Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. – 3 John 2

You may have read this passage in John many times, but today, make an effort to really focus on what prospering means to you. Make it personal. Think about as you read these words, what prosperity, true prosperity, looks like or would like in your life. Get a mental picture of this and hold onto it. Don’t wait, do it right now. If you are truly prosperous, how to you act, who is around you, what do you have, where do you live, and most importantly why are you prosperous.

It’s Okay to Prosper

If you had a difficult time imagining prosperity in your life, you may need to renew your mind to what God has really said about prospering you. The best way to do this is to consider passages from the Bible. As Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Now, don’t let the scripture you are about to read just sink into your intellect, take hold of it and let it be absorbed into your heart. Then, as soon as you possibly can, act on the Word that you read.

Even though 3 John 2 clearly says it’s God’s will to prosper you, you may still be stuck on a familiar saying, which is “money is the root of all evil”. This is from the Bible but it is missing three critical words. Read the scripture directly from the Bible from 1 Timothy 6:10, “For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Notice, that it says, the love of money. It doesn’t matter how much money you have, you can fall into the trap of loving it.

Quick Tip: Start thinking of money as a tool. If you use a tool in the right way, you can do amazing things. For example, if you use a hammer appropriately, you can build a house. However, there are many people who have used a hammer very inappropriate ways, even to commit murder.

God’s desire is for you to prosper. See, how the Psalmist states it in Psalm 35:27, “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.” Think about that for a second, God gets pleasure when His servant prospers. You can make God happy by doing well. That is so awesome!

Prosperity Is More Than Money

When you envisioned what your life would look like if you were truly prosperous, did you see more than things money can buy? Did you see happiness and love? If you did, that is very good because prosperity includes every area of your life. You should experience prosperity in your relationships, in your emotional well-being, in your spiritual development, in your knowledge and wisdom, in your finances, and every other area of your life.

You have no doubt seen or know someone with lots of money who is miserable. If this is the case, then, you know that just having money is not really experiencing prosperity. In fact, with the exception of money, some of those people are experiencing lack in one or more of the other areas in their life. What good is money if you don’t have people around you who love you? What good is money if you are too sick to enjoy it? What good is money if it causes you so much stress that you have no joy in your life?

Use Your Prosperity to Bless Others

Instead of being a reservoir, which collects water, consider becoming a river, which channels water. When we are prospered, it is not only for us to enjoy the fruits, but it is also to share and help others.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written:

“He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever.”

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.- 2 Corinthians 9:6-11

We are called to help those in need as Galatians 6:2 says, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” When you live in prosperity, which God wants you to do, then you will have the means necessary to help others. What a wonderful place that is to be.

It seems like a simple question. And, you’re right! It should be. God’s way is not only perfect, it’s simple and practical. He gives us instructions and the opportunity to follow them in faith. When we do, we get the promised results every time. Jesus told the disciples in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” It’s that simple. And we can all trust the words of Jesus, right? He said the Holy Spirit would teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance. I take that not only for the things I have read in God’s Word, but anything of value I have heard. I believe things will be brought back to my memory at the proper time—even the name of a person I met three weeks ago. As we launch into this, I want you to keep a childlike mind. Don’t over analyze or over spiritualize this. Praying in the Spirit is easy because you are a spirit. It is the language of God and you are made in His image. You look like Him, and you should sound like Him as well. You should know every way of getting in touch with Him, just as you know all the ways to reach your closest loved ones.

The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

After Jesus’ resurrection in Luke 24, He gave the disciples some final instructions—simple instructions. He told them to stay in the city because He was going to send them what had been promised of the Father. He said he was going to send them power from on high (v.49). The disciples did not question or try to psychoanalyze this; they stayed continually at the temple praising God (v.53). Now, let’s look at Acts.

