The church has a lot to understand about money. We tend to ignore or demonize things we don’t understand. The poverty mindset is a stronghold that many believers never break away from. It looks down on people who have much instead of being inspired. It holds onto the thought that if this person has plenty, there isn’t enough for me.
The abundant mindset is wealth. It sees a person having plenty as motivation that I can have it, too. It believes that God is no respecter of persons; God won’t allow me to see the blessing if I can’t have it too. He presented the blessing in front of me for me to believe, have faith, and give me a preview of what’s to come.
It’s up to you to receive inspiration as motivation or to shut your mind off from blessings with the poverty mindset and never receive the abundance God has for you. Just like we can’t overlook giving, holiness, and righteous living, we can’t overlook what the bible says about prosperity, hard work, and success. God withholds no good thing from those who do what is right (Psalm 84:11).
There are seven principles about wealth that every believer needs to live by to prosper and live a prosperous life as fitting unto the Lord.
Work for money under the will and direction of God, God wants you to prosper.
You’ll do anything for money. When people say this to a person, they are describing someone who has no limits to what they’ll do to get money. Our God is a God of order and limits, and he puts boundaries in place to protect us and keep us pure in all we do. So, the problem of doing anything for money is that Money then becomes a God. You’re giving money control over your life, and the Lord says I am your God, and you are my people. We are to worship God and God alone. That means that if I would do anything for money, then I am willing to go against the will of God for my life for money.
This describes the mindset of Balaam. In Numbers 22, Balaak sent officials to get Balaam to curse the Israelites and promised to pay him very well for doing so. Balaam consulted God, and God told Balaam not to go and curse the Israelites. Then, when he asked God again, God permitted him to go. I believe that Balaam really wanted to go for the money. The Bible says that Balaam loved to earn money by doing wrong (Revelations 2:14).
God permits him to go but to “only do what I tell you to do.” Balaam begins to go, and God causes his donkey to block him from going three times. Instead of Balaam taking heed to the direction of the Lord, he cursed his donkey, and the Lord spoke to him. “I have blocked your way because you are resisting me.” While it didn’t seem like Balaam was resisting the Lord, The Lord could see what was on this man’s heart. This man must’ve been eager to go to receive the money he would get by doing wrong. There was stubbornness in his heart that the Lord had to drive out before he made it to Balaak.
Then God tells him again, driving his will into this man’s ears, “You go, but you say only what I permit you to say.” Balaam listens to God, only saying what the Lord tells him to say, and does not curse Israel. However, in Revelation 2:14, it seems Balaam did go back and showed Balaak how to trip up the people of Israel and, most likely, for money.
When we allow things like money to control our lives, it has the power to turn our hearts away from God. When we allow money to control our lives, that is, doing anything for money, even if that anything means going outside the will of God, then money becomes our real god in place of the one true God.
The solution to this is to remove doing anything for money and instead work for money under the will of God. God wants us to use what he blessed us with to make a living. The widow, who had nothing except a jar of oil, was in debt. Creditors were coming to sell her and her sons as slaves. Elisha performed a miracle through her obedience to his instructions, and in the end, she had an overflow of oil. She was then told to sell the oil and pay her debts. (2 Kings 4:7).
The poverty mindset says the Lord will provide in a passive, I-don’t-have-to-do-much kind of way. The wealth and pure mindset say the Lord will provide; what has the Lord already given me to prosper? What’s in my hand? What has the Lord already made available to you that you can use to make income?
The poverty mindset wants the blessing without work, but the wealth mindset wants the blessing and doesn’t mind the work.
Give your very best in all you do, God wants you to prosper
Most men desire, and it’s in their nature to provide for their family. On top of this, with men being removed from homes, we see more women are taking on this hardworking mindset to provide for the needs and wants of their family. Some of the hardest workers are the wealthiest people and the bible supports this behavior as righteous.
In all labor, there is profit; a man who doesn’t work don’t won’t eat. The Bible even instructs us to work hard, for the diligent soul will prosper. (Proverbs 14:23, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Proverbs 13:4). It’s biblical to work hard which means to be persistent, attentive, and putting a constant effort in getting things done.
The problem is not with working hard; the problem is with overworking. We can work hard, but within God’s boundaries, to keep our hearts pure. The Bible says not to wear yourself out trying to get rich (Proverbs 23:4). Overworking to get rich and having our mind set on riches can cause us to fall into temptation doing foolish things for the sake of wealth (1 Timothy 6:9). We are to keep our hearts free from the Love of money and to learn to be content with what we have out of appreciation and the stewarding of the blessings that were already made available to us. God doesn’t want us always looking for the next best thing; he wants us to find contentment in him and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Work hard to prosper, but don’t overdo it by wearing yourself out to get rich. To wear is to overuse something, not to use it in its conventional way. Work hard, but rest. The Lord gives rest to those he loves.
Be Wise in who you marry, God wants you to prosper
I was on a consultation call with a woman who said, I don’t care how much money he makes. I want a good man to love me. I could hear her heart for love with this humbling statement that seemed to come from a woman whose heart was in the right place, but underneath, I could also hear the truth behind her words. This was a woman who’s been conditioned to accept just enough out of the belief that just enough is only available to her.
She meant that money wasn’t the driving force behind the love life she truly desired; she would take a man who loved her unconditionally over one who could only provide for her. Yet, as believers, we serve a good God, a holy God, the God of the earth. Are we forsaken to believe in God for both?
If a man is supposed to love you like Christ loves the church, and one of the characteristics of Christ is Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides, how can a man love you like Christ loves the church if he can’t provide?
