THE LORD TAKES PLEASURE IN THE PROSPERITY OF HIS SERVANTS – PART IV
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Let those who favor my righteous cause and have pleasure in my uprightness shout for joy and be glad and say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. Psalm 35:27 AMP
All true and genuine blessings come from Almighty God. Blessings are not just material in nature, but cover every aspect of man’s existence. God’s true blessings bring also peace and fulfillment. Our prosperity brings God great pleasure and satisfaction.
But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments and His statutes which I command you this day, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you: 16 Cursed shall you be in the city and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading trough. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your body, of your land, of the increase of your cattle and the young of your sheep. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in and cursed shall you be when you go out. Deuteronomy 28:15-19 AMP
Poverty is not a way to prove ourselves to God, neither is it a requirement of godliness. Poverty is a curse! Poverty is the curse of rebellion and disobedience. God’s will for us is not cursing, but blessing! God has forewarned us so that we can know and avoid it.
The blessing of the Lord – it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].
Proverbs 10:22 AMP
When God blesses you, His blessing is with no strings attached, no regret, and no sting in the tail – it is just straightforward blessing and reward for faith and obedience. God’s yes is “yes” and His no is “no”! The devil, on the other hand, makes promises that will cost you in bitterness, pain, death, and loss of freedom. He is a liar and the father of lies. He has no ability to bless anyone. He might allow someone to have and achieve that which they covet, but the price is their soul. The blessings of the Father, however, are free and sweet.
For you are becoming progressively acquainted with and recognizing more strongly and clearly the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (His kindness, His gracious generosity, His undeserved favor and spiritual blessing), [in] that though He was [so very] rich, yet for your sakes He became [so very] poor, in order that by His poverty you might become enriched (abundantly supplied). 2 Corinthians 8:9 AMP
If God wanted you poor, then why did He send Jesus? Jesus suffered and died to bring blessing and freedom to every aspect of our lives. It was no small price that was paid for your and my blessing. The message of God’s blessing is no invention of man, but God has reached down to make known to all men that He is both willing and able to bless any and all who come to Him in obedience and faith. Your blessing is as sure as your salvation, your healing and your deliverance!
And beware lest you say in your [mind and] heart, My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. 18 But you shall [earnestly] 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. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 AMP
What could be clearer than this? That it is God, Himself, who gives you the power to get wealth! He made a covenant promise that He would prosper and bless all those who diligently seek Him and who obey His commands. The power to get wealth does not come from the devil – neither does it come from your own hand or your own ability.
And they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and you inhabitants of Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God and you shall be established; believe and remain steadfast to His prophets and you shall prosper. 2 Chronicles 20:20 AMP
Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood over the people, and he said to them, Thus says God: Why do you transgress the commandments of the Lord so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the Lord, He also has forsaken you.
2 Chronicles 24:20 AMP
He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the things of God; and as long as he sought (inquired of, yearned for) the Lord, God made him prosper.
2 Chronicles 26:5 AMP
The Word of God is very clear. When you disobey God and transgress His commands, then He cannot and will not bless or prosper you. When you seek the Lord and we obey His commands, you will reap the blessings and prosperity that come from God Himself. God does not withhold blessings on a whim. On the contrary, He is seeking and longing to bless His people. His people limit the blessing of God in their lives because they compromise His word.
Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. 3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. Psalms 1:1-3 AMP
Everything we have and do will be abundantly prosperous when we delight in God’s word and when we submit ourselves to it and govern our conduct according to His precepts and commands!
Recent:
Righteous Now
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 AMP
“Therefore if any man be in Christ…” What does it mean to be “in Christ”? Galatians 3:27 says, “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” You are baptized into Christ when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Romans 10:9-10 says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” And Romans 10:13 says, “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” The moment
Defeating Strife
These six things the Lord hates, indeed, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look [the spirit that makes one overestimate himself and underestimate others], a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that manufactures wicked thoughts and plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who breathes out lies [even under oath], and he who sows discord among his brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19 AMP
Faith Facts
Faith is persistent
Luke 11:9-10 AMP
So I say to you, Ask and keep on asking and it shall be given you; seek and keep on seeking and you shall find; knock and keep on knocking and the door shall be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks and keeps on asking receives; and he who seeks and keeps on seeking finds; and to him who knocks and keeps on knocking, the door shall be opened.
John 16:24 AMP
Up to this time you have not asked a [single] thing in My Name [as presenting all that I AM]; but now ask and keep on asking and you will receive, so that your joy (gladness, delight) may be full and complete.
Faith is single-minded
James 1:5-8 AMP
If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. 6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the