Category Archives: The Prosperous Life

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We Are Spending Our Children’s Inheritance!


I have seen many times a bumper sticker on the back of a large motor home that says, “We are spending our children’s inheritance.”

I suspect that is supposed to be a little humorous.

When it comes to spending all the money we have worked so hard for, it might be interesting to take some Bible verses into account.

In 1 Chronicles there is a great record of David praying while dedicating the stuff for the temple his son Solomon was to build

1Chronicles 29:10-14 Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.

This is a great truth to remember when it comes to handling money.  All that we have comes from God, and it all belongs to Him.  We are stewards (or the more modern term would be managers) of His blessing.  We are to do with the finances God gives us as He directs us.  A manager or steward manages his bosses’ stuff.  The stuff does not belong to the manager; he just manages it for his boss’s profit.  In this case, God is our boss, and we manage for Him.

God asks us to give away part of what He blesses us with.  In the Old Testament, they started with the tithe or 10%, and then they were to give to others that were in need also, just as He asks us to do.

Then, God expected them to save part of what He blessed them with.  This is implied in the verse that says there is oil and wine in the house of the wise, but the fools spend it up. They were to save part of the surplus in their barns or storehouses just like we are to save part of our surplus in the bank or “under our mattress.” LOL

It is interesting to come to the realization that all our material goods, our property and all our finances really belong to Him.  We are managers, and we handle our money as He instructs. So, He has instructed us to tithe some, give some and save some. By instructing us about our finances, God is teaching us how money can be a blessing to our lives.

The attitude of the bumper sticker is:  It is my money, I earned it and I will spend it on myself if I want. God warned Israel not to have that type of attitude in Deuteronomy just before they entered the promised land:

Deuteronomy 8:9-18 A land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack any thing in it; a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig brass.  When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee. Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day: Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna, which thy fathers knew not, that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at thy latter end; And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. 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.

The life of a believer works better when we keep things in their proper perspective. We are just managers of what God has given us.  It all belongs to Him.  If God has said that a good man gives an inheritance to his children’s children, then part of keeping God and His Word first in our lives would be to so manage our money so that we can carry out His Will and leave an inheritance for our children’s children.

If you wish to see more prosperity in your life, remember Jesus said, “Faithful in little, faithful in much.”

The more we can straighten out our thinking to be in alignment and harmony with what God has said, the more we will see the blessings of God abound in our lives. The more we learn, the more faithful we can become to those Words of God.

The Prosperous Life Staff!!

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What Inspired This Group?

 

The idea for this group, The Prosperous Life, began with a desire to disseminate the information I had learned about prosperity.  As I learned, eventually I put the information in a book, Poverty vs Wealth, that is available on Amazon.

If you have a desire to learn more about prosperity, I suggest you start with this book.  Read the reviews on Amazon if you’d like to get a feel for what others thought of it.  I have included the forward here for you to consider:

Forward

The principles in this book took us years to learn, so have some patience with yourself if you are just starting.  Start in on the book, and as you see things that make sense put them into practice in your life.  Then reread the book and as you find more ideas that make sense, incorporate them as well.  If you put the principles of God’s Word into action, He will teach you if you want to know.

Here is a list of questions that we are going to attempt to answer as well as some cloudy areas that we will look at when it comes to money.

1.  Are tithing and giving the same?
2.  Is it easier for God to prosper self-employed people than salaried ones?
3.  If someone were to give you $10,000.00, what you would do with it?
4.  Does God expect us to save anything for the future?
5.  Why do some tithe and give, and yet prosperity seems to escape them?
6.  What are the differences between promises and warnings?
7.  Why are the warnings about money better known than the promises of prosperity?
8.  How do you “live within your means”?
9.  What if you lost it all?

There are invisible laws that make up the universe that we live in. There are laws of mathematics, chemistry, physics, gravity, airlift, and laws that cover the handling of money.  You cannot touch, taste, feel, see or hear them, but they work none the less. The laws of money work the same way every time just as the laws of mathematics do.

We are not going to cover where to invest your money or what kind of markets to be in.  We also are not going to cover making money, but we are interested in the fundamentals of prosperity, on handling the money that we do have.  The fundamentals of prosperity have nothing to do with what kind of job we have, who we work for, or who our parents are.

