Finances

Poverty is not the will of God for any believer. Despite this truth, some people have taken a "vow of poverty." Some Christians believe that poverty is part of being holy and righteous. This is far from the truth.

Poverty has nothing to do with godliness. To be poor or impoverished means, "to be without; in lack; deprived." You and I don't serve a God of lack and insufficiency. He's the God of the exceeding and abundant Who wants to lavish you with His goodness (Ephesians 3:20).

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proves that poverty goes against everything God desires for believers. Poverty is a spirit designed to keep believers in financial bondage. The devil uses this spirit to hinder Christians from prospering and ultimately fulfilling their destiny of being a blessing to the entire world (Genesis 12:2-3).

God favors prosperity. According to Psalm 35:27 and 3 John 2, He is pleased when you prosper in your spirit, soul and body. His desire is that you prosper economically, socially, emotionally, mentally and physically. That's total life prosperity. If you truly want to live holy and righteous before God, renew your mind by studying God's Word concerning true prosperity.

Claim Your Spiritual Birthright

Although God's perfect will is for you to succeed in all aspects of life, let's concentrate on your financial prosperity. Finances are a major dilemma for most people. Debt and insufficiency are common causes for divorce, depression, suicide and murder.

As a believer, you are a member of God's family and have a royal, spiritual birthright (John 1:12; Galatians 4:4-6; 1 Peter 2:9). Romans 8:17 in The Amplified Bible says, "& if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him]& ." Not only does the universe, earth and everything in them belong to Jesus, they also belong to you as part of your inheritance (Psalm 24:1; Psalm 115:16)!

You were made wealthy and rich before you came into existence. You've been predestined to prosper financially. According to Ephesians 1:4-5, God chose to bless you before the foundation of the world as evidence of the holiness and righteousness made available to you through Jesus' death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:21).

As the righteousness of God, your inheritance of wealth and riches is included in the "spiritual blessings" (or spiritual things) the Apostle Paul spoke of in Ephesians 1:5. Based on Psalm 112:3, righteousness, wealth and riches go hand in hand. You have every right to live wealthy and possess material riches-clothes, jewelry, houses, cars and money-in abundance.

The Bible says that wealth is stored up for the righteous (Proverbs 13:22, New American Standard). However, it will remain stored up until you claim it. Therefore, claim it NOW! You possess the blessing to seize and command wealth and riches to come to you (Deuteronomy 8:18). Exercise that power by speaking faith-filled words daily and taking practical steps to eradicate debt. Like God, you can speak spiritual blessings into existence (Romans 4:17). Remember, doubt keeps silent, but faith speaks!

Entrepreneurship

Learn to Profit God's Way
God wants His people to prosper. There is, however, one aspect of prosperity that believers must take advantage of. Besides prospering mentally, physically and socially, Christians have a right to succeed financially as entrepreneurs. God's best for you does not include going from one job to the next, or living from paycheck to paycheck. Working for someone else for the rest of your life is not the ultimate experience.

Owning corporations is a part of your destiny as a believer. Think of the worldwide impact you will make once you take over the major industries of the world-telecommunications, real estate, computer technology, publishing and so on. God is strategically placing believers in places of authority to prepare for a global shifting of power-out of the world's hands and into theirs. His goal is to promote you and others like you to a position where you can directly affect the lives of millions. The plan is to get as many people born again as possible.

Many people only think of Jesus as the Savior of the world; However, He is also the ultimate corporate executive. In fact, He owned a successful carpentry business while on earth (Mark 6:3). Jesus had an excellent ability to organize crusades and minister the gospel to multitudes of people. He made a tremendous impact on the world in the short span of three years. Talk about a true world changer!

Pursue the Father's Business

When Jesus began His earthly ministry to save the world, He chose successful businessmen of high caliber to be His disciples. For example, Peter and Andrew owned a fishing business (Matthew 4:18-20), and Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 9:9).

Once the disciples joined Jesus' ministry, their businesses skyrocketed. They were so prosperous that they were able to travel with Him for over three years without having to close down their business establishments. God's blessing-His empowerment to prosper and succeed in every area of life-was on their lives and businesses. Their association with Jesus was the key to obtaining the blessing that equipped them to get the job done.

Likewise, as an entrepreneur, you have been equipped and given the responsibility of going into the business world to gather your inheritance of wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 13:22; James 5:1-7). Reaching millionaire status through your businesses and other God-inspired means should be sweatless!

Don't rely on your education or current financial status to determine your success in business. Instead, ask God to teach you how to profit His way, which is the best way (Isaiah 48:17). The key is to obey Him and allow wisdom to lead you to your place of wealth and prosperity (Psalm 66:12; Proverbs 4:7; 8:18; Ecclesiastes 7:11-12; James 1:5). In addition, don't be afraid to market your ideas. Doing so may be your ticket to success. It may not seem feasible at this point, but God knows the impact your invention or service will have on society.

There is no question that pursuing "God ideas" will lead to your inheritance of wealth. God's goal is to get as many people born again as possible. That's why Christian entrepreneurship is so important in these last days. The wealth that you gather is not for your benefit alone. Use it to please God by gathering lost souls into His kingdom (or family). Increasing His family will be your greatest profit. Therefore, bless others and allow your money to be used for His mission. It is an investment that you won't regret.