One of the biggest keys to developing prosperity in your life is in understanding the aspects of prosperity. Prosperity is more of a process than it is an act or event. An act or event would be like winning the lottery or getting a raise at work.

Prosperity or finances or money is a subject that is dealt with throughout God’s Word, and rightly so since it is a huge part of our daily lives. Most of us work to make money every day, and we have bills to pay with that money every day and week.

Thankfully, God has laid out the principles of how to deal with money in His word so that it is a blessing to our lives. They are not all written in one place, but we can find them if we diligently search for them.

If you really want to understand the topic of prosperity, or any topic for that matter, there are a couple of verses that will help.

2 Timothy 2:7 Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.

Consider means to think about – to ponder – to dwell upon.

Any time you consider a verse or topic from God’s Word, first ask God to open your eyes so you can see. Then as you consider, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do I actually believe that in my heart?
What would it take for me to believe that verse?
How would my life change if that verse was part of my everyday life?
Do I believe God would do this for me?
Are there any other places that subject is written about?
Are there any records in God’s Word that would illustrate that principle?
What is the context this verse or topic is in?
Could this principle be applied in other areas?
Do I know anyone that lives this way that I could use for an example or talk to or read about?

You must actually think about each question for a while. Search your mind and heart. If you do this diligently, then answers will eventually begin to come.

Another verse that is helpful to understanding is a set of verses from the book of Psalms.

Psalm 119:98-100 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

Notice here the psalmist said God’s Commandments were ever with him. In our day and time, we might write them on a card and put it on our bathroom mirror or keep them in our car where we can see them constantly – so they are ever with us. Then the psalmist said he had more understanding than his teachers because God’s Word was his meditation – he thought about them, pondered or dwelled upon them. Finally, he said he had more understanding than the ancients because he kept God’s Word. He did what God said; he carried it out. As he was faithful to keep God’s word, God gave him the true riches of this life — more understanding about God and His Wonderful Word.

Here is a great quote along this line of holding God’s Word in your mind and thinking about it.

“As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What is the food for the inner man? Not prayer, but the Word of God-not the simple reading of the Word of God, so that it only passes through our minds, just as water runs through a pipe. No, we must consider what we read, ponder over it, and apply it to our hearts.”
― George Muller, The Autobiography of George Muller

With all that in mind, let’s look at a great principle on the proper use of money.

Proverbs 21:17 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.

Proverbs 21:20 There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up

Interestingly, it is apparent God wants us to NOT spend all we make. We are to save some of each amount we receive. We are not to spend it all. If you have had the habit spending all you make, then some adjustments may be necessary.

To start, how much do we save? The example in the Old Testament on giving was 10%, so it would seem only right that we could save 10% also. It is only logical that if we are to pay God what we owe, 10%, then we should pay ourselves 10% because we did the work. Now that may be more than some can start doing right out of the chute. So, start with what you can. Give 1% and save 1%, but just get started. Then ask God to show you how to increase the amounts.

You may have to get a better job or take on a second job temporarily to pay down some of your debt to get your finances to the point where you can do 10 and 10. Part of getting our foot off the hose so to speak is to bring our finances into alignment with what God has said.

Our goal then is to bring our finances and believing into alignment with the Word of God.

Remember, read the verses, meditate on the verses and do the verses!

No matter how hard it seems in the beginning, it will get easier. Changes in life are not usually cataclysmic, but they more often start small and then grow. If you move your life towards God, doing what His Word says, He will be right there to help you no matter what your circumstances are.
Decide today to become one of the wise that stores up some of their prosperity and stop spending all we make.

Pondering on the scriptures, applying the list of questions written previously, then making what you learn a habit in any area of interest is all part of The Prosperous Life.

The question I am asking today is, how do you see yourself, who are you really? Are you limiting your walk with God because of self-limiting thoughts or beliefs about yourself? Are you how YOU see yourself or are you how GOD sees you?

Craig Ballantyne wrote an article a few years ago where he talked about a physician, Dr. Maltz (author of Psycho-Cybernetics). He had patients that told him if he could correct some deformity that they had, it would change their life. However, he found that even though the surgery was successful, the patient did not benefit from it because of the self-limiting beliefs they had about themselves. Dr. Maltz then set out to help them change how they saw themselves.

