. W W J D ... Money (Prosperity)

I think I need to talk about how Jesus would deal with the subject of money.

Matthew 23:23 (NIV) "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former."

Jesus was not afraid to talk about money. We need to understand that money and prosperity are biblical terms. It is used 109 times in the Bible. This teaching has been misused and abused. The truth is that the church needs this message. Jesus apparently thought so. He spend a great deal of time talking about money and stewardship.

Today we see families being ravished by the destructive forces of financial despair. If ever we need sound doctrine on God's plan to prosper His people, it is now.

Psalms 103:1-5 (NIV)

God is in the business of "redeeming our lives from the pit." And crowns us with love and compassion. He satisfies your desires with good things. When you can't take care of your children, provide for your household, pay your bills, there is a destruction working. But prosperity is more than money.

There are people who have money and are poor. There are many people who don't have a lot of money and are really rich. The Greek word translated prosper means literally "to help on one's way." God wants to help you on your way. If you are born again, you are literally "on your way" to heaven where the streets are made of gold. God will wipe away every tear.

God wants to be directly involved in your life to help you along. He wants to be your senior business partner in life to help you grow in "wisdom and stature and favor with God and man." He will bless you. Let God take your hand and be your ever present help in time of need.

Webster's dictionary states that prosper means 1. to succeed in an enterprise or activity, to achieve financial success 2. to become strong and flourishing, to cause to succeed or thrive.

Success in life is not measured merely in dollars in cents but in terms of quality of life in every area-spiritual, mental, emotional, physical. . . in your family, on the job, in your business in your ministry. It comes from God's total blessing on your life in every area, beginning with the spiritual.

That's why God's Word says: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 1:2, KJV). Let your soul prosper in the things of God. Enjoy His blessings in your life. Put the Kingdom of God first and "all these things" will be added unto you.

I want to talk about four enemies of prosperity. They are laziness, mismanagement, debt and wrong thinking.

1. LAZINESS

God does not bless laziness, whether it is in the spiritual or natural. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) "... anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Concerning the natural things, he also requires diligence. 2 Thessalonians 3:10, (KJV) "... if any would not work, neither should he eat."

Proverbs 10:4 (KJV) "He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. There's one really good way to come out of a financial hole --- WORK! God said he would bless the works of your hands.

Psalms 1:3 (KJV) "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." It is necessary that we "doeth" something, so he can have something to prosper. Whether it's ministry, or a job or a business, work, and God will bless your efforts.

I've found that God will bless whatever effort you make. When you are down and out, go out and do something. God will bless your something.

Beware of "get-rich-quick schemes." Over the years, I have heard of far more heartache, pain and sorrow over these "too good to resist" promotions than any good that has come out of them. I know of people losing their savings, gone into debt, because something sounded too good to resist. "Make money the old fashioned way, earn it!"

Some ministers of the Gospel fall pray to money-making schemes and get sidetracked from their callings. I believe ministers should live by the ministry. These "easy money" schemes, whether they work or not, are a tremendous distraction to the minister and their call

1 Timothy 6:9-11 (NIV) "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. {10} For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. {11} But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness."

Don't love money, love God. Let him provide for you.

2. MISMANAGEMENT

The second enemy of prosperity is mismanagement or poor stewardship.

Proverbs 12:27 (NIV) "The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions.

Waste not, want not, the old saying goes. Take care of what you have and you will have it to use again. Take care of your automobile, your tools, your clothes, the things that you use in daily life. We live in a throw-away society, and it keeps us broke. Those who do a lot of work with the poor tell us of the great need for education. They think that the time to add oil to their automobile is when the red light goes on. If we don't take care of what we have, we will lose it. And that applies to relationships as well as material things.

Proverbs 27:23, (KJV) "Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds." Do you know the state of your flocks? checkbook? Your net worth? Do you have a financial plan for your income? Do you live from hand to mouth.

Many people are broke, not because they do not have enough income, but because they do not manage what they have properly.

Establish a budget. A budget is a plan or a guide for the spending your money. Set down and make a list of your bills and debts. Put God first and He will open the windows of heaven. Think about how much you will need for the other areas, such as food, gas, entertainment, etc. Write it down.
You can develop a plan to manage your finances. If you can't do it yourself, get help!

You should start thinking about saving money instead of borrowing it. The "no money down" advertising looks so good. But it will eat you up financially! If you are led by emotions, feelings and desires, you can end up digging yourself a very deep hole.

3. DEBT

I am convinced that debt is robbing many Christians of their joy, victory and success in life. We live in a society that promotes a borrowing mentality. We need to understand that debt can keep us tied to the world in an ungodly way.

Proverbs 22:7 (NIV) "... the borrower is servant to the lender." God's Word does not prohibit us from borrowing all together. Sometimes, it is more practical to borrow that to completely do without something that you need. A mortgage can make that possible for an amount similar to the cost of renting, we are probably further ahead owning our own home.

It would be silly to lose your job because you can't get to work in your old jalopy. On the other hand, if the you have an older reliable vehicle that is doing the job, it would be best to save part or all the money for a newer vehicle in the future.

Borrowing brings a bondage. Most of us would be shocked if we realized how much we spend per year on interest. If we did not have that debt, we would have thousands of dollars each year to buy things for our home and support the Gospel. We usually spend more money when we use credit. If we were buying cash, we would use more restraint. Plastic makes is seem sooo easy.

Debt, bondage, stress in home, lack, ... Satan's trap to keep us from the victory of God. Matthew 6:12 (KJV) "... forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Many people in church need to be delivered from debt.
And most of the time that deliverance is going to come through prayer, diligence, hard work, good stewardship, and resisting the temptation to borrow more. A lot of debt problems are "lust-driven." Find some self restraint by the Spirit of God. Cut up our credit cards. (Freeze them). Develop a plan to get out of debt.

FOLLOW IT!!

4. WRONG THINKING

The scripture says: For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he. . . (Proverbs 23:7a, KJV). How to you think about finances? Prosperity? God's love? His plan to bless you? Do you see God as a miser, or a blesser? We need to think positive thought about our future and God's plan to bless us.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV) "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." God is for you and not against you. Did you know that the above scripture was written to a people who had disobeyed and rebelled against God. But in the midst of all that, God gave them a promise. "I've got a future for you. I've not given up on you. I love you and want to bless you."

Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NIV) "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. {13} You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. {14} I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." Seek God with all your heart. Put Him first on your list of priorities. No matter what your financial situation make time for the Lord. Let Him have first place in your life. Seek him first and expect him to provide abundantly for your needs. Renew your mind to God's attitude. God says he wants you to prosper and be in health. Many believe that money is evil, but the Bible says that "the LOVE of money" is the root of all evil. It is absolutely essential that we get into God's word and find out what He said.

As God told Joshua: Joshua 1:8 (NIV) "Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful." His salvation extends to every area of your life. He will give you the strength, the wisdom, the favor, and the blessings. God will flow in your life.

What Would Jesus Do?

He would: Work! Be A good Steward! Be debt free! Think Biblically!

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