Saturday, November 29, 2014

Keys to spiritual prosperity

Prosperity is not only about wealth. 

It is about living a successful life. It is holistic and encompasses every area of our undertakings and assignments (at work or at home). 

Of course, it also includes wealth but not wealth so that we can spend it carelessly but wealth so that we can control it and make it a blessing to others.

Looking at the 101 verses on "prosper", it would appear that there are six (6) keys to walk in prosperity and they are:

1. Living in repentance

2. Meditating on God's word

3. Obeying God's word and serving God

4. Seeking God wholeheartedly and doing right

5. Share the Gospel

6. Giving to the work of the Lord

...............................................

1. Living in repentance

Daniel gave this advice to the king:

Daniel 4:27 "Therefore O king, let my advice be acceptable to you; break off your sins by being righteous and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor. Perhaps there may be a lengthening of your prosperity"

To confess any unconfessed sins, to do righteously to others we have wronged, to be merciful to the poor - this is a step toward prosperity in our lives.

2. Meditating on God's word

It is much easier to obey God's word when we have been spending time meditating on God's word. 

The importance of meditating on God's word (not just mere reading) is the key to spiritual prosperity. 

Joshua 1:8 "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous then you will have good success"

Psalm 1:2-3 captures the essence of the above:

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper"

3. Obeying God's word and serving Him

David commanded Solomon to do this very thing in 1 Kings 2:3. David charged Solomon to keep the charge of the Lord, to walk in His ways, to keep His statutes and commandments, judgments and testimonies so that "you may prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn".

Job 36:11 "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their youth in pleasures"

Isaac obeyed God's word in not going down to Egypt but he dwelt in Gerar as commanded by the Lord. 

In Genesis 26:12-13 "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped the same year a hundredfold and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper and continued prospering until he became very prosperous"

4. Seeking the Lord wholeheartedly and doing right

Joseph, Asa, Uzziah are examples of this.

Joseph sought the Lord in the household of his master. In Gen 39:2-3 "The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand"

Prosperity is of the Lord!

Asa prospered in his reign. 2 Chron 14:2 "Asa did what was good and right in the eyes of the Lord His God"

What he told his people confirmed his lifestyle of seeking God wholeheartedly and doing right:

2 Chron 14:7 "Therefore he said to Judah "Let us build those cities and make war around them, and the towers, gates and bars, while the land is yet before us, because we have sought the Lord our God, we have sought Him and He has given us rest on every side. So they built and prospered"

In order to prosper in God, we need to be at REST IN GOD! 

Uzziah in 2 Chron 26:4-5 "And he did what was right in the sight of the Lord...He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the vision of God, and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper"

5. Share the Gospel

Ecc 11:6 "In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening, do not withhold your hand. For you do not know which will prosper, either this or that or whatever both alike will be good"

6. Give

1 Cor 16:1-2 "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also. On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collection when I come"




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