Developing a Prosperous Soul

DOVE Family Core Teaching video coming soon

We must understand that God is the God of “more than enough.”

A revelation of El Shaddai

One of the names for God in the Old Testament is El Shaddai. Who is El Shaddai? Here is my favorite definition and the one we will use: El Shaddai is the God of “more than enough.” Enough is that which is required to meet our needs. More than enough is having extra left over to meet the needs of others. The revelation of El Shaddai brought with it a pronouncement of fruitfulness and prosperity. We read later in Genesis of God’s promise coming to pass for Abraham, especially as his servant Laban reports of his great wealth.

“So he [Laban] said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, and camels and donkeys. My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns’” (Genesis 24:34–36).

As we look to teach how to have a prosperous soul, here are some definitions to consider.

Definitions

  • Spirit of poverty it is a stronghold established to keep us from the fullness of victory gained at the cross or the abundant blessings of our inheritance in Christ.
  • Materialism is using material things to meet spiritual needs. Things are to use, not meet our spiritual needs.
  • Financial independence is freedom to make decisions based on God’s voice instead of based on financial constraints or financial considerations.

The term “prosperous soul” comes from 3 John 1:2. John was saying that they would prosper as their soul prospers. It is in a financial context because they are talking about hosting ministers, which costs money.

“Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” 3 John 1:2

How can we develop a prosperous soul?

Be convinced that poverty is a curse

The devil interrupted God’s blessing on Job’s life. Job was poor, sick, and afflicted when he was under attack from the devil. (Job 1:9-10)

Sometimes, Christians get confused about this and think that it is more spiritual to be poor.

Example: One trip to India will convince you of the close association of religion, poverty, sickness, and death.

Don’t worry

Matthew 6:25-33 says, “See how the lilies of the field grow. . . . Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these. . . .But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Go buy a lily! Let joy replace panic, trust replace greed, peace replace worry, and dominion replace the feeling that things are out of control.

Understand that God is a loving, abundant provider

God wants to give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 35:27, 37:24). Your desires become his desires as you are in union with him.

Jesus was not destitute. He was born in a manger because the inn was full. It was symbolic. His dad (Joseph) was a businessman going to pay taxes. Jesus himself was self-employed until age 30.

He had a wealthy woman traveling with His party (Luke 8:1-3). Read this.

Take dominion over your finances

A spirit of poverty leaves you feeling like your finances are out of control. The money just comes in and goes out. (Psalm 131:1-2)

To take dominion of your finances:

  • Understand what the tithe is and tithe regularly in faith.
  • Deposit your money into savings and “own it” for a while before moving it into checking.
  • We want to take concern for finances off your shoulders and put it under your feet.

Money must be your friend

It is okay to like money. It is a tool. We would not ask a carpenter to work for us without tools. Get this: God will not ask us to complete the Great Commission without giving us the resources to do it: money!

Don’t be concerned that money will corrupt you. A million dollars will not corrupt you—it will only amplify what already is in your heart (Proverbs 10:22).

Keep covenants

You have a covenant with the electric company. If you give money to a person on the street when you can’t pay your electric bill, you are stealing from the electric company. Stealers will not prosper.

You have a covenant to provide for your family. You do not have responsibility for your neighbor’s children. Keep your covenants and you will prosper and have the ability to help others.  

To help the poor, the best thing you can do is not be one of them. By keeping covenants, you can bless many children.

Learn from prosperous people

Wealth is not evil.

Most millionaires work 50 hours a week. They did not inherit their money but earned and multiplied it. They earned what they have.

Ask prosperous people for advice. Find someone who has dominion in a financial area you do not have and ask them to help you. Jesus said you will be like your teachers.

Talk about money; it is okay.

Jesus talked about money a lot! There are over 3,000 references to money in the Bible.

People with a poverty spirit don’t like to talk about money. But it is a good and godly conversation. Pastors should not be afraid to talk about money, and even in church they should not be scared to teach people to tithe and take in offerings. People will be blessed as they tithe and give.   

Tell your children how much things cost. Don’t tell your children you can’t afford something just because you are afraid to say no to them!

Redefine waste: what is waste?

Think about these questions.

  • Why was there gold in the garden of Eden? (Genesis 2:11-12)
  • Why did God move the Egyptians to give the children of Israel gold and silver when they left?
  • Is it more of a waste to leave gold in the ground or to dig it up and put it on my wife?
  • Is it God’s will for only non-Christians to wear gold?
  • Why did God make mountains and not all farmland that produces food?
  • Is a mountain a waste of ground? What is waste?

The one in Jesus’ party with the wrong view of money said he wanted to give it to the poor. It sounded pretty spiritual. What is God asking you to do with your money?   

Enjoy beauty and blessings

Do not apologize for God’s blessing and provision.

