True Prosperity: More Than Money

Now, "prosper" or "prosperity" has gotten a bad name, so I have to reframe it so we can get a proper context of what the Bible speaks in reference to this. So I want to ask anyone who's ever had a child a couple of questions:

Do you want your child to improve? Do you want your children to be blessed? Do you want them to be favored? Then you want your children to prosper, because if you define the word "prosper," it means to advance, to improve, to get better.

What Does It Mean to Prosper?

The word in the Greek literally means to help on the road or succeed in reaching. It means to advance, make progress, succeed, or be profitable. It's very clear from the definition that prosperity is more than money and the accumulation of wealth, but rather an ongoing state of success that touches every area of your life.

To prosper means you have nothing missing and nothing lacking.

Here's the reality we see: You could have wealth and no health. So are you prosperous? No. Wealth is not an indicator of health. Steve Jobs was wealthy, but it couldn't get him health. So "prosperous" means every area of your life is whole.

The Biblical Foundation for Prosperity

Second Chronicles 26:5 says, "He continued to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding through the vision of God. As long as he sought, inquired of, longed for the Lord, God caused him to prosper."

Let's walk that out again. He continued to seek God. The first key was he was seeking who? God. As long as he sought God, inquired, longed for—who made him prosper? God made him prosper.

So how would it be against God's will for you to prosper if God made him prosper? Why would God prosper him if that was not God's will? He's talking to you right now.

Psalm 35:27 says, "Let them shout for joy and rejoice who favor my vindication, who want what is right for me. Let them say continually, 'Let the Lord be magnified, who delights and takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.'"

God takes pleasure in you prospering.

Let me back it up. When your children graduate from elementary school, do you celebrate? Middle school? High school? So why wouldn't God celebrate you when you do good? Who doesn't want their child to do better, to prosper?

You have to be careful when you allow people to tell you what prosperity is based on their definition. What does the Bible say? This is what we live by.

The Secret to Drawing God In

Your children ask you for something, right? My son Josiah is good at this. He knows how to talk to his mama. He will actually take her aside, away from me, to talk in her ear to get what he wants. Anybody got that child who knows how to just kind of get you by yourself and talk to you good?

"Hey, Mama, I don't know what's wrong with him, but I want you to know, Mama, I love you. You are the best mama ever. You know what? Smoothie King has a sale right now, and I would really love a smoothie. And man, I love driving in your car. I just love how it smells. You keep it so clean. It's amazing."

He can get it now. What was he doing? He was rejoicing her. So imagine if you did it to God:

"Lord, my God, I thank You that You are so great. You are so mighty. Lord, You are so wonderful. Is there anything too hard for You? You are the mountain mover. You are the yoke destroyer. You are the miracle worker. Lord, I thank You, Father God. Is there anything too hard for God? I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me. You are my rock and my salvation. You are an ever-present help in a time of trouble."

See, you start talking to God like that, you're drawing Him in.

Seek First the Kingdom

Matthew 6:33 says, "But first and most importantly, seek, aim, strive after His kingdom, His righteousness, His way of doing and being right, the attitude kept God, and all these things will be added to you."

Let me ask you a question: What does "all" include? What does all include?

So why are you mad because my "all" is different than your "all"? See, I don't get upset about what you got. Let me tell you why: I can't physically handle what you got. I'm not developed enough yet. I can't handle what you handle. But here's the good news: If God's developing me, what He has for you, I can't get. And what He has for me, you can't get.

So instead of hating on what you got, I need to start working on what I got, improving my work ethic, improving my prayer life, going deeper in the Word of God, sharpening my skills, so when the season comes and it's my turn, I'm ready.

The Capacity of Your Soul

Third John 1:2 says, "Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health, physically, just as I know your soul prospers spiritually."

Now, here's where people miss it. Look at what he said: "I wish above all that you may prosper and be in good health as your soul prospers." God wants to give you stuff. Hold on—God's not opposed to you having money. God's not opposed to you having health. The question is: Can you handle it?

See, the key is not you getting it. The key is: Can you handle it? Because if you get it and you can't handle it, you'll lose yourself.

When you're a snack bag size spiritually, God can only give you snack bag blessings. You want sandwich bag blessings? You need sandwich bag capacity. You want big blessings? You need to develop your soul to contain it.

You will only be filled to the development of your soul man.

We've already seen people who had stuff and they lost it because they weren't developed enough. So where is your soul today? Are you a snack bag? Are you a sandwich bag? Or are you a steak bag?

The Goal: As Your Soul Prospers

The goal is as my soul prospers, so is my life. He will continue to increase you.

Let me close with this story. There's a man named George Mueller in the late 1800s. He felt a call of God on his life. He wrote his dad a letter: "Dad, I want to be a missionary." He was in college. His father wrote him a letter back: "Son, I'm not paying for school anymore. I didn't pay for a missionary."

Mr. Mueller got on the floor and started praying, "Lord, what am I to do? I feel You calling me." As he prayed, someone knocked on the door. It was a professor who said, "George, there's a tutoring spot available. If you tutor some kids, we'll give you free tuition."

He graduated. He saw the people of London on the streets—kids hungry and homeless. He took what he had and got a room and started housing children. It got up to 300 children. He never asked for a dollar. He just prayed.

One day the lady got up and said, "We have no more food." He said, "Put all the children at the dinner table. Give them forks and plates, and we're going to pray."

The door knocked. A man said, "Last night God woke me up and told me to bake some more bread and drop it to Mr. Mueller's house." After the bread came, a milk truck broke down right in front of the house. The milkman said, "I can't get away. I have to give it away or the milk's gonna spoil."

From that point on, he never asked for a donation. He fed 100,000 children just with a prayer life.

It's Not About You, It's About the Kingdom

They asked him, "What was your secret with the children?" He said, "Before every child left my house, I prayed for them and I gave them a Bible." He put it in their right hand. Then he gave them some money and put it in the left hand. He said, "As long as you hold on to the right hand, you'll never worry about the left hand. As long as you hold on to Jesus, you'll never worry about your needs being met."

God woke me up yesterday. He said, "Jomo, they need to hear this: Your prosperity is not about you. It's about the kingdom calling that's on your life."

Everything we have is staying here. We're not taking anything with us. So when God gives you stuff, it's not about you. It's about the impact you can make for His kingdom. To whom much is given, much is required. God is saying, "Son, I trust you. That's why I gave it to you, because I know what you're gonna do with it."

It's not about you. It's not about yourself. It's about how you can change lives.

You Are the Jesus They See

There are people attached to your life. I don't care about stuff, He cares about souls. So God will prosper you so that you can help more people. You might be the only God they see. You might be the only Bible they hear. And when you have a smile on your face and joy in your heart, they could meet Jesus.

You may be the Jesus they see today. As they would say in Sunday school: "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine."

You are salt. You are light. And God is calling you higher. Don't make more to have more. Make more to do more. That's what God wants, because at the end of the day when you stand before God, He will burn everything we did, and only what we did for Him will last.

Don't stay where you are. God's calling you higher—not for more stuff, but for more souls, greater campaign, and kingdom impact.

Reflection Questions

1. What areas of your life are prospering, and which areas need God's wholeness?
2. Are you a "snack bag," "sandwich bag," or "steak bag" spiritually? How can you increase your capacity?
3. How are you using your blessings for kingdom impact rather than personal gain?
4. What does it look like for you to "hold onto the right hand" (Jesus) in your current situation?

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