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PROSPERITY SCHOOL 101
                            The Essential Requirement of Humility                               
Beloved I pray above all things that you might PROSPER - 3 John 2

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By: Dr. Bill Miller                                                Volume XVI Number 44                                               November 3, 2013
  

Greetings in the Name of Jesus and welcome to the PLN Sunday Night Bible Fellowship!

 

Thanks so much for joining us tonight as we continue studying one of God's really special blessings: the blessing of PROSPERITY. We can be certain that the Lord considers it to be a blessing because the Holy Spirit said so in Scripture a long time ago (Deuteronomy 28:11). He also caused it to be written down more than ninety other times as something that's desirable and available for God's people, something He wanted to help us receive along with success and abundance that are mentioned hundreds of other times in all their various forms. And to be clear about it PROSPERITY, success and abundance under the New Covenant still include our finances just like they did under ALL the old Covenants before Christ.   

 

Now the blessings of God always come with His purpose and the empowerment that's needed to carry out that purpose. Financial PROSPERITY is no exception. God's purposes for financial PROSPERITY are: 1) that we participate in establishing His Covenant (Deuteronomy 8:18) and 2) that we bless other people with our good deeds (2 Corinthians 8-11). The problem is though that there're so few folks in the Body of Christ that are actually PROSPEROUS. The logical question is, why? And along with that question is this one: is there anything we can do to change this picture and become more PROSPEROUS as a body of believers?

 

My concern in this series has been that such a large segment of the Church is focused on the evil TV Preachers and their so-called Prosperity Gospel instead of on the FACT that PROSPERITY is a Blessing that God needs for us to receive and use. Some of you may think this isn't much of a problem but I can remember being INSTRUCTED by the management of a South Florida radio station just a few years ago to NOT mention the word PROSPERITY on the air because they would receive hundreds of complaining telephone calls if I did. I would have been talking about a special blessing from God straight out of His Word and Christians calling in would have been complaining about a Prosperity Gospel or something similar they heard about in their local church that I would never have mentioned or agreed with or ever taught about.

 

If your default response to the word that God uses for one of His blessings is negative, how're you ever going to release your Faith for it so you can actually receive it for your life? I'm not talking about becoming rich; I'm talking about being PROSPEROUS and with it enjoying the PEACE that passes all understanding. If you want to receive something from God under the New Covenant it has to be done by GRACE through FAITH and in order to have FAITH for something you have to agree with the Word so your Faith for it is properly grounded. It's time to let the TV Preachers go so God can take care of them and we can focus on receiving the blessing God has for us, Then we can be about our Father's work. Griping and complaining about TV preachers all the time is not the Father's work. It's flesh work and it's time to stop it!   

 

The Role of Humility

 

So, if you've been one of those folks who've been worried about the Prosperity Gospel so much, it's time to swallow your pride and start renewing your mind back to what the word PROSPERITY actually means. Stop worrying about what other Believers are doing so you can tend better to your own spiritual growth and development. If you can finally come to admit that you need God's PROSPERITY in order to carry out His purposes in your life, the next thing to do is to start looking around for His GRACE (undeserved empowerment) because under the New Covenant the blessings of God like PROSPERITY come out of His GRACE. And because of what Jesus accomplished at the Cross, that GRACE has ALREADY been made available to those who're ready to connect to it by FAITH.

 

If you think about it, under the New Covenant everything good that comes to us comes by GRACE in the sense that it springs from God's FAVOR and is totally unmerited. We need His GRACE to do anything: to overcome our problems, to progress in the Kingdom, to grow in knowledge and wisdom, to breathe in the air every day, TO RECEIVE HIS BLESSINGS, etc. So as a Believer I should want to become an expert in connecting to God's GRACE which I'll find out about by studying and becoming proficient in His Word. Indeed, some of the key concepts our studies will bring to us can be found in the following verses:

 

1 Peter 5:5-7 = "...be subject one to another and clothe yourselves with HUMILITY, for God resists the proud, and gives GRACE to the HUMBLE. Therefore, HUMBLE yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him..."

 

HUMILITY connects us to the GRACE of God and that's a really good thing to know. And we also need to consider that PRIDE which is the opposite of HUMILITY works the opposite way: the Lord RESISTS prideful folks instead of empowering them. In other words, they're disconnected from His GRACE and have only their own strength and abilities at their disposal to get them out of trouble, and that's a losing proposition. Is it possible that we have a lot of Believers these days that go to local churches every Sunday and may even read their Bibles on a somewhat regular basis who're actually prideful and lacking in humility? The answer is yes which is why the Apostle Peter put it in his letter so we could be warned about it.

 

But you might say at this point, "well now wait a minute: I thought GRACE was unmerited. I thought you said I couldn't connect to GRACE with my works."  And I'm still saying that because HUMILITY is not something you can work up to impress God with. No, HUMILITY is an inward attribute that's been developed over a period of time within the individual Believer. Either it's manifesting or it isn't and it's the manifestation of that inward attribute that's going to attract and connect you to the GRACE of God. So then my next question ought to be: how can I manifest more HUMILITY?

