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God Wants You To Prosper
“Oh here we go again, another one of those prosperity messages. Let me guess, five spiritual steps to wealth and riches. Maybe it’s the old give your way to the mansion on the hill. The kind of teaching that says ‘just send me all your money, and God will bless you; but, if you don’t give, you’ll be cursed.’” Is this what goes through your head when you read, “God Wants You to Prosper?” We’re not going there, so you can relax.
3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
The idea of God wanting you to prosper is heretical in some circles. It may be difficult for some to wrap their heads around it, because of their circumstances. Nevertheless, if you study the Bible to see what Scripture has to say about it, you may come to the conclusion He really does want you to prosper. What does that mean to Him?
Do notice the phrase, “even as your soul prospers.” Could it be that prosperity begins with the soul? It does give us a clue as to what it means versus what it does not mean.
Counterfeit Prosperity
Ideally as Christians, envy and jealousy should have no part in us; but how many beleivers experience them when they see someone doing very well? How many find themselves stressed over not being where they think should be in comparison to others?
The problem may lie in where they take their cues. Those who take their cue from the world will find themselves experiencing these things. Social media doesn’t necessarily help them either, especially when it appears everyone else if flourishing, but they are not. It makes them feel as if there is something wrong with them. Don’t lose heart, as many well know, people generally show what they want you to see. That begs the question, why do people find it necessary to put on a show?
1 John 2:15-17 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
When you mix the world with Christianity, you produce counterfeit prosperity. It may actually place one at odds with God (see James 4:1-5). The prosperity of the world is based on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Where do these things fit in with the Kingdom? When individuals decide for themselves, what prosperity means to them apart from God, it can get rather dicey. In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus put things in perspective in terms of producing fruit.
“And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful” (Mark 4:18).
Essentially, counterfeit prosperity spiritualizes the worldly standards by which one lives, which is not spiritual at all. Worldly prosperity is self-serving in nature, and thus, unfulfilling. As the saying goes, what if you climb the ladder of success only to find it was propped up against the wrong wall?
True Prosperity Begins With Death
Matthew 16:25-26 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
Life can also be rendered as “soul,” which contains one’s desires, affections and appetites, amongst other aspects. Contrary to popular belief, our soul does not belong to us; it belongs to God. Self-determination can lead to ruin. Don’t think so? How many bad decisions have you made in your life? How many of them would have been curtailed if you sought the actual Owner of your soul in regards to those decisions?
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
True prosperity is defined by God, and what it means for you is also defined by Him. When we deny ourselves and pick up our cross, we’re able to follow Jesus. Walking by faith is a life of obedience to Him, which includes serving others. We are the most fulfilled when we become and do what He desires. He rewards obedience, and obedience is better than sacrifice.
If you want to truly prosper, lay everything down at His feet. That includes your very life, since it doesn’t belong to you anyway. We are the most joyful when we fulfill His desires. Remember this: we are not home yet, everything we see around is temporal.
