UNDERSTANDING PROSPERITY (THE MYSTERIES BEHIND SUCCESS)

 
 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

3 John 1:2 KJV

The doctrine of prosperity is one of the controversial topics in our churches today. Most Christians do not accept the concept of prosperity because of how the unbelievers have defined it. Prosperity is in a different dimension, and as Christians, it is our responsibility to understand it. God cannot deal with ignorant people because His Word says so (See Hosea 4:6). When you are ignorant of something, you criticize and condemn it. God can use you according to the knowledge you have about Him.

God cannot move beyond the thoughts you have about Him. Sometimes, God may move beyond what you think about Him when He wants to prove something to you or out of His mercy.  If you only know God to be a loving Father, He will walk with you in love; if you know God to be a Warrior, He will always represent Himself as a Warrior. If you know God as a Provider, He makes provisions for you. The knowledge you have gained about God will determine your success with God. People are in hospitals because they don’t believe God to be their Healer. Many Christians are living in poverty because they don’t know God to be a provider and a way maker.

My topic today is about prosperity. When I say prosperity, what do I mean? How does the Word (Holy Bible) define prosperity? How do we activate the Spirit of prosperity? This is what I will briefly explain in this article. Prosperity means success, the ability to succeed in your vocation, business, education, and in anything you are doing if it glorifies God. There are different types of prosperity I will share with you. 

1. Spiritual Prosperity (Connection with the Spirit and Church). 
2. Visible Prosperity (Connection with the Body and Earth).
3. The prosperity of the soul (Connection with the Mind and the Word).

Spiritual prosperity is when you identify and fulfill your divine purpose. This prosperity is everlasting. There is no end to these blessings. It is a reward designed for Christians; these blessings are activated by the number of souls you won into the Kingdom of God, your labour of love in the body of Christ (Church), your tithes and offerings, financial support for the poor, and sacrifice of life to labour for the Church. Nobody can destroy this prosperity because it is divine (See John 14:1-3).

Visible prosperity is when you succeed in the earth realm. The ability to dominate the earth and expand the treasures God has given you (See Genesis 1:26-28). It can be in the form of finance, business, education, and connections with high dignitaries. The ability to own your own house, live in your own cars, private jets, and mansions. It is good to be prosperous physically because it allows you to help other people who need support. God desires we prosper on earth because He blessed Solomon with abundance, and Abraham was a rich and wealthy man. Job was a rich man, Joseph of Arimathaea was a rich man.

Joseph of Arimathaea was the one who bought the cave for Jesus' burial. He used his wealth to support the ministry of Jesus Christ. We need wealthy people in our churches because money is important. Money is not evil, but the love of money makes it evil as the Word describes (See 1 Timothy 6:10). There is a caution here, most people backslide when they set all their mind on money, we must be careful, we don’t allow money to rule us because the silver and gold belong to God (See Haggai 2:8). Prosperity is activated by hard work, effective use of time, applying principles, the ability to use your mind to create opportunities and seeking the face of God for direction.

The prosperity of the soul is when we have the word of God in our hearts. When you know the promises of God in your heart, it boosts your hope and activates your faith.  When you have absolute faith in the Lord, it brings peace to the body, mind, and your surroundings. This prosperity brings good health because you are sound in the mind, you have a feeling of inner peace, joy, love, and faith in the Lord. The word in your soul produces an unstoppable passion for success because you believe God is not a man that He should lie (See Numbers 23:19). This prosperity is activated by daily fellowship with the Holy Spirit, through the Word, spiritual songs, and prayer.

Divine Key: Exercise the fruit of the Holy Spirit to activate the Spirit of prosperity.