QUESTION OF THE DAY- DO DEAD LOVED ONES ACTUALLY GRANT US SPECIAL FAVOURS ON EARTH?

This is a highly controversial topic  I've been pondering over. As a Christian, reading my bible, I remember  scriptures that say  the dead really are dead. They are not yet in heaven, nor are they yet in hell. They are "asleep," awaiting the resurrection "at the last day." 


Psalms 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
Psalms 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish
Ecclesiastes 9:5,6  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.

MY MAIN CONFUSION

While watching the programme ''Being '' on BET former Xscape member Kandi Burruss talked about how things in her life started to turn around for good once her only elder brother died. She felt her dead brother granted her strange favour causing her open doors.
In a recent interview ,  Hollywood actress Jennifer Aniston  happily engaged to "Leftovers" star and prolific writer Justin Theroux,  said that she feels an old flame from her past would have been her husband  but that he died of a brain tumor years ago.
She said 
“He was my first love — five years we were together,” she said. “He would have been the one. But I was 25, and I was stupid. He must have sent me Justin to make up for it all.”

Narrowing it down to my personal experience, a friend who had her life turned upside down prior to her mother's death, suddenly started having strange luck and open doors shortly after her mum died.
Now many may question if her mum was diabolical and hindered her successes and growth and the answer is NO. 
My friend attributes her great luck to the spirit of her mum watching over her and breaking barriers.
Many other people also attribute spirits of dead loved ones to watching over them, being their guardian angels and bringing them certain favours and luck.

But really , DO DEAD LOVED ONES ACTUALLY GRANT US SPECIAL FAVOURS ON EARTH? 

Has anyone reading this had a personal experience?