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the hill called the Mount of Olives, a Sabbath day’s walk^[b] from the city. When they arrived, they went upstairs to the room where they were staying. Those present were Peter, John, James and Andrew; Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew; James son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

—Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4

Besides the obvious, there are two more things I want you to notice about this miracle. First, as with every miracle in the Word, it is preceded by human action. Not just any action, obedient action by faith. Additionally, all of them were filled! Not just the original disciples and not just the men. Later in Acts, gentiles also received this gift. So right from the start, God eradicates the idea that this gift of the Spirit was only for certain people. The steps are simple—are you ready to receive?

Step one. Ask God for the gift. Jesus said in Luke  11:13, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Step two. Praise God for the gift! Yes, it’s that simple. Remember what I’ve been telling you from the start. Look back at Luke 24:53. They continually praised God.

Step three. Get your spirit, soul and body on one accord (Acts 2:1). Basically, your thoughts and actions should line up with what you want and what your spirit needs. For example, if you wanted to lose 20 pounds, would you keep eating fast food and being sedentary? Keep your childlike faith and get yourself on one accord.

Step four. Receive it. As you pray the Psalms or simply thank God for His goodness, begin to sing your own song to Him. Begin to speak from your Spirit—the language is there, you just have to let it flow. Don’t let your natural ears deter you (or the enemy either for that matter!). It may sound and feel strange at first, but remember you are not of this world anyway! The more you hear the sound, the more comfortable you’ll become speaking. The presence of God will become more tangible to you. Do this wherever you feel comfortable. It could be in a worship service, in your kitchen or driving on the interstate (keep your eyes open while driving!). That’s simple enough—now take action.

Pitfalls and Further Instructions

When you are initially baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of tongues, it will probably be a very emotionally moving experience. However, it will not be that way every time you speak in tongues. I pray this way daily, but I’m not crying or getting goose bumps everyday. It’s just like praying in your native language, sometimes you really sense God’s presence and other times you don’t. In fact, simply look at it that way—you’ve become bilingual.

Another practical piece of advice it this, don’t become a spiritual weirdo. We want to make disciples, not scare them off! Unless someone is comfortable with you praying in tongues around them, don’t. Here I’m speaking of situations in which you may be praying for an unbeliever. Inappropriate use of tongues can even stunt the growth of a new believer. If all you ever do is pray in the Spirit or go around talking about what the Spirit told you, you will put others off. This can create an inferiority complex or confuse the thinking of another person. Paul said, “But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue (1 Corinthians 14:19).” When you’re alone or in the company of someone in agreement, pray in tongues all you want, but use wisdom. We’ll study this more in another article.

Finally, don’t expect to hear instructions right away or on every detail of your life. Again, this is not complicated. Just live your life as you know to live it according to God’s Word. Remember and meditate on the verses above. He’s our guide; He knows all things. This means if we are headed in the wrong direction, He will point us to the right way—He won’t force us. Or, if we need help with a difficult decision, He’ll give us peace when we make the right choice. The more we follow His lead, the better we’ll become. Soon, you’ll be as I mentioned in a previous article—asking the Holy Spirit to help you find a lost toy!

The steps are simple: ask, praise God, get on one accord and receive! Then leave your praise reports as comments on this page! I’m excited for you already!

Be blessed friends, and have the perfect day everyday!

Psalm 138:8

—Shontta

And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. – Hebrews 11:6

Since there is a lapse of time between when we sow and reap, it is easy to lose the connection between our actions and the results of those actions. There is a direct connection between the two; however, we are often blind to that connection. In addition to the time factor, there is also a noise factor that contributes to the disconnect.

The noise factor is the amount of other actions that you are taking that are not in alignment. Instead of corresponding action, our actions are sometimes in direct contradiction to what we want or just not supportive. This noise factor makes it more difficult to see the clear connection between our actions and the results that we are getting.