Many people look for prosperity in books and seminars. They try flipping real estate, reading positive thinking books, and try reading how the rich think.  They start at the wrong end of the subject.  Even if they end up making a large amount, they may easily lose it all because of a lack of the fundamentals.  These fundamentals of prosperity are essential to a prosperous life. Without an understanding of these fundamentals of prosperity, you could have a pro sports contract, inherit the money, win the lottery, or find gold coins buried in a milk can, but you may end up losing it all and living in poverty with no hope of ever regaining it. With an understanding of the fundamentals of prosperity, you can become very prosperous without a pro sports contract and have a good chance of keeping it.

My heart’s desire is that it will benefit you far beyond what you can imagine.

If you have read it, I would be very blessed to know how the principles in it impacted your life.

Roger B.

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Do you have a Storehouse?

 

I have given (tithed) all my life.  But I have also been frustrated with the level of prosperity in my life. I have heard many reasons for this, but a few years ago I began to see the problem.

God, without a doubt, blesses our lives back as we give, BUT he expects us to SAVE part of the surplus as it comes in.  You might say, “I have no surplus,” but that is because we spend everything He gives us and then some.  That is not good stewardship of the supply God provides back to us as we give.  There is more understanding to be gained from God’s Word about finances than learning to give only.

There is a law or principle that God set up from the beginning that works for all that apply it.  Saint and sinner alike as some might say.  It says that to those that hath, more shall be given.

Luke 19:12-26 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 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. And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities. 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, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury? 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.

In Matthew 13 Jesus Christ is explaining the parable of The Sower and the Seed and states this principle or law again.  Here, he uses it in the context of understanding.

Matthew 13:10-13 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath (understanding), to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not (understanding), from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

So, we see Jesus teaches this law/principle in the context of both money and understanding.  That is because it is a law that God established from the beginning, and Jesus is teaching us how it works. A practical example of this law in action is:

Deuteronomy 28:8 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.

A storehouse would be a place where a person or kingdom stored the surplus they had.

Storehouses are spoken about all through the Bible.  They are called barns, treasuries, storehouses and armories. They stored food, oil, wine, horses, chariots, gold and silver and precious stones.  David stored material for Solomon to use to build the Temple.  Nehemiah stored things in the temple’s treasure houses.  God has a great many things stored up also.  Therefore, He never runs out of blessings for His people. God is a God of abundance not a God of scarcity.

Joseph stored grain in the great storehouses of Egypt against the famine that was to come.  The verse that I first saw this in was in Proverbs 3.

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

First, we give and then as the surplus comes back, God expects us to save part of it.  So prosperity includes both giving and saving! How much?  There is no set amount spoken of in God’s Word.  Joseph saved 20% each year.  If you are in great debt, start with a dollar.  But start.  If God is to command His blessing upon your storehouse (bank account) you must have one!  He can even bless a dollar if that is all you can start with.

It was this verse in Proverbs 3 where I realized that I had honored the Lord with the first fruits of my increase all my life (tithed), but I did not have a barn/storehouse for Him to fill. We are not only to believe the Word, but also, we are to do it. Once I understood that God expected us to save part of what comes in, my wife and I opened some new savings accounts. So, we had believed and done the first part, but we had not believed nor prepared to do the second part of providing a storehouse.

What happened over time was amazing.  Where we had had trouble paying our bills, even though we gave all our lives, they now became easier to pay.  As our storehouses grew, our understanding of the biblical principles of finances grew also.  It was amazing! Saving part of the surplus shows good stewardship of God’s blessing.  It is not all spent.  Once God sees that you will be faithful in stewarding and saving the small amounts, the amounts you have to save will grow as will your understanding of how to biblically deal with money.  He will teach you as you are willing and desiring to learn.

Jesus taught:  To them that hath more shall be given.  God said He would command His blessing on what you HAVE.  So, decide today to HAVE!  Open a savings account to put money in that you will never spend for anything.  As you believe and do what God has said, expect Him to teach you more about money – your attitude, how to handle what you have and how to get out of debt.  Expect Him to teach you, to walk with you in this whole area of finance, and you will experience much more of The Prosperous Life.

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The Wealth of the Sinner is Laid up for the Just

Proverbs 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous. ESV

This verse has two parts. A good man retains his wealth and leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren. The sinner loses his wealth, and his wealth is given to the righteous. Interesting.

