I am so thankful that though we live in this natural world, we are not of this world. Colossians 1:13 says, Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. When we were translated into God’s kingdom EVERYTHING changed. The challenge for us is to continually renew our minds so that we see what God sees and operate as God created us to operate in this world.
Toiling is part of the curse, and it is where Satan would like to keep you bound. In the world’s system, you work and work and work. Then when you have accrued wealth, you are considered prosperous. God’s system works completely differently. When you become a Christian, prosperity is a part of your new status, and as you renew your mind to this truth, wealth is the result.
World’s way ⇒ wealth ⇒ prosperous man
God’s way ⇒ prosperous man ⇒ wealth
When Jesus came to the earth, He did so to accomplish three things: 1) to seek and save that which was lost; 2) to destroy the works of the devil; and 3) to provide the abundant life. It MATTERS to Him how you live, just like it matters to you how your children live.
In Deuteronomy 8, God gave specific instructions to the children of Israel regarding wealth. He talked about the land He had for them—one with brooks of water, fountains, springs, wheat, barley, vines, fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil, and honey. He told them they would eat without scarceness. He talked about their houses (that’s multiple houses), their multiplied gold, herds, and livestock. Can you imagine how this sounded to them after wandering in the wilderness for forty years?
After outlining and specifying all the wealth they were to experience, God warned them not to forget Him when this time came. Verse 18 says, But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
What do you think is more valuable—the wealth or the power that would produce the wealth? THE POWER! The power that God placed on the inside of you is to be cherished and protected at all costs.Here are two ways to protect the power.
- Protect your covenant with God. There is nothing in this world more sacred and holy to God than covenant. From the beginning of time, covenant has been God’s way of operating with man. Jesus gave His life for the sake of covenant, and we should consider it a holy thing. Tithing is a covenant act. There are many benefits connected to tithing, but more than that—it is an act of covenant with Almighty God. Beware that you never treat covenant lightly.
- Protect your vision. God places within each of His children vision. Psalm 37:4 says, Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. When you are delighting in the Lord, there will be desires that come straight from Him. THIS is where God-inspired vision comes from. Keep the vision before you, so that, as Habakkuk 2 puts it, you can run with it. Don’t let anything or anyone darken your vision. Be cautious not to share your vision with those who will try to talk you out of it. Remember Joseph—he shared his vision with the wrong crowd (his own family), and they nearly killed him for it. But thank God for His mercy! Joseph lived out his vision because he refused to let it be darkened.
Friend, God is so good. We have MUCH to look forward to—in this life and in the life to come. I encourage you to continually renew your mind to the abundant life Jesus provided. He is coming soon. In the meantime, be an example to others by embracing the abundant life, giving all the glory to God!