“In this case, moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” 1 Corinthians 4:2.
We thank God, the Father of our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, Who has brought us safely to the second month of the year. This is the year of our “Time to Fly,” a year of rest, revival restoration, and renewal, in Jesus’ Name. We can testify already that we are heading to our Rehoboth, where the LORD will make room for us and there will no more contention (Genesis 26:22), in Jesus’ Name.
This month, we are talking about what Jesus purchased for us at Calvary and our redemption rights. That is, understanding Kingdom wealth. “For ye know the grace of our LORD Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich,” 2 Corinthians 8:9.
The Definition of Prosperity
Before I delve into what the Bible has to say about wealth, let us look at the definition of prosperity. Here are some of the characteristics of prosperity from the Webster dictionary along with several versions in Greek and Hebrew:
- Plenty
- To be over and above, to abound
- Advance or gain in anything good or desirable.
- Deliverance, salvation
- Peace
- More than enough
- Successful progress in business and enterprise
- Completeness, soundness
- Good fortune
As you can see, prosperity is not all about money. Prosperity consists of so much more than that. It is a comprehensive, all-encompassing variety of good things for your life, in which finances are included!
6 Keys to Biblical Wealth and Prosperity in Every Part of Your Life
There are six key things I found that you can do to bring godly wealth and prosperity into your life. I am sure there are others that I could include, but these seem to be the ones that surface repeatedly in the scriptures.
1.BEING DILIGENT
Proverbs 10:3-4 says, “…the LORD does not allow the righteous go hungry, But He thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.” Diligence makes one rich (prosperous in every way). However, the lack of diligence will cause you to come to poverty (lack of prosperity).
The key to all the other keys below is to be diligent in doing all these things, careful and persistent effort and consistent hard work.
2.SEEKING GOD IN EVERYTHING
Seeking God in everything goes along with diligence, in that seeking God should be a constant in your life if you want God to consistently bless you and your situation. 2 Chronicles 31:20-21 says, “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the LORD his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.” Hezekiah sought God, did what was good, and served Him with all his heart. When you are a seeker of God in every situation and you are faithful, God will cause you to prosper in the same way.
Always seek to please God and delight in His ways. Seeking His guidance and will in your life allows Him to guide you and bless you.
3.SEEKING RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness simply means being in right standing with God. Psalm 37:25-26 says, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, or his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.” This means riches in everything, not just material wealth. He leads you into righteousness, and when you follow His lead, you will have durable riches as well.
Always seek to live an upright life and you will be blessed because of it.
4.KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS (WALKING IN HIS WAYS)
Keeping God’s commandments (walking in His ways) is a very important part of leading a good Christian life, but does it result in wealth and abundance? Psalm 23:1 says, “The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want.” So, when you allow yourself to be led by the LORD, you will never lack for anything. You will have abundance from one harvest that will continue to the next harvest. You will have more than enough. Know what God’s ways of doing things are, and when you live by these, you will be greatly blessed.
5.HONORING GOD WITH YOUR WEALTH
God is a Giver. We are made in God’s image, so we are made to be givers too. God knows we function at our best when we give of what we have, and He rewards us for it. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it.” How do you get the blessings of the LORD to be upon you? By following His ways, being diligent, seeking Him, seeking righteousness, etc. Be cheerful when you give. Negativity about giving actually cancels out your blessing. Always sow happily in anticipation of a great harvest.
Be a tither and give offerings over and above the tithe. We are made in the image of God to be givers, and when we do, it opens up opportunities for God to do huge things in our lives!
6.DEVELOPING YOUR FAITH (TRUSTING) IN GOD
Trusting God to do what His word says He will do is extremely important to gaining godly prosperity and wealth. If you cannot trust God to live up to His word, then why do you believe in the first place? James 1:5-7 says, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up-braideth not: and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, not wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the LORD.” Complete trust in God is a very difficult thing to do, but when you give it all over to Him, that is when He can do His best work for you.
Giving every concern over to God is a hard thing to do, but when you do, it allows Him to act on your behalf better than you could ever do for yourself. Trust that what His word says will come to pass when you do the right things.
Now that you know the key Biblical principles in delighting yourself in the LORD, commune with God often and experience the joy that comes with that communion. Commit, do not be double minded or wishy-washy. Non committed people do not get very far with anything in life or with God. So, do these things and He will give you the desires of your heart. He will bring them to pass.
6 Biblical Financial Principles for Wealth and Peace of Mind:
A lot of financial problems are the result of making bad financial decisions due to ignorance or disobedience. So, here are six biblical principles to get your finances in order:
1. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE PEOPLE
“Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm.” (Proverbs 13:20).
It is undeniable that peer pressure is real. The desire to feel accepted and to belong is inherent in all of us. Alas! This desire can also lead us to make reckless financial decisions.
The first biblical financial principle is to keep company with people who are knowledgeable about personal finance and have good money habits. When you hang out with like-minded people, it helps you to stay on track financially. It also keeps you from making some costly mistakes. The Bible said in Proverbs 27:17 that “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
2. GAIN FINANCIAL KNOWLEDGE
“Therefore, my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.” (Isaiah 5:13).
