PROSPERITY

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way PROSPEROUS, and then you will have good success – Joshua 1:8

PROSPERITY is a key dimension of divine Blessings. The word “prosperity” has become quite popular, sometimes for the wrong reasons. Some people even speak derogatorily against “Prosperity Messages” and “Prosperity Ministers,” almost forgetting that the term is clearly biblical and indeed spiritual. God is not against Prosperity. He actually “has pleasure in the PROSPERITY of His servant” (Psa.35:27). God is pleased when His servants prosper. He is satisfied when His people succeed.  He assured Joshua that if he would be strong and courageous to confess, meditate in, and observe to obey the “book of the law” he shall make his way “prosperous” and have good success (Jos.1:8). Meaning: Success is not accidental, and Prosperity is not a function of “luck”! Both are products of obedience to divine instructions. But what really is Prosperity?

The word “prosperity” is a covenantal desire of God for His creation. It derives from the Greek word “soteria”, meaning salvation, beauty, wholeness, healthiness, and pleasantness. God longs for you to prosper: “Beloved, I pray that you may PROSPER in all things and be in health, just as your soul PROSPERS” (3Jh.2). Perfect Prosperity – of spirit, soul, and body – is His Will. To neglect any of the three dimensions is to reject the prosperity scheme of Jesus. Man is a trichotomous being: a spirit, soul, and body. The pathway of prosperity is a road you must travel because God wishes it so! Although humanity dichotomizes spiritual, mental, physical, and financial prosperity, every blessing is spiritual (Eph.1:3). This is the balanced approach to prosperity. Worldly affluence without eternal purpose leads to disappointment and dissatisfaction.

It is important to admit that there is an unchristian kind of prosperity, which seems to give a negative label to the term. This refers to the “Miasma of Materialism” – inordinate pursuit of riches as the paramount purpose of life, which is a highway to soul disaster. Proverbs 1:32 says, “For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them” (KJV). The New King James version replaces the word “prosperity” with “complacency.” The “prosperity of fools” therefore describes a foolish dependence and trust on material possessions that breed spiritual complacency: “He who trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like foliage” (Pro.11:28). The wise man added: “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance with increase. This also is vanity” (Eccl.5:10). Prosperity transcends money or wealth. God wants you to possess money, but does not want money to ever possess you.

We serve the Prosperous God! He alone can do things on a big, grand, and even global scale. Prosperity is God’s way. Consider the limitless expanse of the universe! Recall how He daily fed over three million Jews in the wilderness for forty years. Our problem is: not knowing His ways of doing things (Isa.55:8-9). Many are trying to live in God’s blessings using the world’s ways and laws. It won’t work. God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). You can only receive from Him by applying His laws and walking in His ways. Life is a series of processes and you must cooperate with divine processing in your life, rather than rebel and complain about them. Prosperity is a process, not a product; a journey, not a destination. Joshua’s “way” – path, journey – was to be “made” prosperous before he could have good success (Jos.1:8). Life’s processes precede its products; and prosperity is not an instantaneous or once-for-all event.

Joseph’s life was processed from His parents’ pillow through the pit to Potiphar’s house, prison and ultimately, the Palace. Even though a slave, God saw him as a “prosperous man in the house of his master the Egyptian” (Gen.39:2). God’s Word is the source of Perfect Prosperity. As you walk in the Word, you will prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.