For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. 2Corinthians 8:9
God is not a pauper, He is the owner of the heavens and earths and all the wealth therein.
He said in Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine”. It is not His desire that His children live in poverty or leave this earth as paupers. He wants to use prosperity to prove His Lordship.
Your prosperity began when the owner of silver and gold died in poverty and penury as sacrifice for your prosperity. He deliberately became poor so that you, through His poverty, will become rich. Your bursting forth in prosperity is dependent on how well you understand this truth and appreciate God for it
The Lord is our Shepherd; we shall not want (Psalms 23:1). God is Jehovah Jireh, our Provider and He graciously provides all the needs of His sheep. Does He not feed the ravens, and cause the lilies to grow? How, then, can He leave His children to starve? You may not possess all that you wish for, but “you shall not want. “The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Psalm
34:10.
God has promised us prosperity even in the midst of opposition. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies …my cup runneth over. Psalm 23:5. God prepares a table of increase and celebration for those that are intimate with Him even in the midst of opposition. In times of economic recession and global crises, they that have an intimate relationship are kept in affluence and great prosperity because they survive, not by the world’s economy, but by the economy of heaven. Whether your enemies like it or not, they will see you prospering. Try as much as they may, they cannot bring you down because the Most High God is a wall of defence around you at all time.
This is the season of transfer of wealth from the Gentiles to the children of light. All those that spend time consistently with God will be granted exceeding abundantly above whatever they ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). They will always have more than enough; they will not just be rich, but will have enough to spare. This is the state of being established, at this stage you can no longer be shaken from your wealth.
God responds to prayers if it tallies with His season. When you ask for rain in the time of rain, you will certainly receive abundance of rain (Zechariah 10:1). You ask and do not receive because you ask amiss (James 4:3). Know what is in the calendar and agenda of God now. Put God in remembrance of all His promises and as you begin to appreciate God for your wealth and prosperity which has been settled by Christ when He took your poverty and shame upon Himself, your life will begin to blossom on all sides.
Our prosperity is not for competition, or to outshine others, the purpose is for the increase of the kingdom. Our financial blessings will put us at an advantage over others that are proud, to humble them. Only those that know the purpose of prosperity will be blessed. If you are driven by kingdom project, when prosperity comes, you will have spillover. The early church grew when the disciples began to display welfarism.
If you want wealth, let God know why you want it. Make sure it is not for selfish reasons. You crying to God for blessing everyday will not bring wealth. God is not moved by your tears, He is only moved if your tears is connected with His purpose, i.e. when you cry over an area for which He has an interest. Hannah had cried before for a child, but received no response from God. But when her request became relevant to God’s purpose, He responded. Our prayers should be defined and purpose driven. God does not do things anyhow, He does them by covenant. All these things will be added; you don’t have to ask for them. God likes people that reason with Him. He said in His word, “come let us reason together”. If you are yet to see the manifestation of prosperity in your life, do not accept the situation; believe God for your expectation. Do not interpret the prophecy of the devil; as a King and a god, there is power in your mouth, whatever you say is what will happen.
When God restores you, struggle, stagnancy, and retrogression are banished from your life. You will do in one year what you have been struggling to do for ten years. You will eat in plenty and be satisfied. When there is restoration, it is easy for people to see that God is with you.
Restoration, however, can only be accessed by appreciation. Appreciation begins with acknowledging what He has done. When you appreciate Him for the past level, He will cause the new level to appear.
Jonah was swallowed by a fish and was in the belly of the fish for three days. He suffered hunger and inconvenience for three whole days, but when he gave thanks to God in the belly of the fish, God commanded the fish to vomit him and he was restored to his former life. Jonah 2:9.
Indeed, our God is a God of restoration. Read this great assuring words of God in Joel 2:25-26. And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmer worm, my great army which I sent among you. And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
However, there is a principle God expects us to keep in order for us to enjoy full prosperity. This principle is clearly spelt out in Luke 6:38:
Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over; shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
In the kingdom, true prosperity comes only by living a life of giving to others. If your prosperity is not based on the foundation of giving, you will soon lose it. See what the bible says in Jeremiah 17:11
As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
No wonder the true saying, “Givers never lack”. The divine principle for having more is to give what you have. Until you give, the right climate that attracts prosperity will not be seen around you.
God cannot help you if you are not a giver. Fasting and prayers cannot make you prosperous. If you keep the law and live a holy life but do not give to others, you will be a holy poor man. Even God, after He lost man, had to give His son in order gain man back. To gain man back, God had to give man; the Word became flesh so that heaven will have a man to give.
The devil can only attack your prosperity if you do not build a solid foundation in this aspect of your life. Those that keep holding back will not have substance, but those that give out freely will have more than enough. See what the bible says in Proverbs 11:24.26:
There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. He that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse him: but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
Like the saying goes, “Givers never lack”. If you are currently experiencing lack in your life, rather than blame the devil for it, inspect your life to see if you have been faithful in giving to God and to men.