_religion
3rd paragraph and end of the 4th

very cool testimony LN

If God cares about lilies and sparrows, then why not about card games.  Nothing is too big or too small for God to care about.  Thanks for sharing your testimony, and I completely believe that this is possible.  Way to give God glory for your win!

God really does care about even the minor details of life. Sometimes God makes things (seemingly) go against us no matter how hard we pray, but it is always what is best for his people. Maybe if you lose, it is God humbling you. Maybe if you win, it is a test of whether you will glorify Him or yourself. I don't claim to know the mind of God, but it certainly seems likely to me that God granted your request because you asked with the right motives (see James 4:3). He knew that if he let you win, you would make a post for the whole internet to see regarding his love and care for his people. Not only that, he worked things together for your good in that your initial loss drove you right to him. So through this, it brought you closer to God, and allowed you to share with others. Just bear in mind, if you pray the same way at next year's nationals, and still lose, it is not necessarily that you did anything wrong, or because of lack of faith. Perhaps God wants to teach someone else the same lesson he just taught you.

Praise God!!!!!!!

He also granted me my desire at nationals.  As I always tell others who come down with me, don't expect to win.  Just go and have fun (that way they focus on the fellowship part and not the losing part).  At nationals, I lost the first five games (two due to time out) but I still had a blast.  Then, the next three games were the best three games ever (I used my strategy to it's fullest the first game, I went against Ken (who happened to have a deck that seemed it was built to go against me ) and then the last game my two main fortresses got nuked and I had to work for my win).  Even in boosters where I only had four heroes in my deck (I pulled six but two of them had no enhancements to play with) I still had a blast.  God is gracious, even in the little things like this game.

It is always great to read praises to God.  It's a blessing to here others who faith strengthened.

Sweetness!  God is so good!  It's a great feeling to have a person like you who prayed to do the best you could be champ.  This is really encouraging!

i dont agree with this philosophy. one reason it doesnt work is because what if both players of equal faith pray for things to 'fall into place'? moreso, god is not a vending machine. he wont make you win a card game just because you ask for it.

Wrong.  You don't pray for things to fall into place.  You pray to do the best you can.  If two people pray to do the best they can (and have utmost faith about it), the game will depend on who can do the best.

God is not a vending machine, but the Bible says if you ask anything according to God's will in Jesus' name, it will be done for you.  How can you argue with Scripture?

It won me nationals, that's how far it got me. Your point...?

And you necropost to insult my testimony? That's low.

"You have received not because you have asked not." "Ask and you shall receive." "If any two shall agree on any one thing upon this earth, it shall be granted to them." -- My mom was a part of this.

I'm really not sure where you're coming from.

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He made people draw souls, he made me attack with and draw the perfect heroes, he made everything fall perfectly in place.

'nuff said.

ask god for your opponent to draw lost souls, ask god to draw the perfect heroes...see how far that gets you.

But he didn't ask for this.  He asked to do his absolute best, and his absolute best, obviously, was enough to beat everyone else.  What about the Scripture I gave you?  What is your counter to that?

BTW, I agree with lightningninja that it is a bit rude to argue with another's testimony.  This probably should have been done in PM form.

I respect the testimony. Thank you for sharing.

However, I'm going to rant at the ridiculous idea that if I ask God for something with faith I'm going to get it. That's ridiculous. Do I sometimes get things I ask for? Yes. But definately not all the time. I've asked from things in Christ's name all the time that I haven't gotten. And it's probably because the prosperity gospel Ed seems to be talking about is bull. It is no where near true. The verse your paraphrasing has much more to do with asking things Christ would want than asking things then tacking Christ's name on the end.

wow. guess i'll be asking for that ferrari and million-gajillion dollars now.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

operative phrase: ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE.

if you owning a wii is not according to his purpose, YOU WILL NOT GET A WII.
if you winning a nationals is not according to his purpose, YOU WILL NOT WIN NATIONALS.
if you asking for luxuries is not according to his purpose, YOU WILL NOT GET LUXURIES.

get real. stop twisting scripture to meet your own materialistic and selfish desires. its downright abhorrent.