Scam Lottery from ###

[Godispowerful]

Let you know that I didn't go to Walmart because I went to ### today because I did scratch off to see a number is ###. I hated this day that happened to me. Unbelievable! I am so stupid and embarrassed at myself. I won a scratch-off, but I feel so scammed. I got a stupid winner for $5.00 from ###. They told me that my validation wasn't matched. I mean, why would they do to me like that. I feel like a complete fool right now. I hated that this happened to me. I’m hurting. I refuse to go back to ### ever again. I don’t like the way they treated me like that. God can see how I feel because it is not easy for me.

 

[Articles]

We hear your pain and we join with you in bringing this hurt before the Lord, for He sees how you are feeling and He cares deeply about what you are going through. It is not easy to feel embarrassed, scammed, and treated unfairly, and to carry the weight of feeling foolish after what happened with the scratch off. We want you to know that you are not stupid and you are not a fool in God's eyes. He loves you and values you far more than any amount of money or any lottery ticket.

The Lord is close to those who are hurting. Psalm 34:18 says Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit. And 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us to cast all our worries on him, because he cares for you. We also take comfort that He heals the brokenhearted, as Psalm 147:3 says He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds. God saw what happened at the store and He sees the disappointment and embarrassment you felt when you were told the validation did not match, even after you thought you had won.

We also want to gently share some biblical encouragement about lotteries and scratch offs. While we understand the hope of winning, Scripture teaches us to be good stewards of what God has given us and to trust Him as our provider rather than trusting in chance. Proverbs 21:5 says The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit, and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty. And 1 Timothy 6:10 warns For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some who have been greedy for money have wandered from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Ecclesiastes 5:10 also says He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase, this also is vanity. Gambling often promises quick gain but can lead to hurt, disappointment, and a focus on money rather than contentment in Christ. Philippians 4:19 reminds us My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. We encourage you to seek His provision and wisdom in financial matters and to find peace in trusting Him.

We also encourage you not to hold onto bitterness toward those at the store, even though you felt mistreated. Ephesians 4:31-32 says Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you. Forgiving them does not mean what happened was right, but it frees your heart from carrying that hurt. And Romans 8:28 assures us We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose, even difficult and embarrassing days can be used by God to draw us closer to Him.

We noticed your request did not mention the name of Jesus, and we want to lovingly remind you that it is only through Jesus that we have access to God and find salvation and true peace. John 14:6 says Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. And Acts 4:12 says There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved. If you have not already, we encourage you to put your trust in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for your sins and rose again, and confessing Him as Lord. Romans 10:9 says that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

We pray together for you now.

Father in heaven, we lift up this dear one to You in Jesus name. You see the hurt, the embarrassment, and the feeling of being scammed and made to feel foolish. We ask that You heal this wounded heart and take away the shame. Help them to see themselves as You see them, beloved, valued, and not defined by this one disappointing experience. Grant them Your peace that surpasses understanding as Philippians 4:6-7 promises, and guard their heart and mind in Christ Jesus. Give them wisdom regarding finances and help them to trust You as their provider. Help them to release any anger or bitterness toward those at the store and to walk in forgiveness. Draw them closer to Jesus, and let them know the comfort of coming to You through His name. Provide for their needs and restore their joy. In Jesus name we pray, amen.

We encourage you to bring every disappointment to the Lord in prayer, to rest in His love, and to remember that your worth is found in Christ alone, not in any game of chance. God will guide you and give you peace as you trust Him.

 

[hostadmin]

Thank you for sharing what happened today, we can hear how heavy it feels. Being told your ticket didn't validate after you thought you had won, especially in front of people at the store, would leave anyone feeling exposed and hurt. It makes sense you felt embarrassed and angry and did not want to go back.

That sense of feeling like a fool can settle quickly into shame, and shame tends to speak about who you are rather than what happened. What happened was a confusing moment with a scratch-off and a difficult interaction. It does not mean you are stupid or a fool, even though the feeling is very real right now.

We are glad you named that God sees how you feel, because He does. You don't have to carry this alone or replay it over and over to prove something to yourself.

If it would help bring some peace, it might be worth talking it through with one trusted person who can just listen without judging. And if you want a clear answer about the ticket so you are not left wondering, you could call the customer service number on the back of the ticket or on your state's lottery website instead of returning to that store. You get to decide if you want that closure or if you would rather just let it go.

Father, we lift our friend to You right now, You see the embarrassment and hurt from today. Bring comfort and quiet the harsh thoughts, remind them they are seen and valued by You, and give wisdom for next steps and peace in the days ahead. In Jesus' name, amen.

 

[Spurgeon]

To be made to feel foolish in public is a sharp sorrow, and to carry that home as shame makes the heart heavy. Your words have been heard. You felt scammed and embarrassed over a small scratch off, told your validation did not match, and treated in a way that wounded you. It is not a light thing to be laughed at or dismissed, and it is right that you have brought this hurt before the Lord who sees how you feel, for nothing that pains you is hidden from Him.

The Scripture tells us of One who knows this sting far more deeply. Our Lord Jesus gave His back to the smiters and His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, He hid not His face from shame and spitting. It was the voluntariness of His grief which gives it merit. He did not delight in suffering and shame, these things were even more repugnant to His sensitive nature than they can be to us, and yet for the joy that was set before Him He endured the cross, despising the shame. He was despised and rejected of men, and His glory was turned into shame by those who mocked Him even as He suffered. If you have been hurt and then sneered at, you know how such unkindness cuts to the quick. Christ knows it also, and in Him there is one who understands your embarrassment and your sense of being made a fool. Our shame is ended, for He has borne it, and there is merit sufficient in Him to put away all our sin and to cover our confusion with His grace.

There are times when shame drives us to seek the Lord as we would not otherwise. When a man has lost his own good opinion of himself, filled with shame, he has often fled to Christ. That is a desirable shame if it makes us seek His name. But there is also a shame that the enemy would use to keep you hiding, telling you that you are stupid and should not lift your head again. That is not from the Lord. The Lord would have you bring the whole case before Him in prayer. Therefore when we are disappointed, whether it is in little matters or great ones, let us bear the disappointment bravely and lay the whole case before the Lord in prayer. Let us ask Him what He would teach us through it.

Disappointments, even small ones like this, wean us from the world and remind us that our expectations from the world will often fail. The man who expects to reap where he has not sown will find thorns, and the world will often promise more than it gives. Yet God is wiser than we are, and His will must always prevail above ours. He can use even a hurtful day at a store to show us that our comfort must not rest on the turn of a ticket or the favor of a clerk, but on Christ alone, who never mocks and never scams, and whose promises never fail to validate.

May the Lord lift this burden of embarrassment from you. May He heal the hurt you feel and quiet the voice that calls you a fool, reminding you that you are seen and valued by Him. May He give you peace about where you shop and how you steward what He has entrusted to you, and keep bitterness from taking root. May He turn this shame into a seeking of His name, and let you know the comfort of Him who bore all shame for you, that you may walk with a lighter heart and a confidence not in luck, but in His unfailing love.

We are praying for you, that the Lord will comfort you and restore your peace, and that you will know His nearness in this disappointment.

 

[usha rani]

I prayed for this in Jesus Name.

 

[Jonathan_M]

Praying for this request in Jesus Name.