A Nugget from New Life Network
(excerpts from Dr. Larry Ollison)
Scripture for the Day (January 9, 2018)
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. (3 John 2)
The devil is a liar! The only way he can destroy God’s work in us is to get us to believe his lies. For years, much of the church has believed that in order to be holy and in order to be humble, in order to be glorious and sanctified, we must be poor.
Satan will cause fear to rise up in people if you start mentioning the word money in a church. The reason is that many have been taught that money will corrupt you, that money will give you bad character. That is a lie! Money is nothing more than an amplifier.
If a man, who doesn’t have a whole lot of money, is taking a woman to a cheap motel and committing adultery, lots of money or lack of money won’t change his character. If this same man gets rich, the only thing that will change is he will fly the woman to a tropical island resort and commit adultery in an expensive hotel. It’s not going to change his bad character. Money doesn’t change your character. It just amplifies your character.
If you are a good person and you don’t have much money, but you are giving one or two dollars to the poor and all of a sudden you get a bunch of money, it’s going to amplify your character and you will give thousands of dollars to the poor. Money amplifies the character that is already within you. It doesn’t change your character. We’ve used that as an excuse for too long.
The Bible never says money will corrupt you. We have all heard that the Bible says money is the root of all evil. But that is not what it says! The Bible says, “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10). You trace it out and you’ll find the love of money is what is behind pornography, murder, and gambling. The love of money is what’s behind every sin that there is. The love of money may be a root of all kinds of evil – but it’s not the money that’s evil.
Many Christians have the door closed when it comes to prosperity in their lives. Don’t let yourself become accustomed to believing that things are never going to get any better. We must start living in the overflow. The man who fears (honors, respects, esteems) God lives in prosperity.
“Who is the man that fears the LORD? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses. He himself shall dwell in prosperity, and his descendants shall inherit the earth” (Psalm 25:12-13).
Who is to inherit the earth? You and me! We are the descendants. We are the ones who inherit.
God enjoys our prosperity. “Let them shout for joy and be glad, who favor My righteous cause; and let them say continually, ‘Let the LORD be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant'” (Psalm 35:27). This verse doesn’t say that God has pleasure in the poverty of His servant, but pleasure in the prosperity of His servant. This is not just talking about money. It is talking about living in the overflow of God’s goodness and His abundance!
“Then it shall be to Me a name of joy, a praise, and an honor before all nations of the earth, who shall hear all the good that I do to them; they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness (the glory) and all the prosperity that I provide for it” (Jeremiah 33:9).
You may say, “Well, that’s for Israel, not us.” That is wrong thinking! Galatians 3:29 says, “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” We are the inheritors of the promises. That is good news! Let’s live in the overflow that God desires for us. Let’s live where God wants us to live.