Since these two factors, lapse of time and noise, are at work in our lives; we must have diligence to re-establish our awareness of the connection. We know that God always tells the truth, so, we are rewarded for diligently seeking Him. Thus, if you are not seeing these rewards, make sure that you are being diligent in your pursuit of God and His Word.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. – John 10:10

We know from the Bible that God’s intentions are to bring us the fullness of life. If we are not receiving the fullness of life, then, we know that the problem is on our side. One of the ways for us to re-connect to the blessings that God has for us is to re-connect to the Old Testament. We know that Jesus is a fulfillment of the Law; thus, it is helpful for us to understand the benefits of following that Law.

Since we are righteous through Jesus, we have access to those blessings even if we don’t live sin-free. First, you must confess and repent of those sins. Then, we must receive God’s promises. We are to put God into remembrance of His promises for you. Promises of His good plan for your life, plans to prosper you and not to harm you.

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins. Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified. – Isaiah 43:25,26

To make sure that we are following God’s laws and repenting when we don’t takes diligence. Don’t let time and noise deceive you into giving up on living God’s best.

Before you dismiss this article by observing the title, allow me an introductory paragraph to persuade you to continue reading. Is blood thicker than water? What exactly in the world does that mean anyway?! I know that I’ve been cleansed by The Blood of Jesus of my sins and through Christ I have been given access to the well of living water that leads to abundant and eternal life. It is an absolute fact that no relative of mine has done for me what Christ did. I realize the sensitivity of this topic; however, I promise you that if you will give me your attention for the remainder of this article, I will show you several places in God’s word where individuals were either blessed or cursed because of associations with relatives. My friends this walk is an individual decision, and your associations—blood relatives or friends, can seriously affect the outcome of your results.

Abraham Commanded to Leave Relatives

Abraham is called the father of our faith. And what was the first decision he had to make? What was the initial test of his faith or belief in God as the true and living God? Read it for yourself.

“Now [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].

—Genesis 12:1-2 AMP

It says for your own advantage. What I am trying to get you to do here is to think. Think about God who is intentional about everything He does. If Abram had been hung up on the whole blood is thicker than water philosophy, he would not be the father of our faith. Abram’s relatives were pagan polytheistic people. They believed in multiple gods—that was the life he was accustomed to. Would you do what he did? Leave your family and everything you’ve ever known to follow a God you’ve never known? Let’s fast forward and see what Jesus said about such a situation.

Peter said to him, “We have left everything to follow you!” “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “No one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

—John 10:28-31NIV

So we see here that it is neither unbiblical nor uncommon for those of us who choose to walk with Christ to literally be forced to choose between our relatives and God. But, God is so wonderful. He’s never trying to take something from us; He’s always trying to get The Blessing to us! If you focus on the latter half of both passages, you find the promise attached to the act of obedience—Blessing. Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not saying all family relationships are toxic or ones we need to limit our exposure to. It’s the ones that pose a threat to our full participation in our walk with Christ. God is a jealous God—He wants all of you. Then He blesses you and gives you all of Himself (see Luke 12:32).

You see God chose Abram because He knew him. God knew that Abram would command his children after him and teach them to serve the Lord (Genesis 18:19). This is ultimately what the Lord wants. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He wants the generations. And most of us know from experience that in most cases, we have to start where Abraham started—it’s not easy! Especially when you come from one of two extremes—either no church at all or you grew up in church.

On the one hand, turning from a pagan or heathen background to Christ brings instant ridicule and, in some cases, the person is ostracized. Or, a case such as mine own. I grew up around the things of God, but there wasn’t a true example of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 set before me. No one was fully obeying, so the results were tainted. As I came into more knowledge and choose to walk in it, however, the negative treatment by unenlightened relatives was similar to a person who’d come from a non-Christian background. It’s quite painful. It is a blessing blocker.

Have you been struggling with some decisions concerning this issue? If not, perhaps you know someone who is. I want to conclude with some references to assure you that you that you are in good company. If you make the right decisions, you will walk straight into The Blessing of the Lord. And the wonderful part about it is that your relatives can make the same choice you did! You want them to. Just don’t let their hesitation stifle you. I don’t have space to expand on every reference, but as I stated at the start of this series, I want you to dig into the Word for yourself. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you about your individual situation and stop these blessing blockers in their tracks!

