Category Archives: Biblical Study Topics

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Setting a Course for The Year

Goal setting is Biblical as well as a key to The Prosperous Life. This one quote changed part of my life. I included it here because it is thought-provoking.

What one great thing would you dare to dream if you knew you would not fail?

God says in His Word:

Proverbs 21:5: The plans of the diligent lead to profit.

Planning is a part of goal setting. It gives you direction in your business, your walk with God and for your family.

Without goals we would be like a ship with no rudder. Just adrift on the ocean of life. Tossed to and fro by circumstances.

To live with no motivation or planning is not God’s desire. Here are some suggestions once you start setting goals for your life:

1. Don’t tell anyone your goals except those that will encourage you.
2. A system or process of setting goals will increase your level of attainment by 1000%.
(But many people have a fear of failure. With no goals, there is no failure.)
3. Make goals that are achievable and believable.
4. A 40 – 50% increase of income is about the limit of most people for believability.
5. Write your goals down. It helps them become a reality.
6. Study goal setting and find a system that works for you.

Examples of things to consider for your goal setting for this year:

What kind of character traits would you like to develop in yourself?
         Examples from the Bible might be: He walked with God — Friend of God – Trusted God

The ability to set goals is the master skill of success.

What would you like to learn? Job – hobby – fishing – raising children – family life

What books would you like to listen to or read? How many books a month?

Where would you like to go?

What spiritual goals would you like to set:  Learn how to Speak in Tongues, how to operate the manifestation of gifts of healings, learn how to study the Bible.

Only 3% of Americans have written goals, and everybody else works for the 3%!

What financial goals would you like to see? Bank account — job – businesses – an emergency fund
(You may have to increase your worth in the marketplace – more skills or knowledge.)

For instance, you might consider making a goal of making $100,000.00 in a year. Divided out that would be about $385.00 per day. Tape that number, $385, to your rear view mirror and ask God every day how to do that and to help you bring that to pass.

Would you like to learn how to start a side gig? What learning would be required?

How many people would you like to help with God’s Word this next year?

You might consider keeping a journal as a goal. People keep many types of journals:
Work, daily life, health, financial ….

What do I want to accomplish this year?

What home improvements do I want to complete this year?

“All successful people are big dreamers.” – Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy has a great set of audio CD’s on goal setting.

Goal setting gives directions to your thinking and to your life.

God said whatsoever you do he will Prosper. What do you want to do?

“In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily
trivia until ultimately we become enslaved by it.” — Robert Heinlein

To have the goal of The Prosperous Life can extend into many different areas of your life.

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Principles of Prosperity – Faithful

Jesus spoke about faithfulness as being part of prosperity in parables in the gospels.

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

Luke 16:1-7 And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. So he called every one of his lord’s debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore.

In this culture, the steward had a perfect right to do this. But was he prospering his master? Was he taking care of his master’s business OR providing a place for himself at his master’s expense? At the end of the year was his master ahead in his accounts OR at a loss?

We will see in a minute that the Pharisees that loved money were listening to this parable, too, and they got upset most likely because they knew Jesus was really talking about them. They had the charge of the temple money and were making themselves rich rather than taking care of God’s business. They did have the right to do so, but we will see in a bit what God had to say about that.

Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, (Note: God here calls the steward unjust) because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light.

The lord here is the steward’s master not the Lord Jesus Christ. In their culture, this was considered just and wise.

Luke 16:9 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

EW Bullinger in his Companion Bible says this should read as a question. Jesus: “Is this what I taught you to do, make friends with the things of this world?”

Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

This steward here had not been faithful or just to his master in managing his master’s accounts for a profit. He had actually cost him money to the sole benefit of the steward himself.

Luke 16:11-15 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

God’s assessment of the situation with the unjust steward and the Pharisees was that they were not faithful nor just. That even though men thought this was great, God said what they had done was an abomination.

This is a great example of not being faithful. The steward had cost his master a loss. It was easy to see; they just sat down and looked at the numbers.

Faithful is in part the Greek word “pistis” translated into English many times as “believe.” So, in part faithful means to believe the instructions that are given BUT also to “do” what you have been told. If you believe and do as instructed, that is the essence of the word trustworthy, another definition of faithful.

An example would be Moses.

Numbers 12:7 My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house.

Now in order to see how Moses was faithful and learn from that, we would have to read a lot about Moses. For a short blog that is not practical. So, let’s go the book of Luke.
In this next record, you can see how the nobleman came to “trust’ two faithful men.

