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PROSPERITY SCHOOL 101
                              Writing Down a Clear Vision for the New Year                                  
Beloved I pray above all things that you might PROSPER - 3 John 2

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By: Dr. Bill Miller                                                Volume XVI Number 50                                              December 15, 2013
  

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

 

As we all get ready for Christmas and the New Year, we're still going to SCHOOL looking for a better understanding of bible-based PROSPERITY. As we've already seen, if we can have our minds renewed to the TRUTH about this subject, we can stop feeling guilty about wanting to pursue bible-based PROSPERITY. To be sure we need to be in pursuit of the right thing and not get off into MATERIALISM so here's how we keep it straight: PROSPERITY puts the Kingdom of God first and MATERIALISM puts SELF first. PROSPERITY is Spirit-led, MATERIALISM is Flesh-led. PROSPERITY is found in the Kingdom of God and MATERIALISM in the World. Then once we know there's a difference, we can be free to pursue a major benefit of being part of the Kingdom of God that Jesus died on a Cross to make available.

 

The pursuit of PROSPERITY is something a lot of folks should be thinking about just now as we end the current year and get ready to start a new one. I'm not talking about those traditional New Year's Resolutions so many people make but about initiating MAJOR changes in life that are directed toward the pursuit of bible-based, Spirit-led PROSPERITY that you're pursuing on purpose without any guilt because you've become convinced that God LOVES you and wants you to have it in order to accomplish His purposes. A lot of folks try to become PROSPEROUS without making any changes in their lives but you can't do it that way. If you don't change some things, you'll get the same old results you got before. We just need to change the right things in the right way and for the right reasons so we get the right results, which is something the Holy Spirit would really like to help us do.

 

We also discussed last week that even though the pursuit of PROSPERITY has a few challenges, it's taking most of us a lot longer than it should to reach our respective destinations. The main reason is we haven't understood that there're two really key BIBLE principles we have to pay particular attention to. The first is that our PROSPERITY has to be built on a solid FOUNDATION that the Holy Spirit has helped us put together; and the second is that we need a God-inspired VISION for what we're trying to accomplish. Last week's article dealt with the principle of laying a proper FOUNDATION and if you missed it just let us know and we'll be happy to email you a copy. This week we'll take a look at the second principle of establishing a clear VISION.

 

Pursuing Prosperity Requires a Vision

 

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 His VISION. The Hebrew word for VISION in this scripture also means REVELATIONand so another meaning would be that where there's no REVELATION the people perish. For the New Testament Believer, REVELATION starts with the Word of God but consistent with that Word there's also ongoing REVELATION. The Holy Spirit hasn't stopped talking. if we get cut off from God's ongoing REVELATION through carnality, resistance, indifference, lack of fellowship with God, inattention to the Word, disobedience, rebelliousness, tradition, religion, dullness, hardness, etc., then we're going to have a hard time understanding the specific personal VISION God has for each of us. The plan He has for you is different than the plan He has for me. I have to discover the VISION He has for me and I implement it by Faith because I am a son of God and His Word says He WILL lead me. It also says I WILL know His voice (John 10:4). And the SAME is true for you!

 

One of the English dictionary definitions of the word VISION is INTELLIGENT FORESIGHT. The question we have to answer tonight is this: on whose intelligence does the Believer's FORESIGHT depend? Is it my own intelligence or the intelligence of some other person, or some guru or expert? Without question the FORESIGHT we need to have in our lives should be based on the intelligence of God, which comes to us by REVELATION that springs from having a strong personal relationship.

 

The Bible says that Jesus only did what He SAW His 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 a force that could move mountains. He could SEE His Father in His Spirit and He watched Him day to day as He walked out His earthly ministry. He could also HEAR His Father and He KNEW His voice.

 

And so, for Believers the development of a New Year's plan should be a process of SEEING and affirming God's VISION for our lives based on REVELATION from Him personally. By apprehending that VISION the Believer then has direction from God Himself and we can immerse ourselves BY FAITH in the flow of that VISION in the weeks and months ahead. By the way, most of us shouldn't waste our time looking for some long-term VISION for years in advance because we'll do well if we can just see the next few steps ahead. God wants us to receive the VISION by Faith and then walk it out trusting Him to keep us on the right path and moving in the right direction.

 

The point to be made here is that connecting to PROSPERITY is more easily done when we've acquired God's direction by FAITH. God has bible-based PROSPERITY for each Believer so that we can help Him establish His covenant on the earth (Deuteronomy 8:18) and so we can abound to every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8), but it has to be PURSUED in FAITH according to His direction and plan. Many folks don't have much of a vision or the one they have is something they came up with themselves based on what the World is doing. I've written this before but it's worth repeating: God's not going to drop His PROSPERITY in our laps. He's already made it available but our response is required. Our FAITH is always going to be required. Under the New Covenant, God responds to FAITH. We have to reach out in FAITH and TAKE what's been made available following His VISION and plan for our lives.

 

Acquiring a Clear Vision

 

The way to tap into God's VISION for you for next year is to spend time with Him and in His Word. As you're getting ready to do that, just ask Him for His insights and REVELATION, then release your FAITH and He'll give them to you. As you receive from Him you'll want to be sure to WRITE it all down for future reference. Writing it down is scriptural:

 

(Habakkuk 2:1-2) = "...I will keep watch to see what (the Lord) will speak to me and (when He answers I will) record the vision and inscribe it on tablets that the one who reads it may run (with it)."

 

Now I've taken the liberty of editing these two great verses without changing the meaning in order to emphasize the particular points I wanted to make for this article. Therefore, take some time and look them up for yourself to get the original context. But the obvious point is this: if we receive VISION from the Lord, we need to write it down because we're going to need it for direction in the future. If we don't write it down, it's guaranteed the Flesh will help us forget it and a forgotten VISION is a lost VISION until we have to go back before the Lord with our excuses to MAYBE retrieve it.

 

Acquiring God's VISION is not just about PROSPERITY, by the way. No, we should be seeking the Holy Spirit's direction for every area of life. But since this article is about bible based PROSPERITY, following are a few basic questions you might hope to get answered as part of the FINANCIAL VISION you'll be hoping to run with in 2013:

 

1. What things are you going to do different next year? If you want different results than you got this year, you'll need to make some changes.

 

2. What are your objectives for GIVING next year? The amount of our PROSPERITY is measured by the amount of our GIVING. In other words, you can't aspire to God's PROSPERITY without cheerful and generous GIVING (2 Corinthians 9:6-7).

 

3. Based on your GIVING, what's your/His SPECIFIC income objective for the first quarter of next year? You don't have to look too far out in the future unless you're already working on a VISION you established in the past that has proven to be inspired by the Holy Spirit.

 

4. What financial and non-financial works does the Lord want you to perform next year in your church or ministry? The financial works will be paid out of your PROSPERITY and the non-financial works will help produce PROSPERITY.

 

5. What do you need to do or change next year in order to become a better STEWARD of God's provision?

 

These are just a few basic questions and no doubt your VISION will be a lot more detailed according to the amount of time and effort you're willing to devote to it. The more we want what God has for us the more vigorous we'll seek after it. Bible-based PROSPERITY is something God has for us and once we realize that, once we've renewed our minds to what the Word really says about this subject, the more then we can pursue it so He can use us and depend on us to DISTRIBUTE it according to His plan and VISION. May God reward your efforts with His PROSPERITY!   

 

Thanks for stopping by tonight. We'll be looking for you again next Sunday night on December 22. 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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