Biblical Relative Examples

Abraham chose to take Lot with him and this caused him grief on more than one occasion (Genesis 13, 14). I know Jacob sowed some bad seed, but his own uncle attempted to stamp out God’s blessing that was obviously on him (Genesis 29-31). Ruth ended up in the bloodline of Christ because she left her family (Ruth). Eli failed to properly handle his two sons who were abusing the priesthood and died in sorrow (1 Samuel 2, 4). Jonathan chose to side with his father, whom the spirit of God had departed from, instead of his spiritual brother David—he paid with his life (1 Samuel 18-23; 2 Samuel 1). Esther obeyed her uncle and not only became a queen, but saved her people (Esther). Also the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and so on were all considered brothers of Israel, yet they were chosen by God to prophesy the truth even though most of it was against their own brothers. These are all Old Testament examples, but Paul taught a great deal on handling these types of relationships as well.

As always Christ is our ultimate example. His relatives thought he had gone out of His mind and went to collect Him (Mark 3:21). I love how Jesus responded in Matthew 12:48-50. “But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? And who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” He answered just like an insane person would. Who is my mother and bothers?! Then He came with absolute sane revelation! I’m His brother because I do the will of the Father even at the risk of looking like I’ve lost my mind and I’m being alienated by relatives.

So speak the truth in love and be respectful to your elders. But DO NOT allow relatives to block the Blessing of God in your life. The Holy Spirit will give you the answer to each situation. Study these examples and stand on the promises of God’s Word concerning salvation for the lost. He wants them to be saved, but they have to receive salvation—you can’t save them only God can. I can testify to the truth of Mark 10:29 in my own life. I have been blessed with everything I lacked in my natural family in the family of God. With His help I have been able to create a blessed home and family so that my seed can see accurate results of fully obeying the commands of God. When a relative comes to God we rejoice, but we’ve chosen not to allow the ones who operate in disobedience to block the Blessing in our lives.

Have you ever noticed how many of the people at the top of an organization are very positive? Were they positive before they reached the top or did they get positive when they reached the top?

Life has a definite process about it. You must first BE something before you will DO something and you must DO something before you can HAVE the results of that doing. If most of the people at the top are positive, doesn’t it makes sense to incorporate positive thinking into your life? One of the best ways to change your thinking to a more positive mindset is through confession. As Romans 10:17 tells us, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

To change your life, you must change your thinking. The first step in changing your thinking is changing what you hear. You have control over what you hear. One of the most significant control points that you have is what comes out of your mouth. If you will fill your mouth with life-giving words, your life will have the power of those words. As Proverbs 18:21 states, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” To make it clear, confession works. In addition to the power to change your thinking, confession also has power to change your circumstances.

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. – Mark 11:23 NIV

Now, that you are convinced that confession is part of successful living, here are the five things you must confess about your finances.

1. God has given me the ability to produce wealth and the power to get wealth. As Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”
2. God is blessing all the work of my hands. Deuteronomy 15:10, “You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.” (If you are not currently a generous giver, you may need to work on the area of giving to have faith in this promise).
3. God is blessing my savings and investments.There are two parts to this confession, first God is blessing your investments according to Deuteronomy 28:8, “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” Additionally, God gives us instruction on accumulation in Proverbs 13:11, “Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.”
4. I lack nothing. Psalm 23:1, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” and Psalm 34:10, “The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.” and Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
5. I am eating the best of the land, driving the best of the land, and living in the best of the land. God rewards obedience, Isaiah 1:19, “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land.”

When you know God’s will (as he gives us in His Old and New Testaments), you will start to change your thinking to be much more positive. God has a good plan for you. Trust God and watch His plan manifest in your life today.