Creflo A Dollar - Total life prosperity : 14 practical steps to receiving Gods full blessing

Contents

Preface

T oward the end of our 1996 church Finance Convention, something very special happened to me. I began to experience what my wife, Taffi, called "holy frustration."

By every usual standard of measure, everything was going just right. The Word coming from the pulpit was good, revelation knowledge was flowing freely, and people were being delivered and set free during every service. But for a couple of nights, I went home and could neither rest nor sleep. When I told my wife about it, she said it sounded as if something was about to be born from within me. She reminded me that the last time I had such an experience, World Changers Ministries was transformed from vision to reality.

As I began to pray, study, and seek the Lord, one of the questions I asked God was, "What if a man wanted to know exactly what he needed to do in order to prosper? What would You tell him?"

In response to my question, God birthed in my spirit a revelation of the 14 steps to prosperity contained in this book. I encourage you to make a quality decision right now to follow the steps I've shared within these pages. They are designed to change your finances, your marriage, your family, and your world for the better.

This book, like all the others I've written, is based on the Word of God. I am nothing apart from the Word, I can do nothing apart from the Word, and I can write nothing apart from the Word. To effectively read this book, keep your Bible close by. So, get your Bible, get into an attitude of receiving, and get ready to increase in the Word of God.

Introduction

M oney is usually the first thing that comes to mind when the subject of prosperity is brought up. We've been conditioned by the world to believe that a person with a lot of money is prosperous, and if prosperous, then certainly happy.

No doubt about it, having the funds to go wherever you want and do and buy whatever you please is a good thing but it's not everything. To think about money when you hear the word prosperity is not incorrect, just incomplete. You see, a person can have a million dollars in his bank account and still suffer from the ravaging effects of cancer throughout his body.

Having plenty of money is the world's limited idea of prosperity, not God's. What good does it do for you to have enough money to purchase the best medical care and still not be able to lay hold of the divine health promised to you by God? Jesus came to give you abundance in your home, body, workplace, and familynot just in your wallet. And while people desire to be financially well off, they sometimes reject the message of prosperity because they associate it with greed and view it as a message intended solely for the preacher's benefit.

Perhaps you've been told that money is the root of all evil. Really? That's not what the Word of God says. If you look at 1 Timothy 6:10, you'll see that it reads, "For the love of money is the root of all evil" (italics added). The prosperity message, if taught from a truly biblical perspective, speaks of much more than acquiring money. You see, God is concerned with every aspect of your life.

In fact, this book is more about letting go of your money than holding on to it. It's about loving your neighbor enough that you can willingly extend that with which you've been blessed toward someone else. Now, that's biblical prosperity!

It's time for us as Christians to have our minds renewed to reflect the good and perfect will of God. We should hear the conclusion of the whole matter rather than limit God to what He can do in our lives. Biblical prosperity is the ability to be in control of every circumstance and situation that occurs in your life. No matter what happens, whether financial, social, physical, marital, spiritual, or emotional, this type of prosperity enables you to maintain control in every situation. I'll even go a step farther and define biblical prosperity as "having God's ability to meet not only your needs, but also the needs of mankind, regardless of what those needs may be."

You can prosper financially, but you can also prosper in your spirit, soul, body, marriage, and life in general. How? Through the Word of God. Take David, for example. David was a man after God's own heart and, as such, reflects God's intent for us in His Word. Look at David's petition to the Lord concerning his ability to prosper. He said,

Direct my steps by Your word, And let no iniquity have dominion over me.

(Ps. 119:133 nkjv )

Few people realize it, but David was praying for biblical prosperity. He was asking the Lord to direct his steps according to the Word of God. His supplication was that no evil, sin, or wickedness be allowed to have authority over him. And if you're familiar with the account of his life as told in 1 and 2 Samuel, you know it took more than money to deliver him from the many challenges he faced. David was praying for control over everything he had to deal with, from uncircumcised Philistines to his unforgiving father-in-law. Glory to God!

The iniquity facing David in his day may be different from what you're going through, but the end result is the same: lack of control. Anything in your life that controls you instead of your controlling it should be considered iniquity. The Word of God calls for you to be the head and not the tail (Deut. 28:13), and more than a conqueror (Rom. 8:37).

The good news, child of God, is that an anointing is available to put you in control of all your circumstances. You are an heir to the Lord's promises, and David's prayer for dominion over his life has been granted to you through the Word of God. He has sent His Word to put back into your hands the things that have been wrestled from you. No longer do poverty, sickness, addiction, and fear have free course to rule and reign in your life. You no longer have to allow the circumstances of marital discord, rebellious children, or unemployment to dominate your household.

If there are any areas of your life where you need to get back in the driver's seat, read and follow the precepts I lay out here in Total Life Prosperity. Meditate on the 14 practical steps to prospering in God, and get on the road to health, prosperity, and peace of mind. God has truly given you the opportunity to lay hold of the abundant life. Jesus died so that you might live.

David got the revelation that God's Word would lead him where he needed to go. He said in Psalm 119:105, "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." If you're uncertain of how to live a prosperous life, let the Word of God within the pages of this book show you the way.

Chapter 1

Peace, Be Still

The same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side. And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships. And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?

(Mark 4:35-41)

T his is one of the most well-known passages in the Bible, but I want you to see that it is also a perfect example of prosperity and the ability of God to meet the needs of mankind. Perhaps you'll get a better picture after I explain further.