| DO YOU CHOKE ON GOD'S PROSPERITY? |
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If I say to you, "My shampoo and conditioner cost $100*" what is your very first reaction?
Did you gasp? Did you think, "She should have used that money to help the poor"? (How do you know I don't do that
already?) Did you think I was materialistic? Did you think you have more important things to believe God for? Did you think
I wasted money? Did you judge me negatively?
Most Christians do. Rarely does someone think, "She must be a giver since God enabled her to purchase that." I heard a
line the other day, "The higher God brings you, the more you find out who your true friends are." That is true. What is sad
is that the higher God brings you, the more your fellow faith-walkers judge you when they aren't where you are financially.
This ought not to be so.
I heard a minister who taught on choke-holds. A choke-hold is some place you choke in the prosperity message. You might
say, "Oh, that cost too much, I will believe for a cheaper one." Or you judge a fellow Christian because they drive what is
perceived as a gas hog when you believe we have a gas shortage going on. A choke-hold is a place where something
seems like it is just too expensive, too much, such a waste of money, or very materialistic.
It is the place you reach that you can’t believe for something because you think it’s just costs too much money. It is
actually limiting God - placing a limit on what He can do for you. (Psa. 78:41)
Let us say you have a "faith car" - one that you have to have faith for to keep it running and you're not doing a very good
job of keeping it on the road. God prompts you to believe for a better vehicle. Instead of asking Him what He wants you to
believe for, you decide to believe for a nice little used car that isn't very expensive and gets good gas mileage. It may not
be much better than the faith car, but it does seem to run better.
What's wrong with that picture? Plenty.
Now of course you should only go after what your faith can believe for and you should always be working to increase your
faith (get in the Word). And it always helps to ask God to bring you UP to where He wants you. But here's the problem:
People might think you were in great faith because you received that nice little used car that gets good gas mileage - but
you have 5 kids and now have no place to put them. Also, you are acting on an assumption that God is not able to provide
gasoline for any type vehicle, not matter what the gas price at the pumps is. Your choke-holds come out because you think,
"Well, this is a little car that isn't very expensive and I can afford the gas."
That’s a little self-centered and selfish, wouldn’t you say? People judge those whom God has poured out His goodness on
in material ways. Yet they had to rely on Him for any goodness that manifests in their life. A person who believes for a car
THEY can afford and THEY can afford to put gas in is not depending on God to take care of them. That very same faith that
believed in that little used car could have been used for one more suited to the family’s wants and needs.
There is nothing wrong with nice little used cars that get good gas mileage. What is wrong is your reason for buying or
believing for it. If you really want that nice little used car that gets good gas mileage because you think it's a great car,
fine. But if you needed an SUV because of those 5 kids but you thought it was too much money or didn't get good gas
mileage, then you choked.
It is your attitude toward what the world considers expensive that creates the choke-hold. If you have a problem with the
price tag of something, you are poverty minded. If you think a person is materialistic when they believe God for perfume,
you are poverty minded. If you see a fellow Christian dripping in diamonds, wearing and driving the best and think
ANYTHING negative, you are poverty minded.
If you want to "save God money" by buying the cheapest item, you are poverty minded. If you think, "I have more
important things to believe God for than that" you are poverty minded. And any area you have poverty thinking in, that's
as far as God can bless you. He can not go past your poverty mindset (choke-hold).
We need to reach a point where we rejoice no matter what people receive. We should NEVER allow "things" to cause us to
get into the sin of judging a fellow Christian. The world is the one who says something is expensive. God never said, "Oh
my Me, that is just too expensive and such a waste of My very limited resources." NO. Do you realize a God-blessed
person's focus has to be on giving in order to receive the very goodness you are judging? God's goodness in a material
way is simply one result of giving.
If a person is truly operating in the goodness of God in a significant way, you can be guaranteed that they give great
amounts of money into the Kingdom of God for the spreading of the Good News. You can be guaranteed they partnership
with good-ground ministries that touch people all over the world. You can be guaranteed that they give tithes and are
offering and first fruit givers, alms givers, and give to every good work as God prompts them to. They are very generous
with what God has given them, as God leads.
Why? Because it is just money and stuff, and God will always bring in more. They actually have a right relationship with
money - it is just a tool, another way to show His goodness and give to others.
You can also be guaranteed those who judge rarely do any of this mostly because they don't have it to give. Isn’t that
sad? So think twice before you post a comment about materialism or greed. It will tell people you are in poverty thinking
and think way too much about money and what the world calls expensive.
Until the Body of Christ gets past poverty thinking, the money that is needed to get the Good News of Jesus out there will
be in the hands of a very few. I don't know about you, but I don't want anything choking my financial prosperity because I
want to be able to help anyone with anything at any time. I want to be able to have huge tithe checks so my church is
blessed.
When disaster strikes in the world, I want to be able to donate great amounts of money to help. I want to give. Why?
Because He first gave His Son to me.
The Bible says this in Romans 2:4 (NJB) "...are you not disregarding His abundant goodness, tolerance and patience, failing
to realize that this generosity of God is meant to bring you to repentance?” The literal meaning of that word goodness
according to Strongs is, “from the base of GSN4130; wealth (as fulness), i.e. (literally) money, possessions, or (figuratively)
abundance, richness, (specifically) valuable bestowment."
The goodness of God leads to repentance. Show people how good God is and they will rush to Him. I know; I’ve seen it.
He is so good to us so let's use every means possible to tell others!
Coming soon - Part II - Prosperity Doesn't Mean Money.
*p.s. does it help you if I tell you that both bottles were litre bottles and lasted a long time? And were a gift for Christmas? Just
remember, God's not broke and He doesn't mind His children having nice things.
Copyright © 2009 Nan C Loyd
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
