3 John 1:2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth (KJV).
Prosperity is in the eye of the beholder in the way natural man thinks. He has his own idea of what it means to be prosperous. Much of his point of view is based upon greed, which leads to covetousness. A number of people define prosperity as being “filthy rich,” not realizing that is far from the truth. For some, great financial riches have led them to eternal ruin as the result of their pride. They have become gods in their own eyes, and have forgotten the Lord. “They have need of nothing,” yet the emptiness in their heart leads them to covet more as the result of trying to fill the void, which worldly riches cannot fill. Hence, there is never enough. Only those who surrender themselves completely to the Lord can handle worldly wealth without it being a detriment to their soul. They have true riches from above, and have no desire to keep the former. Those who have great financial wealth as the result of God blessing them have it because they in turn bless others. It has no power over them; rather, they have power over it. The key to great wealth is surrender, and allowing the Lord to determine what that means for you. Keep in mind that each member of the Body of Christ has his or own gifting, which means financial prosperity plays a different role in each one’s life as the Lord sees fit (see Romans 12:1-8).
Worldly finances are finite, whereas, those who walk by faith have an unlimited source. The difference is the Source. Those who walk by faith have what they need when they need it. Great wealth does not necessarily mean one has a bank account filled with money. That is a limited source. That is not to say one will not have a great amount in the bank, but he is not limited to what is in the account because he has the Lord. There are numerous testimonies of the Father making supernatural provision when people obeyed His voice. They did not have the provision until they stepped out by faith. Some never see the provision because they fail to obey the Lord’s leading. They limit God by what is in their wallet or what the amount available is on their credit card. Until they have it in their hand, they will not act. True prosperity begins with trusting and loving Him.
For some, the poverty mentality has crippled their ability to keep prosperity in proper perspective. Because of this issue in their life, they limit God in blessing them the way He truly wants. In many cases, negative experiences have taught them this self-destructing point of view. They want to be financially “healthy,” but cannot see themselves ever getting there. In their view, their experiences are a detriment; however, in the hands of the Master, they can become stepping-stones to victory. It is a matter of surrendering to His hands, and allowing Him to heal their damaged emotions and change their wrong thinking. Sometimes the way people view or handle finances serve a barometer in relation to their spirituality. How much they trust God can be seen by the way they view everything that affects their financial world. If a person holds a worldly view point, finances can be very stressful; whereas, those who hold a true Biblical world view will walk confidently with the Lord, regardless of their financial state of being.
