Category Archives: The Prosperous Life

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Who is Your Provider? God or Your Job?

A Short on Prosperity #11


I remember years ago when I did the finances for our home.  I was self-employed.  Some jobs would be three or four days, and some two to three weeks.

The short jobs were nice.  I could get paid once or twice a week and had the money then to pay off my bills, buy food, gas, etc.  But the longer-term jobs presented a problem. By the time the job was finished, I had quite a stack of bills and needed to go shopping for food, so I really looked forward to getting paid.  So much so that I pinned a lot of hope on getting that check to solve my problems without much thought about God.

When I would finally get paid, I was elated.  I felt that now everything would be set right, and life would be lovely.  But as always happened as I set down to pay the bills and by the time I was done, all the money was gone.  This was very disheartening. It took all the wind out of me.  The feeling of elation was gone.  This feeling of hope was just a feeling and not a logical thought.

I did not like the disappointment, the letdown. It took that happening repeatedly over several years for me to understand that this way of seeing things was wrong.

As I thought on this, finally, I realized my thinking/feelings were all wrong.  I was putting my hope for paying my bills in my job and getting paid. As I pondered this dilemma, I realized our trust for our sufficiency should rest on God not on getting paid.  I finally thought to myself, “What happens if after the three weeks you don’t get paid for whatever reason?”  Do you starve? Lose your home?  Is God out of business?

I finally understood that as we work, we look to God to provide.  It is like the verse that says:

Proverbs 21:31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD.

In this verse, the man prepared the horse and perhaps himself by great training, but at the end of the battle, he knew that the reason he was safe was because God had provided for his safety.

We likewise do our diligence to work and run our businesses, but at the end of the day, it is God that provides.

We pray and God will help. This is part of learning the process of applying God’s word to everyday life.

Think about this: we let our requests and prayers be known to God, and at times he supplies those requests through people.

Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Exodus 3:21-22 And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians

Job 42:11 Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him: every man also gave him a piece of money, and every one an earring of gold.

In these verses, we see God supplying through people.

Many times, He may provide by you getting paid for your work.  But He also provides in many different ways. God provided Abraham a ram in a thicket, so Abraham named that place, and it became one of the names of God. “The Lord will provide.”

Genesis 22:14 – Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD is my provider. As it is said to this day, “In the LORD’s mountain it will be provided.”

He provided Israel with manna in the wilderness.

Psalms 23:1 – The Lord is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.  (We look to God)
Psalms 34:9, 10 – Oh fear the LORD, you his saints, For there is no lack with those who fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.

Here is another great example of God’s supply in the Old Testament.

Leviticus 25:20-22 And if ye shall say, What shall we eat the seventh year? behold, we shall not sow, nor gather in our increase: Then I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years. And ye shall sow the eighth year, and eat yet of old fruit until the ninth year; until her fruits come in ye shall eat of the old store.

How do you explain how the land brought forth so much that year?  If you have a really great year money-wise, it might be wise to put a lot in the bank.  You can not see what is coming tomorrow, but He can.

Jeremiah 17:5-8 Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the man who trusts in man, and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like the heath in the desert, and shall not see when good comes, but shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, a salt land and not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.

Our trust is in God to supply.  We work our butts off, but at the end of the day, we realize that He is the one that provides.

As it says in the 121st Psalm:

…From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.

We do our due diligence to work heartily, but we keep our eyes upon God and put our trust in our Father.  Even if we did not get paid, He is still the Lord that provides.  Learning some of these things and setting our minds on the right paths are all part of learning to live The Prosperous Life.

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You Are Not Alone!

James 1:5-6  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

As God’s children, we have some great avenues available to us for learning and protection. Here, God says that if you lack wisdom, which we all do, all we have to do is ask, expecting that He will hear us and grant us the wisdom we seek.

We have a great book of financial wisdom available to us in God’s Word. We have seen much of that wisdom already in what we have been looking at so far. This wisdom on how money works rightly is priceless.  Once you understand how true prosperity works in life, you can do it over and over again. For instance, if you lose it all, you can, with the wisdom you have learned, do it over again. This is why God’s Word says that wisdom is more valuable than money.

Someone once asked me, “If I put my money in the stock market and lose it all, what happens then?”  I told them, “Well, it depends on your motivation in becoming prosperous.”  If you were just after the money and you lost it all, those are the people that jump out the 10th-story windows, as in the stock market crash of 1929.  But, if your motivation in becoming prosperous was to see God’s Word come to pass, you are in much better shape. If you become a giver and a saver because you could see those principles in His Word, then the next morning, you go back to work, and when you get paid, you give and save as in the past because you have seen that is what God expects us to do. That is how He set life up. With this attitude, there is no devastation if we lose it all.”