This is not the only place in God’s Word that this idea of the sinner laying up wealth for the righteous is talked about. AND God gives us some examples of it.

Ecclesiastes 2:26 For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. … ESV

Some examples of this would be: When Israel finally left Egypt, the Egyptians so much wanted to get rid of them they gave Israel most all their wealth and also the wealth that had been brought into Egypt during the famine in the days of Joseph. Then when Israel entered the promised land, God gave them houses they had not built, cities they had not walled, vineyards they had not planted and livestock they had not raised.

None of this was earned by their labor. God gave them this wealth that had been laid up by the sinners.

When God created the heavens and the earth, He put the resources into the earth for His family to use. He had no idea that Adam would hand the dominion of the earth over to the devil, but Adam did that anyway. Now the devil, not owning the earth but being the god of it, makes sure his people, sinners of all sorts, have most of the resources. But God still owns the place, and God has stated that all that storing up of wealth that the sinners do, they are really laying it up for God’s family, His children. He intended for His children to have it in the first place!

We don’t pray and ask God to give us others’ wealth. He has plenty to go around. But we do need to believe that it is His will to prosper us, and if we receive a large sum, we say thanks and put it in the bank.

Another example would be in 2 Kings 6:24 and following. This is the record of the lepers at the gate. The record is too long to recount here, but the wealth of that occupying army was given lock, stock and barrel to Israel.

These people did not earn the money or the wealth. It is common to feel that if you did not physically earn the money, you don’t deserve it. Then you might try to give most of it away so your conscious is clear and comfortable. Yet God says the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just – the righteous. For you, His child. You may need to change your mind – your thinking.

It might be good to put these records in your believing so that if something like that ever happens to you, you can just be thankful. Thankful and stick it in the bank!

There are other records in the gospels where God gave Peter and Jesus the money to pay their taxes. Matthew 17:26.

Then there is the record of Peter and Jesus and the fishing boats. In Luke 5:3-8, they got so many fish the boats began to sink. And in John 21:5, the net broke.

These men were not going to eat all those fish. They took them to market and sold them. They had quite a great haul of fish. The money allowed them to not have to work for a while, so they could attend upon the things of God. But it was an unusually large amount of fish and thus money.

For this to work for them, they had to be comfortable with receiving a large sum of money, and they had to be comfortable handling it.

For us today that might be like a sports contract, winning the lottery, getting a job that pays say four times what we are used to or receiving an inheritance.
Peter was a fisherman, so God gave him the money through his work. But the sad thing is many times people will just give it away. This is legendary with lottery winners.

Why would they get rid of the money? Some would ask:

Why me? Others need this more than I do.
The money could cause feelings of guilt; guilty that you received it but not others you know, such as a returning veteran that was the only one who lived after an encounter with the enemy.
The money could cause feelings of fear of your friends finding out about the amount you now have.
Some might feel that it is was gained by them unfairly, or that others would perceive it to be so.
Some might have feelings of insecurity or feel they did not deserve it because they did not earn it. Or feel it was way above what they consider normal for their station in life.

Possibly the greatest reason people get rid of money is because they are not comfortable with the amount. All of a sudden, they are out of their comfort zone. This can be very subtle and disturbing. I learned several years ago that most of us unknowingly have an amount of money we are comfortable with. Anything over that, and we get rid of it. We give it away, spend it, etc. Once it is gone, now we are at a level where we are comfortable again. The amount that I was comfortable with was so small it was embarrassing.

What can you do to prepare yourself to be responsible with large amounts of money? The verse: Faithful in little, faithful in much comes to mind…

Luke 19:17 And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.

Learn to manage your money wisely. Wealth comes as a result of financial literacy.
Some suggest giving 10%, saving 10% and investing 10%. But at least get started, and watch your believing grow.
Ask God to teach you how to handle what He gives to you. You may need to find a mentor, read some books and most of all change your mind about money. It is work, but it is also extremely rewarding.
Set up some protocols for unexpected money coming in. An example: tithe 10%, spend 10% and save 80%!
Some set up categories for each account. (More on this in the book Poverty vs Wealth)
Remember, the money saved by Pharaoh saved the lives of the Egyptians and the land of Canaan.

Lastly, remember the verses that say, “Unto him that hath more shall be given….” This expression is used of both understanding and with money. The more you increase your understanding of money with a biblical foundation, the more understanding God will give you. The more you increase your understanding of money and utilize those principles, so that you have more money, the more God can trust you with.

