Patient = to be long spirited, forbearing, long suffering.
We must be patient, faithful, and attentive at all times for the coming of the Lord is truly drawing near. Let us be diligent to remind one another. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord.
If you’ve been struggling to make ends meet or wondering how to live in abundance, it’s time to make the switch over to prosperity! The answer is found in the profile of a prosperous Christian.
Do you know what a prosperous Christian looks like? Maybe you’ve met some but wondered how they seem to advance by leaps and bounds, while you struggle to move a spiritual inch. The answer lies in the unique way prosperous Christians act, think and live.
Prosperous Christians aren’t the norm. They don’t subscribe to the world’s ways, and they don’t use natural means to get where they’re going. Though they are different people from different backgrounds, they all share the same characteristics, behaviors, values and habits—they have the same profile.
Where Do You Find the Profile of a Prosperous Christian?
There are two passages of Scripture—one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament—that outline the profile of a prosperous Christian. In them, you will find the secrets, the habits and the lifestyle of the one God has made rich.
Psalm 112:1-9 is one profile of a prosperous Christian. Within the description of how this man lives, it clearly states that he is “blessed” and that “wealth and riches will be in his house.” Most people have the idea that you cannot be wealthy and be righteous at the same time. Here is a man with a house—a nice house—filled with wealth and riches. And his righteousness is intact.
He has a big house full of riches and his righteousness endures forever. That’s the definition of godly wealth—and it is God who gave him the power to get that wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
The second profile is found in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15. This describes a prosperous Christian as one who has “all sufficiency in all things” and “an abundance for every good work.” He is prospering in every area of his life.
The word prosper does not mean money. It includes money. It includes assets. It includes influence. It includes all those things, but it doesn’t mean those things. The word prosper in the Hebrew language comes from the word peace or wholeness—nothing missing, nothing broken.
Now that we know what it means to be a prosperous Christian, we will look at the profile of the man described in Psalm 112 and 2 Corinthians 9 and learn to apply it to our own lives. Know this—the prosperous life isn’t just for some—the sun will shine on anyone who will go outside. God is no respecter of persons. If you live like the man in the profile of a prosperous Christian, you will become prosperous, too!
1. A Prosperous Christian Is Aware of His Inheritance
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” –2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
There was a man who saved for years to buy a boat ticket to America. Once he had purchased passage on the ship, he brought along cheese and crackers to sustain him, as he had spent everything he had on the ticket. Every evening at mealtime, he would look into the dining room at the other passengers enjoying their food, and then return to his cabin and eat his cheese and crackers.
The day the ship docked at the New York Harbor, a steward came to him and said, “Sir, have we offended you in any way? I noticed that you didn’t eat any of your meals in our dining room.” The man answered, “Oh, no! You see, I didn’t have enough money for meals, so I ate in my room.” Then the steward said, “But sir, your meals were included in the ticket!”
So many Christians receive the “ticket” of salvation, but don’t understand that they have an inheritance in Christ. Some even believe God withholds from them. Others simply don’t realize that everything the Father has belongs to them, once they are born again. A prosperous Christians knows this:
You are an heir to a vast fortune.
Galatians 4:7 says, “You are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (NKJV).
You were made the righteousness of God in Christ! You were made a joint heir with Him. According to Strong’s Concordance that term joint heir refers to “a personal equality based on an equality of possession.”
Jesus went to the cross to give you what He already possessed. He became as poor as we are, that we might become as rich as He is. A prosperous Christian knows this and has had spiritual revelation of its truth.
Watch Gloria Copeland and Pastor George Pearsons teach about Divine Prosperity.
“He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor.” –Psalm 112:9 (NKJV)
Traditionally, the Church has been led to believe that prosperity is bad or ungodly. However, John writes that we should prosper and be in health (3 John 2). You see, there’s a big difference between having money and loving money. The Bible does not say that money is the root of all evil. It says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). There are people so poor they don’t have two cents to rub together, but they are so in love with money they’ll literally kill to get it. That is loving money.
