“The Morality of Prosperity”
12th may 2019
By
Pst Wale Afelumo
Genesis 17:1-2 & 7 When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you, for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.
The British pound says, “PROMISE TO PAY THE BEARER ON DEMAND THE SUM OF…” What that means is that money is not the paper we carry in our hands; it is what we give as an equivalent of the value we get. It is also what we receive in exchange for the value we give. No other topic in the body of Christ generates as much heat as money – not holiness, not hell, not miracles, or even heaven itself. Riches ultimately are to establish the covenant of God. If money was a bad thing, God wouldn’t give us power to create wealth. The devil wants the topic of money taken off the pulpits that is why he fights the prosperity of Christians; for when the righteous prospers, the city rejoices.
The force behind money is popularly called the spirit of mammon. It is the most powerful force in this earth realm. Just as faith is the medium of exchange in the realm of the spirit, money is the medium of exchange in the physical realm. History has shown that people do all kinds of things for money; Delilah sold Samson out because of money, Ahasuerus would kill all the Jews in Persia for 10,000 talents of silver. People have become corrupt, liars, shameless, desperate, murderers, cheats, forgers, kidnappers, etc., just because of money.
In life money is what finances ideas and dreams. It determines which idea will fly and what wouldn’t. Many wrong ideas have been financed with tons of money and these have defeated good ideas without financial backing. Solomon said, “A poor man’s wisdom is despised.” The person who has economic power is the person who has real power. You may pray in tongues and quote scriptures, and claim you’re free from satanic bondage but if you’re not financially free you’re not free indeed; the borrower is slave to the lender.
Economy rules the world more than morality; we can’t be effective individually and as a church without economic empowerment. If you do not know the morality of prosperity, you may not see a need to have money and you will often be limited in this world. God does not have a problem with giving you money, He just doesn’t want money to have you. We must not use our material wealth to further selfish purposes, rather we should use our resources to advance God’s kingdom.
An unhealthy relationship with money has kept many people in the place of poverty or struggling. It is what separates the rich and the poor; their knowledge about money. This is because your financial prosperity is a direct function of your financial literacy. God showed the Israelites His works but Moses knew His ways. The best investment is the one you’re knowledgeable about.
As we pursue holiness, we must also seek to prosper so we can spread the fragrance of his knowledge around. The world will not support the cause of God, it is the responsibility of the church. God’s people have all of God’s property to fund God’s entire project. The message of the gospel is free but the process and the movement of the gospel is not free. God is looking for a great company that will go out pushing the gospel and for that purpose, there will be transfer of wealth but we must position ourselves for it through the value we create.
Common sense about money:
- God did not create money; He doesn’t need it to do what He wants, yet He never lacks it to do what He wants.
- Money does not just come in response to prayers; it answers to the principle of value creation and practicing the terms of the covenant.
- You can’t disrespect money and expect it. It does not go to people who disrespect or waste it.
- He who goes a-borrowing, goes a-sorrowing.
- Your present spending and saving habits are a prophecy of your financial destiny.
- People who make the pursuit of money their primary ambition in life often don’t get it.
- Money is uncertain. It can develop wings and fly away.
- Your wealth will mostly come through people; so how you relate with or invest in them has something to do with your prosperity.
- Money can’t buy you love, happiness, a good marriage, godly children. It has its limitations.
Your wealth is not from around you but from within you. Therefore, your greatest investment should be in your mind. Do not measure your prosperity by how much you have in your bank account, but by how much you have in your mind account. Nations do not become great by virtue of their wealth but by the wealth of their virtues.
