King David once said in one of his Psalms to the Lord:
“The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.”
Psalm 119:72 NIV
In this statement King David pointed out, how important God’s word was to him. While the world around him was too busy chasing after gold and silver; he made a definitive and concrete decision, to put the greatest value on the words from the mouth of God.
David was never moved or guided by the popular views or opinions of his time, in their desires for silver and gold. He valued God’s word more than what, the world and the society in which he lived valued most. The temptation was there for him, to act as the world around him was acting; but David would not be moved away from his love for God’s word.
God’s word was the secret source for David into the wealth of the ungodly. He knew that he had to carefully follow the instructions being given to him by God. David was completely obedient to every word from God’s mouth to him. He later became the wealthiest King of his time. This was the heritage that he later left for his son (Solomon).
God’s words are what constitutes His law. His word can do for anyone today, what it did for David and Solomon; in giving them the wisdom to become wealthy. When you are obeying God’s word to you; you are obeying His law.
Today the reign of King David over Israel, is still being regarded as the golden age of Israel as a nation. He not only became the richest King of his time. He also left so much in abundance for all of his children and subjects in the Kingdom. There was peace with all the neighbors of Israel during his reign.
The scriptures says about his reign:
“So David’s fame spread throughout every land, and the Lord made all the nations fear him.”
1 Chronicles 14:17 NIV
All the nations of the world feared or respected David, as King over Israel. No one ever wanted a war with King David. All the nations knew him to be a great fighter. And the secret to all of these, lies in his ability to listen in hearing God; even as he remained steadfast to be quick in obeying Him.
What of wisdom, knowledge and understanding?
As God’s people we do have the wisdom of God to prosper in the world. Wherever you see the scriptures describing wisdom, it is often mentioned alongside with wealth and riches. You can’t separate wealth and riches from wisdom. They all will always work together, with the anointing of God over your life, as a believer in Christ to prosper you.
As an example, after Solomon was anointed as King over Israel (1 Kings 3); he asked God for the wisdom to rule over the Kingdom. But in addition to wisdom, God gave him wealth and riches also. God knew that he needed the wealth and the riches; in order for him to be able to use the wisdom, in making good investments, for the prosperity of the Kingdom and his people.
If we are going to use King Solomon’s reign over Israel, as our example for every nation on earth today. We can definitely say that, there should be no nation on the earth with an economic problem. The only problem in many countries in the world today, is the wisdom problem and not an economic problem. Whenever a wise man is ruling over any nation, the economy of such nation grows. That’s why every nation on the earth today needs godly men and women to govern them.
The Bible says about wisdom:
“Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.”
Proverbs 3:13-16 NIV
Wisdom is what we use always in creating wealth and riches. Wisdom will give you long life “on your right hand”. It will also give you riches and honor “on the left hand”. But you will have to use whatever wisdom puts in your hands for your own prosperity; by applying it along with your faith into profitable investments. You will need to use your faith always, to be able to prosper with whatever God has placed in your hands.
What’s on your mind matters
That’s why you can’t separate your born again spirit man from your soul or mind. Your mind or soul never got born again of the Spirit of God. When you got saved, your mind did not. It was still full of evil and corrupt thoughts.
So it needs to be restored back, into the state that God created it to be. The brain should never be confused with the mind. The brain only stores and contains data or information, which the mind often uses in analysis and thoughts processing only. The mind only uses the brain, but the brain can not use the mind. The mind therefore has tremendous influence, over your physical body’s reactions to everything that you do.
This is important because you can only use a restored mind or soul, with wisdom, knowledge and understanding to increase your wealth and riches. Even though your spirit man is born of God; but for you to become prosperous in the real world, your spirit man needs the help of your renewed mind.
Your renewed mind uses God’s wisdom, knowledge and understanding from your spirit man, to prosper everything that you do as a Christian. Whatever God is revealing to you in the realm of the spirit, becomes a reality on the earth; as your renewed mind receives it in the form of wisdom, knowledge and understanding, that are applicable to the real world.
Sow your seeds as you are tithing
And the amount of wealth and riches, that you have right now doesn’t really matter. God will give you the wisdom, knowledge and understanding to prosper, with whatever you make available for Him to use. He will bless whatever you give to Him with wisdom, knowledge and understanding. You then will need to apply your faith to them, in prospering yourself.
Whatever God gives you to use, will always require the use of your faith to prosper it. And your measure of faith does not really matter. It is with the same measure of faith that you offer God; which He will use to prosper you in return (Luke 6:38).
That’s why it’s important that you develop and grow your faith always. And the only way you can do this, is by using your faith always; just as a farmer uses his tools and implements to work on his farm. If you are always using your faith to plant seeds or to give to others; it will grow in the same measure, as you are giving to prosper you. Faith without action is dead being alone (James 2:17).
