Finding Your Wealthy Place- Part 3

God has given us principles to follow in order to reach our wealthy place. He has made those principles known through His Word. For us to build wealth according to God’s plan, there has to be a proper foundation. A proper foundation for a tall building needs proper digging to ensure sustainability. The Lord has given us some commands in His Word for us to obey. One of those commands is to tithe according to Malachi.

"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). And verse 9 of Malachi speaks of curses that come upon him who does not obey this command.

But there is a question and here it is, “Why do some believers who tithe remain broke?” They still have not entered into their wealthy place. This deserves an honest answer. This means the tithe does not bring the answer. But it is still very important. There are some adjustments to be made for us to enter our wealthy place. Once those adjustments have been made, you will enter the land of the rich.

“The Lord shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee” (Deuteronomy 28:8).

The Lord shall command the blessing. This must be serious with God. A storehouse refers to your bank account or your investments. The Lord commands a blessing and He does not stop there. He further commands a blessing on whatever you SET your hand on. That may be your business or your job. Do something that is of value to people. Do what benefits people and they will buy from you.

Understand child of God that there is an enemy, the devil. As you move towards your wealthy place the enemy will not just roll over and play dead. He will try hard to stop you without giving up. The reason is that he knows what that means to him. Now let us look at how to lay the proper found for your wealth:

1) Use proven weapons- the Word of God to fight your battles

When Goliath was mocking the Israelites, David came. He knew the covenant he had with God and that Goliath did not have it. He decided to face him. King Saul tried to give him his armor but David had not proven it so he did not use it.

“And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail.

And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him.

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine.” (1 Samuel 17:38-40).

There is a battle going on in the financial world. You therefore need proven weapons as there is no time for unproven ones now. The Word of God has been proven to be working now and again. Jesus proved it when He was tempted by the devil. But the question is, “have you proven it yourself?” David had proven his weapon. That is why he talked about killing a lion and a bear. Now, it is time for you to put the Word of God into a test. Prove it yourself in your own life. Is the Word of God real to you? Is it stored within you? Child of God, it is time. Rise up and start believing in the Word. Use it. Prove it.

2) Do not be high-minded

What is that? It is a charge to the rich. This will help you put the proper foundation on your way to your wealthy place. Do not think of yourself more highly than you should.

“Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves A GOOD FOUNDATION against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1Timothy 6:17-19).

The Lord has given richly all things to be enjoyed. REMEMBER to enjoy every MOMENT of your life? Be willing to distribute, support towards good works. Remember to support the Kingdom of God. By so doing, you are laying a good foundation for yourself.

If you follow God, He will make you rich. Never make earthly riches your number one priority. How can you see if money is priority number one in your life? If it is difficult for you to part with money and support the work of God, you have made money a god. God is ready to give you the kind of house you want, the kind of car you want, and the kind of clothes you want. But you need to prove to Him you are not going to get taken with pride and arrogance and conceit.

“All the commandments which I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers.

And thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, TO HUMBLE THEE, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.

And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.” (Deuteronomy 8:1-3).

Note that the word “Humble” is the opposite of high-minded. Do not wait for God to humble you. Humble yourself. God wants to take you into your wealthy place. The Apostle Peter also talks about this issue of being humble before God.

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6).

3) Don't Put Your Trust in Uncertain Riches

Why are riches of this world referred to as “uncertain riches?” It is because they are temporal. They can be lost anytime. Finances are an earthly institution. No one can go with it to heaven. When you die you go naked. It does not matter how much wealth you had accumulated. So we are encouraged to trust in the living God.

"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy."(1 Timothy 6:17). After Paul admonished the rich on the issue of avoiding being high-minded, he cautioned us about trusting on uncertain riches.

The Old Testament has something to say about trusting in uncertain riches.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. (Proverbs 23:5). Our eyes need to be set on God. Then we will receive an anointing to prosper. That will catch money because money has a tendency of developing wings to fly away.

