Knowing what to ask: the true secret of prosperity (II and final)

Last week, we said that GOD was so impressed by Solomon’s request that He granted it and blessed him without measure saying: “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.”  2Chr 1:11-12

We also said that anyone wanting to experience such mind-blowing prosperity would have to follow Solomon’s example and:

          1. Honour the LORD

          2. Mind, love and take care of GOD’s people.

You can read that here. Now, this is the third and last thing that you would also need to do:

3. Do not be selfish or self-centred in your prayers

James said: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”(4:3-4)

If you pay attention to GOD’s answer to Solomon, you’ll note that, in a not-so-positive tone, He alluded to the Top 5 of what Christians like to pray for:

• Riches – In Solomon’s shoes, many Christians would have asked for money. “Give me ten millions dollars!” Thinking that such amount would solve their problems forever. And yet, there are billionaires who die of cancer; commit suicide; divorce more than once; go bankrupt; or have irresponsible children etc. In short, money is not necessarily synonymous with happiness…

• Possessions – Some other Christians would have asked for mansions, cars, a Ferrari (regardless of the state of the roads and speed limits), a private jet, designers clothes and accessories, all manner of electronic gadgets etc. the love and lust for the things of the world (1Jn 2:16-17)…

• Honour (glory in some versions) – Some Christians would have asked for anything that would make them shine before men. They want to be celebrities – political stars, stars in the Show Business and even Evangelical stars! “Lord, I want to preach before thousands.” However, deep down, they are not driven by the desire to win souls, which is only secondary; but by the desire to parade before crowds mainly. And if the video of the event can go viral and create a buzz on social media, it’s even better. The pride of life (1Jn 2:16)…

• The death of enemies – This is another Christian specialty: imprecatory prayers. Killing real and imaginary enemies by the power of prayers and ‘barbecuing’ them with Holy Ghost fire! What has ever happened to: “Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who insult you and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven… If you love those who love you, what reward do you have? …And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?” (Mat 5.44-47) On the Cross, Jesus could have said one word and all his enemies would have died on the spot. But when GOD asked Him (in his heart) to place a request, He said instead: “Forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Think about that.

• A long life – In spite of everything that the Bible says concerning heaven, many Christians are still afraid to die. They want to stay here and enjoy life as long as possible. They may sing of the wonders of the presence of GOD, but if the LORD were to take them at their word and say: “OK, since you so long after heaven and my presence, come here!” There would be panic, wailings and supplications. GOD wants us to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Analyse your prayers over the last couple of months. Which category do they fall in? Have you been praying for the salvation of souls? Spiritual growth? Wisdom and discernment to do your job or raise your children well? Wisdom to be a good and godly spouse? Wisdom to lead GOD’s people? Do your prayers seek after GOD’s interests or yours? If you want GOD to mind and take care of your needs and desires, delight in Him (Ps 37:4); take care of what matters to Him first and the rest will follow. “Seek first the kingdom of GOD and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mat 6:33).

THAT is the secret of prosperity and there is no other – except you choose to bow to the devil (Mat 4:8-9). To paraphrase my pastor, don’t ask GOD to bless what you are doing and don’t ask Him what YOU want; but instead, find what GOD is blessing and do it, find what He wants and ask for it; because if you ask anything according to His will He’ll hear you and grant you whatever it is that you’ve asked (1Jn 5:14-15).

To your prosperity!

Knowing what to ask: The true secret of prosperity

“God said to Solomon, “Since this is your heart’s desire and you have not asked for wealth, possessions or honour, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life but for wisdom and knowledge to govern my people over whom I have made you king, therefore wisdom and knowledge will be given you. And I will also give you wealth, possessions and honour, such as no king who was before you ever had and none after you will have.” 2Chronicles 1:11-12

Solomon had just offered a thousand burnt offerings to the LORD. GOD was ‘impressed’ and asked him to demand whatever he wanted. Solomon asked for wisdom and knowledge in order to be a good leader to God’s people. Again, GOD was ‘amazed’ and pledged to grant his request and give him even more.  Why? If you want to be rich and prosperous, follow Solomon’s example.

1. Honour the LORD

Solomon had just lost his father. He was grieving. But instead of shutting himself in his palace, crying, refusing food and being angry with GOD, he summoned the people and offered one thousand sacrifices to GOD. Wow! Beloved, even amidst pain and suffering GOD remains GOD and must be honoured and exalted above anything else. He wants us to give thanks in EVERY circumstance (1Thess 5:18). This is a way of showing that we trust Him. How do you react when you lose someone or something dear to your heart?