Luke 19:11 And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

Note: In looking at these parables, we are not trying to ascertain the meaning of the parable. We are just looking at the use of the word “faithful” within them.

Luke 19:12-17 He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy (carry on business) till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

In this parable, Jesus uses money to teach about being faithful. Money is a very quick way of teaching what faithful is compared to using prayer or forgiveness, etc. With money you can just count and see the answer/results with little explanation.

With this faithful man, he increased his master’s money by 1000 %. Quite the opposite of the first parable where he cost him money.

Luke 19:18-19 And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.

Remember what we read in the previous parable: “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”

It is easy to see the faithfulness of these two men because we can count — 1000% and 500%. It takes quite a few attributes to be a faithful person in this situation.

Things like:

Integrity — they gave the money back;
Diligence — they got the job done;
Trading — they had to know their business;
Saving — they did not spend all they made;
Appearance — they had to know how to dress and present themselves in their field of business;
Knowledge — what they did not know about their business, they had to go learn;
Accounts — they had to have kept strict accounts;
Confidence — they had to have confidence in their ability;
Focus — they had to focus on the task at hand and not get distracted.
There may be other attributes, but this is enough for the point.

The master knew that as they had applied the principles necessary to gain the profit they did, that these men would also apply the same principles if given a much larger responsibility. Faithful in little, faithful in much.

It reminds one of what the Apostle Paul wrote — God counted him faithful putting him into the ministry. Paul was out capturing Christians, throwing them into prison and having some killed. God knew that Paul would apply the same diligence, commitment and other attributes in service to God as he had in the past when he was on the wrong side of the fence. God counted him a faithful man.

Next, we have a small example of not faithful:

Luke 19:20-26 And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow. And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, (table, money changers) that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury (interest)? And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) For I say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.

This last verse is fascinating. To those that have, more shall be given. And from him that hath not, even that which we hath shall be taken away. This is written here in the context of money. It is a principle of life. In our vernacular, we might say, “Use it or lose it.”

We could also see that as Christians begin to apply these principles, they acquire more and more. But those that do not apply them continue to have lack.

This expression also occurs in:

Mar 4:25  For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.

Here the principle is used of knowledge and understanding. If you have gained some knowledge and understanding — think about it, incorporate it into your life, God will give you even more. If the knowledge and understanding go in one ear and out the other, you will lose what you do have.
As you apply those things in the area of money, you are much more likely to apply them in other fields as well.  So remember:

Luke 16:0 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

So, as a Principle of Prosperity, Faithful may include:

Giving,
Saving,
Staying out of debt,
Diligence in business and personal finances,
Trusting God,

And other things.

Everything really belongs to God anyway and as in the parables we are stewards of that which God has entrusted to us. As we learn to incorporate these principles into our lives, we will show ourselves to be faithful stewards… Then He will be able to trust us with even more and he will be able to give us the true riches. This is all part of learning about The Prosperous Life.

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Promises of Prosperity!

 

The love of money is the root of all evil. That is the first thing that came out of his mouth. Many people have the same attitude about the subject of money from God’s Word. It is amazing that this one verse has been so pounded into the heads of Christians so that it is their first thought on the subject of money. No wonder so many struggle with prosperity.

But there are many verses in the Bible that deal with the topic of prosperity. So many that God had Paul write in 1 Timothy:

1Timothy 5:8: But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel (unbeliever).

The reason this is true is because of the abundance of promises in God’s Word we can rise up and believe.

Let’s look at some of the promises that God has set forth when it comes to finances.

3 John 1:2: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Deuteronomy 8:18: But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.

Deuteronomy 16:17: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

Deuteronomy 28:2-12: And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. The LORD shall cause thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face: they shall come out against thee one way, and flee before thee seven ways. The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways. And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee. And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee. The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.
2 Chronicles 1:10-12: Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great? And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king: Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.

1Chronicles 4:10: And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

Job 36:11: “If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment

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 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.

Psalm 34:9-10: “Fear (have great respect for) the LORD, you his holy people, for those who fear him lack nothing.”

Psalm 84:11-12: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

Psalm 92:12-14: “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,”

Proverbs 3:9-10: Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns (storehouses) be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

Proverbs 10:22: The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.

