WIXLIB

Some of the Lord’s disciples were wealthy. When it was evening, there came arich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple ofJesus (Mat 27:57).Soon afterwards, He began going around from one city and village to another,proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God; The twelve were with Him, andalso some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who wascalled Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife ofChuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing totheir support out of their private means. (Luk 8:1 3)So, again there is nothing wrong with being well off unless this prosperity isprioritized above God. He wants us to possess the good life, but He doesn’t want it topossess us. Some Christians believe that our Lord was poor during His earthly ministry;because of this they believe we should also live in poverty. This position is incorrect. Itdoes seem apparent that Jesus was relatively poor while growing up as the son of acarpenter. However, a careful examination of the Scriptures reveals that the Lord was notat all poor during His earthly ministry:“The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonousman and a drunkard, a friend of tax gatherers and sinners!’ Yet wisdom isvindicated by her deeds.” (Mat 11:19)The Greek in this passage brings out the fact that our Lord ate fine foods and drankgood wine. Our Lord knew God’s guidelines and instructions for prosperity. During Hisministry the Lord had quite a large organization. As the first traveling evangelist, He hadmany people who followed Him from city to city:Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead ofHim to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He wassaying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseechthe Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. "Go; behold, I sendyou out as lambs in the midst of wolves. "Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes;and greet no one on the way. "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to thishouse.' "If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it willreturn to you. "Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for thelaborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.”(Luk 10:1 7)In this passage we learn that the Lord had at least seventy disciples whom He sentforth knowing that their needs would be met. How could a poor man run an operationsuch as this? How could a poor man meet the needs of so many people? In fact, Hisorganization was large enough to have a treasurer and guess who He picked to handle themoney, the very one that would steal from Him and ultimately betray Him for thirtypieces of silver, Judas Iscariot. But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who wasintending to betray Him, said, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred

denarii, and given to poor people?” Now he said this, not because he was concernedabout the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used topilfer what was put into it (Joh 12:4 6).Our Lord was a complete master of God’s guidelines and instructions on how toprosper, and He used those principles repeatedly to meet His needs. He had the mostgenuine faith ever seen on this earth, and as a result He was able to accomplish all thatwas required in every circumstance by turning little into plenty. He had absolutely noneed for worldly material assets, because He knew He could apply His faith in order toobtain whatever He needed. He relied totally upon the Father’s Word. And when theyhad come to Capernaum, those who collected the two drachma tax came to Peter,and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two drachma tax?” He said, “Yes.” Andwhen he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think,Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll tax, from theirsons or from strangers?” When Peter said, “From strangers,” Jesus said to him,"Then the sons are exempt. "However, so that we do not offend them, go to the seaand throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open itsmouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me." (Mat17:24 27). Problem solved with one fish, and a whole lot of faith.Of course, we all know the stories of Jesus feeding the multitudes:And they had forgotten to take bread; and did not have more than one loaf in theboat with them. And He was giving orders to them, saying, “Watch out! Beware ofthe leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” And they began to discuss withone another the fact that they had no bread. And Jesus, aware of this, said to them,“Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet see orunderstand? Do you have a hardened heart? Having eyes, do you not see? Andhaving ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember, when I broke the fiveloaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces you picked up?They said to Him, “Twelve.” “And when I broke the seven for the four thousand,how many large baskets full of broken pieces did you pick up?” And they said toHim, “Seven.” And He was saying to them, “Do you not yet understand?”(Mar 8:14 21)The point is that when you are doing the Will of God, He will provide all that youneed. This does not mean that you won’t have any needs, but it does mean that you willbe content with whatever God provides. When the Lord needed a colt (the Cadillac oftransportation in those days) to ride into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, He didn’thave to rent or buy one, He simply told two of His disciples where to find one. Whenthey had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, to the Mount ofOlives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village oppositeyou, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untiethem, and bring them to Me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘TheLord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” (Mat 21:1 3)

