Arise, Shine for your Light has come!

"Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you." (Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV)

Perplexities

The world is currently going through a global economic crisis and with news of doom and gloom bombarding us from the media it is easy to become fearful during these difficult times. Along with the other kinds of disasters we hear about on a weekly basis (earthquakes, freak weather conditions, pestilences etc) this economic disaster was prophesied in the bible "..upon the earth [there will be] distress (trouble and anguish) of nations in bewilderment and perplexity [without resources, left wanting, embarrassed, in doubt, not knowing which way to turn].." (Luke 21:25 AMP).

Anyone who knows a thing or two about economics will tell you that this is just the beginning. The USA has made plans to kick start their economy by spending trillions of dollars which at this present time doesn't actually exist! They will have to print more currency which could inevitably mean hyperinflation of the US currency in the coming years. This could of course give rise to a whole host of problems such as ordinary items like bread and petrol becoming far too expensive for the ordinary person to afford as currency begins to lose its value (Rev 6:6). One solution to this global crisis was put forward by the Russians at the recent G-20 summit - a single one world currency..

The Light

Despite the alarming global crisis, children of God should not fear for the future. Instead we ought to be strong and courageous in the face of adversity. Isaiah 60:2 says "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and dense darkness [all] peoples, but the Lord shall arise upon you [O Jerusalem], and His glory shall be seen on you. (AMP). Indeed economic darkness is covering the earth but the Lord will use these days to shine forth His glory in the lives of His children like never before! He will use His children as beacons of light in this dark world and many shall come to that Light (Isaiah 60:3).

Days of Famine in the Bible

The bible prophesies a time of increased famines in the last days (Luke 21:10). In the Old Testament these were times when resources were scarce, productivity was low and economies suffered. One such instance is recorded in Genesis 47:13-31 where there was a severe famine in Egypt whilst Joseph was there. In the bible Egypt is representative of the world and we see that whilst Egypt suffered, Joseph in fact prospered more than ever. Joseph was a direct descendant of Abraham- his physical seed- and the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant was upon him.

Now, in Christ, we are the seed of Abraham - his spiritual seed - by faith and therefore heirs according to the promise God made to Abraham (Galatians 3:14, 16, 29). Abraham never suffered in times of famine, neither did his son Isaac. The bible states that during a famine "..Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous.." (Genesis 26:12-13) (Galatians 4:28).

Your Inheritance in Christ

The key to partaking in this blessing is to first realise that it is part of your inheritance in Christ. You must be conscious of it or else you run the risk of suffering alongside most of the population of the world when you ought to be prospering and blessing others. You must be aware of it, believe it and say it! You see, if you're not aware of an inheritance you cannot enjoy its benefits. "The heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world.." (Galatians 4:1-3). Notice that this scripture comes immediately after the scriptures above which make mention of the promises to Abraham.

Imagine a situation whereby a person dies and leaves all of their wealth to their child as an inheritance. The child is automatically entitled to the inheritance upon the death of the testator but the child is not able to claim the money until he reaches the age of eighteen; at which point he is deemed mature enough to handle it. If that child is not aware of the testator's wishes and nobody tells him, he will not be able to claim it; even though he is entitled to it. Similarly if the child is aware of the inheritance and does nothing about it, he will not enjoy its benefits.

A newborn babe in Christ may not be aware of their inheritance. As you grow in maturityand understanding in the faith you begin to become more aware of your rights in Christ. As you become more aware of your inheritance in Christ you will begin to lay a claim on the blessings by exercising the right principles.

We will look more at these godly principles in a later blog...

Your Hope

For a child of God there is hope in the midst of this global crisis. The bible says "blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8). This is not the time to fear or be anxious. This is the time to trust and put your faith in the Lord not in the failing economies, world leaders or the financial experts. Your hope is in the Lord your Provider. There is no recession in Heaven! One thing is for certain - the Kingdom economy can never fail, therefore make the wise decision to remain connected to the Source that can never run dry. In a later blog we will look at how you can stay connected to this Source and reap the financial benefits of being a child of God.

"The LORD knows the days of the upright, and their inheritance shall be forever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time, and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied." (Psalm 37:18-19)

Establishing the right mindset for Kingdom Prosperity

When dealing with the subject of money it's important to establish the right mindset in accordance with the will of God. In doing so it's important first to establish why God wants us to enjoy financial prosperity here on earth and what He wants us to do with it. As mentioned in the last post, it is certainly God's will for His children to prosper, which is one of the reasons He sent Jesus in the first place. In 2 Corinthians 8:9 it states "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich." Just in case you were wondering, the Greek word translated 'rich' in this passage means 'to become wealthy' or 'to be increased in goods' (Strong's #4147) so it's certainly talking about financial and material wealth. Think about it - what good earthly parent wouldn't want their child to prosper in all ways, let alone our heavenly Father. Is it too unrealistic to think that He wants the very best for His children rather than to see them suffer with needs and lack?

Let's consider Father Abraham. The bible stated that he was "very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold" (Genesis 13:2). Anyone who is in Christ is by faith Abraham's seed and are therefore "heirs according to the promise"(Galatians 3:29). The promise is the one which God made to Abraham - that he and his descendants would be heirs of the world (Romans 4:13). This inevitably includes the wealth of the world.