There is a man in the Bible who lost it all—IN ONE DAY—including his children! –Job.

Job 1:22  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.

Job’s main concern was his relationship with God. When God told Job—a man who had lost all children, all his wealth, and was covered in boils—to pray for his friends, he did exactly that.  Here is a man who had God first in his heart.

When Job’s troubles were over, God doubled back to him all his wealth. Interesting.  I doubt that he opened the front door the next morning, and it was all sitting on his front step.  Friends gave him some, but he must have known the principles of prosperity and simply put them back to work.

If you lose it all—if  God is first in your life and your trust is in Him, you take it to Him in prayer.

When you pray, you can ask God to give you wisdom, as we read in James. He never berates you for asking.  You could ask Him for wisdom every day, for things in general, and for specific things, such as how to deal with finances and how to keep Him first.  Ask Him to show you if you get off track.

You could read and study His Word.  Part of what we read earlier in 3 John 1:2 was prospering as your soul prospers. Read and apply His Word in all the areas of your life that you can.

You can also ask God to teach you, lead you, and guide you. Maybe you are an adult and it might seem a little late in life to ask God to teach, lead, and guide you. In the Old Testament, David asked for those things, and he was a king. You would think a king would not ask to be taught, to be lead, or to be guided, but he did. And David’s son, Solomon, asked God for wisdom!

Psalm 144:1  (A Psalm of David.) Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight:

Psalm 143:8-10  Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee.  Deliver me, O LORD, from mine enemies: I flee unto thee to hide me. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness.

Psalm 31:3  For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.

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.

David, the king of Israel, asked God to teach him, to lead him, and to guide him. Solomon, the wisest man to live up until the day of Jesus Christ, asked God for wisdom. We could do the same daily as we pray and then expect that our Father would do that for us also.

You might think of God as your older and wiser business partner. God’s Word says that He is at work within you. Learn to pray for your family’s finances. Ask Him to protect what you have stored and saved in your savings and funding accounts.  Remember what we read in Malachi:

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.

God used agricultural illustrations because the people were so connected to the earth. We may not be farmers, but the promise of protection of what He has blessed us with is the same.  Expect to see His hand at work in your finances to cause them to increase as you grow and learn. Even Satan recognized God’s hand of blessing upon Job’s financial life.

Job 1:10   Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

Below is a great prayer from a man asking God to bless him. We are blessed with all spiritual blessings.  This prayer concerns the physical realm here on the earth.

1 Chronicles 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.

Why is this prayer in the Bible? Those things were written for our learning. We could also pray prayers like this. Ask and expect God’s hand to be with us in all our endeavors. We are not alone in this work.

When you look at your accounts and see that some are depleting because they are being used, like the emergency fund, ask God for help in replenishing it. Don’t wait till the fund is empty. Pray before you reach the bottom of the barrel. Guard your increase!

Pray for your savings and funding accounts. Pray for your investments. God is like a partner. Ultimately, it is His stuff anyway.

Psalm 24:1  A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

1 Chronicles 29:14-16  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.  For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.  O LORD our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, and is all thine own.

These last verses are on the occasion of David’s dedication of the things he was giving to store up for the building of the temple by Solomon. David recognized that we are just stewards of the things we have. It all comes from God, and it all belongs to Him.

While we are here, we simply get to steward those things God gives us, and part of stewardship is to see the things under our care prosper and grow in value, the same as Joseph did in Potiphar’s house.

Genesis 39:3  And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand.

If God made all that Joseph did to prosper, He will do the same for you and me. We, as stewards, are not just caretakers, but we are to see it grow also.

People used to work from daylight or earlier, until dark. So when you get home from work, work a couple of hours on learning how to cause your savings to grow. Learn to trade or buy and sell something.

Matthew 25:16-18  Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents.  And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two.  But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

People used to trade for a profit.  Obviously, it was known how to do that in the lands and times of the Bible. It is a lost art. So get some books and read up.

Here are a couple of suggestions:
One Red Paperclip: How to Trade a Red Paperclip for a House    Kyle MacDonald
Horse Tradin     Ben K. Green

Some people take their savings and buy and sell houses, boats, campers, antique glass or anything you can think of. Some sell it to dealers, on eBay, or on Craigslist.