One way you know you don’t love money is your willingness to give it away. We aren’t to avoid being rich, but instead, we are called to prosper while keeping our eyes on God. That means we love Him, love people and live to give!
We are called to prosper so we can always be ready to give, not just at church, but everywhere—all the time. Second Corinthians 9:11 says, “Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.” That’s true prosperity—being able to look a man in the eye in his moment of impossibility and take his needs as your own. A truly prosperous Christian would give everything away in a heartbeat if God told him or her to do so. A prosperous Christian is a very generous man or woman.
3. A Prosperous Christian Is a Tither and a Sower
“He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” –2 Corinthians 9:6 (NKJV)
A prosperous Christian knows one very basic, but critical, biblical principle—tithing plus sowing is the cornerstone to real biblical prosperity. He or she knows that a person who fails to tithe disqualifies himself from receiving his inheritance of abundance.
It’s amazing how many Christians waste their energies arguing whether or not tithing is a New Testament doctrine, claiming it is under the Law and we no longer have to keep the Law. People who think this way are self-deceived.
Before the Law even existed, Abraham “gave him tithes of all,” (Genesis 14:19-20, KJV). Additionally, tithing is seen throughout the New Testament because people knew what we know now—tithing activates THE BLESSING of God in our finances.
The Word of God is clear that the act of giving alone is not the path to blessing, but the heart behind your giving. “You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully” (2 Corinthians 9:7).
In other words, don’t just put your tithe in because the bucket went by. Jesus is the Lord of the tithe, so go before Him with it, and pray over it. You can say something like this:
Thank You, Father for Your provision. I offer this as a tithe to You with thanksgiving. Bless it, Lord. And now, I expect what You said in the Book of Malachi. You have rebuked the devourer for my sake. And Satan, I remind you, you are rebuked in the Name of Jesus. Keep your dirty hands off my money, my job, my goods and all my affairs. I have the favor of God. Now get out of here!
Tithe and sow wherever the Lord instructs you. And do it cheerfully, remembering that when you sow just a little, that’s what you’ll reap. But if you sow generously, like a prosperous Christian, God will “make all grace abound toward you, that you, always havingall sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8, NKJV).
This scripture is not just talking about money. You can have money, be saved and have a well body, but if there is strife in your family, you’re not prosperous. You would have a form of poverty in your household.
God is talking about “all sufficiency in all things.” This is the New Testament definition of a born-again, Holy-Ghost baptized, tongue-talking, healing-believing, totally prosperous believer. Amen.
4. A Prosperous Christian Uses Good Judgment
“He will guide his affairs with discretion.” –Psalm 112:5 (KJV)
A prosperous Christian “guides his affairs with discretion” (Psalm 112:5, KJV). That means every decision he makes is done carefully and with wisdom.
How does he do this? By delighting greatly in God’s commandments (Psalm 112:1). Good judgment (or wisdom) can only come from the one true source of all wisdom—the Bible.
A prosperous Christian knows the Word of God and obeys it—all of it. He doesn’t see God’s commandments as restrictive or holding him back. And he doesn’t see them as optional. He loves others—fulfilling the second greatest commandment (Matthew 22:39). He isn’t easily offended or angry. He doesn’t hold onto grudges. He loves others the way God instructs (1 Corinthians 13:4-13). He makes the Word of God final authority in his life.
When you walk in wisdom— delighting in God’s commandments and using good judgment— the Lord will make you rich, and you won’t experience any sorrow in it (Proverbs 10:22). You’ll see the wicked prosper financially in the world, but the Bible says that type of prosperity has sorrow in it. The righteous prosper in God, and He adds no sorrow. Why? Because it comes from His grace. Everything you have and all that you could have comes from the grace of God.
5. A Prosperous Christian Is Not Fearful
“He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord.” –Psalm 112:7 (ESV)
With all that we’ve seen working in favor of the prosperous Christian up to this point, it’s no wonder that Psalm 112:7-8 goes on to say, “They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them.They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly.” Now, that’s prosperous living!
