“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)
“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 2 (NKJV)
Deuteronomy 28 is a chapter that every believer needs to apprehend in their spirit. The blessing of being in the covenant with the Lord provides numerous promises. The chapter also unveils numerous problems when one is not in that covenant relationship. It’s important because it defines God’s heart and intentions towards the obedient and the repercussions of waywardness. The Lord Himself outlines the pros of being in a relationship with Him and the cons of walking away. He also expands the concept of prosperity to not only include, but also eclipse, the singular definition of “lots of money”. We will get to money and earthly riches soon enough, but prosperity is defined beyond your bank account.
In my estimation, there are 7 basic areas outlined that would be included in your prosperity which is released from the Lord (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)
- Material increase (Wealth and riches)
- Career or Job favor
- Spiritual maturity and wisdom
- Favor with civic authority
- Reproductive fruitfulness (Children)
- Health and Longevity
- Defeat of your enemies
I understand that our nature is to leap ahead and start saying, “But what if these aren’t evident in a believer’s life?” Our propensity is to find reasons why it isn’t happening before we stop and simply answer the question, “Will I believe this?” We want to debate the concept before we decide its truthfulness. We want to manage expectations, rather than remove limitations. We want to carefully manage God’s public relations and image before a watching world in order that they don’t misunderstand and walk away. My goodness, what would the Lord do without our carefully executed marketing strategies?
Before you seek to manage God’s precepts, will you at least wrestle with the thought, “Do I believe what He says?”
Some folks who are reading this spiritually grew up in circles that almost venerated poverty. That was my story. Somehow, someway, I fell into a position which was repelled by prosperity. Instead of reading I Timothy 6:10, as it actually states that the “LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil”, it got twisted into saying that “money ITSELF was the root of all evil”. There is a vast difference in what Paul actually wrote and what I actually thought.
You see, money doesn’t matter to God because He has access to anything and everything within Himself. The famous C.S. Lewis quote in which he writes, “For God to be God, He has no need, for anything He needs, He meets in Himself”, is absolutely true. The Lord is so transcendent above what we value, that He paves heavenly streets with gold and creates gates of pearl. Our God is quite opulent to be candid. Global economies are coins in a piggy bank to Him. And because it doesn’t matter to Him, we think prosperity shouldn’t matter to us. And in a way, that is true. However, it is not true that we should avoid it, but rather that we should steward it and use it for the glory of God and the work of His Kingdom. The Lord understands better than any of us, that this earth runs by the prosperous and His Kingdom on this earth will need resources in the hands of His people.
Do you believe that?
Your prosperity has a purpose that God wants to accomplish.
Again, Deuteronomy 28 explains this:
1. Prosperity ELEVATES you before a watching world (v.1)
If a righteous and consecrated person prospers and is elevated, the platform they hold can be a megaphone for the Gospel.
2. Prosperity EMPOWERS the manifestation of God’s will in the earth.
There is so much dormant vision in the Church, in pastors, in God’s people, that sits on dusty shelves waiting for resource to bring it to pass. What would happen if a truly consecrated people were open to God’s prospering work in their life?
3. Prosperity EXPLAINS that God is at work.
Have you ever met someone who prospers and seemingly has the “blessed life”, but there is no way to explain it? Their natural skill levels or education simply do not match the prosperity they enjoy? The only explanation is God.
I have concluded that the Lord would want to prosper far more people than we ever imagined…
Including you.
But it starts with the simple decision that He wants to.
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