Introduction
Prosperity can be defined as a state of financial, spiritual and physical wellness. It is God's plan for all His children and it pleases Him to see us prosper. The word of God says with exclamation " Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor my righteous cause; and let them say continually, "Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant." Psalms 35:27
In 3 John 2, the word says "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers". These two among other scriptures confirm that God wants His children to prosper. This is divine prosperity, riches and wealth acquired in godly manner and through hard work.
Prosperity from the Lord is predicated on some rules and covenant requirements.
God made a covenant with Abraham to bless him and his offspring for ever. God also told him that through him, the nations of the earth shall be blessed. Every believing child of God, who keys into the covenant of Abraham through obedience and sacrifice shall surely be wealthy.
Kingdom prosperity is a covenant matter that requires obedience and sacrifice and in this write-up, I will ex-ray the Laws of prosperity from the Word of God as well as His promises to bless us.
Requirements/Laws of Prosperity:
1. God with you
One of the requirements for kingdom prosperity is for God to be with you and in all the things you are doing. The presence of God with a person is different from the presence of your friends, relatives and even partners. The presence of God is a powerful light that attract all known favour to a person, even from their enemies.
When we say that someone is with us we mean that they are on our side as friends, relatives and partners in business, whom we can trust to be there for us when we need them most. Then imagine what the presence of the Almighty God would mean for you - Favour and 'open heavens'.
On a more personal level, God is with us by the Holy Spirit indwelling in us, but when it comes to His presence, it has strong transformative power. While the Holy Ghost directs and guide us, His presence opens the closed doors and breaks every chain of defeat. Remember what happened to Paul and Silas in the Prison. God was with them by the Holy Ghost, but when the presence of the Lord entered the Prison, the chains on their hands broke-off, and the prison doors opened on their own volition. His presence makes the difference!
Scriptural references:
In Gen 39:1-3 - we have the story of Joseph, who was taken down to Egypt and brought to Potiphar's house, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard in Egyptian, who bought him from the Ishmaelites. But the bible recorded that the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Even his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.
Gen 39:23 - The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph's authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.
Jer 20:11 - But the Lord is with me as a mighty, awesome One. Therefore my persecutors will stumble, and will not prevail. They will be greatly ashamed, for they will not prosper. Their everlasting confusion will never be forgotten.
2. Obedience to the Voice of the Lord
Obedience to God is very important in your Christian life and spiritual growth and maturity. Without obedience, you have not even started your journey with the Lord. Faith, repentance and confession brings you to God in reconciliation, but obedience to His word and obey to do them takes you to the next level.
Salvation is the beginning of relationship with God, but when you study His word to know Him and obey His word and voice, you enter into the race for eternity with Christ in heaven. So obedience is very important because, if you are not obeying the Word of God and doing what it says, the person will eventually loose his standing with God, a situation that people describe as a backslide.
The greatest commandment is to love God by keeping His commandments. Jesus answering the question in Matthew 22:36-38 says, "The greatest commandment in the Law is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" This is the first and greatest commandment.
Scriptural references
Deut 28: 1-14 - "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:
3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 "Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 "The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 "The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
9 "The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord your God and walk in His ways.
10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
12 The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
3. Meditation on the Word:
Meditation can be defined as the deep thinking and careful consideration of a matter, looking into all the relevant information and reports relating to it. It is to “think deeply or carefully about something.” So, when you find a promise from God that’s hard to believe, that’s when you want to think deeply about it. Joshua 1:8 says, “Study this Book of Instruction continually.
Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” When you want to meditate on the scriptures, you need to separate yourself from distraction and be alone with the bible in a quite place. In that quite place with the bible, you invite the Holy Spirit to come and open your understanding of the scriptures.
Before you start the bible study and meditation, free your Spirit man from every unforgiveness, strife, bitterness and anger that could hinder you from receiving divine revelation and other blessings from the Lord. To meditate on the Word and to receive from it, you must first forgive. Then ponder on the particular scripture, applying it to your circumstances again and again until its interpretation and meaning registers in your heart.
