At first the two approaches seem to be similar; they are both trying to develop a plan for next year. But they are really quite different. One considers God and puts His Kingdom first; the other doesn't consider God and puts the person first. One is based on submitting to and depending upon God; the other features overcoming personal shortcomings through self-effort. One is Spirit-led; the other is led by "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (see 1 John 2:16).

The basic requirement for Spirit-led planning is the ability to hear from God. In turn, our ability to hear is dependent upon the closeness of our personal relationship with Him. How well do we really know God? How much time do we spend in His Word and in seeking His companionship and direction? The result of having a close and intimate relationship is ultimately a continuous "revelation" of God's will for our lives.

In the New Testament the Greek word that's often translated as REVELATION means to DISCLOSE. In other words, by divine REVELATION, the Holy Spirit is working to DISCLOSE His plans and purposes for our lives so that we have direction and a basis for faith and hope. The composite of the various plans and purposes is often referred to as His VISION and as long as we try to live our lives within the boundaries of God's VISION, we will experience His goodness, His abundance and His blessings. Indeed, we will experience the very best He has for us.

The Bible says in the Old Testament that “Where there is no “vision,” the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). So it’s important for God’s people to be involved in a VISION. The Hebrew word for VISION in this scripture also means REVELATION and so another meaning would be that where there is no REVELATION the people perish. Or for the New Testament Believer, if we cut off God’s ongoing REVELATION through carnality, resistance, indifference, lack of relationship, disobedience, rebelliousness, tradition, religion, dullness, hardness, etc., then the victorious PRESENT life of abundance Christ won for us at the Cross of Calvary will PERISH, or be severely impaired, and we will lead lives of defeat and discouragement instead of prosperity and abundance.

One of the English dictionary definitions of the word VISION is INTELLIGENT FORESIGHT. The question we have to answer is this: on whose intelligence does the Believer's FORESIGHT depend? Without question the FORESIGHT we are to have in our lives should be based on the intelligence of God, which comes by revelation that springs from having a strong personal relationship with Him by faith through Christ.

In sum, for Believers the development of a New Year's plan should be a process of reaffirming God's VISION for our lives based on His personal REVELATION. By apprehending that VISION the Believer then has direction that has come from God Himself and we can feel secure in immersing ourselves BY FAITH in the flow of that VISION in the weeks and months and years ahead. In so doing we make ourselves eligible for the continuous manifestation of biblical prosperity in every area of life.

The vision that God makes available to Believers is always a vision of INCREASE. The Bible in both the Old and New Covenants establishes that God is the LORD of the Increase. In other words, He's the One who causes things to increase (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) in the lives of Believers. He's never the one who causes decrease; He's not the one who steals and diminishes things (John 10:10). Nor does He decrease to purge things for some "higher purpose." The increase that comes from God brings no sorrow with it (Proverbs 10:22). God's increase is always good and flows to people of faith out of His love and total goodness.

Another way that scripture refers to INCREASE is the word PROFIT. For example, the Bible says in Isaiah 48:17-18 that it's God who teaches us to PROFIT. Following is the complete scripture for your consideration:

"I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea." (NAS)

Friend, we need to understand these verses of scripture. Since God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), these words apply to us today just as they did to the people of Israel (and Judah) 2,700 years ago. The Hebrew word translated here as PROFIT means "to ascend" or "increase." You could also translate it as "to prosper." God is always increasing, always prospering His creation and this is the vision He wants you to have for your future; it's the desire of God's heart to increase you and your family in 2008 (Psalm 115:14). How does He increase us? According to this scripture, by leading us in the way we should go. If we follow closely along the path the Holy Spirit lays out for us, we're SURE to increase; we WILL experience success.

But we also have to pay attention to His commandments, which is to say we have to understand and pursue the principles we find in His Word. Those principles are the basis of the BINDING Covenant God has established with His people. If we'll be obedient and do what we're supposed to do, the Lord is bound by His agreement, by His Word, to respond as He has promised. If we do this we'll experience a flow of well-being like a river. The Hebrew word translated "well-being" is SHALOM which also means peace and/or prosperity. It's the type of "prosperity" where nothing is missing or broken in your life; everything is working right for you spirit, soul and body and you're totally at peace. This is the increase that God brings and wants us to incorporate into our plans and pursuits for the future.

