As I am contemplating the order of these prosperity lessons, I am feeling rushed to get you, the reader, to the “nuts and bolts” of how God defines and works prosperity in the life of His people. I want you to understand rapidly how this works and is released in order that you can quickly position yourself for the bumpy days ahead. My motive is to help you thrive in the midst of, and not simply weather, the coming storm. And while I believe my motives and intents are sincere and righteous, I also know that unless you embrace some initial wisdom, the actual precepts will do you little good.
This brings me to the title of these blog posts (and potentially a book in the making), “No Longer Ashamed of Prosperity”. Why would anyone be “ashamed” of prospering?
I mentioned in the original post that my wife and I had been highly affected by a “poverty mentality” which existed in the Church we originally served decades ago. There was a shadow over the denomination which venerated lack and criticized abundance. You might say that poverty and piety were conflated. Any time a person, especially a preacher, was blessed, there was this vibe of condemnation that somehow sin was crouching at the door and our personal piety was being challenged. That mentality was engrained in our psyche for too many years.
We slowly shook ourselves free from such thinking as the years passed and we studied the Scriptures more carefully. We started to understand God’s purposes and plan for prosperity and consequently were able to position ourselves for many amazing blessings. I will share some of those stories as I continue to blog in this area, but even at that, the sheer number of amazing personal stories of prosperity would be overwhelming. And may I remind you, what God would do for us, He would delight in doing for you too. (Romans 2:11)
Tracie is without a doubt, the most generous and benevolent person I know. She is also one of the most “faith exercising” people. I have learned much from watching my wife demonstrate her faith and generosity through the years. Our prosperity is undoubtedly linked to numerous moments of faith and obedience on her part. That said, we both struggled at times feeling awkward or ashamed in those moments when God would miraculously bless us, favor us, or enlarge us. Those thoughts were easily linked to those early years of being conditioned by a poverty mentality. Even so, the devil is an expert in exploiting your “soft” spots.
One example of this was a woman in the church who on multiple occasions, after hearing how God released some amazing blessing in our life, would invariably say, “God never does that for me” or, “Why does God always do that for you and no one else?”, or “Do you really feel like a pastor should have that?” The vibe was to somehow make us feel bad about being blessed. I can’t identify with certainty the reasons for such comments. Perhaps they were rooted in her jealousy, covetousness, or even ignorance. I do know that as pastors, we defaulted to our former emotions in feeling embarrassed, awkward, or unworthy.
After one such incident, as we were processing these feelings, I blurted out, “Listen, we are done feeling defensive, embarrassed, or awkward about receiving the blessings of God due to a thousand great decisions we have made walking with God through 4 decades, especially from people who are living a life filled with the fruit of a thousand bad decisions for decades.”
And at that moment, a light bulb turned on…
I refused to be ashamed of prospering…
People can judge me and the fruit of my life in any way they wish. I cannot control what people think. I cannot control their decisions, their attitudes, their doctrine, or their thoughts. They will live by their choices in these areas. They will bear fruit according to the seeds which they have sowed. I cannot create an exemption clause for people concerning God’s precepts because it will make them “feel” better about their own personal circumstances.
That said…
Their life of a thousand bad decisions will not control or circumvent my life of a thousand good decisions…
Bad decisions will lead to poverty…
There is no other way to say it…
Good decisions will lead to prosperity…
(I hear some of you now… Do I understand that righteous people sometimes live in a poverty not of their own making? Of course. We all live in a fallen, dysfunctional world which can impact any of us at any moment. Wealth is not an indicator of righteousness any more than poverty is an indicator of piety. However, poverty is NOT a virtue to be aspired to. In most biblical instances it is related to a “curse”. In many people’s lives, it is related to poor decision making. More to come on this dynamic.)
Prosperity begins with your commitment to either continue or start today with making good, godly, biblical decisions in your life. When you begin to string together quality decisions under the counsel of God’s Word and the leadership of the Holy Spirit, you will find a prosperous, quality life.
Prosperity is not a get rich quick gimmick…
Prosperity is not simply a dramatic event of wealth gathering…
Prosperity is most often linked to your decision making…
Good decisions equal good life…
Bad decisions equal bad life…
You can start the prosperity journey today if you are committed to executing those good, godly, biblical decisions in your circumstances…
As for me…
I am not ashamed of prospering.
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