Proverbs 21:20: The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get

Jeremiah 17:7-8: Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Malachi 3:8-10: “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated me! “But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat you?’ “You have cheated me of the tithes and offerings due to me. You are under a curse, for your whole nation has been cheating me. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

Matthew 6:31-33: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. “

Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Romans 8:32: “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”

2 Corinthians 9:6-8: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:10: “Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.”

Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 6:8: Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

1 John 5:14-15: And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him

His will, made known by His Word, is obviously for us to prosper. Put these promises in your mind and never forget them. Then make a list of the principles that God has set forth regarding prosperity and make those principles of The Prosperous Life a part of your life.
But that is the subject for another time.

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There is no Magic Pill!

It takes time in some situations to see through the fog of religion and be able to understand and believe what God is saying in His Word about prosperity. There is no magic pill. Some treat the verses on giving and receiving as if they were the beginning and ending, the “magic pill” of prosperity.

Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.

This is the truth of God’s Word and God is always faithful to His Word. But this verse and verses like it that speak about giving and receiving are not the only verses in the Bible that deal with prosperity.

Along with myself, I have seen many people, that were faithful givers, struggle with prosperity even though God promises it in His Word.

Since God is always faithful to His Word, clearly there was still more to learn. Others asking questions about unrealized prosperity were told:

“You are seeking the blessing, not the Blessor.”

“It is all according to your believing.”

Both statements are non-answers and are not helpful. Prosperity is a much broader topic than can be covered in one verse. The promises of God do come to pass in our lives by believing, but it is possible that we simply have not understood that there are many principles in God’s Word that we need to apply to see the promises come to pass. The want of prosperity may be due to a lack of understanding of or being unfamiliar with many verses.

If we give but we are not diligent in our business to maximize our income, if we spend ourselves into debt, if we buy what we cannot afford, it may be that God has given back to us, but we have not been good stewards of our finances, our time and our labors. It might be more helpful to sit with the person and look at the numbers of their finances.  Talk to them about their understanding of Biblical prosperity.

We could decide to make a study of prosperity and financial principles from God’s Word for ourselves. We could find authors that have already done that and read their books and learn how they incorporated God’s principles into their lives. We could get a journal and take some notes. Here are some principles in God’s Word about prosperity to start us on our quest.

1. Faithful in little, faithful in much!

Proverbs 13:11 Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow. (NIV)

As we show ourselves responsible with small amounts of money, God can trust us with more. It reminds one of the parables in the Gospels of the men that were given some money. They went and traded with it, and the goodman of the house-made them rulers over much more. They took what they were given and made it grow.

2. Get out of debt!

Proverbs 22:7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender. (NET)

Don’t borrow in the first place. But if you have debt, do whatever it takes to get out from under it. Some financial people recommend getting a second job and using that money to pay off those debts. Some recommend paying off the smallest debt first and then apply the money from that debt plus your second job money to the next smallest debt. Continue this until you are debt-free.

So far if you obey what is in these first two steps, you are believing what God has said. These two verses are part of the process of prosperity. Apparently, prosperity is a much bigger topic than can be covered in one verse. It seems that God has given us many aspects of prosperity to believe and do.

3. Be a giver!

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

It seems counter-intuitive to give money away to be more prosperous, but study after study shows that givers become wealthier, are happier, and live better, longer, more fulfilled lives.

4. Be diligent to grow your value in the marketplace!

Proverbs 10:4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Proverbs22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Here are some suggestions if you have a job:

Do more on each task than what is asked.

Arrive early and stay late.

Treat others like you would like to be treated.

Network. Make friends with others in your same field or with similar businesses. It will pay off down the road.

Dress appropriately for your position or business. It shows respect for others and that you respect yourself. When promotions are going on, part of the decision will be made on how you look. They may not want a rube sitting across from them in their office.

Read and learn about your profession as much as you can. Eventually, you will be the go-to person for information and thus more valuable to those you work for.

Be a problem solver.

Learn how to market yourself. You will eventually need that knowledge.

5. Spend Less than You Earn!

Proverbs 21:20 In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has (NIV)

Once you have an income, you MUST spend less than that income to make financial progress.

Here God says the wise have plenty leftover because they don’t spend it all. Fools, though, spend all they bring in and put even more on credit cards.

By not spending all your income, you will have some to save, and thus grow your net worth.

Even if you only spend $100.00 more per month than your income you are going backwards in prosperity. No matter how much you give.

You cannot violate all the principles of prosperity except one and make progress.

By spending less than you earn, you save money – a key part of financial success.