When He needed a room to observe the Passover, He didn’t go to a hotel to rent one,instead He told the disciples what to do:And on the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was beingsacrificed, His disciples said to Him, “Where do You want us to go and prepare forYou to eat the Passover?” And He sent two of His disciples, and said to them, “Gointo the city, and a man will meet you carrying a pitcher of water; follow him; andwherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says, ‘Where is Myguest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ And he himself willshow you a large upper room furnished and ready; and prepare for us there.” Andthe disciples went out, and came to the city, and found it just as He had told them;and they prepared the Passover. (Mar 14:12 16)It’s important to address the verse that some will bring up which is 2Co 8:9, “Foryou know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for yoursake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” This versedoes not tell us that Jesus was financially poor throughout His earthly ministry; it saysthat He became poor. He became poor on two levels: First, He became poor when Hemade the supreme sacrifice of becoming human. He voluntarily laid aside the glory thatwas rightfully His in heaven, and made His dwelling place here on earth in order topurchase our so great salvation. Secondly, He also gave up all of His earthly possessionsby the time He went to the Cross. When He died, He didn’t own one thing in this world.In spite of the many pictures you have seen to the contrary, the Lord Jesus Christ wascompletely naked when He died on the Cross. He could not have been any poorer thanHe was at that time. Some others might wonder what this has to do with them. Somethink that Jesus was able to do such things because He was the Son of God, and the restof us can’t do what He did. Well, that’s a lie from the one who told lies from thebeginning, Satan. Satan spends all of his time spinning lies, and promoting humanviewpoint in his attempt to rob blessings and prosperity from mankind. The book of Johntells us that we can enjoy this same total prosperity during our lives here on earth:“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do will he doalso; and greater works than these will he do; because I go to the Father. Whateveryou ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Ifyou ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. If you love Me, you will keep Mycommandments.” (Joh 14:12 15).This prosperity is not automatic just because we are Christians. We must followGod’s guidelines and instructions as put forth in the Bible. If we do, God will notwithhold any good from us, Psa 84:11b “No good thing does He withhold from thosewho walk uprightly.”

3Make God your number One priority.“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things will beadded to you.” (Mat 6:33)“But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.” (Psa 34:10b)Millions of Christians are living far beneath their rights and privileges as children ofGod, because they fail to give Him top priority in their lives. When we are in rightstanding with God, and love Him ahead of everything else, we’ll receive all of the richesand honor that we’ll ever need or want. Whatever any of us needs in any area of ourlives, He will provide for us when we keep Him first.However, here’s the question, what does it mean to keep God first? Ask yourself thefollowing questions:1. Do you place your family commitments ahead of God?2. Is seeking financial prosperity and success more important to you than seeking God?3. Do you spend more time entertaining yourself with television, computers, games,hobbies and your social life than you spend seeking God?If you answered yes to any of these questions, it is time to examine and evaluate yourlifestyle. Only by being honest with yourself will you ever begin to live in God’sguidelines and instructions for prosperity. The Bible teaches that if you are going to be awinner in the spiritual life, and receive God’s highest and best, then you have toovercome distractions and opposition. Distractions come from many different directions,and some of them are very close to us. For example, there will be times when thoseclosest to you, such as family and friends, will divert you from your spiritual life.One of the tactics of the kingdom of darkness is to sidetrack believers from Bibledoctrine, thus hindering their spiritual growth, by drawing them away from the Pre designed Plan of God. Many believers struggle with the distractions caused by family,getting so caught up in their family lives that God is demoted to a secondary position.Parents find themselves running from one activity to another. It is all well and good tolove and care for family, God wants us to do this. However, when family commitmentsoverwhelm us, and begin to take us away from Him, it is time to sit down and rearrangeour priorities and commitments. Remember this important principle: GOD is the mostimportant One in your life. Of course God knows you love your family very much, Heknows that you care for, and are concerned about your children every day; He doesn’twant you to stop doing this. What He does want is to be first in your life, and if you trustHim, all of these other things will be taken care of.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace,but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against hermother, and a daughter in law against her mother in law; and a man's enemies willbe the members of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me isnot worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy ofMe. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. Hewho has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will findit.” (Mat 10:34 39)Even Our Lord had to deal with family distractions during His earthly ministry. Hisown relatives, including His mother, thought that He had lost his senses. When Hisfamily heard about this [that He claimed to be the Son of God], they went to takecharge of Him, for they said, “He is out of his mind” (Mar 3:21). They did not cometo hear His teachings; in fact they thought He was taking this whole thing a little tooseriously, and His brothers at this point in time did not even believe that He was the Sonof God. They did not come to believe that until after the resurrection when He appearedto His brother James (Joh 7:5). Our Lord taught that believers were closer to Him thanHis natural family and closest relatives. Our relationship with God must always takeprecedence over our relationship with people, even family:While He was still speaking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers werestanding outside, seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, “Behold, Yourmother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.” But Heanswered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who areMy brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold,My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father who is inheaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.” (Mat 12:46 50)The world’s system of prosperity puts financial well being ahead of the things ofGod. Many people get so caught up with earning money that they think about itconstantly; their lives revolve around it. If they are not thinking about how to earn more,they are thinking about how to invest it, or what they can buy with it, and most certainlyhow they can keep it. Money has become their god; the more they get, the more theywant. But, we as Christians should have this all consuming desire for God instead ofmoney. It is God that should be at the very center of our existence. Every aspect of ourlives should revolve around Him. We shouldn’t be able to get enough of Him, the morewe learn of Him, the more we should want to learn.“How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to bechosen above silver.” (Pro 16:16)“Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and instruction and understanding.” (Pro23:23)Another reason that God is not the number one priority in peoples lives is that many

