Anointed to Prosper

 When it comes to prosperity, most Christians line up one of three ways. Many believe Christians should be impoverished because they should give everything to the poor or to spread the gospel. Some believe abundant prosperity is available to every Christian. Most just don’t believe anything specific. They just want to “get by” and have no faith for either prosperity or poverty.

St. Paul had some interesting words to share on the subject in Philippians four. He is commending the Philippian Christians for a bountiful gift they had sent him.

Phil. 4: ¹⁰But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. ¹¹Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: ¹²I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. ¹³I can do all things through ^£Christ who strengthens me.

 St. Paul uses two words to describe his financial affairs. Abased means to be brought low or to be humbled. Abound means to be in excess, to be superfluous or super abound. Notice Paul indicates he knows how to handle abasement and he knows how to handle super abundance.

We see these two extremes in Paul’s life. In Corinth, we find Paul working as a tentmaker to support his ministry. At a later time in prison, we find that Paul was evidently prosperous because Felix the governor was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe to get out of prison.

We find these two extremes in the Bible. In places we find tremendous blessings are promised to those who order their life by the commands of God. Blessings that “cannot be contained.” Blessings that are “running over.” “One hundred fold returns are promised in one place.  But in other places we find ourselves being encouraged to “sell all and give to the poor.”

Most people have a difficult time seeing how poverty and prosperity can both be true. It seems impossible, however, quoting Jesus, “all things are possible with God.”

You see, as Christians we have become bond slaves to Jesus Christ. He purchased us with His own blood and now we are to serve Him as He has served us. We must be willing to take whatever road Jesus directs and to take them when He tells us. Sometimes we are to travel the road of prosperity. At other times we are to take the road of poverty. Whichever we do, we are to do in faith and subject to the will of our Lord.

Many of us have learned the path of poverty. We have been through times where we have given our all to meet the needs of others and the needs of the gospel. Most of us have not seen the times of super abundance as yet. Many of us have a hard time seeing ourselves in such a prosperous life. Without a revelation from God that He want us to take the road of super abundance, we will never have faith to take even a few steps in that direction.

Though Jesus may call us to poverty at times in our Christian walk, the Scripture clearly teaches that God wants to send abundant prosperity upon His people most of the time. God gave Abraham a promise of prosperity thousands of years ago.

 Gen. 12: ¹Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. ²I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. ³I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

            Notice that the blessing promised to Abraham was to bring blessing to all the families of the earth. We know that this blessing found its fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus came from the linage of Abraham and through Him all people are now eligible to receive the same blessing that came to Abraham.

 Gal. 3: ¹³Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”^£), ¹⁴that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

 

In Deuteronomy 28 we find scripture an elaboration on the details of the blessing that God wants to give.

Deut. 28: ³You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country. ⁴The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks. ⁵Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.⁶You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

⁷The LORD will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

⁸The LORD will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

⁹The LORD will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. ¹⁰Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they will fear you. ¹¹The LORD will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your forefathers to give you.

¹²The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

 

Are you experiencing the blessing listed above? You are eligible to receive them because of what Jesus did. We need to have faith and begin receiving these blessings because we are chosen by God to prosper. All we need to get started is; understanding the promise is ours and take the actions that God directs in your life.

Jacob was the grandson of Abraham. He had to flee home because he had stolen the blessing that was intended for his elder brother Esau. He left with only the clothes on his back and the promise. The first night out he had a dream of angels ascending and descending from heaven by means of a ladder. When Jacob awoke he worship and made a commitment to pay tithes if God would bless him. Twenty years later Jacob returned with great riches.

Joseph was Jacob’s son. His brothers sold him into slavery. He went to Egypt with only the clothes on his back and the promise. He was falsely accused and sent to prison. The promise looked really bleak but twenty years after being sold as a slave, Joseph becomes second in command of all Egypt.

Folks, the promise worked for Jacob and Joseph. It will work for you as well. Unless God is directing you to a time of poverty, you are meant for prosperity. Learn the lessons of humiliation and abasement well while you are in them but have faith for another day. God will raise you up where you can be a blessing to all the earth.

Joseph’s blessing turned out to be one that touched the whole earth of his day. Without the food that Joseph was responsible for, even his own family would have perished in the famine.

We have received the promise of prosperity in the promise of Abraham. We are anointed to prosper through what Jesus did for us. Now we must go forward in faith to obtain our promise.

 

Hebrews 11:³²And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: ³³who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.