God not only wants to see us prosper, He's also made available everything that we need to live the abundant life which Jesus came to give us (John 10:10). The principles are set out in His word. But before we delve into this deeper, the reason for our wealth needs to be established. Of course God wants us to live comfortably and not suffer or lack anything but that is not the primary reason for our wealth. People in the church often get uncomfortable when you mention finances, particularly in reference to the following verse:

"For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows"(1 Tim 6:10)

What many fail to realise is that this scripture is talking about the love of money not money in general. In fact the bible states that money is a defense (Ecc 7:12) and that money answers all things (Ecc 10:19). God is certainly not against us having alot of money but the bible does warn us against making money an idol or trusting in uncertain riches rather than God Himself. It is important to realise that we shouldn't be a servant to money but rather money should serve us. Of itself, money is not a bad thing but when it gets into the wrong hands it can be used for evil purposes. Money takes on the character of the person whose hands it is in. For that reason we are admonished to steer clear of materialism and greed (1 Timothy 6:9).

We should not desire to be rich because we are not the poor trying to become rich, we are the rich finding out about and laying hold on our God-given inheritance! It's rightfully ours in Christ. The bibles states that we ought to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) so, in the context of finances, our desire should be to advance the Kingdom through prosperity and wealth. "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; My cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad" (Zechariah 1:17 KJV). This is the primary reason for our wealth!

The gospel is free but getting the message spread to the ends of the earth is an expensive affair. It requires sponsorship and that's where our wealth is required - to preach the gospel around the world. How shall they hear without a preacher? How shall they preach if they are not sent? Through your prosperity you can sponsor the spread of the gospel abroad and bring an unprecendented number of souls into the Kingdom. This is God's number one agenda.

On a more local level, your life can be a witness to God's power. As you prosper it can make you a powerful witness to many who will be drawn to your great life in Christ. After all, there won't be many who will be drawn to the life of a poor man. The bible itself states that the wisdom of a poor man is despised and his words forgotten (Ecc 9:13). Jesus certainly wasn't poor and thus his words endure forever. His very clothes were of the finest quality causing the Roman soldiers to cast lots for it (John 19:23). Don't forget that with wealth comes responsibility; as you are blessed use your blessings to also bless others. Wealth is not to be laid up here on earth, it should be used to help others who have needs, thus laying up for yourself eternal riches (1 Timothy 6:18-19; Matthew 6:20) which is far more precious and more pleasing in the sight of God. By doing these good works with your wealth, it shows that you have a heart for the gospel and the things that matter most to God; "for where your treasure is, your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).

Therefore let us wake up to the wealth of which God has brought us into an inheritance. Remember that God gives us the power to get wealth (Deut 8:18). Through principles laid out in the scriptures we can begin to walk in this prosperity and advance the Kingdom of God. In the next post you will see how the current economic crisis should be an opportunity for the children of God to shew forth this prosperity like never before.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Welcome to Kingdom Financial Plan!

"..It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:25)

The above scripture is often used by some, including christians, to argue that rich people cannot enter heaven or that it is a sin to be rich. However what such people fail to do is read on to Mark 10:27 where Jesus goes on to say “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” It soon becomes obvious that Jesus was speaking about the kind of person who has not made God their Provider but instead relies on their riches, making it difficult for them to 'take up the cross' and follow Him. I will discuss more about this type of 'rich man' in a later blog.

So what does the bible really say about wealth and riches? Does God want His children to prosper? This question is particularly urgent and relevant in light of the current economic climate, 'credit crunch' and the impact on our financial security. In a nutshell, the answer can be summed up in 3 John v 2 where it says "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers". Here the Spirit of God is speaking to the church whom He tenderly addresses as 'Beloved' and communicates God's will for our prosperity.

The so-called 'Prosperity Gospel' has been criticised by some who label it as a radical brand of christianity - a type of gospel rather than the true gospel. What such protesters of the message fail to realise is that there is no such thing as a "Prosperity Gospel" ......because the Gospel in its totality is a message of prosperity as well as reconciliation, redemption and of course salvation. Incidently the Greek word translated 'saved' in the scriptures is 'sozo' (Strong's #4982) which means to deliver, protect, heal, preserve and make whole - this includes financial prosperity. It shows that not only is salvation a complete package for the soul, spirit and body but also this salvation begins in the here and now...not just in eternity. Similarly the word 'shalom' (Strong's #7965) translated as 'peace' in the scriptures has a much deeper meaning. In addition to meaning 'peace' it also means favour, health, prosperity and wholeness. Not to mention that one of the names of God revealed in scriptures is Jehovah El Shaddai (the All Sufficient One, the Lord Who is more than enough).

One thing is for sure and that is that Jesus completed total redemptive work for us on the cross but sadly many christians are not walking in the totality of their salvation. As you study the scriptures it becomes more and more evident that financial prosperity is God's will for the church, with many scriptures attesting to that fact. The purpose of this blog is to unravel God's will concerning the financial prosperity of His children; to better understand His marvelous plan for us during times of economic downturn and to reveal what I have termed...the "Kingdom Financial Plan.."

I pray that as we go through the scriptures "..the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." (Ephesians 1:17-18)