Wealth and Prosperity
Talking about wealth and prosperity in the church is one of those subjects that tend to get used and abused on a regular basis.
On one hand there are some who teach that if you just believe hard enough, you can have all the wealth and prosperity you could ever want. Of course, belief and faith are one part of the equation, but there’s a lot more to it than that.
On the other hand some preachers try to convince you that being wealthy, successful, and prosperous are something to be avoided- that the poorer you are, the more humble you are and the closer to God you become.
Does God Want You to Be Wealthy?
Yes God wants us to be prosperous. He said in the Bible that I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health.
But where does the truth lie when you’re talking about prosperity and wealth in the Bible? How does it relate to your spiritual walk and your relationship with God?
Does God even want us to be wealthy and prosperous, or are we better off spiritually if we stay away from it?
As it turns out, the Bible has a lot to say about wealth and prosperity. It actually puts forth several key things you can do to achieve the righteous wealth and prosperity that God actually does want us to have.
In fact, if we follow the prescription we find in the scriptures, He has no choice but to give us a level of prosperity that fulfills our every need, plus guarantees an excess that we can use to bless others with.
The Definition of Prosperity
Before I delved into what the Bible had to say about it, the first thing I decided to do is to look up the definition of prosperity. So I looked up the Webster’s definition along with several versions found in Greek and Hebrew. Here are some of the characteristics of prosperity:
Plenty, to be over and above, to abound, advance or gain in anything good or desirable, deliverance, salvation, peace, more than enough, successful progress in business or enterprise, completeness, soundness, good fortune
As you can see, prosperity is not all about money. Prosperity consists of so much more than that. It’s a comprehensive, all-encompassing variety of good things for your life, finances included!
Here are 6 Keys that Guarantee Biblical Wealth and Prosperity
DILIGENCE
One of the first things I discovered that you must do to get God’s blessings upon you is to practice DILIGENCE.
Now, when the Bible refers to diligence in these scriptures, it’s referring to consistency and hard work. The definition of diligence is “careful and persistent effort”
DEUTERONOMY 28:1-2
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, I the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.”
Diligently obey, observe carefully, overtake you; listen to what God has to say- in His word as well as in direct communication with Him (prayer). Be diligent to observe His commandments and He will set you above others that don’t. Do these things and His blessings will overtake you because you are diligently obedient.
PROVERBS 10:3-4
“…the LORD does not allow the righteous go hungry; But He thwarts the craving of the wicked. A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.”
Be diligent in pursuing God and Godly things, and He will reward you
Lack of diligence causes you to come to poverty
When you’re being diligent to pursue righteousness God will see to it that you are fed. Diligence makes one rich (prosperous in every way). However, lack of diligence will cause you to come to poverty (lack of prosperity).
PROVERBS 13:4
“The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.”
Desire without work will never allow you to have anything
Diligence makes you rich (prosperous)
Wishing will get you nowhere, but hard work and consistent effort will always benefit you and your situation. God sees your diligence and rewards you for it instead of simply granting empty wishes to someone not willing to do the work necessary.
SEEK GOD IN EVERYTHING
Seeking God in everything goes along with diligence, in that seeking God should be a constant in your life if you want God to consistently bless you and your situation.
2 CHRONICLES 31:20-216 Keys to Biblical Wealth and Prosperity
“Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.”
Hezekiah sought God, did what was good, and served Him with all his heart. When you are a seeker God in every situation and you’re faithful, God will cause you to prosper in the same way.
PSALM 1:1-3
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly; nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
Standing as a sinner, being scornful, and taking the advice of ungodly people are all things that keep you from accessing God’s blessings. But when you set your heart and mind on godly things you are constantly nourished, always fruitful, and whatever you do prospers because you have that Godly blessing upon you.
You will be constantly fed. You’ll be fruitful in due season. You will not wither when things get tough (in a dry season). You will prosper in everything you do when you consistently seek godly things.
SEEK RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness simply means being in right standing with God.
PSALM 37:25-26
“I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, or his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed”
Righteousness is a state of moral uprightness that can only be achieved through belief in Jesus and God’s plan of salvation. Being righteous doesn’t mean you’re perfect, but it does mean you follow God’s ways and believe in salvation. You are always seeking God’s ways and living them out in your own life.
When you practice righteousness: God will never forsake you, you won’t be in poverty, your children won’t have to beg to meet their needs, you’ll have the ability to be merciful to people, you will be lender, not a borrower, your seed will be blessed- meaning it will multiply and flourish, meeting all your needs to the point of excess
PROVERBS 8:18-21
“Riches and honor are with me: yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment; That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.”
Walking in God’s path for your life brings riches and honor. This means riches in everything, not just material wealth. He leads you into righteousness, and when you follow His lead you will have durable riches as well.
Durable Riches- Wealth that is gotten in righteous ways is lasting wealth, and will be an inheritance to your children’s children
Keep His Commandments (Walk in His Ways)
Keeping God’s commandments (walking in His ways) is a very important part of leading a good Christian life, but does it result in wealth and abundance?
PSALM 23:1
The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
So when you allow yourself to be led by the Lord, you will never lack for anything.
