ANOINTED WORD MINISTRIES :: What is your final choice?

ARE YOU READY FOR PROSPERITY?

JoyUs Musing
Edition #10-9

We often bemoan the fact that we're "waiting for God to bless us" so we can prosper. Just as often we fail to
realize that God is waiting for us, so that He can prosper us.

Just for today, I am going to assume that we all know that without tithing and giving, we will never prosper. I will
also assume we all know that the main focus of prosperity is to further the Gospel. Today, I am going to tackle a
little area of prosperity that we might fail to deal with. It is an area I call "preparation."

Case in point: years ago, I was enabled to purchase my first dream car, a beautiful black 1990 Jaguar XJ6
Vanden Plas. What I wasn't prepared for was the embarrassment because of people's reaction.

At that time, most of the people around us drove pick-up trucks; beat up old mini-vans, and any type car they
could piece together. I am not knocking what they could afford to drive. Whatever their faith could believe for is
their business. I am just pointing out that there were no luxury vehicles in the church parking lot.

When I got the Jaguar, the reaction ranged from, "You traded your pick-up truck in??" (voiced with great shock) to
"Well that's nice but I wouldn't want to waste God's money." Excuse me? God isn't broke! Sometimes I felt
apologetic because they drove a vehicle that kept falling apart - yet how is that my fault? We each have to stretch
our faith to believe God for what we have.

People would ask, "What type car do you own" and I would reply with a mumble, "A Jghdmar." It was difficult
because I felt as if I had to apologize for owning an amazing luxury and sporty vehicle. Yet I knew God blessed
me with it.

I wasn't ready to own a luxury car until I got past what other people thought. As long as I was uncomfortable, I was
actually ashamed of something God blessed me with. It wasn't until I heard a minister point out that shame has no
part of God's blessing on your life. He stated that if God blessed you, it is the other person who has a problem
with prosperity, not you. They may have a poverty mentality, but if God gave it to you, what right do they have to
say anything about it? Oh they will, but you don't have to accept or react to their reaction.

If God wants to move you up to another level in your life - a better car, a bigger home, a classier wardrobe, then
you'd better prepare for the change and for people's reaction. Faith prepares. One preacher I heard said that
until you have it, "fake it until you make it." If you desire a large diamond right, get a good quality zirconium until
you get the real thing. Practice wearing it (and expect reactions to it). Prepare yourself for the real thing.

If you want to live in a larger home or nicer car, prepare for it by taking excellent care of the one you have now. If
your car has old French fries in the floor, empty soft drink cups in the back seat, and always looks like a disaster
on wheels, you are not ready for prosperity. If you want a larger home, prepare by looking around and realizing
that some of the Early American Junk you have in your home now would never fit in a larger, nicer home. Get it
ready to take to a place like Salvation Army. Begin to believe God for better furniture. Bless others, but not with
junk.

Side note - ever wonder why you keep reaping junk? Check to see what you are sowing. If you take broken down
furniture and ripped up clothes to SA, you are simply reaping what you're sowing.

Another little side note - if you are believing God for a mate - are YOU ready? Long before I met Leland, I
prepared for whoever it was God had for me by becoming the best me I could be - looking my best, praying for him
before I met him, studying to be the type godly woman he would desire, and becoming God's best. THAT is what I
focused on - being what God wanted me to be - not going out trolling for a man. I wanted God's best, not what I
could come up with!

OK - long Musing short - faith prepares. Faith starts believing for the best and learning how to grow into that best.
Faith studies, faith learns, faith asks God to "bring you up to the level He wants you to be."

And for the record? NEVER APOLOGISE FOR GOD'S BEST IN YOUR LIFE. Others may have a problem, but you
don't have to let them rain on your parade.

I am not ashamed on my 2000 Jaguar - God blessed me with it and that's all that matters. GOD IS GOOD.

Musing Copyright © 2010 Nan C Loyd
All rights reserved. Used by permission.