May I conclude that knowing that there is a wealthy place for you is the first step. As we have highlighted, there are necessary foundations to be put in place. Those foundations will enable you to enjoy your wealth in a sustainable way. Follow the principles of success that God has put in place. That will help protect you from the enemy who always seeks way of hindering and destroying you.

Blessings in Jesus Name!

Finding your Wealthy Place- Part 2

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19).

We serve a God who has plans, purposes, designs and objectives. God has a plan for you to be wealthy. He has a purpose. God has a design and objectives about you becoming wealthy. Failure to understand the prosperity message results in selfishness. That leads to a situation whereby one thinks about grabbing everything for himself.

God wants His people to take care of His Kingdom business. If His people take care of His kingdom business, the Kingdom takes care of them. In order for wealth to be a reality in your life, it will take mainly two things:

1) Be willing

It takes willingness to enjoy the good of the land. Through your wealth, you will enjoy what life has to offer. Remember John 10:10, which says, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” Can you see the language God uses? God talks of abundance. If you are lacking in life, it is not God’s doing. He is not your enemy. God cannot benefit anything out of your lack. God grants abundance. That takes willingness. If you are willing you will follow God’s guidance on accumulating the wealth he has in store for you. Note that willingness is does not just end at the thought level. There has to be action in order for willingness to be demonstrated. Arise and take actions towards finding your wealthy place.

2) Be obedient

What made Abraham wealthy and very rich is obedient to God. Remember when he was about to slay his only begotten son Isaac? That takes obedience child of God. If you were asked to offer your ONLY child, what would you do? Definitely such would not be an easy thing and I am sure it wasn’t easy for Abraham either. But he obeyed. As a result God made him a blessing to the nations. He is considered the Father of faith today and to generations to come. Through your obedience to God, you will eat the good of the land.

God’s will

It is God’s will for you to prosper. According to 3 John 2, the Bible records, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” Actually, three types of prosperity are talked about here: prosperity in your health; prosperity in your finances; and prosperity in your soul. God’s will for your prosperity and wealth is proven by scripture. Look at the following scripture:

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18).

See the purpose? To establish the God’s covenant. The purpose is to carry out the will of God on earth. We must support His kingdom with our wealth. It is not just about us and our children. We should not ignore what God cares about. God wants to bless you and further use you to fulfill His will on earth. If you trust Him, He will entrust you with wealth.

Blessings in Jesus Name!

Finding Your Wealthy Place

Finding your Wealthy Place

God said in Deuteronomy 28:3, "Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field."

There is what is called a wealthy place. God wants to bring you into your own wealthy place. Once you are in such a place you will not ask yourself if you have found it. You will experience it when you are in the city and when you are in the field. It works everywhere. It works in the city and in the field. In other words, whether you are a doctor, lawyer, school teacher, minister, business person, or you have some other vocation.

Remember that yesterday we talked about leaving all for Jesus? You started coming out of the practices that God does not like. Why? God wants to take you into your wealthy place. You cannot win the world and win God’s Kingdom at the same time. One must drop. Gen 12:1 The LORD said to Abram: Leave your country, your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you.

“Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: BUT THOU BROUGHTEST US OUT INTO A WEALTHY PLACE.”

(PSALM 66:12)

You might have gone through the fire or water, but finally the Lord is bringing you into your wealthy place in Jesus Name. That is the place of plenty. It is God’s will that you come out of the tight spot financially. We do not serve a careless God. He does not take you out of Egypt and throw you into a wilderness and then leave you there to die. The wilderness is just a pathway to your wealthy place. So do not worry about what is happening in your life now. You are just passing through. Never think the wilderness is your destiny. Never think you should die there. No, No! Fix your eyes into your wealthy place. See God taking you through. Listen to Him. Obey Him.

I believe the following verse in Psalms is a prophetic word to the Body of Christ for this hour concerning finances.

Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. (PSALM 102:13). Note that Zion refers to the Church.