6. Save some money!

Proverbs 6:6-8 says: Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

The ant saves in a time of plenty for a time when there will be lack or need. If you are wise, you will do the same thing — save now for future expenses that you can be certain will occur: things like retirement, a home, cars, college for the kids, and the like.

My recommendation is to save a part of every paycheck you receive. You did the work, and you deserve to be paid. A good rule-of-thumb is to start by saving at least 10% of your income, and from there the amount should increase over time, perhaps 1-2% annually.

7. Get good counsel!

Proverbs 15:22 “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.”

Financial advisors can be very helpful. Just make sure they do not receive a commission off any money you invest. Remember, many people that call themselves advisors are actually salesmen! That is like asking the fox if it is ok to leave the chickens out tonight!

If you are married, your spouse should be your primary source of human counsel. Seeking the counsel of a spouse helps preserve your relationship. No matter what the consequences of a decision, if you’ve made it together, your marriage is more likely to remain healthy. Parents can be a second source of counsel. They usually know you well and typically have the benefit of many more years of experience to share.

8. Too much visiting leads to poverty not prosperity!

Proverbs 14:23 All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

One of the best ways to end conversations that are wasting your working time at work is, “Well, I have to get back to work.” Then just walk away.

9. Be content!

I Timothy 6:6-7 But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.

As you study financial principles from God’s Word, don’t be anxious. Your thinking does not change overnight. So be patient and be content with where you are as you pursue believing and working on some of these principles of prosperity.

If you will do these things, it may amaze you after a while how your fortunes have changed. You are seeking the Blessor through applying His word in your life. Now you are gaining a better understanding of the principles God has laid out in His Word as to how prosperity works. Understand AND do. This is believing, and this is all part of The Prosperous Life.

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As I Was With Moses …

Seeing 20/20 into the future


I just returned from the Winter Advance that was held for Spokane Washington. It was a great weekend. If you have never attended, you might consider going next year.

The theme was Seeing 20/20 in 20/20.

Even with 20/20 vision, usually, we can only see what is right in front of us. To see further into the future than today, we may have to look at the past.

My generation is growing older. Some of the generation that follows us may feel some apprehension at what they perceive to be a loss of wisdom and insight that we provide about God’s Word and life in general. Others in the past in God’s Word have felt the same way. You could look at several examples like Solomon following David, Elisha following Elijah, or Timothy following Paul. But the one I chose this time is Joshua following Moses.

Joshua was one of two men that believed God’s promise of giving the promised land to Israel and as a result he not only did not die in the 40 years in the wilderness, he became Moses’s understudy – servant – personal assistant.

But there came a day when Moses, the servant of God, the law giver, the great intercessor for God’s people, the friend of God (Exo 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend…) and a prophet, was about to die. Joshua was to step into the shoes of Moses.

Jos 1:1-9 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 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

You can see from this record the great apprehension Joshua must have had about stepping into the shoes of Moses. He had seen Moses write the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, He had seen Moses stand up to Pharaoh and deliver Israel out of Egypt; he was by Moses’s side when he defeated kings in battle in the Wilderness. Now it was his turn. He would have learned a lot about walking with and for God by observing the life of Moses.

Still God had to remind him that “as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee”. God no longer needed the books of Moses written. Israel had been delivered from Egypt, but now God needed Joshua to divide the promised land for the tribes and help them claim their inheritance in the land of Canaan.

God is not a respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) But he does respect those that believe and carry out what He has said.

So how does one generation prepare to take the places of leadership once their fathers, leaders, mentors have passed away? Here are some suggestions.

1. Study the Word of God for yourself.

This could include:
Listening to classes or digital teachings
Reading about the lives and teachings of great men of God:

EW Bullinger
Smith Wigglesworth
Spurgeon
Dr. Wierwille

2. Practice the operation of the manifestations of the gift of holy spirit.

Speak in tongues a lot.
Ask God to teach you how He works within YOU.

3. Find men who walk with God and hang out with them and copy their example of the renewed mind.

Php 3:17 Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.

Obviously, we do not follow their mistakes or where they fall short, but we do follow them where they walk according to the Word of God.
In other words, you simply continue to develop yourself and develop your walk with God.

Then, remember, when that day comes, as it will come if the Lord tarries, God will be with you, walk and talk with you just as he was with those that went before you. The situations you face may be different, but God is always the same, yesterday, today and forever. He is the faithful God.

This is seeing 20/20 down the road into the future. This is life, a part of the prosperous life.