Fear opens the door to the enemy to rob you of your blessings—financial and otherwise. So, as the prosperous Christian keeps his mind fixed on the Word of God, he keeps himself out of fear—and out of the sights of the devil.
This man is in a secure position, both in heaven and in the earth. Satan is under his feet. What could he possibly fear? His mind and his heart are fixed on the Word of God. Nothing can move him.
How did he get to that place?
It’s by a constant, steady, persistent pursuit into those things in God’s Word that we know belong to us—our healing, our peace of mind, the salvation of our families, our children’s protection and our financial prosperity. Even when it looks like everyone else is prospering but us, when it looks like everyone else is getting healed but us, we must remain fixed on the Word and press on.
If someone throws in the towel and says that this profile of a prosperous believer doesn’t work, what they’re really saying is, “I’m not willing to press.” After we have pressed and stood in faith awhile, even the toughest situation will have to give in. Why? Because our pressure is always greater than the devil’s pressure. All his weapons are from the world.
When you live out the traits that make up the profile of a prosperous believer, you’ll be well on your way to living in prosperity yourself! Keep your mind on God and His promises. Don’t look back for even the slightest moment. Meditate on God’s profile for you. Don’t call yourself anything other than what this profile says you are. “I am blessed. My profile is to prosper, and I fit the profile!”
Have a great day worshipping the Lord. T God be the glory for everything He has done for each and every one of us. Let your praises ring in your Church services today.
Hebrews 10:19-26
Make every effort to be faithful to being a doer of God’s Word.
Can we do it?
Will we do it?
We can and we will if we want to.
If anyone wants you to be prepared, it is the Holy Spirit, your Helper and Coach. Receive Him, trust Him and obey Him. He will bring you forth as a shining light.
When is the last time you really gave a shout for joy? The church has become silent about the provision of God. We should be shouting about God’s provision from the mountain tops and the from the rooftops.
We do have much to shout about!
Can we do it?
Will we do it?
I certainly hope so.
Do you need struggle with knowing how to use your spiritual authority for your finances, family or body? Learn how to use your authority in any situation.
There is a story of a farmer who found an eagle’s egg and brought it home to his chicken coop. When the egg hatched, the young eagle only saw chickens around him. Without knowing what he truly was, he simply mimicked what he saw around him. He scratched and pecked and flew short distances. He believed he was a chicken; therefore, he acted like a chicken.
Many believers are living the same way—trapped in a chicken mentality. They have received salvation, but stop short of living life abundantly, as God intended. They want to live in prosperity, health, protection and peace, but they stop short of achieving victory in those areas for one reason—they don’t know how to use their authority.
Luke 10:19 says, “Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy.” Jesus has given you the authority, but you must take it and exercise it.
Are you ready to fly the coop and soar like an eagle? Here is how you can use your spiritual authority in any situation and claim VICTORY once and for all.
1. Use Your Authority for Physical Protection
“No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.” –Psalm 91:10 (NKJV)
Salvation includes more than just the guarantee of going to heaven—that’s just the beginning. Salvation is a big word. In the Greek language, it literally means deliverance, safety, preservation, material and temporal deliverance from danger, pardon, restoration, healing, wholeness and soundness.
Do you know what that means? It means you don’t have to be afraid of anything harming you or your children physically.
Physical protection for you and your family is a Covenant right. Peace, safety and covering from calamity, disaster or harm of any kind belongs to you.
It is NOT God’s will that people go and shoot up our children’s schools. It is NOT God’s will that we or our children are filled with sickness and disease or suffer injuries. It is NOT God’s will that we suffer under any part of the curse. But the devil has come to kill and destroy—he’s looking for a loophole—a way in to break the circle of protection that encompasses you.
It is God’s will that we stop the enemy, and rule and reign over him.