You can not reap where you have not sown any seed at all. Yes, your tithes are important also. It is what allows God to pour down the blessing on your seeds (Malachi 3:10-12). And it is also what protects your seeds, from destruction until the harvest is due.
But you’ve got to plant seeds also. Don’t be giving tithes alone, without the seeds for God to bless along with it. Tithing will bring you God’s blessing or protection; but without planting seeds, you should never expect a harvest of prosperity (Ecclesiastes 11:1-6).
The blessing of the Lord alone is never enough. You must know how to use it in prospering yourself. That’s why the seeds that are properly sown on the blessed soil, as you are tithing will always yield the harvest. And you will always need to use your faith for this. Don’t just be giving anyhow, without sending it on assignments with your own words. Put your faith to work always with your giving.
A renewed mind prospers you
David said:
“He refreshes and restores my soul (life); He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”
PSALM 23:3 AMP
The God’s Word translation puts the same scripture text in this way:
“He renews my soul. He guides me along the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name.”
Psalms 23:3 GW
The purpose of renewing your mind, is for your prosperity to become established in righteousness. And there is no other way to refresh, restore or renew your mind, other than with the word of God. Your mind needs to be taught, how to obey God’s guidance and leading by the Holy Spirit, who is living inside of you. You can’t appropriately use the wisdom, knowledge and understanding; which the Holy Spirit is giving you, if your mind or soul is not renewed.
Otherwise the prosperity will ruin your life. You will find yourself making detrimental financial and investment decisions, without renewing your mind. Many souls have been terribly bankrupted, because they were never renewed or restored, so as to prosper with the wisdom of God.
That’s why Paul gave this advice:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Romans 12:2 NIV
The renewal of your mind is the first step towards your ability to recognize, what to do with the wisdom, knowledge and understanding which is being given to you, by the Spirit of God living inside of you. This will help you in identifying the good, pleasing and perfect will of God, in creating more wealth and riches around yourself. You will begin to prosper beyond measure.
Righteous living is vital to your prosperity
God’s word is what you do need to renew the mind. It is also what gives you the wisdom, knowledge and understanding, into how to be prosperous in everything that you do as a Christian. His word gives you the wisdom, knowledge and understanding, in guiding your pathway to success. Righteous living is what makes you fruitful, as you use God’s wisdom, knowledge and understanding in doing what He tells you to do.
For us today God’s word can do the same things, that it did for David in prospering him. We get wisdom into the depth of the financial systems of the world, by meditating on God’s word day and night. God reveals to us the secrets into the wealth of this world, as we continually spend quality time in His presence.
The Psalmist said in another place:
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.”
Psalm 119:130 NIV
As you begin to carefully understand God’s wisdom through His word to you, a light begins to overshadow the darkness of the unknown wealth and riches around your life. God’s word gives light to those who are simple minded. But those who will like to question and criticize His word, will never get anything out of it. God’s word is meant to be believed and acted upon. You can’t prosper by trying to reason yourself out of the will of God.
As Paul told the Romans about this in the Message translation of the Bible:
“Have you ever come on anything quite like this extravagant generosity of God, this deep, deep wisdom? It’s way over our heads. We’ll never figure it out. Is there anyone around who can explain God? Anyone smart enough to tell him what to do? Anyone who has done him such a huge favor that God has to ask his advice? Everything comes from him; Everything happens through him; Everything ends up in him. Always glory! Always praise! Yes. Yes. Yes.”
Romans 11:33-36 MSG
Just take God’s word at the face value, by doing exactly what it says, without reading in between the lines. It will work for you.
Your ability to be teachable is also very important
King David said again:
“Your hands have made me and established me; Give me understanding and a teachable heart, that I may learn Your commandments.”
PSALM 119:73 AMP
You can only get understanding to apply the wisdom and knowledge, that is received in God’s presence by asking Him for it. You can’t just assume that wisdom by itself is enough. What will you do; when you don’t understand anything about, what God is telling to you to do? The smartest thing to do is to ask Him, to give you the understanding into those things.
But understanding the application of the wisdom of God, requires a teachable spirit. A believer without a teachable heart, will deprive himself of the prosperity of the Lord. If you are being guided into doing something by the Lord, you will need to open up your heart, in order to be directed and taught by Him, so as to be able to do it correctly.
God is the best teacher of all. He will guide you into secret things, that are yet to be discovered by anyone else. And the greatest thing that you ever want to do, whenever you are being instructed by God, is for you to be open minded and be teachable before Him. If you are not open minded and teachable, you run the risk of living in the “wilderness of life” longer than you ever anticipated.
So you will need to get rid of the “I know it all” attitude in the presence of God. He knows you more than you do know yourself. He is your best teacher. So be quick to listen and prompt to obey, as you are being instructed in His presence. That was how David learnt so much from God’s presence. And I can say personally the same thing about my own life.