 

Developing Humility

 

Biblical HUMILITY becomes stronger as a result of mind renewal by allowing the Word through the illumination of the Holy Spirit to bring about the intended fruit. And I want to emphasize here that this is by no means an intellectual process. Indeed, it seems like some of the most prideful people around are the folks in the Body of Christ who think they've learned almost everything there is to know about the Word of God and have all the answers. They can even impress us by quoting Scripture to show off all their knowledge. But they haven't allowed the Holy Spirit to bring about the proper balance between all that knowledge and HUMILITY which is after all one of the nine fruits (meekness) of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Unfortunately they're also the ones who're criticizing and finding fault with other Believers because they think that with all the knowledge they have they're called by God to expose whatever they don't agree with.     

 

 We don't come into the Kingdom of God already HUMBLE and most folks aren't going to get that way overnight. We're used to doing things on our own and we don't like it when other people try to tell us we ought to change what we're doing or the way we think about things especially cultural and traditional things that we find out don't agree with the Word. From the moment we're born again the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within us and starts working on us so we can come to increasingly manifest those nine fruits. You'll notice that LOVE is listed as the first of those fruits (Galatians 5:22) and because God IS love (1 John 4:8, 16), all of the fruits of the Holy Spirit including HUMILITY are grounded in and spring from the unconditional, self-sacrificing kind of LOVE (agape) that God actually IS.

 

It's not so easy to become HUMBLE and I know this from personal experience. But fortunately the Apostle Peter wrote down some specific observations about HUMILITY recorded as 1 Peter 5:5-10 that will help us develop a better understanding of it keeping in mind that it's something we need so we can connect to greater GRACE:

 

1. In verse 5, younger people should submit to the more experienced older people. To submit means to come under someone's influence or authority, to yield instead of confront and contend with it. The modern nature of young people is to disrespect and dishonor older people.

 

2. In the same verse we're also instructed to submit to each other in the Body of Christ which then covers us with HUMILITY. We don't like it when other people try to tell us what to do but HUMILITY says I have to put the interests of other people above my own. That's what the Greek word agape means: sacrificing LOVE. God IS agape LOVE.

 

3. In verse 6, we're instructed to come under "the mighty hand of God" which is to say the DIRECTION, AUTHORITY, CONTROL and PROTECTION of God so He may exalt us in due time. The alternative is to resist (or ignore) the authority of God and insist on doing things our own way and in our own strength by the Flesh.

 

4. The expression "due term" suggests that we're to be content with His timing and not insist on ours.

 

5. We're to cast all our anxieties on Him instead of worrying about them all the time and trying to solve things by the Flesh. Prideful Believers are those who insist on carrying their own burdens because they don't feel they can trust God to work things out the way they want them to be.

 

6. In verses 8-9 we're to be alert to and by FAITH resist our adversary the devil ourselves. This is our job and it's prideful to ask God to do something for us that He's already instructed and empowered us to do. And the truth is He's already resisted the devil too and won everything for us. Now by the authority He has delegated to us, it's our turn to overcome the devil by the Name of Jesus. HUMILITY says: I accept my assignment and I understand my authority; I will try to not be afraid or negligent in carrying out my assignment. If I am ever negligent, I will take responsibility for it and not blame the Lord for something I messed up myself. And I'm not going to be complaining to Him about what the devil is doing in my life because He's already given me what I need in order to deal with it myself.

 

7. Also, I understand that even strong Believers have to deal with afflictions but by HUMILITY I am confident that those afflictions WILL be overcome by Christ working through me on my behalf. Consequently I don't blame God for my afflictions, they're part of life and I maintain my GRATEFUL attitude by keeping my focus on the good things God is doing in my life instead of my problems.

 

8. And finally I'm content to "suffer" in FAITH and JOY until by the GRACE of God I'm eventually exalted.

 

There's a lot to consider in these few verses, more than first meets the eye. But hopefully it's already apparent to you that HUMILITY connects us to God's GRACE. Indeed, HUMBLE Believers are THANKFUL people. Those two things ALWAYS go together and they're grateful for God's blessing of PROSPERITY instead of complaining about the enemy's misrepresentation of it. HUMBLE people are also SINCERE in their love and honor and regard and appreciation for the Lord, and they're working to LOVE their brothers and sisters in the Family of God and appreciate the PROSPERITY that's constantly manifesting in their lives instead of the lack and insufficiency and poverty that used to be there.

 

In sum, a HUMBLE person is someone who depends on God and God only for everything. Do you want more of God's GRACE in your life so you have a better chance to connect to His PROSPERITY? I know I do and HUMILITY is a major factor for acquiring it. But the reality is nobody comes to it without a struggle. So, we need to ask the Lord to help us with it and He'll be mighty pleased to do that. Friend, with His help and by FAITH we WILL grow in HUMILITY and in due season it'll be connecting us to His overflowing GRACE and victory and the blessing of true PROSPERITY.

 

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again next Sunday night on November 10. In the meantime may you RECEIVE through FAITH every available spiritual blessing while you PROSPER in every area of life.

 

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 Lord and Savior. 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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