We live in a dangerous world, so taking your authority for protection should be done daily. It doesn’t take long—speak a word of protection as you drive, speak Psalm 91 over your family as you head to work or run errands, plead the blood of Jesus first thing in the morning when you wake. As you make it part of your daily routine, it will become second nature to you.
Take authority by saying something similar to Billye Brim’s daily declaration:
You listen to me, kingdom of darkness: It is written that I am seated at the Father’s right hand far above you (Ephesians 1:18-23) and that I overcome you by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony (Revelation 12:11). So here is the word of my testimony, and here is who you can’t go near today. I draw the blood around (name your family members), and I plead the blood over myself, too. You stay away from us! Satan, you stay away from the good works I should walk in. You stay away from my ministry, my church, my neighborhood, my home, and every vehicle and building we go into. I draw a bloodline around them.
When you get into your car or fly on an airplane you can say:
In the Name of Jesus, I plead the blood of Jesus over my car. Bumper to bumper, side to side, top to bottom, every part working and nonworking, no one and nothing will bump this car, and we’ll bump no one or nothing. We’ll get to wherever we’re going without incident.
You have the Name of Jesus and you have the authority of Jesus, and you overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of your testimony (Revelation 12:11, KJV).
“No evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.” –Psalm 91:10
You have authority over sickness and disease—every cold, flu, backache, cancer, heart disease—all of it. You have the authority through Christ Jesus.
So, why do we sometimes face these challenges? Simple:
God is not going to override your authority. He gave Adam authority, and He didn’t override Adam’s decision to relinquish it to Satan. He has given you the same authority in the earth, and He has given you the way to victory in EVERY situation in His Word.
But He won’t override your authority. He will let you die sick if you choose to do so. You would have to ignore every healing scripture in the Bible and all that Jesus bought for you when He bore your sicknesses and carried your diseases, but you have the authority to go ahead and die. God will not stop you.
So, if you’re talking about your symptoms and sickness, you’re relinquishing your authority to Satan as Adam did in the Garden of Eden. That won’t get results!
Charles Capps used to say, “Don’t call the dog if you want the cat. If you want the dog, you don’t step out on the front porch and say, ‘Here, cat.’ You say, ‘Here, dog.’ When you do, you’re taking authority over that dog and that old dog just comes running right up, wagging his tail.”
Don’t call the dog if you want the cat, and don’t call for sickness and disease if you want to be healed. Use your authority and command your body to be healed in the Name of Jesus.
When Kenneth Copeland was first starting out in ministry, he was under the mentorship of Oral Roberts. One night, in the healing room after the service, they came to a woman who had cancer of the stomach. She was just the picture of death. As they approached her to lay hands on her, in a loud, growling, authoritative voice, Oral Roberts said, “You foul, unclean spirit, take your hands off God’s property in the Name of Jesus, whose I am and whom I serve! Come out of her now!”
She instantly spit out that cancer on the floor. (It was the size of a fist and had nasty-looking tentacles hanging off it.) Then she jumped off her bed and ran around the room shouting, “I’m healed! I’m healed! I’m healed!”
That same authority is on the inside of you right now. You can use it to heal yourself; you can use it to heal others—and you should.
When you take authority over your body, say, “Body, I command you to get in line. I rebuke every symptom in my body right now, in Jesus’ Name. Be healed and made whole from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. I take my healing! I am healed.”
3. Use Your Authority to Cast Out Demons
“They will cast out demons in my name.” –Mark 16:17
Demonic activity isn’t something you’ll hear preached about on many Sunday mornings, but it exists, and there is a simple way to deal with it—by taking your authority. Certain countries see a greater level of demonic activity, but it’s everywhere, and it isn’t to be tolerated—not even for a minute.
In Mark 5:1-20, we see how Jesus handled demons when He drove them out of the demon-possessed man and into a herd of pigs. He used His authority—the same authority that has been given to us—to drive them out.