1 KINGS 2:3
David’s Instructions to Solomon as He Was Dying
“And keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and keeping his statutes, his commandments, His rules, and his testimonies, as it is written in the law of Moses, that you may prosper in all that you do, and wherever you turn…”
When you do Godly things and follow Godly ways you will prosper in everything and whichever way you turn. David gave these instructions to Solomon (who followed them) and ended up being known as the wisest and wealthiest man who ever lived!
PSALM 84:11-12
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly…”
Walking uprightly in the way of the Lord allows God to light your way (sun) and protect you (shield). It allows Him to extend you grace when you need it, and allows Him to bring ALL good things your way.
LEVITICUS 26:3-5
“If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments, and perform them, then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.”
Walk in my statutes, keep my commandments- I’ll provide the rain that produces growth and abundance for what you have planted. You’ll have abundance from one harvest that will continue to the next harvest. You will have more than enough.
Honor God With Your Wealth
God is a Giver. We are made in God’s image, so we are made to be givers too. God knows we function at our best when we give of what we have, and he rewards us for it.
Proverbs 10:22
“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.”
Of course, God is a giver of blessings. How do you get the blessings of the Lord upon you? By following His ways, being diligent, seeking Him, seeking righteousness, etc., He has to bless you. He has no other choice- His blessings make you wealthy in every aspect- He gives it to you freely and joyfully without condemnation.
PROVERBS 3:9-10
“Honor thy Lord with your wealth, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”
There are many ways to honor the Lord (worship, good works, upright living…) but this one specifically says to do it with your substance (your wealth). Giving the first fruits (tithe) is part of this, but also using your wealth in righteous ways (family, charity, etc.) is also included. Doing these things not only allows you to have enough, you’ll have an excess.
DEUTERONOMY 8:17-18
“Then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth…”
Remember that all wealth comes from God. He gives you the power to generate wealth, be it a little or a lot. Recognizing that wealth is gained through His power and not yours allows you to stay humble.
This recognition opens up the doors for Him to bless your hard work. Leaving God out of the equation limits the blessing you get from all your hard work. He can’t multiply it unless you believe that ultimately it all comes from Him.
PROVERBS 11:25
“Whoever brings blessing will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”
Another form of giving is just being a blessing to others, which opens up God’s ability to see to it that you are blessed in return.
Malachi 3:10-12
“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, Says the LORD of hosts. And all nations will call you blessed For you will be a delightful land, Says the LORD of hosts.”
What Tithing Does:
Opens up the windows of Heaven
Rebukes the devourer (instead of living paycheck to paycheck, you’ll have enough)
Won’t destroy what you have (fruit) or your harvest that is on the way (vine)
Others will call you blessed
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-7
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Giving is like spreading seed– if you only spread a few seeds, you get only a few plants and a small harvest. Sowing very little means you reap very little (you’ll just barely get by). A sparse harvest will cause you to consume all your seed instead of putting some back for more sowing.
On the other hand, spreading more seed gets you a bigger harvest, producing an excess that allows you to sow even more, gaining an even larger harvest.
Be cheerful when you give. Negativity about giving actually cancels out your blessing. Always sow happily in anticipation of a great harvest.
Develop Your Faith (Trust) in God
Trusting God to do what His word says He will do is extremely important to gaining godly prosperity and wealth. If you can’t trust God to live up to His word, then why do you believe in the first place?
JAMES 1:5-7
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and up-braideth not: and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, not wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
Ask of Him, and He will give to you liberally. You must ask in faith and not waver. Being unsure about God’s promises will not allow you to receive His liberal gifts to you.
MATTHEW 6:31-33
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink: or, wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
Don’t sit around worrying about food, clothing, or basic needs. Have faith, and trust that God knows what you need and that He will provide it when you seek Him first.
PSALM 37:3-5,11
“Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.”
Trust means you should have faith that He is on your side and will work on your behalf. Complete trust in God is a very difficult thing to do, but when you give it all over to Him, that’s when He can do His best work for you.
Summary: 6 Keys to Ensure Prosperity and Wealth
Diligence– Careful and persistent effort- consistent hard work- The key to all the other keys below is to be diligent in doing them
Seek God in everything– Always seek to please God and delight in His ways. Seeking His guidance and will in your life allows Him to guide you and bless you.
Seek Righteousness– Always seek to live an upright life and you’ll be blessed because of it.
Keep His Commandments (Walk in His Ways) – Know what God’s ways of doing things are, and when you live by those ways you’ll be greatly blessed.
Honor God with Your Wealth– Be a tither, and give offerings over and above the tithe. We are made in the image of God to be givers, and when we do it opens up windows for God to do huge things in our lives!
Have Faith and Trust in God- Giving every concern over to God is a hard thing to do, but when you do it allows Him to act on your behalf better than you could ever do for yourself. Trust that what His word says will come to pass when you do the right things.
I’m sure there are plenty of other things you can do to ensure God’s blessings and prosperity upon your life. But I think these are 6 of the most important keys to godly prosperity and wealth, especially since you can find them repeatedly in scripture throughout both the New and Old Testaments.
Of course, these are spiritual laws that the more you follow them, the more you’ll find that you’re blessed in every area of your life, including monetary wealth.
The most important thing you have to understand is that God can’t do it without you. His nature is to bless you when you’re doing the right things. When you’re not, His hands are tied and He can’t bless you like He wants to.
So remember to use these 6 keys if you want open up the windows of heaven and experience all the wealth and prosperity God promises we can have!