Remember, God said that He wishes above all things that you prosper and be in health even as your soul prospers.

Learn to save and expect God to prosper you according to His word so that you too can give an inheritance to your grandchildren.

Learning is an exciting adventure, and it is all part of The Prosperous Life.

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The Poor Part 4 – Israel and Poverty


One of the great things we have learned about finances in the record about Joseph is that it is Godly to save money. But there are still some more interesting truths.

The years of great abundance have ended, and the famine has set in.

Genesis 41:55-57 And when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do. And the famine was over all the face of the earth: And Joseph opened all the storehouses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine waxed sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands.

When the people of Egypt came to buy food, at first, they brought in money.

Genesis 47:13-14 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

Notice, the money went to the house of Pharaoh. Since Joseph was the steward of Pharaoh, his job was to prosper Pharaoh which he did very well. The food was not his to just give away.

Now when the money failed in the land of Egypt, Joseph gave them food the next year in exchange for their herds, their flocks and their horses. Then the people offered to sell themselves and their lands to Pharaoh in exchange for food. Thus, they became servants to Pharaoh. After this, Joseph moved them to different locations and gave them food and seed to use for crop planting. As servants to Pharaoh, they were to give 20% of their harvest to Pharaoh each year.

During this time, Joseph’s father Jacob (also called Israel) sent his sons down to Egypt to buy food during the first and the second years of the famine. Some estimate there were about 70-80 people in his household. That would take quite the sum of money to feed that many people for a year. He obviously was not poor.

Eventually, Joseph revealed himself to his older brothers and asked them to tell his father he was alive and living in Egypt, and that Jacob, his father, needed to come down to Egypt since there were five more years of the famine left.

Now this next section has a remarkably interesting verse at the end. It is apparent from reading about Joseph that he was a man with the spirit of God upon him. He listened to God and walked with God in everything he had done so far since being sold into slavery. So, his desire that his father move to Egypt was also a very wise move on his part.

Genesis 45:7-11 And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children’s children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.

As a man that walked with God, Joseph states that he did not want his father, Jacob, to come to poverty, and God had the writer of Genesis write that desire down. We can assume that it was God’s will to see Jacob prosper even in the worst of times. As other records show, Jacob’s prosperity had come from God. (Genesis 31)

Pharaoh was very blessed with Joseph, and when he learned that Joseph’s father, Jacob, was coming to Egypt, he sent wagons to help them come.

Genesis 45:17-21 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

During the time of the famine, the priests of the Egyptian gods were taken care of by Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.

Pharaoh also took care of Joseph’s family. Jacob was to be nourished as were the priests during the famine. Pharaoh, by way of Joseph, gave them the best of the land in Egypt, the land of Goshen, and then Pharaoh paid Jacob’s sons to be herdsmen for his flocks. He must have been incredibly grateful for all that Joseph had done to preserve his country.

Pharaoh’s love for Joseph and his father, Jacob, can be seen in the services held for Jacob at the time of his death.

Genesis 50:6-9 And Pharaoh said, Go up, and bury thy father, according to as he made thee swear. And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.

God knew there was a famine coming, so he sent Joseph to Egypt as a man who believed God to take care of his father and to watch over the Christ line. God had a lot invested in Jacob, and Jacob was a man who believed God and walked with God himself. Thus, God took care of those that believed Him.

In the Gospels, Jesus never stated that poverty was a virtue. We have seen many places where God says it is His will for His family to be wealthy and prosperous. This record reminds one of what Jeremiah the prophet wrote:

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 (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Because of the lives of those men that believed God, you can see in these events that Egypt and the nations around her were blessed and saved from certain death because of the famine. Jacob and Joseph’s trust in God spared their lives and, as a result, saved the lives of thousands and thousands of people in that area of the world.

So, remember that your life is a blessing to many as you believe and trust God even though they may not be aware you are born from above.

Remember to watch and pray for those around you, your family, your country and the economic situations that arise. Your trust in God may be a blessing to people far beyond what you know. Understanding wealth and God’s desire for you to prosper, understanding God’s instruction to save money, having the right understanding of the “poor” and becoming financially literate is a result of acquiring the wisdom that is all part of living The Prosperous Life.