Financial Prosperity

Financial prosperity is a topic that many televangelists have made lots and lots of money on throughout the years.  I am sure we have all heard the pitch.


"Sow your thousand dollar seed today and God will give back to pressed down, shaken together and running over in this life."


"God meant for us to have life and have it more abundantly...and He meant here on earth!  Sow your seed today to see what God has in His storehouse for you!"


Recently, I have seen where people have been asking for prayer and for people to stand in spiritual warfare on their behalf for their finances.  I do agree that the enemy attempts to steal what is not his to have and to attempt to block success, but I also know that in Matthew, Jesus said,


Mat 6:27 Which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his stature?
Mat 6:28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin,
Mat 6:29 but I say to you that even Solomon in his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Mat 6:30 Therefore if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much rather clothe you, little-faiths?
Mat 6:31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed?
Mat 6:32 For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
Mat 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.  


So I wonder: Are these people that are asking for other Christians to stand on their behalf and do spiritual warfare seeking riches and things instead of the Kingdom of God?  The above verses are very clear to me.  If we keep our focus on the Kingdom of God as the one thing we should seek, then we will have all we need - not all we want.  Seeking the Kingdom of God has always been a little confusing to me.  What is the Kingdom of God?  Am I seeking just the ways of the Lord? 


Well, the Kingdom of God is very simply described in the Word.Rom 14:17 for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.


The Kingdom of God is described as righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.  So really, what we are to do is seek righteousness, seek peace and seek joy through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  If we seek these things first, God will see to it, based on His word, that we have everything that we need. 
It is not a matter of doing battle with the enemy and naming and proclaiming things in the heavenlies. What is done is done.  We have the victory and are More than Conquerors already.  How many of us know we have that victory and stand confident in the fact that we have already won? We are promised the necessities based on the Word of God and our behavior.  We are also given prosperity in the Word of God.  John says in 3 John:

3Jn 1:2 Beloved, in regard to all things I pray that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.

I believe that what John was trying to say is the more healthy our soul is - saved, seeking peace, righteousness, and joy - that the rest of our lives should prosper the same way.  If we choose to seek worldly possessions, position in our companies, trying to build our reputation, then we are not seeking peace.  Seeking those things require we avert our attention and our focus from the things of God, from the Kingdom of God, from seeking His face...His peace...His love...His mercy...His grace...all the things that Jesus Christ died to give each and every one of us.

We must also be careful not to get wrapped up in self promotion.  God will promote and demote as He deems necessary.  It is God that will lift us up, prosper us, promote us because we are faithful and seek the things of His Kingdom FIRST.