It’s the bare minimum for a man to lead his family in Christ, be responsible, and be a provider. The man who’s meant to lead you in marriage becomes the leader of your life under God; why would any woman settle with a man who’s lazy for the sake of what she perceives as Love? Love is unconditional, yet surviving is conditional, and the condition for survival is to work, for it is the slack hand that causes poverty (Proverbs 10:4-8).
Marriage is a blessing; the bible says two are better than one, for we have a greater return for our labor. It also says that if one falls down, the other can help him up. But woe to him who is alone when he falls for has no one to help him up (I Ecclesiastes 4:9-10) In a marriage where only one is completely supporting the union, if the breadwinner falls short, then they have the potential of losing everything. Money is the number one reason for divorce, so it’s wise to consider wealth principles before choosing the person we will marry.
In marriage, we become partners; if I fall short, you got us; if you fall short, I got us. A wealth principle that keeps a family thriving and prospering, representing the Kingdom of God.
He who does more will receive more, God wants you to prosper
“They only care about making a profit.” Is what a business-minded believer can hear and cause them to do things like discount their services and charge very low prices to seem righteous to avoid the stones from the church. The result is a business that merely exists and is not profitable. As believers, we are called to thrive, not just survive.
Out of the three servants who received talents from their master, only one of the servants did evil in the master’s sight (Mathew 25:24-28). It wasn’t the ones who were profitable by doubling their talent. It was the servant who stored his talent and did nothing with it. He did not produce profit; he hid his talent out of fear. As a result, what little he did have, was taken from him and given to the servant who could and would produce more (Mathew 25:28-30). His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much (Mathew 25:21).
God wants you to do more with what he’s given you. The person who does nothing or little receives little; the person who does more receives more.
Ground your profits through sharing. When God prospers us, it’s not meant to only benefit you, but also to benefit the Kingdom. God wants a greater return on his blessing, so he blesses you also to be a blessing to others.
It’s foolish to be rich and not be a blessing to others. The rich fool was very profitable, so much so that he had no more room to store it all. This means that all of his needs were met and then some. He had an overflow. However, instead of giving to those in need or sharing, the man created space for him to store even more (Luke 12:16-21). This profited the Kingdom nothing and only met his own selfish needs. While he doubled his money, he didn’t share; he was stingy, and as a result, he was cursed for doing so.
Caring about making a profit is a righteous mindset. In fact, it’s what God wants for you. The Lord praised the servant who doubled his investment and gave him more (Mathew 25:14-30). Remove the only from caring about making a profit through giving and sharing, an elementary principle. You should very well make sure your business is profitable. It’s a business principle for a thriving business and a biblical principle that benefits the Kingdom of God.
Giving is a discipline that produces prosperity, God wants you to prosper
Giving is a biblical wealth principle. The problem becomes when God has blessed you, and it’s evident that God has given you wealth. Many people have their hands out expecting and sometimes even demanding you to give, and if you don’t give, you’re considered selfish, stingy, or not a lover of God.
This is called coerced giving, and it’s not of God. The Bible says to give as you’ve decided in your heart to give. We give from the heart, not out of obligation.
Give from the abundance of what God has blessed you. It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality. At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. Then there will be equality. (2 Corinthians 8:13 13-14). Give from your overflow; you aren’t expected to give while causing a burden on yourself.
However, there is sacrificial giving. This is when God wants you to give as an act of faith. With this giving, God wants to unlock an overflow for your life where you will be perfect, complete, and lacking nothing.
In 1 Kings 17:7-16, the widow was asked to give her last. She and her son had nothing, and what little they did have, she was about to scrape it up to make a little food for her and her son. Then, the Lord asked her to give to the man of God first. God was saying I know you only have a little, but I need you to put your faith in me, take your eyes off of what you don’t have, and place your faith in the God who has plenty.
The widow obeyed and gave the man of God the little she did have, and as a result, the woman’s jar of oil never ran dry, and she went from not having enough food to having more than enough food every day for her, the man of God, and her family. Sacrificial giving, as led by God, releases the overflow and abundance. You took care of the Lord’s business. Now, watch him pour out blessings you don’t have room enough to receive (1 Kings 17:7-16, Mark 12:41-44).
Prefer quality over mediocrity, God wants you to prosper
Believers shouldn’t have nice things; else, it looks as if you’re materialistic and your heart is not really in God. It’s in things. This, too, is a poverty-stricken and limiting mindset that seems humble to take the bare minimum as an act of seeming righteous and having your heart in the right place, which is in God and not in things. But it’s false humility to reduce yourself to the bare minimum and do just a little without displaying your wealth to prove that your heart is in the right place.
This is harboring your blessing, hiding your blessings, and it’s compared with the servant who hid his talents. You hide and cover the blessings of God over your life, and it doesn’t give God the glory. People should see you blessed and want to know how you did it; it should give you great joy to boast and say come see what the Lord has done (Psalm 66:5).
Preferring nice things is righteous, for our God our Father even cares about quality.
Check out the fine details of the first temple being built in Exodus 36:8. Only the best quality material during that time was used to build the temple; the best oils, perfumes, and flour used for the sacrifices were all excellent quality. If this is true about the temple and our bodies are the temple of the Lord, how much more does he want us to clothe ourselves with quality things?
God cares about quality. He wants us to lack nothing. Remember Solomon and all his splendor, Abraham and all his wealth, Joseph and all of his fields, and Jacob with his flock are all men in the bible who had the best of the best and prospered very well. How much more will he bless you?
God wants us to prosper, have nice things, and live well. He wants us to work hard and be a good steward of what he blessed us with through taking care of our family and taking care of those in need. He wants us to find rest in him and put our hope in him, not in the uncertainty of wealth but in the God who richly provides all things for us to enjoy (1 Timothy 6:17).