Many Christians are living in financial bondage because of a lack of financial knowledge. It is as the Bible said in Hosea 4:6 that “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Becoming knowledgeable about personal finance is one of the most important biblical financial principles for any Christian who wants to be financially stable or free.
3. SELF-CONTROL AND DISCIPLINE
“Precious treasure and oil are in a wise man’s dwelling, but a foolish man devours it.” (Proverbs 21:20).
Lack of self-control and self-discipline is the root of many financial problems. When you lack self-control, you are in danger of making impulsive decisions that could hurt you financially.
4. SACRIFICE
Making sacrifices is one of the most important biblical principles of finance. If you are unclear as to how this can be, I will show you in a moment. Wealth and peace of mind come from following biblical financial principles. Furthermore, following biblical financial principles often requires obedience and sacrifice.
Like the Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:2, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest. It is the same thing with your finances. There is a time for taking action and a time to sit back and enjoy the labor of your hands. So, take a good look at how you handle your finances. Does it involve sacrifice? Are you willing to give up a few things for a better financial life?
5. HONESTY
“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (1 Timothy 6:10).
Always remember to “Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5). This is not an easy thing to do especially when your finances are in a mess or you need some more money to take care of some things. I have been there so many times and it is tough. But, at the end of the day, honesty always wins. You must remember that. So, if you are a business owner, always try to deal with your customers and vendors honestly and never ever compromise your integrity.
6. FINANCIAL PLANNING
“Know well the condition of your flocks and give attention to your herds.” (Proverbs 27:23).
You cannot have a solid financial foundation without planning. Planning takes the guesswork out of your finances. It helps you to stay on track financially and keeps you from making life-changing mistakes.
If you are a Christian who desires financial freedom as I do, you have to start by making a financial plan. Without a plan, you will not make much progress in your financial life. It is not God’s will for you to be under financial pressure, so you must take steps to put your financial house in order. You do not need a financial planner to make a plan, though it is a good investment if you can find one. You can start with a simple financial plan, then go from there. Start by taking stock of where you are right now. Just like the Bible said in Proverbs 27:23. Know the condition of your finances, set financial goals, then make a plan to improve your financial life.
The Biblical case study is of Job (Job 1, 19:25-27). Job was a wealthy man. He controlled a vast amount of money and possessions, including 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and a very large household. Job 1:3 describes him as the greatest man living in the East. He had it all. However, he was tested to see what role his wealth played in his happiness . He seemed to have lost it all, including his livestock, his children, his home and his land. How did he respond to this loss? Job 1:20 says, “Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.” In conclusion, let us apply Clergyman John Wesley’s philosophy on money: earn all you can; save all you can & give all you can! Do this and you will conquer the spirit of greed. Selah!
- Please note: If you are not a Christian, you need not worry about giving to God. However, realize and accept what God wants to give to you for complete forgiveness, eternal life, and a brand-new start!
PRAYERS:
- Thank You, LORD, because You own all the animals, birds and creature (Psalm 50); all the silver and the gold (Haggai 2:8); all the land (Leviticus 2:5); the wealth of all nations (Haggai 2); the wealth of sinners (Proverbs 13:22; Ecclesiastes 2:26); everything in heaven and earth (1 Chronicles 29); wisdom, power and counsel (Job 12); all who live in the world (Psalm 24); all things (Colossians 1:16-17); advancements and promotions (Psalm 75:6-7); wealth, honor, strength and power (1 Chronicles 29:12); etc.
- Martin Luther said, “People go through three conversions: their head, their heart and their pocketbook; unfortunately, not all at the same time.” Father help me to have a pocketbook conversion in addition to head and heart conversions, in Jesus’ Name.
- Father, on my journey with finances and material possessions, give me the grace to avoid debt; seek counsel; practice honesty; give generously; spend wisely; work hard; save consistently and train my children to do the same, in Jesus’ Name.
- Father rebuke the devourer out of my life, finances, work and all that I will lay my hands upon this year (Malachi 3:11), in Jesus’ Name.
- In the Name of Jesus, I shall prosper financially as my soul prospers, in Jesus’ Name (3 John 2).
- By the power in the blood of Jesus, I begin to possess the wealth of the wicked that have been reserved for the just (Proverbs 13:22), in Jesus’ Name.
- Father, Deuteronomy 6:10-11 says You gave Your people, the Israelites, “…large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full.” Please, LORD, do the same for Your Church, in Jesus’ Name.
- I refuse, by the blood of Jesus, to be “…hewers of wood and drawers of water” (Joshua 9:27), in Jesus’ mighty Name.
- From today, as I give ten percent of my income to God first, right “off the top” of whatever You give me, make me like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth his fruit in his season, my leaf shall not wither and whatsoever I do shall prosper, in Jesus’ Name (Psalm 1:3).
- By redemption, I reject poverty, in Jesus’ Name (2 Corinthians 8:9)
- This month, I am of the blessed tribe of Asher, my children are blessed, I shall be accepted everywhere I go, and I shall dip me feet in oil, in Jesus’ Name (Deuteronomy 33:24).
- By the irrevocable law of the scripture that cannot be broken, I decree and declare, I shall lend unto nations (Deuteronomy 15:6), I shall be the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13), and I shall flourish like the palm tree (Psalm 92:12), in Jesus’ Name!
- Thank You for answered prayers, in Jesus’ Name!
