Is It a Sin... To Pray To Win?
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I do not believe it would be a grave sin to pray for a team to win,but God would not answer that prayer.
A whole team could confess Christ,and pray every game to win,and go to Church,and feed the poor and hungry,and God would still not answer that prayer for that team to win.
God is not concerned with the endeavors of the world that would have to do with people spending money to watch the sport,and anything associated with something that has people spending money on something that is not a necessity,and all that money spent on a lust of the flesh for entertainment which neglects the poor and needy which is more important.
Not saying that God does not love the sports player that confesses Christ,and not working in his life,but according to his profession of who wins and loses,it is a determination based on the players abilities alone.
If a person is involved in a job that provides something to the public that has to do with their needs,then I can see God blessing that person,and that company.
Also sports stars are known to live lavishly,and in great measure,and have we seen one player who only goes by their needs,and not their wants,and distributes their money to poor,which Paul said having food and clothing be content,and the saints appear poor to the world,but they possess all things to be given them in the future.
Sports is not a necessity,and we do not need it to survive,so prayer would not be effective.
Also for God to bless one team He would have to curse another which He will not do.
Go ahead watch the game,hope,wish,desire,dream,anticipate,yearn,crave,anticipate,optimistic,thirst,and want your team to win.
But do not pray for your team to win,and please do not go to the desperate attempt of praying to Allah,or Guanyin,or Ahura Mazd,or Queztalcoatl,or Biame,or Jupiter Optimus Maximus,or Zeus,or Breged,the Mother Goddess,or Ra,or Vishnu,or the Great White Spirit in the sky,because you want your team to win.
You can gain all the winning sports teams in the world but what does it profit if you lose your soul,lol.
A whole team could confess Christ,and pray every game to win,and go to Church,and feed the poor and hungry,and God would still not answer that prayer for that team to win.
God is not concerned with the endeavors of the world that would have to do with people spending money to watch the sport,and anything associated with something that has people spending money on something that is not a necessity,and all that money spent on a lust of the flesh for entertainment which neglects the poor and needy which is more important.
Not saying that God does not love the sports player that confesses Christ,and not working in his life,but according to his profession of who wins and loses,it is a determination based on the players abilities alone.
If a person is involved in a job that provides something to the public that has to do with their needs,then I can see God blessing that person,and that company.
Also sports stars are known to live lavishly,and in great measure,and have we seen one player who only goes by their needs,and not their wants,and distributes their money to poor,which Paul said having food and clothing be content,and the saints appear poor to the world,but they possess all things to be given them in the future.
Sports is not a necessity,and we do not need it to survive,so prayer would not be effective.
Also for God to bless one team He would have to curse another which He will not do.
Go ahead watch the game,hope,wish,desire,dream,anticipate,yearn,crave,anticipate,optimistic,thirst,and want your team to win.
But do not pray for your team to win,and please do not go to the desperate attempt of praying to Allah,or Guanyin,or Ahura Mazd,or Queztalcoatl,or Biame,or Jupiter Optimus Maximus,or Zeus,or Breged,the Mother Goddess,or Ra,or Vishnu,or the Great White Spirit in the sky,because you want your team to win.
You can gain all the winning sports teams in the world but what does it profit if you lose your soul,lol.
No apology necessary. Lol Good catch! 
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Snflwrgrl... Can I buy a vowel?
Sorry, just teasing. Ignore me, I'm a nerd.
Anyway I can believe that. God is not a god of parlor tricks for people's amusement, nor does God give a sign to everybody who says "Prove you exist!" but God will do things to help your faith. Our pastor and wife have a little four year old boy who is almost disturbingly intelligent. His mother started praying that God would give the boy something, some kind of sign, a proof that God was really there.
A few days later the family was going to meet the boy's grandparents at a restaurant, but it was raining cats and dogs. The boy stood on the porch staring at the rain, then he said, "God could you stop this rain so we can go eat?!" Thirty seconds later there wasn't a drop falling.
Of course some people would pull a Pharisee and quote the verse about a wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign. I would counter with Gideon, who not only asked a sign, but when he got the sign he asked for he asked AGAIN, for a sign exactly opposite the first sign, just to make sure.
Sorry, just teasing. Ignore me, I'm a nerd.
Anyway I can believe that. God is not a god of parlor tricks for people's amusement, nor does God give a sign to everybody who says "Prove you exist!" but God will do things to help your faith. Our pastor and wife have a little four year old boy who is almost disturbingly intelligent. His mother started praying that God would give the boy something, some kind of sign, a proof that God was really there.
A few days later the family was going to meet the boy's grandparents at a restaurant, but it was raining cats and dogs. The boy stood on the porch staring at the rain, then he said, "God could you stop this rain so we can go eat?!" Thirty seconds later there wasn't a drop falling.
Of course some people would pull a Pharisee and quote the verse about a wicked and adulterous generation seeks a sign. I would counter with Gideon, who not only asked a sign, but when he got the sign he asked for he asked AGAIN, for a sign exactly opposite the first sign, just to make sure.
"You know that in a race everyone runs but only One gains the Crown. So run that you may obtain." To win is being conformed to Christ in us. "All things are lawful for me but i will not be brought under the power of any; aĺl things are lawful but not all things build up in Love. How much time can we waste without sining: When our dreams stop us short from living for the praise of God, we are in trouble. Praying with wrong motives will not be anssered but we should consider the person who dosent pray as in sin: baby christians are forgiven, regardless of wrong motives and its part of a growing experience. We are not under the Law but under God's very Gracious influence: to learn to Love az He does.
I don't think it's necessarily a sin, but I think it is indicative of spiritual immaturity to pray for victory in ultimately insignificant competitions. And I don't think the fact that a person (or 100) prayed a prayer is going to have great influence on your average athletic competition. I also don't think that getting what you ask for is the only purpose of prayer.
But I think of other types of winning. I think about how in ancient times an army winning was considered proof that their God was the stronger ( and then I also remember vaguely hearing about a time in Mexican history when one side fought under one appearance of the virgin mary and the other side under a different appearance of her, and you wonder how people reconciled that logically). Certainly in that case prayers should be raised for victory (though if you read the first part of 1 Samuel you see that God was perfectly capable of showing his power even in "defeat").
There was also the american civil war, and a quote from Lincoln's second inaugural address reflected "Both (sides) read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. ... The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully." And certainly from our perspective we would say that the deciding factor was not the character or the number of people praying for a desired outcome, but rather that slavery was a moral offense and this is how God dealt with it to end it (not that what immediately replaced it was much better).
So maybe the best advice is ask God to show you whether you're on his side or not (of if he's even taken sides in this particular competition), and once you know you are supporting his purposes, pray to win.
But I think of other types of winning. I think about how in ancient times an army winning was considered proof that their God was the stronger ( and then I also remember vaguely hearing about a time in Mexican history when one side fought under one appearance of the virgin mary and the other side under a different appearance of her, and you wonder how people reconciled that logically). Certainly in that case prayers should be raised for victory (though if you read the first part of 1 Samuel you see that God was perfectly capable of showing his power even in "defeat").
There was also the american civil war, and a quote from Lincoln's second inaugural address reflected "Both (sides) read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other. ... The prayers of both could not be answered; that of neither has been answered fully." And certainly from our perspective we would say that the deciding factor was not the character or the number of people praying for a desired outcome, but rather that slavery was a moral offense and this is how God dealt with it to end it (not that what immediately replaced it was much better).
So maybe the best advice is ask God to show you whether you're on his side or not (of if he's even taken sides in this particular competition), and once you know you are supporting his purposes, pray to win.