Use the money in savings to buy and then put it all back along with the profit, minus your giving. The verses above do not say they made one trade to double their money. But when the householder came back, they had doubled it.  That is much better than the bank!

In every venture you start, pray and ask God to give you understanding and wisdom, and to teach you, and to lead you, and to guide you.  This, done over a period of years, will have some great success because you are not alone in this venture. God is at work within you. You know He wants you to prosper. Learn to expect to see His wisdom and His guidance in your life. This is all part of learning to live The Prosperous Life.

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What is a Truly Prosperous Life?

What is a truly Prosperous Life? God gave Joshua a key.

Jos 1:7-9 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.

In order to “observe” and do according to God’s Word, we would need to study His word. Particularly that Word of God that applies in our administration (The administration of Grace that started on the day of Pentecost and that is laid out in the Church Epistles of Romans – Thessalonians).

Read it for yourself and then think about it and meditate on it.

The first Psalm of David also speaks of The Prosperous Life.  (Interesting to note that God speaks to us about how to prosper in the very first Psalm).

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.

Any person who walks with God, believes (observes) His Word, and carries it out is walking in The Prosperous Life.  They may witness to or help the ungodly and sinners, (like Jesus did), and avoid the scorners.   But these types are not their best friends.  Our friends, those that we counsel with, stand with, and sit with, are those who revere God and His Word above all else. Those who are endeavoring to walk according to God’s Word.

So it is not only important to learn God’s Word and do it, it is also important who you hang out with.  People have a great influence on us.  For instance, if your friends are not givers/tithers or savers, you probably aren’t or won’t be one either. If they go into debt for all the new shiny stuff, you probably will too.

Pro 27:17  Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Pick good friends. Who your friends are and what they believe and do from God’s word are important.

So why did we deal mostly with finances in these blogs of The Prosperous Life?

  • There are many that teach about the great work that JC did to accomplish our redemption.
  • There are many now that teach that God gave the gift of holy spirit on the day of Pentecost and is available to all.
    There are some that teach about how to operate the manifestations of spirit (that gift that is born within).
    There are some that teach that we are to do the works that JC did and even greater works.
    There are many that teach Old Testament history.

People teach many different topics from the Bible but accurate teaching on money is hard to find. Yet money is a huge part of our life.  We spend our days working for it and our evenings paying bills.  God knew this and so included many principles in His Word on how to properly handle what He gives you.

Our adversary, the devil, has convinced many that God is the one that sends sickness, disease and death (calling them home.) The devil has convinced many that God’s will is for us to give all our earthly goods away and live one paycheck to the next until we die.  That to save money is to store up treasure on earth.

Yet of all the things that God could wish for His children to have as we wait for the return of Christ, God said he wishes for this in 3 John 2

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

Some have written great books on God’s will for our health and healing.

Mike Verdicchio   Healing from God Is Available
Dave Bergey         100 Scriptures to Help you Recover your Health

We, on the other hand, learned about prosperity. God’s desire is for us to be healthy and prosperous.  Yet prosperity is a much-maligned topic in much of the church. The misconceptions and wrong teachings about money have abounded for thousands of years.  Some stem from a wrong interpretation of the scriptures.  As I began to learn what God really said about money, it shocked me at the beginning that I had NEVER heard some of these things growing up in the church.  Yet there they were — in His word.  So, I began to share them with others. Thus a blog that only deals with the financial side of prosperity.

I have many teaching on other topics. There are over 700 teachings available on our fellowship website.  Most have nothing to do with “prosperity” per se.  I have another blog site www.selah.rogerbraker.com.

I continually post blogs about prosperity because most of us don’t change our minds quickly.  We may acknowledge the truth, but it takes time for the truth to become part of our inner life. That happens more quickly as we look at the scriptures over and over. This is easier to do when we are younger, and our heads are not yet so full of what those in the pulpit expound.

The Prosperous Life is a life that has, first of all, been Born again, that is the greatest prosperity of all.  It is a life that endeavors to learn God’s Word and do it. To Walk and talk with God, our Father.

This is why prosperity is such an interesting topic. Because giving/tithing and saving and staying out of debt is part of what God asks us as His children to do. It is part of walking with God. Many might say “yes I walk with God but don’t ask about my money.  Money is personal and I don’t have any to spare”.  Walking with God involves every aspect of your life, including your money.

You could do the same with the manifestations of spirit.  You know how to speak in tongues but don’t really have the desire to do it.

