Prosperity is one of those words which seems to either be exploited or eschewed in Christian circles today. The concept has abundant representation from both its advocates and detractors. There seems to be little “middle” ground when it comes to the two tangents of the prosperity pendulum. That’s unfortunate, because prosperity isn’t an evil concept; nor is it a gimmick. Prosperity, rightly understood, is one of the tools the Lord uses to expand His Kingdom work at large, as well as with individuals.
Let’s stipulate a couple of things before we get too much farther down the road talking about prosperity…
1. Prosperity is going to look differently in various parts of the world. What may be defined as prosperous in a first-world nation may not be the same as a third-world nation. So, prosperity by it’s nature and location may have some flexibility in it’s use.
2. Prosperity, as the Bible teaches it, is released by God for purposes beyond oneself. Wealth is not accrued to simply spend on selfish pursuits. It is a sacred trust, in God’s eyes, to steward appropriately. The Lord isn’t against a particular lifestyle as much as He is against the unrighteous use of resources of which He may have purposes.
3. Prosperity is greater than your stock portfolio, savings account, and toys in your garage. Prosperity isn’t about the quantity of your “assets”, but rather the quality of your life. I consider myself a prosperous man, not because of my net worth (which would be embarrassing to reveal), but rather because of the richness of my life. I have a wife I have loved for over 38 years. I have children, their spouses, and grandchildren, who are all serving the Lord. I have friends whom I cherish and a purpose which fulfills me. I enjoy all of this as a very middle-class Christian. Yet, I consider myself prosperous. I have known many a wealthy man who would have traded his millions to have what I just listed. Prosperity is something far deeper than dollars.
That being said, I do believe that God has a financial plan and purpose for your life. I believe His Word is clear concerning His “delight in the prospering of His people” (Psalm 35:27). There is no virtue, that I can find, in raw poverty. I know that people live in poverty everywhere and they are deserving of our compassion and assistance. Their poverty in no way diminishes their righteousness before the Lord or His love towards them. However, poverty, in and of itself, has no virtue or benefit. This is why I believe that God wants to assist all His people in moving forward financially. It doesn’t mean we shall all be multi-millionaires, but it does mean that He has promised that “(we) might prosper in all things and be in health, just as [our] soul prospers” (3 John 2).
In January of 2019, Tracie and I transitioned out of the pastoral ministry which we had labored for over 35 years and into a new season. I had heard the voice of the Lord say, at the end of 2018, that it was time and without a detailed exit strategy, we simply started the process and took the steps. We had saved some money from a house sale and the church which we had pastored for nearly 20 of those years, graciously underwrote a portion of the coming year’s resources that we would need in 2019. However, the fact remained, we were on the clock in finding that new “job” or ministry open door which would resource our lives into the future. We had a few months (I mean a very few) to move to our new location and get settled, but the resource question needed to be answered relatively quickly.
It was in the same month of January in 2019, that I went before the Lord and asked Him to help me generate a certain amount of money outside of our current savings. I knew that our savings along with this “faith” amount I was asking for, would be enough to meet our personal budget for 2019. All through the year, I would remind the Lord that I was standing by faith for that outside resource. I knew I would be working for much, if not all of it. That meant I took a job as an adjunct college professor at a local university. I traveled and spoke at churches and conferences, as the invitations were offered to me. I also had a few gracious supporters who believed in some of the things we were doing and sowed finances into the ministry. I understood clearly that “believing” God for financial help included both working and giving.
The amazing part came as I was going over the books for 2019 in December and realized that God had eclipsed my January “faith” number by 30 percent. And it dawned on me again, that the Lord can indeed do that which is “exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).
Am I somehow special? No. Remember, God is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). What He did for me, He will do for anyone. In fact, I am believing that 2020 will be an even greater year of resources into our household because we understand the nature of true, biblical prosperity. I have put another number before the Lord that I will stand in faith, believing that He will provide. It will take both my diligent laboring and my faith-filled giving to reach, but I have a confidence the Lord will do it again. And it wouldn’t surprise me if it was “exceedingly, abundantly more”.
Perhaps you would like to join me on this journey for 2020. I want to encourage you to get yourself positioned to prosper this year. I don’t believe there is one single “key” to open the heavens, however, I do believe there is a positioning of which God takes notice and moves. Here are some things we have practiced in our house:
1. We are a tithing household. That means 10% of our increase (gross) is released into the Kingdom through the local church. People argue this point with me, but I simply say, I see it in the Bible and I simply practice it. It has become an issue of pragmatism for me. Tithing has blessed my house for 41+ years. I don’t plan on stopping.
2. We give swiftly and are not slow about getting our tithes and offerings to the Lord. If I do not want God to be slow towards me, I refuse to be slow towards Him. My speed is a seed that will be multiplied back to me.
3. We give over and above the 10% regularly. We find ways to bless projects, outreach events, missionaries, and simply needy people along the way. We want to be givers.
4. We work diligently. We refuse to be slothful or lazy. Everything we do is as unto the Lord, so we want to give it our best. Whether we are volunteering, working for little, or paid for much; we are giving it 100% of our energies.
5. We anticipate and expect blessings to come our way. We believe God wants to prosper His servants. We refuse to think in terms of lack or poverty. The other day, we had an expensive car repair befall us. It was massive. It was challenging not to instantly fall back in fear and confess our lack and impoverished bank accounts. We have a friend who has a saying…”God saw this day coming”. Tracie and I looked at each other and said, “God saw this day coming. That means the resources to fix this vehicle are already on the way.” Just a few days later we were told a check (unexpected) was coming our way which would not only cover the bill, but has enough left over to send to a new missionary. That’s how God does it friends!
6. Since I am the head of household, I have written the yearly dollar amount down in a special location and I pray (in faith) thanking the Lord for His provision in this matter. I am grateful in advance. That is one of the best ways to demonstrate faith before the Lord. To simply say, “Thanks Lord, for hearing and supplying. You know I’ll serve You no matter what happens this year, but my confidence and expectation are in You for every good thing”.
7. This year, I have broken the yearly amount into monthly prayer goals. I am believing God that every month, the amount needed is on the way. If it falls behind, I know it may be time to seek the Lord more deeply and hear what He may be saying. But I keep track of how all this resource comes in that I might thank Him regularly.
These are just a few of the ways the Baird household is positioning itself for prosperity in 2020. What are you doing? Are you simply assuming it will arrive, or are you believing for greater resources to be able to participate in greater Kingdom exploits?
I encourage you…get your financial goal set today…work…pray…believe…and watch what God will do!
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