Many times we wonder if God really wants us to be prosperous. For so long it has been taught that if you are not well off then you can have a closer and more intimate relationship with the Lord. While it is true that God can and will put us through difficult situations, He does that to see how we will respond to those situations. That doesn’t mean that He plans for us to live that way forever! He desires for us to prosper! In A Time to Prosper, Robert Heidler writes:
God desires to prosper His people. That is His heart and nature. God is a good Father. He doesn’t want His Church – His Bride – to be hindered by a continual lack of resources. He doesn’t want His children so focused on “making ends meet” that they can’t walk in overflowing thankfulness and generosity.
Many Christians have been hampered in their faith by the pagan philosophy of asceticism that crept into the Church during the Dark Ages. Asceticism subscribes to the belief that by being poor, a person could better concentrate on being spiritual. In the medieval church, monks had to take vows of poverty. Even today, many Christians have a mindset of poverty. But that philosophy is not found in the Bible!
The Bible promises success and prosperity to those who walk in God’s ways. Those with a poverty mindset try to argue against that, but they have a lot of scripture to explain away!
The fact is, the Bible not only promises prosperity to those who walk in God’s ways, but it is also filled with examples of people who experienced it. Most of the godly men and women you read about in the Bible were prosperous. Abraham and his offspring had great wealth. Job was one of the richest men in the land. Joseph rose to the top in every situation. David became king. Both Daniel and Nehemiah held high positions. The apostle Paul was incredibly successful and planted thriving churches all over the Roman Empire! Don’t let a poverty mindset hold you captive!
God has absolutely no desire for us to live with a mindset of poverty. His desire for us is to prosper! The people throughout the Bible are perfect examples of this. Did they go through some tough times? Sure, they did! It’s what they did during those tests and during the times they were at their low points that gained them favor with God and brought them into the prosperity that He desired for them. Ask God begin to remove the mindset of poverty that has impacted the church and ask Him to renew your mind, in order to come into the blessings and prosperity that He desires for all of His children! Meditate on Romans 8 and Philippians 4.