2. Mind, love and take care of GOD’s people

GOD paid with the blood of His Son to acquire them; in other words, they are priceless. Mind the way you treat them. “Let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal 6:10). The Bible exhorts us to love our neighbours as ourselves, but over and over again, Jesus said: “Love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” He meant that we are to love GOD’s people, our brethren in the Christian faith, even more than we love ourselves. That’s the hallmark of a true disciple: loving GOD’s people with the love of Christ – i.e. being ready to die for them… And let me say that if this was not humanly possible, GOD would not require it from us. He is not sadistic and knows what we are made of.

“Die” for GOD’s people – Kill your ego, your inner ‘Self’.

• Sacrifice your time – Don’t skip church meetings. Visit the brethren.
• Sacrifice your stomach – Fast for the brethren.
• Sacrifice your resources – Use the money that you had put aside for the latest hairdo, or that particular shoe, or for a trip, in order to help a brother or a sister in need.
• Put the interests of GOD’s people before yours. Yes, some people might tend to take advantage of such disposition, even in Jesus’ flock; and that’s why Solomon prayed for wisdom and knowledge (some versions have discernment). What I mean is that when GOD sees your heart, He should always see someone who is ready and willing to go that extra mile and sacrifice something for the sake of His people.

Solomon truly desired the good of the people. He did not become king for personal gain or to oppress them. He loved, respected GOD’s people and wanted to bless them wholeheartedly.

I will stop here for now. The third and last point, the one that inspired this posting, is a bit long and I don’t want to drag this piece. There’s already enough food for thought here. We’ll conclude next week.

To your prosperity!

Beware of the angel of light…

It’s not because something seems noble, harmless or trivial, that God has no problem and is ok with it. In a recent post, I explained that David wanted to build a magnificent temple to the glory of the God of Israel; a noble project, which had the approval of the Nation’s Prophet; and yet, God said No to David. This week, we will look at another project of  “the man after God’s heart.” David got up one day and decided to number the people. What’s wrong with that, you may ask? Nothing, on the face of it. Besides, on two different occasions, God asked Moses to number the people in the past (Nu 1 and 26). Also, in Luke 14:28-31, Jesus asks: “Which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? … Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand…?” In order to know that you have ten thousands soldiers, you need to count them… So, a census is not a bad thing. However, God was greatly displeased with David’s own and 70 000 innocent people died because of it. Why? 

1) David was loosing sight of the true Source of his strength. After winning many victories, insidiously, he had started to put his trust in the numbers rather than the Lord of Hosts, the One who could save with a little as well as with many. Joab understood what was going on in his master’s head and tried to dissuade him, in vain: “May the Lord add to his people a hundred times as many as they are! Are they not, my lord the king, all of them my lord’s servants? Why then should my lord require this? Why should it be a cause of guilt (trespass, KJV) for Israel?” (1Chron. 21:3) David still went ahead with his plans.

2) Satan was the one behind the idea of the census. Indeed, 1Chr 21:1 reads, “Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” So, there is no harm in numbering the people…except when it’s the devil that incites you to do so! And if he is the one inciting you, then you can rest assured that it is also to destroy you, ultimately. Likewise, there is no harm eating what you eat; drinking what you drink; going where you go; travelling; wearing what you wear; saying what you say and doing what you do, except if it is the devil who is inciting you to do so. And, sadly, you may not even be able to tell; because Satan can be so subtle that your intended action or project might even appear great and spiritual. Remember Peter? He fell for it. When Jesus informed them of what was going to happen to Him in Jerusalem, Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him saying: “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” (Mat 16:22) His reaction seemed very spiritual –and it was. However, it was not inspired by the Holy Spirit, but by the spirit of the antichrist! And Jesus replied at once: “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art a stumbling- block unto me: for thou mindest not the things of God, but the things of men” (vs. 23).

Oftentimes, we also react as quickly (and badly) as Peter. Is someone sick? “You are healed, in Jesus Name!” A brother might lose his job? “It won’t happen in Jesus’ Name!” And we throw Bible verses, left, right and centre. Yes, our reaction is spiritual and compassionate; but what is God saying in the matter? What if His will is actually the Cross?

In conclusion:

1) It’s not because something is not explicitly forbidden or condemned in the Bible that it is not a sin. Unlike David, Joab was able to discern sin in that infamous census: “Why should it be a cause of guilt (trespass, KJV) for Israel?” Satan often disguises himself as an angel of light (2Cor 11:14). In other words, his suggestions (aka temptation) always look nice. Be careful that your ‘bright’ idea does not end in calamity tomorrow.

2) Mind your real motivations – beware of pride!

3) Never receive your orders from the devil. Jesus did not fall in the trap when Satan asked Him to change the stones into bread, in order to satisfy His hunger (Mat 4). Changing stones into bread was not a bad thing per se, but Jesus didn’t want to show off His power (pride) and He would not take His orders from the devil. Later on, when He multiplied the bread and the fish, it was because that was what God wanted Him to do! You are a servant of God: obey your only Lord and Master.

Have a great week spotting the angel of light in your thoughts and God bless you!