Greetings in the Name of Jesus and welcome to the PLN Sunday Night Bible Fellowship:
Here we are again ready to continue our discussion on the subject of the bible-word PROSPERITY. As you now know, this word is mentioned in our Bibles in a positive context more than 90 times but the Traditions of Men decided some years ago that PROSPERITY should be a negative word and that the Body of Christ should pretty much stop using it. Over the years I've been counseled many times to stop talking about PROSPERITY and find some other word to discuss because people were likely to misinterpret our message. I am sensitive to that possibility so I'm quick to clarify that God's true PROSPERITY is not about you and me; it's about His Kingdom. PROSPERITY isn't for us to consume on ourselves, it's not the same as MATERIALISM. And having said that I'm going to continue to use and teach about how to become PROSPEROUS so that through the Truth of this bible-word we can help God build His Kingdom the way He said to.
This week is as good a time as any to bring up another topic people like to discuss, which is the basic principle that in order to be PROSPEROUS we have to be able to see ourselves PROSPEROUS. Jesus said He never did anything unless He had SEEN the Father DO it (John 5:19) and if we want to be more like Jesus then we should be interested in how He did that. First, note that the Father DID something, which had to have been the result of something the Father SAID because the Father always DOES by speaking. Then Jesus SAW what the Father had SAID or DONE and according to the Scripture Jesus DID the same thing. And here's a very sure related principle: you'll NEVER fail if you DO what you've SEEN the Father already DO because God NEVER fails.
But a lot of folks will say: "Well after all, that was Jesus SEEING the Father DO stuff. He surely must have had some God-type supernatural ability to look into Heaven and SEE the Father DOING all those things. Regular people aren't able to DO that." Indeed, that's a natural reaction reasoned out through the five physical senses. How could it have been any way other than some super-power thing for Jesus to be able to SEE the Father doing things? But here's the reality according to Scripture: Jesus emptied Himself of the form of God and received the form of a bond servant in the image of men (Philippians 2:6-7). In other words, He voluntarily limited Himself to the same constraints we have, the only major difference being that Jesus never sinned. Jesus did have the Holy Spirit to help Him, but if you've been born again (John 3:3) you also have the same Holy Spirit. We have to live by FAITH (Romans 1:17), but so did Jesus because there's no other way to please the Father (Hebrews 11:6) who made it clear from the outset that He was well-pleased with His beloved Son (Matthew 3:17).
The Process of Seeing the Father
If we look at this objectively we have to acknowledge that we also should be able to SEE the Father DOING what He wants us to DO just like Jesus. We don't start out our Christian walk with that ability, but in time we should grow and have our minds renewed by the washing of the Word. If Jesus meant what He said that we who believe in Him will do greater works than the ones He did (John 14:12), how are we supposed to do them? ALL of Jesus' works were grounded in SEEING the Father DO them first (John 5:19), so for us to do greater works means we're going to have to go about it in a similar way. We're going to have to learn to SEE the Father DOING the works that WE have been called to do and then go out in FAITH and DO them just like Jesus did.
I want to submit for your consideration tonight that there's a very precise scriptural process of how this is supposed to happen. God the Father DOES things by SPEAKING. He is a spirit being (John 4:24) so He doesn't DO things physically. When we go before God He speaks to us Spirit to spirit: from the Father directly to our redeemed and fully cleansed spirit-man that is now one with the Holy Spirit who took up residence within us the moment we were born again. Our spirit-man easily hears His speaking but the hard part is getting what He has spoken from our spirit-man into the natural realm where we can understand and take action on it. Jesus first heard the Father speaking to Him Spirit to Spirit and then He was able to convert those words into pictures that He could SEE on a natural level. One could say that by his IMAGINATION Jesus SAW the Father DOING the words/works He had spoken and then Jesus went out in FAITH and performed the works that He had seen the Father DOING in His IMAGINATION.
Now many Christians get all nervous when you bring up this word IMAGINATION but scripture confirms that it's an ability God has given us. When God observed that the people of Babel could do anything they IMAGINED, He didn't take their IMAGINATION away; no, he confused their language (Genesis 11:6 KJV). IMAGINATION is nothing more than the mental ability to form images or mental pictures of objects and concepts that aren't physically present. We use this ability all the time, every day for all kinds of tasks. If we can SEE something we have to do before trying to do it, we'll do it a lot better than had we not SEEN it and went into it blind. Of course, human IMAGINTION has been corrupted by the Fall but once we're born again the potential is there for us to REDEEM this ability by exposing it to the Word so it can be renewed. As it's renewed we'll be able to receive the mental pictures of the Father's Words into our natural perception so we can then go out and DO in FAITH exactly what we've SEEN.