Does this mean that God's vision for you is free from tribulation and persecution? No, such difficulties come to us because we live in the World. Indeed, for the time being we have to live IN the World even though we're not OF it (John 17:14-18). The World brings tribulations and persecutions and even within the Body of Christ sometimes there is persecution for the Word's sake as we struggle to understand the Truth. God does not put tribulations and persecutions on His children but what He does do is provide sufficient grace so we can make it through our difficulties in victory and in peace. Friend, it's entirely possible to experience SHALOM peace and prosperity while in the very midst of our storms. God's vision provides the grace to do this and when we stay within the vision we will be able to overcome every challenge and in the process be able to glorify God.

But, do you really believe that this is the VISION your Almighty Father has for you? We read about it in His Word but then we seem to find many ways on many occasions to doubt it and give up on it. Friend, the Word of God is Truth and Truth is not subject to our actual experiences. Just because we haven't experienced all of His INCREASE yet doesn't change the Truth. What it means is that we have to examine ourselves and find out HOW to actually RECEIVE what Truth has promised to provide.

It is God's intention that all Believers be Spirit-led, not head- led, or money-led, or feelings-led, or emotions-led, or people- led or circumstance-led or flesh-led. The sons of God are to be Spirit-led (Romans 8:14). When people are born again, the Holy Spirit comes immediately to dwell within them to begin the process of LEADING them to the Truth (John 14:16-17) so they can conformed to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). Believers are spirit-beings and God communicates to us Spirit- to-spirit. Therefore, to receive the Lord's vision for our lives, we must be willing to commune with Him and hear what He wants to teach us. The better we know Him the easier it will be to recognize His voice, the more familiar we'll be with His ways of communicating. Most of the time He doesn't speak in an audible voice but by an inner knowing, a witness that confirms that the Holy Spirit has communicated a particular truth (Romans 8:14). You just KNOW that He has spoken to you and in that manner you come to KNOW God's vision for your life.

The Bible says that Jesus only did what He SAW the Father do (John 5:16-19). In other words Jesus received His VISION for what He was supposed to do by WATCHING the Father. When and how did Jesus WATCH the Father do those things? Many people think He must have had some supernatural way of communicating or that He had seen the Father do these things before He came to earth. But Jesus was subject to the same ways of doing things as we are (Philippians 2:7); the difference was He spent a lot MORE time communing with the Father than we do and He had developed His faith into the force that could move mountains. He could SEE His Father in His Spirit; He knew His voice and He watched Him day to day as He walked out His earthly ministry.

Receiving God's vision doesn't mean we receive it all at one time. Most Believers want to SEE the whole picture so they can live out of the "security" of their flesh; but that's not the way God works. Receiving God's vision means we locate the path that He is on and wants us to follow along together. Once we SEE the path as spiritual VISION, then we must be willing to step out in faith one faith step at a time and accomplish the plans and purposes He has for our lives. His Word will show us the way: "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Psalm 119:105). But note that the Lamp is at your feet; you won't be able to SEE out along the path for a great distance. Faith takes us one step at time; if we could SEE the whole path, where would the faith be? Typically you have enough light to see where to take the next step or two and even that much light requires that you pursue a close relationship with both the Holy Spirit and His Word. The closer the relationship the more you will SEE, the sharper and more detailed the VISION, the greater the accomplishment for the glory of God.

As part of the overall process of reaffirming the family's vision, PLN has always recommended that every Christian include an annual review of the family's financial plan. Here's how it could work. Biblically, God has appointed the husband as the family's financial visionary and it's his responsibility to consult the Lord along with input from his wife and the other counselors God has placed in his life. The husband's role is to prayerfully seek after the vision from God; the wife's role is to prayerfully agree that what her husband hears, what he SEES, is actually from God. When the consultations have been completed, husband and wife should be in total agreement as to what the family's financial vision (direction) will be for the coming year. If they are not in agreement, they should continue to consult the Lord and each other until they come into agreement.