Don’t just read a verse. No, study and jot down your points and then camp there for a while. Dissect it. Let the Holy Spirit give you revelation about that verse. Let it convict you, sharpen you, refine you and encourage you. Don’t just read it and walk away. Let it change you. That's the kind of meditation that can affect your life in a way that almost nothing else can. It is capable of literally, alter your mind and renew it to the truth of God’s Word.
The Word comes alive in you - This is what meditation is all about, taking time to envision the promise of God until it becomes a reality inside you. It’s tremendously powerful, and by focusing on the scriptural promises God has given you, you can put it to work in your life. As you meditate, you will renew your mind to the truth in His Word. It will change you and refine you and the way you respond to situations. This is my prayer for you today.
Real faith is built on the Word. We should meditate on the Word, dig deeply into it and feed on it. Then, the Word will become a part of us just as natural food becomes a part of our physical bodies when we eat. We must feed upon the Word until acting on the Word is all we want to do. Meditating on the Word will prosper you and keep you safe in the will of God. John 15:7 says, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you”
Scriptural References
Josh 1:8-9 - 8 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.
Ps 1:2-3 - But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
4. Faith
Faith in God is trust in Him. Faith in God is believing He is who He says He is. For those who have seen His power and might, there is nothing on earth except GOD ALMIGHTY. I belong to this category of people. I have seen the deliverance power of God, His healing, restoration and creative power, and so my faith in God is second to none.
Scriptural references
2 Chron 20:20 - So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, "Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper."
Neh 2:20 - So I answered them, and said to them, "The God of heaven Himself will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build, but you have no heritage or right or memorial in Jerusalem."
5. Seeking God
The word of God says that all eyes look unto the Lord for their sustainance and so, we seek happiness, fulfillment, success, and as many of this world’s pleasures from the Lord our God. We have the right to do so and infact the Lord asked us to pray and ask what we need from Him and He will meet all our needs at His own time.
Remember the Lord first sought us, and we believed and were saved through Jesus Christ. He says: "As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness" - Ezekiel 34.12
To seek the Lord means to seek his presence. To desire a relationship with him. To come to him for help. We seek Him because we are incomplete without Him, and going forward, we can do nothing in life without Christ. Without the Lord, we are vulnerable. We can’t save ourselves, we cannot deliver ourselves. But, when we are in Him and under His coverage, we have an advocate, helper and deliverer.
Reading and studying the Bible is the starting point for seeking the Lord. God speaks to us, leads us, guides us, and reveals his heart to us through his word. He tells us how to live in a way that pleases him. He tells us what he is like; his mind, his standards, his love for us. Try to cultivate a habit of spending time in God’s word on a regular basis.
Seek God in faith - And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Already, we have confidence that, if we call on Him, we know He hears us and if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15
Scriptural references
2 Chron 26:5 - He sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God; and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper.
Jer 10:21 - For the shepherds have become dull-hearted, and have not sought the Lord; Therefore they shall not prosper, And all their flocks shall be scattered.
6. Goodness of Israel
Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is a good thing to do for believers. This is because God has promised to bless those who bless Israel and curse those who curse Israel (Genesis 12:3).
Jerusalem is important to God, it is the cultural, religious, and political capital of Israel. Praying for its peace makes sense. The word Jerusalem means "the place of peace", the place where the God of peace symbolically resided during the temple times.
Scriptural references
Ps 122:6-9 says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!'
For my brothers and companions' sake I will say, 'Peace be within you!' For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good."
7. Hospitality
Hospitality literary means a friendly and favourable disposition towards strangers. It is receiving and treating guests and strangers in a warm, friendly, generous way. Hospitality means the “love of strangers.” Hospitality is a virtue that is both commanded and expected of every believer in the faith. In the Old Testament, God specifically commanded that: “When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt” - Leviticus 19:33-34.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus discusses the hospitable behavior of those who will inherit the kingdom: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me” (Matthew 25:34-36).
Scriptural references
Luke 6:38 - Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
2 Cor 8:15 - As it is written, "He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack."
FIRE...
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