Include beauty in your life; you will be more prosperous. Beauty feeds your spirit. Buy a flower. Listen to music (Proverbs 18:14).

Be realistic

Avoid lottery thinking: the idea that we will “get rich quick.” This way of thinking is actually “poverty thinking.” Eyes set on the miracle that may come will keep you from taking today’s step forward. Do not look for the big break, the miraculous provision, the chance deal, the lottery win. Consider the ant in Proverbs 6:6!

Advancement comes to those who diligently apply God’s principles consistently over the long-term (Hebrews 6:12). Look for steady progress through diligent, consistent work.

Reality is truth. Reality kills false dreams. Sometimes Christians think the devil is attacking their finances, but that fact is that they are working in a low-paying job. That is the fact.

Understand that God wants you to advance

The biblical worldview is one of learning and growing and advancing. We see this in the Bible over and over.

God wants you to rise up and believe for financial advancement (maybe advance on your job or start a business).

If you are a church pastor, you must teach the people in your church to prosper. You have to lead the way.

Financial Management and Tithes

We are managers of God’s money!

God loves a cheerful giver

  • God wants to bless us financially (John 3:16, Genesis 17).
  • Giving should not be done grudgingly (2 Corinthians 9:7).
  • One out of ten verses in the New Testament addresses this subject. Our attitude toward money is often revealing of our relationship with God.

We are managers only

  • God owns our possessions; we are managers.
  • 1 Corinthians 4:1-2, 7
    • Ex: Bank teller handles money daily that belongs to the bank.
  • God’s ownership
  • 1 Chronicles 29:11, 12; Haggai 2:8; Psalm 50:10

We cannot serve God and money

  • God associates our ability to handle money with our ability to handle spiritual matters (Luke 16:10-13).
  • Holding too tightly to possessions deceives us and demands our heart’s loyalty. We cannot serve both God and money.

We should expect financial blessings

  • God blessed Israel with wealth as a sign of fulfilling His covenant (Deuteronomy 8:18). We should expect financial blessing.
  • When God blesses us financially, He takes a risk that we may start serving money rather than God (Luke 12:15).

Is it better to be rich or poor?

  • Although God wants to bless us financially (3 John 1:2), money is not always a sign of God’s favor.
    • Ex: The people at the church in Smyrna were destitute, but Jesus said they were spiritually rich (Revelation 2:8-10). In contrast, the Laodicean Christians were wealthy yet spiritually wretched (Revelation 3:17).
  • Many people are blessed by God because they use their finances unselfishly.
  • People who fear that money will corrupt them often think it is better to be poor.
  • Money is amoral; it is what we do with it that makes it moral or immoral. The love of money is “a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Giving protects us from materialism

  • God wants to bless us, but we must not allow money to be an idol (1 Timothy 6:9).
  • The real purpose for receiving God’s prosperity is to expand the Kingdom.
  • When we are blessed financially, we can sow into God’s Kingdom and help the poor (Ephesians 4:28).
  • God will meet all our needs “according to His glorious riches” (Philippians 4:19).

If we give sacrificially, our own needs will be met

  • It is not the amount we give, but the sacrifices and the attitude of our hearts.
    • Ex: A poor widow gives two small coins in temple treasury. Luke 21
  • When we give generously, God promises to take care of our needs and more (2 Corinthians 9:8, 10-11).
  • Whether we give sparingly or generously, we are rewarded accordingly (Matthew 7:2).

The tithe

Giving a portion of our income

  • God set up a system to remind us of His ownership in everything—the tithe.
  • The Israelites were required to give one-tenth of all income to the Lord (Proverbs 3:9-10).
  • Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe before the Old Testament law had been written (Genesis 14:18-20).

Don’t try to steal from God

  • The Israelites were robbing God by holding back the tithe. Malachi 3:8-11
  • Today, people rob God the same way. God promises to “rebuke the devourer” when we tithe.

The tithe is a bill to God

  • We cannot afford to withhold the tithe, or the devourer will consume it (Malachi 3:11).
  • A tithe is 10% of one’s income paid to the church according to Webster’s Dictionary. Do we always feel like tithing? Maybe not, but it is a commitment to God just like we pay our electric bill or food bill.

Giving systematically

  • New Testament believers were encouraged to give systematically (1 Corinthians 16:2).
  • Tithing is an act of obedience to God, not an option.

Attitudes toward tithing

  • The scribes and Pharisees appeared godly and tithed right down to the last mint leaf, but their hearts were hard (Matthew 23:23).
  • When we tithe, we must do it not because it is required but because it is an act of love for God and others.

God will provide

  • When we recognize that everything we have belongs to God, it is easier for us to trust the Lord to provide for us when we tithe.
  • Giving has a way of releasing our finances. It helps us to become masters over our money instead of being a master to it (Mark 12:43-44).