This is a case like the Pharisees, they held the truth, they knew the truth of God, but the truth did not hold them

Mat 23:1-3 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Remember walking with and for God is a personal thing. It is not a group thing or a church thing.  It is you and God walking together.  God instructs us in His word how to walk and God tells us of the benefits He has in store for those that do.

Deu 28:1-5 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on high above all nations of the earth: 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…..

This is an exceptionally long list of what God has in store for those who choose to believe His word and walk with Him. The list basically deals with prosperity as an agricultural issue because their economy was agriculture.  Our economies are completely different, but God has not changed.  They were under the law, we live in the administration of Grace. This is why reading God’s word for yourself is so important.  What did God really say?

My hope is that over time, some will gain a new appreciation for the promises and instructions God put in His word about money.  What God actually said. This is why you need to read it for yourself, think about His Word and then do it.  This is part of walking with God and part of The Prosperous Life God wishes for you.

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Can God Trust You?

Jesus taught many things about living life during his ministry.  When he taught about being faithful, he used stories of servants handling their master’s funds. From this, we can learn how to better handle the money God gives or trusts us with.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches the story of the unjust steward. (For a more detailed study on this story, follow this link) This steward used his master’s funds, which was a financial loss to his master, to make a good position for himself when he was let go. Jesus used this man as an example of what faithful was not.  The Pharisees, who loved money more than God, knew he was speaking about them, and it made them angry.

At the end of the story, Jesus makes four statements about faithfulness:

1.    Luke 16:10 He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much:
2.    And he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (This is what the steward was called in this record – unjust.)
3.    Luke 16:11 If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? (True riches – the truly spiritual understanding of God’s Word!)
4.    Luke 16:12 And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?
(And if you have not been faithful in the use of that [earthly wealth] which belongs to another [whether God or man and of which you are a trustee], who will give you that which is your own? Amplified Bible)

This servant/steward had made his master poorer so that the servant could be taken care of when he was removed. The master said he was wise, but Jesus said:

Luke 16: 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.

Jesus used money to teach faithfulness because, at the end of the day, it is easy to count.  If the master had $1000.00 at the start of the week and only $500.00 at the end of the week, the steward did not prosper the master.  He prospered himself.  That is not faithful.

Now, in another story, the man gave some of his servants certain amounts of money and told them to trade with it, and he would take account when he returned.

Matthew 25:19-26 After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. (This is the secret that the wealthy understand but the poor do not.)

So, the steward in the first story was found to be unfaithful and unjust. Two of the servants in Matthew were found to be good and faithful.

Jesus taught about faithfulness here by using money. (Interestingly the Greek word translated “faithful” in the gospels only occurs in one other scripture where it is translated believing. Thus, using money is the way Jesus taught about what faithfulness was). Consider this.  When David dedicated his things to the temple, he declared that everything we have comes from God, and it all still belongs to Him.  We are simply managers/stewards of the things God has trusted us with. As stewards/managers of God’s blessings/funds, He asks us to give some, to save some, and to stay out of debt.  As I have noted in other writings, if you start giving and saving when you are young, the results can be astounding.

Jesus taught what it was to be faithful using money. What would happen if the church taught financial responsibility?  Mostly you hear the church teach tithing.  Some churches go a step further and teach “give and it shall be given unto you”, but that is where the teaching stops.  This is just the beginning of the principles of prosperity. But this way the church receives its funds, and if they teach that God will give back to the giver, that is usually all you hear.  As to the rest of the principles of prosperity God included in His Word that I have covered in other blogs, well, they leave the believer dangling in the wind to figure it out for themselves.

Why do churches not teach about the proper handling of finances?  They are involved in teaching many other topics. The church is involved in everything from marriage counseling and parenting to running schools and homeless shelters. But running seminars on personal finance is not something that has ever been commonly done. Instead, the church has taught many negative things about money for thousands of years.  As soon as you bring up the topic of money in church circles, you are likely to hear, with a wagging finger, “the love of money is the root of all evil” or “you are storing up treasure on earth”. It is no wonder so many Christians have a hard time prospering. We cannot do or believe beyond what we are taught.

As I drive about the countryside in my state, I see many poor-looking churches.  I can’t help but think if these churches taught their people the great principles of prosperity that, their members would be much better off financially, and the church itself would not have to stand on the street and beg for money as I have seen some do.

Why not teach our young people the biblical principles? Teach them faithfulness in the things of God using money as the tool, as Jesus did! Show them how to give, how to save, and how then to stay out of debt.

When we are faithful in the physical things of this world, unrighteous mammon, we show God and others we can be trusted. Jesus then said we will be given more in the way of finances. And then we can be trusted with the truly spiritual things of God.