An essential part of the process should be to carefully record in writing everything God tells you. The Bible says in Habakkuk 2:2 to "Record the vision and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that reads it." In this scripture we have the same Hebrew word for VISION as in Proverbs 29:18; so without a VISION we perish but with one written down we can RUN with it to accomplish God's plans and purposes. When you have written down everything the Lord tells you to do, when you have recorded His revealed vision, you will have your financial plan for the coming year and you will be able to act on it in faith.

Once God has given you your financial plan for the coming year you should be prepared to start confessing and acting on it so you turn His Word into prophecy for your family. Be prepared to release your faith for the fulfillment of His Word in His time and in His way. And, be prepared as well to release your faith for the manifestation of the fullness of biblical prosperity for you and your family.

The hardest part of implementing your financial vision will be to actually launch it into motion. For example, if part of your God-given vision for next year is to start getting out of debt, you must first DECIDE you really want to do that and then take action. You can't make progress until you take the first steps. For the lack of those first steps most families continue to wallow in their indebtedness for most of their lives.

Likewise for the other financial areas, once the basic decisions have been made, you should begin to take action. “Faith, if it has not works, is dead…” (James 2:17). If you ask God for action plans, He will speak them to your heart and He will guide you throughout the year by faith. First make the decisions; then, take the related actions keeping close to the Lord to be sure you don’t inadvertently deviate from the path the Lord wants you to follow.

By the way, if in fact you are presently indebted, getting out of debt OUGHT to be a part of your financial plan. In previous issues of Prosperous Life Newsletter we've discussed how indebtedness interferes with God's purposes for the family and for the Kingdom of God. Accordingly, working to get out of debt should be an automatic part of a Christian's financial plan.

Your financial plan should also include a written MONTHLY SPENDING PLAN (budget) for your family. God will be pleased to give you the details of your Family Budget if you ask Him for them. Then, once you have a written budget, everyone in the family will be in agreement together and with God as to what your living expenses should be so you will be in a position to avoid overspending and incurring further indebtedness. You'll also have a basis for faith to believe God for a specific income to cover all the expenses in your budget. If you have sought the Lord in the preparation of your Family Budget, and if you are faithful to return your tithes cheerfully and give bountiful offerings, He will be faithful to see to it that ALL your financial needs are met and exceeded.

Accessing the revelation of God should be something that's going on all the time in a Believer's life. We don't want to wait until the end of the year to seek the Lord about something. We certainly shouldn't wait until the end of the year to pursue a closer relationship with Him. But the beginning of a new year is a good time to "recertify" God's vision, to get back on the right path and to launch a fresh start with renewed faith.

Certainly, revelation and vision are key benefits that come from regularly pursuing a close relationship with God but most people try to get by with less and in fact our carnal nature craves to avoid a relationship with Him altogether. But if we step out in faith that His Word is true and that He will disclose Himself to those who pursue Him, we'll be rewarded for our efforts. The truth is no matter how hard we try to avoid a close relationship, nothing else works. When we finally give in to that immutable reality, the blessings and prosperity of God will begin to flow toward the abundance He has intended for us from the foundation of the universe.

As you prepare for the New Year, purpose to strengthen the unity of your family in pursuing your goals together. Be of one accord as you make ongoing decisions. Make an irrevocable decision to pray together and seek the Lord daily. Decide to increase your efforts to develop a closer relationship with the Lord. Being able to hear from Him depends on it and comes from time spent in His Word. Also, purpose to be a person of prayer in the New Year. Enter into the battle with the enemy with prayer and faith confident that the Lord will protect you from your enemy and give you the victory.

Thanks for reading Prosperous Life Newsletter today. We'll be looking for you again in three weeks on January 9, next year. In the meantime have a blessed Christmas and New Years holiday full of hope and joy for what God is going to do in your life in 2009. May God bless you with the fullness of His spiritual blessing and favor. Happy New Year!

If you have never invited Jesus to become the Lord of your life, you can do so today by saying the following simple prayer:

Jesus I believe in you and I receive You as my Lord and Savior. I believe You are the Son of God and that He raised You from the dead. Thank you that my sins are forgiven and that I am reborn, a new creature in You.

If you were sincere as you prayed, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith based bible teaching church where you can be developed to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God. If you're unable to find a church, give us a call and we'll help you find a good one.

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