There are so many Christians who are suffering today, because they are lacking a teachable heart. And it’s just because they don’t want to part away, from the patterns and customs of the world around them. The pressures from the world around them, are preventing them from having a teachable heart in obeying God’s word to them. It’s not that God’s voice or word is far from them. They are listening and hearing God every time He speaks to them. But their problem has to do with the lack of desire, to cultivate a teachable heart before the Lord.
The worst thing in the life of any believer in Christ, is to be unteachable. If you are not teachable, then you are not really a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ.
He said:
“The gatekeeper (God) opens the gate (Jesus) for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”
John 10:3-5 NIV
God desires to give you whatever you are asking for in prayer. But you can’t receive the answers from Him, when you are not teachable. All that most unteachable people want, is for God to answer them on their own terms. And that’s never going to happen. God’s ways and methods of operation, are far higher and different from ours (Isaiah 55:8).
God’s perfect will for you is in the Bible. It is not hard for anyone who is teachable, to obey whatever it says; by just fulfilling the qualifying conditions, to everyone of His promises in it. Every act of disobedience to God’s word is a sin. Open up your heart and start obeying God’s leading and guidance for your life today.
The sin of disobedience will block your ability to prosper
You can’t continue in sin, and expect God’s grace to abound for you (Romans 6:1-2). But when you are not living in sin, then you will have the boldness to go before God in prayer. Sin is any form of disobedience to God. It is what separates a person with wisdom, from understanding how to apply his wisdom, to meet his own needs in living a prosperous life.
God can only give you whatever you ask for in prayer, when you ask with boldness; while believing that you will receive from Him. But however no one can ask boldly from Him, while living in disobedience to His word.
Jesus said:
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.”
John 15:7 NIV
To remain or to abide in Jesus and in His word, is basically to obey Him and live in accordance to the scriptures.
And again He said:
“Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.”
John 16:24
It is not hard to receive from God. Ask Him today to forgive you for your past disobediences, and open up your heart to be taught by Him.
Your Obedience brings you God’s approval
Prosperity is not only about material wealth. There are people who do think that having material things is equivalent to being blessed. Without the wisdom into understanding how to distribute wealth, there are many sorrows and pains that such wealth will bring.
The people who do see money as the ultimate means to wealth, are often the ones who will normally end up chasing after money; instead of positioning themselves in God’s blessing by faith. David and Solomon (as an example) were both too busy pursuing the presence of God, instead of silver and gold. But as they were pursing the presence of God, silver and gold started flowing into their lives. This was how God led and guided them into all the wealth that they had.
People who will rather chase after financial prosperity, instead of pursuing after God don’t really desire to live a godly life before God. Many of them are just using, the fact of being a Christian, as a smokescreen for their greediness in material prosperity. But we do know that the blessing of the Lord will give to any one, what the desires for material things can never give. Seek rather to position yourself in the blessing of God, by living righteously in His presence.
The way you do this is by faith, and your obedience to the word of God. A righteous man will always live by his faith. Your ability to prosper in this world, as a child of God has everything to do with your righteous living. God will bless any righteous person, and not an unrighteous person.
Remember that:
“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Isaiah 1:19-20 NIV
It is your act of obedience to God’s word, that positions you for His approval in everything, that you are doing as a Christian. It positions you to receive good things from God.
Unrighteousness is what brings the wrath of God on the disobedient. But those who do obey God’s word are always pleasing to Him. That’s how a righteous man can escape the wrath of God – by living faithfully before God and obeying His word.
Paul told the Romans:
“Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness?”
Romans 6:16 NIV
Righteousness is the fruit of your acts of obedience to God’s word. When you offer yourself to live in obedience to God, your righteous lifestyle will start prospering you. You will prosper in everything that you are doing.
Being prosperous does not means that you will loose your righteousness. That’s the lie which the Devil spreads frequently among religious people. They don’t believe that a Christian can be prosperous, without loosing his righteousness.
All of heaven’s resources becomes available, to follow you everywhere you go, because of your faithful obedience to God. That’s how you are positioned for the overflow of God’s blessing into your life.
Bearing the fruit of righteousness
The scriptures says:
“..But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”
Hebrews 10:38 NIV
And again:
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6 NIV
Righteous living is what empowers a believer in Christ, to sow the seeds of good things into the lives of the poor, within the Kingdom of God. This is how he positions himself, to be able to make other good investments, into his own prosperity by blessing the poor.
Remember that the giving of alms is one of the greatest ordinance of Christianity. When you give to the poor, God’s light will begin to shine upon you for prosperity. Why? Because God will begin to see you as a reliable vessel, through whom He can bless the world.
The scriptures says:
“As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”
2 Corinthians 9:9-11 NIV
Righteousness is the harvest of the man, who sows the seed of faith to break the curse of poverty, in the life of a poor man. Righteousness is the blessing imputed to him by His God. He becomes so enriched to be generous to all men.