Proverbs 28:20 – “A faithful man will abound with blessings.”
1 Corinthians 4:2 Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.

Matthew 25:21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. (Note: He is made ruler over many things, not just a steward of money.  Why?  He was a faithful man and would carry out the additional duties with that same faithfulness.)

Faithful to carry out God’s Word with our money is just the beginning.  God has promised we will abound with blessings as we pursue this discipline in pursuit of The Prosperous Life.

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Attitude

A Short on Prosperity #10

With money, attitudes make a large difference. In many areas of life, it is a known factor that success depends 80% on attitude and 20% on your technique.  What is our attitude towards God’s willingness and ability to prosper us as we carry out His word?  Consider the following:  You are out of town and become stuck there and need a hotel room.  Your mind may say, “I can’t spend the money on a hotel room. I can’t. I need that money for something else.” It causes a lot of angst in your life. However, if you took the Attitude, “I am glad I have the money, so I will get the room, and things will work out. God will supply.”, you relieve yourself of so much mental pressure, and then things just work better. Attitude.

Many people teach that economics is a zero-sum game.  A zero-sum game is one where, in order for me to receive more, you have to have less. If the economy was a large pie, then for me to get a bigger piece of that pie, yours would have to be smaller.  If that was true, who was the loser when God filled the woman’s pots with oil?  God did not take from anyone to give that to her.  That is why we call it a miracle. No, economics is not a zero-sum game. As we labor, we add value to the economy, and we are paid for our labor. Sometimes our labor produces products out of raw materials.  Those products, with our labor added in, are worth far more than the raw materials. If in order for some to have more, others have to do with less, and there is only a finite amount available, what was available when the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock?  Not much.  But with their labor and the labor of the following generations, we became the richest nation on earth.  We used the raw materials and added great wealth into the world and our nation. Attitude.

When looking at the topic of attitude, if you’re married, you need to work on the principles of prosperity together. It works the best if the husband and wife are on the same page. If one is pulling one way and the other is pulling in the opposite direction, you may make very little progress. Work together until you are both pulling in the direction of the Word. Read this book and other books together and discuss what you are learning. You can help and encourage each other with your understanding and with what God’s Word says on the topics. Attitude.

Remember, some people, rather than doing the work of learning about prosperity and rising up in their believing and understanding, find it easier to drag you down to their level of unbelief. Then they don’t look so bad. They will say, “See, he could not do it either;” “Giving was under the law;” “It did not work for him.”  You come to realize that no matter what you teach them, they just do not want to do this stuff.  Don’t argue with them; just let them be.

This is why sometimes it is best to keep your believing to yourself. Many times, you might take a lesson from the book, The Millionaire Next Door.  If you have believing, have it to yourself before God.  

Monitor your accounts every week to see growth or holes in your bag. (Read The Richest Man in Babylon.)

Sit down once a year and examine all that you are paying for.

Can you get rid of it?
Can you reduce the price?
Can you get it cheaper somewhere else?
(We have called our insurance agent several years in a row because of increases and in some cases saved some money.)

Although there may be many more topics I could include here on attitude, the last one I wanted to address is fear. One reason people are tight with their money is fear or pinched thinking. You overcome fear by putting the Word in your mind. Some of the ways this fear manifests itself are the following:

  1. A fear of going broke which is a failure to believe that God will prosper them.
  2. A fear of being wasteful or greedy.
  3. A fear that they won’t have enough to pay their next large bill, so they do without, or they don’t tip, or they buy cheap, or they don’t pay current small bills out of fear that they won’t be able to pay the next large one, or they don’t give much.

Ask yourself, where these fears and thoughts come from, and then correct them. Attitude.

If our Father is a God of abundance, and His Word clearly states that He is, then why should we ever suffer any lack? It’s only because of our own pinched, limited thinking and our own believing. We simply don’t trust that He will do what He has said. Attitude.

Once you recognize this, if you have that problem, then go to work. Put God’s Word in your mind: “My Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills.” Psalm 50:12. “Beloved, I wish above all things…” 3 John 1:2. You say to your mind, “This is our new standard.” “It may be uncomfortable at first, but this is how I am going to conduct my life.” When the thought or the feeling comes, “You won’t have enough,” just say, “The Lord will provide.” Attitude.

Then as you begin to give and save the money God blesses you with, the change in your attitude will enable you to see further down the road, and The Prosperous Life God intended for His children to have will become more real.