John Avanzini - Prosperity - The Choice is Yours

Prosperity The Choice Is Yours

Poverty or Prosperity

For too long we have believed the devil's lie. Satan says some people are destined to be poor, and some people are destined to be rich, and there's nothing anyone can do about either circumstance. This satanic lie has crippled Christians and ministries for far too long! It is time we learn the truth.

There are three main reasons we know this destructive statement is a lie:

1. It is a lie because God is not a respecter of persons.

Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons.

Acts 10:34

God did not predetermine who would be rich and who would be poor. He simply created His spiritual laws, and freely gave them to everyone. Every person then has a choiceto implement the laws of poverty, or to implement God's spiritual laws of prosperity.

2. It is a lie because God's desire is that you prosper. This truth is plainly stated in Scripture:

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth .

3 John 2

Prosperity, not poverty, is God's intention for your life.

3. It is a lie because God has given you the power to get wealth.

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.

Deuteronomy 8:18

God would not give you the power to get wealth if He did not intend for you to use that power and become wealthy!

The decision to live in poverty or prosperity is yours. God has already cast His vote. He wants you to be prosperous. Make your life-changing decision today to reject the destructive laws of poverty and accept your God-given rights under God's law of abundance.

Remember:

God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34).

God wants you to prosper (3 John 2).

God gives you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).

The Source of Poverty

Many people believe poverty and prosperity are both matters of birth or luck. They believe some people are meant to be poor and others are meant to be rich. That is not what the Word of God says.

God has established certain principles of economics that govern who will be rich and who will be poor, and He will not violate His own laws. If we follow the principles that lead to poverty, we will be poor. We all play an important part in determining our own financial situations.

Satan does his part, too. He will lie to us in every imaginable way to keep us poor. He will tell us myths about money. He will say that money is evil or that money will corrupt you. He might even suggest that it is godly to be poor or that you will become even poorer if you give to God.

You see, poverty is a partnership. The devil wants us to be poor, and he will lie to us to keep us from following the biblical principles that will result in wealth. Poverty is a joint venture between us, Satan, and our ignorance of God's Word.

God's law of prosperity says if you are a liberal giver, your money will increase.

There is that scattereth , and yet increaseth ; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

Proverbs 11:24 ,25

The God-kind of prosperity is based upon giving. Make the choice to operate God's law in your life, and you will begin to experience ever-increasing abundance.

Money Is Not Evil

One of the biggest mistakes people make about prosperity comes from a misunderstanding of this verse:

For the love of money is the root of all evil....

1 Timothy 6:10

The mistake many Christians make is in what they think the verse says. Instead of reading what the verse actually says, they read what they want it to say. Please notice that this verse does not say money is evil. It clearly states that the love of money is the root of all evil.

I've heard so many good Christians use this verse to justify their belief that God does not want them to have anything to do with money. They ignorantly believe the Bible teaches that money is evil.

This is a terrible mistake. God does want you to prosper superabundantly. God does care about your needs, and He knows the lack of money can cause serious problems in your life, as well as throughout society. It doesn't take a genius to notice that people commit robbery because they do not have enough money. All over the world, people starve to death because they do not have money to buy food. People freeze because they do not have enough money to buy fuel to heat their homes. The Bible even says ... money answereth all things (Ecclesiastes 10:19).

Money itself is neither good nor evil. It has the ability to do only what its owner wants it to do. The owner is in charge. Money serves its owner without question; it is ready to do good or evil at its owner's discretion.

My money is good money. When I spend my money, I spend it for good things. I spend it on spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, on my family and their needs, and on helping others less fortunate than I. My money is not evil.

The only way for money to be evil is for it to come under the control of an evil person. Money simply manifests what is in its owner's heart. Luke 12:34 says, "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

If your heart is in line with God, then your treasure (money) will literally be godly money. When your heart is right, you will put more of your money into the gospel and less money into frivolous diversions.

Mark this truth: money is not evil. It is a magnificent tool in the hands of godly men and women to help bring the saving message of Jesus Christ to lost souls around the world. Choose to stretch your faith and believe that God wants you to have as much money as you will properly use.

... God will give you much so that you can give away much....

2 Corinthians 9:11 TLB

God Wants You to Have Money

Many Christians honestly believe poverty is godly. They think if a Christian is poor, he must be in the center of God's will. Some misguided groups of people even believe that by taking vows of poverty, they will somehow be more godly or more believable to those who hear them witness the gospel. Many preachers have actually taught if we have holes in our britches and no soles on our shoes, we are suffering for Jesus and making our testimony easier to believe.

It's time for us to start believing God's Word instead of our traditional ideas. God's Word does not teach poverty!

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth .

3 John 2

I am going to share a scripture that is so non-traditional, I recommend you read it several times and allow its truth to penetrate your spirit. Without a doubt, it is one of the greatest blows to the erroneous teaching that poverty enhances the testimony of the gospel.

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

Ecclesiastes 9:16

Don't let your traditional thinking close your mind and prevent you from seeing the real truth here: God wants you to prosper.

If you do not prosper, the world will not listen to your wisdom when you share the gospel. A few may hear your testimony, even if you are poor. However, many, many more will listen to your testimony if you are prosperous.

God wants to work a miracle beyond the miracle of salvation, beyond the miracle of the Holy Ghost, and even beyond the miracle of divine health. God wants to work a miracle of financial prosperity in your life. He wants to set you up as one of His earthly stewards.