Billye Brim shared a story in her book The Blood and the Glory, about something that happened to her son Chip and his three friends when they were living in a mobile home while attending college:
“The first day they arrived home from school, they noticed strange things. The doors and windows were open. Hairdryers and a toaster were on. The television and stereos were blasting. They thought it was someone playing a joke, but no one else had a key. One night, Chip was in his bedroom studying. Everyone else was in bed. He heard the front door slam and the whole mobile home shook. He and his friends ran out of there as fast as they could.”
Many other similar incidents took place that day. They ran to a pay phone and called Billye. She instructed them to take scriptures and cast out the demons with their authority. Then, she told them to anoint the doors and windows with oil and apply the blood of Jesus. By using the authority given to them by the blood and the Name of Jesus, they had no further trouble.
All believers can cast out devils in His name. John Osteen used to say that when demons would approach his house, they must have said, “Oh, don’t go over there, those people will beat your brains out.” That’s the way we ought to be when the devil tries to think about coming to our house.
Use the Name of Jesus. Plead the blood of Jesus. Drive demons and any demonic activity out of your home, your body, your life, your neighborhood, buildings, cars and anything else they try to occupy. Never be afraid of them—YOU have the authority. And they know it.
4. Use Your Authority to Subdue the Weather
“Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” –Mark 4:39 (NKJV)
With so many devastating storms and disastrous tornadoes, floods and other happenings, many people have asked, “Is God behind it?” The answer is, ABSOLUTELY NOT!
Jesus said in John 10:10: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (NKJV).
Jesus is our example when it comes to dealing with destructive storms. We know Jesus spoke to the wind and said to the water, “Peace, be still!” and they obeyed Him. We have the same place of authority through Jesus. It’s not His place to enforce the laws of the Kingdom in the earth. It’s ours.
Watch Chip Brim describe taking authority over a tornado approaching his home:
So, when the report of bad weather comes, don’t wait and see what’s going to happen. Start speaking to it, NOW! Go outside, if you can. Shout! Don’t just talk to God about it. Speak to the elements. Say, “You don’t come to my house! I declare THE BLESSING WALL up and around me, my family, my property and all that’s mine!”
Forget about what other people think. They already think we’re crazy. Being worried about what others think is a form of fear, and if the devil can get you to back off, he’ll try to destroy what’s yours and blame it on God.
You have authority over the weather. Don’t be afraid of any storm, tornado or earthquake. Rebuke it just as Jesus did.
Watch as Gloria Copeland takes authority over a tornado that was threatening a Convention Center where she was teaching Healing School. (The weather starts at about 1:04:55 in the video below.)
5. Use Your Authority for Finances
“He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” –Colossians 2:15
If you’ve ever experienced the stress that comes from financial pressure, you know how difficult it is when you’re so strapped you don’t have enough money to pay your bills.
There are things that can block financial blessing such as being in unforgiveness, failing to walk in love, failing to tithe and sow, or operating without integrity. Those areas should be checked first. But if everything is in line with the Word of God, you may be facing an attack of the devil on your finances. He comes to STEAL, kill and destroy. He does not want you blessed.
Here’s the good news: Jesus reduced principalities and powers to nothing—He took away the devil’s power to dominate us in any way—including in the realm of our finances. Our job is to act on this truth. As long as we act like the devil has power over our finances, he will. But if you will believe in your heart and confess with your mouth what God’s Word says about finances, you’ll be taking authority, and you’ll get what you need.
So, when you’re facing an attack of the enemy on your finances, take your place of authority. Speak to the financial mountain. Say, “SATAN, TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF MY MONEY AND OFF MY PROPERTY. Ministering spirits (angels), GO! Cause all that’s mine in the kingdom of God to come into my hands, now! I declare THE BLESSING of the Lord, THE SHIELD OF GRACE up around all that’s mine!”
In conclusion, when you learn how to use your spiritual authority in any situation, nothing will be impossible for you! You’ll be operating in the position of dominion God intended from the beginning. God did not create you to be a victim—you were made to WIN!
Have a great day in the Lord. I pray everyone of you attend church today, worship the Lord, and receiving the Word of God be strengthened in spirit, soul, and body.