believers today spend much more time entertaining themselves through their social life,television, movies, and computers than they do with the Word of God. They are fillingtheir minds with garbage, they become blinded to the truth, and are controlled by a seriesof carefully crafted lies and schemes of the devil. Cosmic thinking has been so deeplyingrained in many, that the only way to see what has been carefully hidden from them isby learning divine viewpoint. We are taught over and over again throughout the Word ofGod to be careful of what information we allow into our souls.“I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away;It shall not fasten its grip on me.” (Psa 101:3)And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to.” (Mar 4:24a)Finally, another test that a believer can take, to see if his priorities are in line, isthe problem test. Many believers allow the problems in their lives to take precedenceover God. They have become much more problem centered than God centered. Theyspend too much time focusing in on their troubles, and too little time focusing in on God,and His ability to solve every one of their predicaments. If God is really first in our lives,why should we ever be worried about anything?So here’s the test, how do you react when a problem comes your way? Do youwonder how you will ever solve the problem, or do you trust that God will get youthrough the problem. If you put Him first, the answer is that you trust in Him to get youthrough the problem. If we are worried about the situation, we allow that situation to takepriority in our life over God. Instead of constantly focusing on the problems, we shouldfocus constantly on the promises found in God’s Word, and the great ability of God theHoly Spirit living inside us. Switching our pre occupation from ourselves to a totaloccupation with Christ is the beginning of freedom and peace. Freedom from the worriesof life caused by family, finances, and problems followed by a perfect, complete andabsolute peace.“The steadfast of mind Thou wilt keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in Thee.”(Isa 26:3)We begin to put God first when we begin to lose ourselves and spent our time gettingcloser to Him. “He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life forMy sake shall find it” (Mat 10:39). We, as Christians, put God first when we pick upour cross daily, and follow Him. And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes tocome after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Forwhoever wishes to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, heis the one who will save it” (Luk 9:23 24). Taking up your cross daily means havingthe same attitude and priorities toward life as our Lord had when He walked the earth.He came to do the will of the Father, and through desire, determination and devotion Heaccomplished all that He was given to do."I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given

Me to do.” (Joh 17:4)The Lord gave of Himself completely when He walked among man. Every momentof His public ministry was spent teaching and helping others. He gave until He finallygave His all by pouring Himself out on the Cross for our so great salvation. “Even asthe Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep”(Joh 10:15).“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on across.” (Phi 2:8). It should be our goal to have this same attitude that our Lord had.“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each ofyou regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out foryour own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude inyourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Phi 2:3 5)God’s guidelines and instructions to prosper will only work to the degree that wekeep Him first in our lives, absolutely ahead of everything else. The blessings we receivefrom our Father will be in direct proportion

God is the source of all Prosperity. We start with two simple yet very important principles: First, God is the source of all prosperity. Secondly, what God does for one, He will do for others. 2Ti 3:16 says that al