In the book, Poverty vs Wealth, and in past blogs, I have talked about many of the principles of prosperity that God put in His Word. The more of these principles we incorporate into our lives, the more prosperous and successful we will be. We will be wiser in the conduct of our lives.

Joshua Chapter One has a great key to prosperity. Here, God tells Joshua that Joshua will make his own life prosperous by observing God’s words. In other words, Joshua has some control over his own prosperity and success. It is interesting that some literal translations translate success: “to be wise” or “to do wisely.”

To be successful and prosperous takes a great deal of wisdom.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

It takes wisdom to be both successful and prosperous. Where do we find such wisdom?

Proverbs 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Having great respect for God by way of His Word is the place true wisdom starts. This truth is repeated over and over in God’s Word. Let’s read the context of what God promised Joshua.

Joshua 1:5–9 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

God told Joshua not to let God’s Word depart from his mouth. That simply means that Joshua was to continue speaking God’s Word to God’s people all of Joshua’s life. If Joshua quit speaking the Word, God’s Word would have departed from his mouth. Joshua was to be very courageous, and he was to DO all that God had said. When it comes to prosperity, God has instructed us to do many things. Stay out of debt, tithe, give, save our money, honor the Lord, etc. God told Joshua that as he observed to do all of what God had said that Joshua would make his way prosperous, and he would have good success – he would do wisely.

So Joshua would make his way prosperous and he would do wisely. As we read in Proverbs, having great respect for what God has said in His Word is the beginning of wisdom. Some things are very simple to do – walk in love, forgive one another, and the principle of prosperity to name a few. Joshua obviously did what God asked him to do. He divided the promised land into parcels for the 12 tribes of Israel. If you have ever dealt with people, you can imagine how dealing with the millions of Israelites would have been a great challenge. Yet he was successful in his work. He also had to instruct the armies of God how to fight and conquer the squatters of the land God had given to the descendants of Abraham.

God told him from the beginning of his ministry what to do to be prosperous and successful – to do wisely.

Thus Joshua, with his wisdom (obtained from God) helped to build the house of Israel.

Proverbs 24:3 Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established:

We might think about another very wise man in the Old Testament, David. After David was anointed by Samuel to be the next king of Israel, Saul was still king. I Samuel 18 has some interesting verses.

1 Samuel18:5  And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.

1 Samuel18:14  And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.

1 Samuel18:15  Wherefore when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he was afraid of him.

1 Samuel18:30  Then the princes of the Philistines went forth: and it came to pass, after they went forth, that David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by.

How did David acquire all this wisdom? Well, the first Psalm of David reveals some of David’s heart towards God and His word.

Psalm 1:1-3  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law (in God’s Word) doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

God’s Word was David’s counsel not the ways of the world. God’s Word was the foundation for the wisdom of David. David here had the same heart for God that Joshua did. For God’s Word to be continually in Joshua’s mouth, Joshua had to think about what God had said. Here, David by revelation says the same thing. He meditated in God’s Word day and night.

The apostle Paul told Timothy “consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.”

As we ponder on the words of God, God will cause us to understand how to apply His Word in our lives, in our situations, and in what we are looking at here with our prosperity.

We have both the written Word of God to act as our guiding light and we have God’s spirit within us to show us what to do in our specific situations. We may not need to know how to fight the enemies of Israel like David or how to divide the land for their inheritance, but we may need some help in understanding money. We start with the Word of God and then as we act on what we have read, God can speak to the spirit within us to guide us in making wise decisions. He wants us to prosper and to be in health.

As God told Joshua “you will make your way prosperous and you will have good success, do wisely.” We do the same by meditating in and speaking God’s Word.

If you need wisdom with finances, ASK! James says God gives to all liberally the wisdom they ask for. We all need His wisdom. He is far smarter and wiser than we are.

I often think of the man God commissioned to be the head over making the tabernacle under Moses.

Here is a man, a couple of men, that were already perhaps great at their crafts but who were willing to learn, to listen, and that were teachable by God.

Exodus 31:1-6 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship. And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

God showed them; He taught them HOW to do the work He asked. Not all at once. A thought here and another thought there as they needed to know what to do. Not all those thoughts are your thoughts. Some are God speaking to your spirit. Think, ask and listen. Find some good Christian books on finances like Dave Ramsey’s books and classes. Listen to some podcasts and read some blogs on how to save money and get out of debt. Expect God to show you what will work in your situation and in your life.

God has a promise in Proverbs that is just profound.

Proverbs 1:23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

If you are willing to handle your finances according to what God has laid out in His Word, turn at His reproof, He will cause you to understand the subject of prosperity if you are willing to listen and to learn. Learning to expect God to teach you is a very exciting part of The Prosperous Life.