I saw an interview with a Hollywood star that struggled with a poor self-image. Outside of that interview, you would have never known how they thought about themselves. They said it took a lot of work years later for them to change how they perceived themselves. They made the money, but they saw themselves poorly. Some people in entertainment make the money but, in the end, kill themselves.

We call ourselves Christians and quote the verse that says, “It’s Christ in you the hope of glory.” We say we are born from above of the spirit of God, we call ourselves His children – His offspring, we call God our Father. Yet many times, we act or see ourselves as much less than what the new birth would indicate. We have the head knowledge of the scriptures, but it does not live in our hearts to the end that the Word of God affects our decisions in our everyday lives.

One of the major keys to The Prosperous Life is to see ourselves as God made us to be in Christ and walk that way. We should hold our heads up and expect that our Father’s hand is with us in every situation and in everything that we do.

We say or confess that we are the children of God, and yet we make decisions based on fear. We do not ask for the salary we deserve or bid that job at what it is worth out of fear we won’t get the job. Or we may not ask the young lady out for fear of rejection. Teaching or writing may be inhibited out of fear of rejection or people laughing at us, and thus we live far below what God desires for us.

How we see ourselves can manifest itself in how we dress for our jobs or when we go out for the evening, how we carry ourselves or what we talk about.

We may see ourselves as always struggling with finances or struggling with sickness when our Father has clearly said He wishes above all things that we prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers.

There are probably other areas in our walk with God that we do not struggle at all. Perhaps we are never late for an appointment, or perhaps to not give (tithe) is unimaginable to us. We can simply take the attitude we have in these areas and use it in the areas we need to change.

You can make part of your inner thinking of your mind and what you confess out loud to be, “I always dress the best I can for the job at hand.” Or, “I always price myself at the market or higher because of the confidence I have of God being with me and causing me to prosper. God is always at work with me in my finances to help me prosper. By his stripes I was healed, and I know God helps me to stay healthy – He keeps the bugs away from me – He keeps me from stumbling and getting hurt.

As you change the internal script you have in your mind about yourself, it is not enough to just say the words. You must believe these things are true for you. Change may take a while, but be patient. As you come to believe who you really are as a child of God, you will see more of the promises of God come to pass in your life. As you change, your life will change.

It is a great thing to have the confidence and wisdom that comes from God and His Word. One of the benefits that comes as you believe more of who you really are as a child of God is to not be offended by the words of others. To realize that when you are attacked verbally, it is really the other person that has the problem. They are trying to make you feel bad, so you won’t look at them and see their shortcomings or faults or their messed-up life.

Sometimes, they are jealous of some area of your life or envious of what you have. So, they try to cut you down. But if we know whose we are and who we serve, then we can pray for them instead of being offended. That kind of wisdom and confidence comes from believing what God says in His Word about who you really are.

As you become more confident in your position as a son or daughter of God, you must protect your sense of self-worth, your new self-image, and the self-confidence that brings.

This is very important. It does not matter what people say to you or situations do to you, you are always God’s great possession — His child. He loves you more than you love yourself. You know how you might sacrifice your life to save your child or children? God did something similar; he sacrificed his ONLY begotten son so that He could have you in His family.

So, carry and conduct yourself that way. Take an inventory and see what needs to change to be according to what God has said in His Word.

Remember, there is a great difference between arrogance and confidence. We are quietly confident but not arrogant.

Others will see you the way you see yourself. Others will treat you the way you treat yourself.

A famous verse in part says: “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he.” It is easier to see yourself as reigning in life as a king if you are constantly thinking about your rights, privileges and abilities as a child of God.

One of the great keys to changing your life is to take time to sit and think. Find a quiet place at the end of the day, week or month to sit and think about God and your life. What do you want to change? Ask His help to be able to see. He loves you and is more than willing to help than we are to ask. Write your thoughts in a journal.

As you go through this process of change, it may become a way of life, a part of The Prosperous Life.