The thief comes to kill, steal and destroy. I have come that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10
God's will for our lives and for all the people in the world is that we may all have an abundant level of life. The word for life used in this passage is 'zoe', which refers to divine life. God wants us to have an abundance of divine life. That's one reason why He so much desires that we be "full of the Holy Spirit", "praying always", with "the Word of Christ dwelling richly in you." He just wants us to enjoy Him. Not only that, He wants all people everywhere to enjoy Him. That's His will, and He has a plan to accomplish that will and purpose. One of the keys to prosperity is to link up our will, our desires, and our plans with God's! But for now, remember, that the level of God's provision in divine life is abundant.
It’s so enjoyable to be full of God's Holy Spirit. Paul the apostle wrote so much about the "joy" of the Lord! Joy is a form of spiritual prosperity, and you can have it directly from God whether we have material abundance or great hardship. God wants us to have this joy, but remember, He wants that joy to go "to the world" through the gospel. Acts chapter 8 records that when Philip preached Christ in
God Wants Us to Prosper to the Extent that Our Souls Prosper
The apostle John, known for his closeness to the heart of God, wrote, Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2). He then went on to describe some of the good works Gaius was doing for the Lord's evangelists and fellow workers. Gaius could not have done much here had he been homeless, or poverty stricken.
Now this verse shows that God wants us to prosper in all things. John would not pray for something that was not the will of God. He prayed for Gaius because it was God's will that he prosper. And not Gaius only, for it is a general truth that the Lord takes pleasure in the prosperity of his servant (Psalm 35:27).
There is another key to prosperity and that is the state of the mind, body, and spirit. God wants us to renew our minds (See Romans 12:2). If our minds are carnal and our desires wicked, then prosperity would not do us much good. "The wages of the wicked are spent on sin", the Book of Proverbs says, but the labor of the righteous leads to life.
If our minds are sufficiently renewed then it is definitely in God's interest to prosper us in all things, including material things. There is a purpose! However, many times we flatter ourselves that we have God's perspective on things when we really lack it. We need to go after God's wisdom if we are to prosper—that includes the gaining of both spiritual and natural knowledge and applying ourselves diligently to our work, whatever God has given us to do. We need to learn to obey the Holy Spirit concerning our money. I don't believe that tithing in itself, for example, is a guarantee that God will pour money on us. It certainly proves as a learning tool. However, it is to the extent that we seek God for wisdom, and live righteously according to His kingdom principles that God will cause material prosperity to come upon us, and all these things will be added unto us (Matthew 6:33).
We may have to get rid of traditional religious thinking that would say that poverty is a blessing, in order for God to fully renew our minds in the area of divine abundance. God's level of provision is abundance, so that we can be generous on every occasion (See 2 Corinthians 9:8). May God deliver us from hypocritical teachings on the blessing of poverty and such. Poverty in the Old Testament was considered part of the curse of the law (See Deuteronomy 28:15). God is pleased to entrust us with the resources necessary not only for our own lives, but also to be involved in the spread of His Kingdom in the world. The Bible says that in Christ we have been redeemed from the curse of the law (See Galatians 3:13-14).
The Nature of God
God is generous. There are more than enough resources on this planet for everyone. It’s the evil systems of the world that many live in poverty. Note the connection between those words—"evil" and "poverty". When God made the world, Adam and Eve had an abundance to enjoy. The new earth similarly, will be an abundant source of blessing for its inhabitants. In the time in between, there is a battle for the rule of God's Kingdom. This is where we live, and if we harmonize with God's purposes and seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, we are going to find that material abundance starts to come after us in ever increasing measure.
Consider how rich God made some of His servants. The Bible said of Abram that he was "very rich". King David gave tens of millions of dollars worth of gold out of his personal fortune to the construction of the temple. Most people know that Solomon was even wealthier than David. Joseph, Job, Esther, Hezekiah and many more were all remarkably wealthy people. The Bible says that. How can we reconcile these Bible facts with a view of God which sees Him as stingy and mean. It can't be done.
The Purpose of God
What is the purpose of God? The Bible says that, for whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren (Romans 8:29). God's purpose is to have many sons like Jesus! We all have our unique personalities and differences, and that is a blessing of God. God does not intend to obliterate our personalities or differences. Yet God wants all to have the nature, purpose and character of Jesus. It’s even plainly declared that God wants believers to do the works of Jesus, and greater, but that is another subject! (See John 14:12).
God wanted so much to rescue people from the dominion of Satan that He gave the best He had—His only begotten Son. He did not send an angel or just another prophet, but His dear Son—part of Himself really. God gave His best. If we are to imitate God, as Ephesians 5:1 instructs us to do, we also ought to give our best. But what should we give to? We should give to God's purposes. And what is God's purpose? God's purpose is that no one should perish, but all should come to the knowledge of the truth of God. God's purpose is that His Kingdom come, His will be done on earth, as it is in heaven! God wants people to be saved. Jesus gave His blood for that! God poured out the Holy Spirit for that. The church exists on earth today, for that. If all God wanted was a few chosen ones to talk with all day, He would take all His children to heaven now and damn the world. But He's not like that… He is a loving caring God who wants you to be in abundance and prosper.
Does God want you to prosper?
If you are God's servant, God takes delight in the prosperity of His servant (See Psalm 35:27). We should choose this day who we will serve. Will it be God, or will it be mammon? Are we interested in Kingdom purposes, or in our own purposes?
Some Christians say, "I am content to just have little, as long as I have enough to get by.” Or “I will always be in debt for the rest of my life.” Or “I don't believe in prosperity". That can be an incredibly selfish point of view. So don't be content to have just a little or believe that you will always be in debt, and unable to bless God's big Kingdom work. That could be laziness, or selfishness. Listen, we may be called upon to deny ourselves many comforts and luxuries to give more to what is truly important, but only do it if you can stay grateful. I say it is better to give generously and abundantly, even if one "enjoys all things which God richly gives us to enjoy" than it is to be poverty-stricken or even mediocre in both our personal quality of life and our level of Kingdom involvement.
Then there is such a thing as "false economy" in life. For example, we can refuse to catch a cab, taking public transport instead, and lose time in our day which could have generated far more income than the difference between the cab and the bus fare. Also, what is the use of having a car which is always breaking down? If you have a car that is paid for, worth about $1500, but it is blessed by God, and has cost about $500 in repairs in the last year—then use it. If the car started acting up, get a car that does not waste time. Let's spend money wisely according to the measure that God has already blessed us with. ! Again, on the issue of false economies, we don't want to wear out our bodies eating poor quality food because God has enabled us to enjoy healthy food when it is time to eat. And, we don't want to draw attention to ourselves either by wearing poor clothes or excessively revealing clothes. Our dress is to be nice and appropriate in reflecting who we are and who we live for.
God is not against us having some reserves, or living in a better place or whatever. It all depends on what God has called us to do. Personally, few material things excite me, but if God calls me to live in a wealthy neighborhood in a big Spanish-Mediterranean style house with a lot of land, a pool, and a garage with a black EB 110 Bugatti in it, I'll do it with great joy!
Let us live now in the abundance and prosperity that is ours. Not only that, God wants us—His people—everywhere to enjoy Him. That's His will, and He has a plan to accomplish that will and purpose. Again, one of the keys to prosperity is to link up our will, our desires, and our plans with God's! The other key to prosperity is the state of the mind, body, and spirit. We need to go after God's wisdom if we are to prosper—that includes the gaining of both spiritual and natural knowledge and applying ourselves diligently to our work, whatever God has given us to do. We need to learn to obey the Holy Spirit concerning our money and in all matters of life.
Prosperity is NOW!
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