Where should the tithe go?

  • Malachi 3:10 says we should bring our tithes to the storehouse. The storehouse is where spiritual food is kept to bless those who lead and equip the body of Christ for ministry.
  • The Levites were those set aside to lead God’s people. They were dependent on the people’s tithes (Numbers 18:21).
  • Tithing supports those giving spiritual leadership to the saints in the local church (1 Timothy 5:17).

Give both tithes and offerings

The difference between a tithe and an offering

  • The tithe helps provide support for our spiritual leaders (Galatians 6:6). If we refuse to give tithes, we are sowing selfishness (Galatians 6:7-10).
  • When we give over and beyond our tithes, we are giving an offering. We are responsible to give offerings to the poor and needy (Proverbs 28:27).

Heart and money matters

  • Our hearts will be where we place our money (Matthew 6:21).
  • When we tithe to our church, our hearts are with God’s people and those who serve us. Giving a tithe shows we trust our leadership.

Tithing – a test in trust

  • Trust God (Malachi 3:10b) and support His work with your tithe.
  • Those who spiritually feed us should be supported by tithes (1 Corinthians 9:11-14).

A question to ask: Are you tithing?

  • Some people will not tithe because they had a bad experience in the past.
  • We need to press on (Philippians 3:13-14) and find a new sense of trust in God and those in leadership.

Are you tithing to the storehouse?

  • When we are obedient to tithe to the storehouse, the Lord promises a blessing (Malachi 3:10b).
  • Some people give their tithes to parachurch organizations, missionaries, evangelists, etc. However, the tithe should go to the local church, and offerings should go to these other places.
  • Designating where we want our tithe to go in the church or withholding our tithe may be a type of control. We must give freely and trust our leadership.

Excuses some give to rob God by holding back the tithe

  • Ignorance: They have not been taught of its importance today (Acts 17:30).
  • Disobedience to God’s Word: They are in direct disobedience (1 John 2:4).
  • Personal debt: Their lack of giving may be a reason for the debt (Galatians 6:7).
  • They think they are too poor.
  • They do not trust their leadership.

Receive new freedom

  • If you are not tithing, start today by tithing to your church.
  • In addition, ask the Lord to bless you so you can give offerings.
  • Be set free to joyfully give. You are free indeed (John 8:36).

How to manage the finances God has given

Provide for our families

  • God wants to bless us so we can provide for our family.
    • 1 Timothy 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:10
  • Whether we are in paid ministry or hold a secular job, we are called to be ministers.
  • We work so we have money for our families and have money to give to others (Ephesians 4:28).

Invest our Master’s wealth

  • We should use our money to evangelize the world (Mark 8:36).
  • Giving our offerings to support a missionary is a way to reach the world.

Help the poor – invest in God’s bank

  • The Lord requires us to give to the poor.
    • James 1:27; Deuteronomy 15:7-8; Matthew 25:35-36
  • If God has blessed us financially, it is for the purpose of blessing the poor around us (Proverbs 19:17). The Lord will repay our investment from His “bank.”

Give freely to meet needs in the Kingdom

  • God wants to bless us so we can meet needs in the body of Christ, supplying our abundance to those who lack (2 Corinthians 8:14).
  • God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).

Give, and it will be given

  • When we give or lend money to others, it must be in faith. Whether or not it is returned to us, we must strive to keep our attitudes pure and continue to love, even our “enemies” (Luke 6:33-35).
  • God wants to give back to us in the measure we have given (Luke 6:38).

How do we handle money in the church?

We must be above reproach.

When people know church leaders are handling money honestly and ethically, they have confidence to give their finances to the local church.

All offerings received in public meetings should be counted by two unrelated people.

Both should agree on the total and sign a paper to indicate this. All income must be processed through the accounting books of the church or ministry. The person taking the money to the bank should be a separate person from who is doing the bookkeeping.

No lead elders or staff should set their own salary.

A designated group of respected people should make salary recommendations for the lead elder/pastor. The lead elder—with input from the elders—should set salary for church staff.

Church elders should set and approve an annual budget to serve as a blueprint for the church finances.

Communication with the church about the budget is appropriate so the church can believe together for the budget to be met. Weekly or monthly reporting of totals is beneficial to this end.

Learn more about living a prosperous life

A Practical Path to a Prosperous Life explains a clear biblical, step-by-step approach to attaining abundant personal finances, building wealth, and financing of the Great Commission in our day. Brian draws on age-old biblical truths and includes many practical, present-day applications to help your thinking line up with God’s Word. Brian’s dream is to help identify and eradicate the poverty mindset from the church so that every believer is empowered to experience God’s abundance and to fulfill his or her destiny. Includes questions for individual or small group study. 282 pages by Brian Sauder