The Principal Hindrances
Hopefully you can accept now that it's quite possible for us to SEE what the Father is DOING just like Jesus did, and as we approach our potential we'll be able to perform greater works than Jesus did just as the Bible says (John 14:12). When some people read this scripture they think it was meant only for the Apostles. But the scripture doesn't SAY that; it says that those who BELIEVE will do the greater works which includes you and me and all Believers for all time. To do the great works though and to get to the place where you can see yourself being PROSPEROUS just as the Father is PROSPEROUS, you're going to have to renew your mind. There's only one way to do that: by feeding your mind a constant diet of the Word. If Believers reject the idea that they have to diligently seek the WORD then they'll NEVER in this lifetime be able to SEE the Father speaking and doing PROSPERITY. It's probably THE major hindrance for connecting to the PROSPERITY that God would like for us to receive and enjoy.
There's also another major hindrance to watch out for. Jesus said that a lot of Believers have trouble PERCEIVING spiritual things including His Kingdom (Matthew 13:14-17). In other words even though we might SEE something important, we're not aware that what we SAW was from the Father or we might not UNDERSTAND what we SAW. The inability to PERCEIVE or UNDERSTAND the things of the Kingdom is referred to in Scripture as HARDNESS OF HEART and Jesus actually rebuked His disciples on more than one occasion for their HARDNESS OF HEART.
Perhaps we'll get into more detail about this hindrance in coming weeks but for now I want to leave you with the UNDERSTANDING that the term HARDNESS OF HEART is accurately describing many present-day Christians who're essentially HARDENED to spiritual things. They focus on the Flesh, they aren't Spirit-led, they're selfish, unloving, complaining, discontented, defeated, and they couldn't SEE what the Father is DOING if their lives depended on it. It's all about what we focus on in life. If we tend to focus on the natural (carnal things) we'll have trouble PERCEIVING the spiritual. If we tend to focus on the World and the way the World does things, we'll have trouble PERCEIVING the things of the Kingdom. When we're having trouble PERCEIVING the things of God, we have a problem with HARDNESS OF HEART and it will be virtually impossible to ever SEE what the Father is DOING which means we won't be able to PERCEIVE the opportunities for PROSPERING that GRACE has placed all around us.
Hindrances should be taken seriously especially if we truly aspire and hope to be PROSPEROUS. Not everybody is actually going to wind up PROSPEROUS but it won't be because God did something to stop it. He's already made it available by GRACE through FAITH and the rest is up to us. Everyday we're faced with choices to make between the things of the Kingdom of God or the World, between spending time with the Lord or doing things the Flesh wants to do, between life and death. If we choose correctly, we have amazing potential not only to connect to God's PROSPERITY but to DO greater works than Jesus and to SEE what the Father is doing regularly, daily, from hour to hour and minute to minute. If we seek God He will be found (Jeremiah 29:14) and when we find Him He'll DISCLOSE Himself to us (John 14:21) and we'll always be able to SEE what He's doing. Seek first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33) and our desires, the ones God has given to us, will be fulfilled. God wants to give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4) including our desire to be PROSPEROUS. That particular desire is definitely from God!
Thanks for dropping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again next Sunday evening, April 21 and we hope you'll join us each week as we continue studying the subject of bible-based PROSPERITY. Until then may God bless you and your family with the total PROSPERITY of Christ!
Sinners' Prayer
If you've never invited Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you need to and you can do it today just by saying out loud the following simple prayer:
Jesus I declare today with all my heart that I believe in you and that God raised you from the dead. I acknowledge that my sins have been forgiven and I ask you to come into my life today and be my Savior and Lord. Thank you for salvation and eternal life.
If you were sincere as you prayed this prayer, God has already come into your life and you are a new creation, a totally new species recreated in His image. Now ask the Lord to lead you to a good faith-based, bible-teaching church where you can be equipped to fulfill your potential in the Kingdom of God.
And, when you get a chance have someone help you look up the following scriptures because they confirm what you've done by saying this prayer today and believing what you said:
Romans 10:9
2 Corinthians 5:17
Ephesians 2:8
Prayer Requests
If you have a Prayer Request, please connect to the Link below and follow the promptings. The PLN staff members pray over Prayer Requests every Tuesday morning at 10:00 AM eastern time. Agree with us for God to answer your petition.
http://www.creditcounseling.net/prayer-request.aspx
Donations
If you've been edified by Prosperous Life Newsletter, you may want to consider making a SEED FAITH offering to support the Ministry (Galatians 6:6-7). God has instructed us to simply provide folks with an opportunity to sow seed into good ground so in due season you'll be eligible to reap a harvest and the rest is up to you as the Spirit leads. For your information PLN is a nonprofit gift to the Body of Christ so your financial offerings will usually be tax deductible (consult your tax advisor). Just go to the secure Shopping Cart on the Cornerstone web site by connecting through the following link. We appreciate your support and generosity.
http://www.creditcounseling.net/shop/item.aspx?itemid=1
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