When is the time to arise? The time is now. Do not stay in the wilderness till you die. If you have not yet found your wealthy place, arise now! Ask God to show you where or what is your wealthy place. He will speak to you in Jesus Name!

Blessings!

Fight the Good Fight of Faith

Did you ever fight for anything in your life? Probably you did as most people had to fight for certain things. It was either with the siblings or other people outside of your family. Fighting is not an easy or comfortable thing. But if it is worthwhile, we find ourselves having to fight. That is especially so for our Christian faith. Believers are expected to fight spiritual battles to defend their faith in God. So here we are explaining how the fight of faith is fought in order to win. It is important because if you do not fight, you may lose the battles of life. We do not fight people, but Satan is our enemy together with his demons. Paul writes the following scriptures in relation to the fight of faith. Please read on.

1Ti 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith. Lay hold on eternal life, to which you are also called and have professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2Ti 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.

What is a good Fight of Faith?

It is a fight that defends what Jesus died for on the Cross, keeping the faith of God and not violating it. It is fighting for a good cause. Jesus fought against evil without going against the will of God. Paul did the same thing. That is a good fight of faith.

How to fight a good fight of faith?

There is good fighting and there is a bad one. A wrong fight of faith is fighting people.

Eph 6:12  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the world's rulers, of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

The following will ensure that you fight the good fight of faith:

1. Never Give up

Psa 119:81  KAPH: My soul faints for Your salvation; I hope in Your Word.

It is a great tragedy to give up on a good cause. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:26, “Like a muddied spring and a polluted well, so is a righteous person who gives in to a wicked person.” Righteous causes will face obstacles, but they always prevail if we do not give up. The assignment God has given you is a righteous cause; it might be ministry, a business, or even a career. Your marriage is a righteous cause. Obstacles will come against these righteous causes, but do not give in.

Be prepared to fight. The devil will persist in his opposition, so you must persist in your fight because victory is guaranteed. Paul, a man accustomed to fighting, tells the Ephesians in Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.” He then advises to, “Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”(Eph.6:11).

The armour makes provision for the head, the chest, the loins, and even the feet, but none for the back. This means God does not expect you to turn back and quit. God expects you to fight; to defend the territory He has given you without yielding ground to the devil. You are victorious in Jesus Name!

Daniel did not give up praying until he got the answer he desired from God. He decided to fast for 21 days and he got the answer.

Dan 10:12  Then he said to me, Do not fear, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to chasten yourself before your God, your words were heard. And I have come for your words.

Dan 10:13  But the ruler of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days. But lo, Michael, one of the chief rulers, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Never give up.

2. Persist with Focus

Heb 12:1  Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

Heb 12:2  looking to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God.

There is a true story told about Roundy Kimberly, who set out with three others for fishing in a lake. They were having a great time and did not notice that the weather was changing so fast. Their realization came too late as their boat was overtaken by strong waves. His brother and sister-in-law drowned in the incident, but he managed to survive after swimming for two hours in VERY cold water.

When quizzed on how he managed to swim for two hours in a water temperature that would have killed the average person in 30 minutes, “the shoreline” was his reply. He survived by keeping his focus on the shoreline. Persistence is futile without focus. There must be a desired end. Keeping our eyes on the object of our desire enables persistence. What kept Jesus focused was the Glory that awaited Him. So He kept on pushing toward the Cross despite the agony He knew awaited Him.

Many are unable to persist because they lack a conviction in the direction they are headed for.

Isa 50:7 For the Lord GOD helps me, so I won't be disgraced. Therefore I've made my face like flint, and I know that I won't be put to shame.

With a desired outcome in mind, we are able to persist in our relationships, careers, businesses and other endeavors. God’s promises are always true.

 
God loves you. Fight the good fight of faith. We are in a war. This fight has rules. It is governed by the Word of God. We use God’s armors. We said never give up. You are fighting for a good cause. Finally, we said persist with focus in this battle. These will lead to your victory in Christ. Keep on fighting to the end for your faith and the Lord.