“But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also.”
Matthew 6:33 AMP
Today I want to talk to you about true prosperity and how to achieve it.
As we talked about last week, now is the time to position yourself to end your year strong. We are entering the last quarter of the year—and our big End Your Year Strong event is just over 8 weeks away!
If you’ve been following me for any time, you will know how important I believe the health and prosperity of your soul is to the health and prosperity of your life.
In fact, prosperity has little to do with temporal success and more to do with spiritual resilience and the fortitude of the soul.
Prosperity is the divine enablement to overcome obstacles in order to fulfill purpose and maximize potential.
If you look at the definitions of prosperous, you will see the first word in its definition is auspicious.
Auspicious has an interesting meaning. It is rooted in the word auspice, which indicates “a prophetic sign.” Thus, to be auspicious, means that things are going “according to favorable auspices,” or prophetic signs or words.
The Latin for “prosper”—prospere—is translated “according to expectation” or “according to hope”—and literally means “for hope.”
The word prosperous also means, “enjoying vigorous and healthy growth” or “flourishing.”
According to Merriam-Webster, prosper means “to become strong” as well as “to cause to succeed or thrive.”
These are the roots or inner components of prosperity.
Yes, to be prosperous also means “economic well-being,” and to prosper also means, “to achieve economic success,” but I would submit to you that those are really outer manifestations of an inner condition—an internal state of wellness, growth, and expectancy—of what I believe is true prosperity.
I have seen time and again that to be prosperous on the outside means nothing if you are not prosperous on the inside and that…
…being prosperous on the inside leads to prosperity being evident from without.
If you are prosperous on the outside only and lose your financial wealth, you are finished. If you are prosperous on the inside, however, you will always find a way to rebuild.
Prosperity is a spiritual state that not only gives psychological and emotional fortitude—even in the midst of the most adverse circumstances—but also the hope, faith, and love that never fails. (See Corinthians 13:8,13.)
For those who acknowledge prosperity merely by outward and financial measures, prosperity could be reduced to owning a big house, driving the latest new car, and living an opulent lifestyle.
So many people enjoy that kind of life, but live with holes in their souls.
If prosperity were simply a matter of “getting,” anyone could borrow large sums of money or con their way into financial wealth through crooked “investment” schemes.
Ambitious people could work long hours while ignoring their marriage and health, climb the corporate ladder by stepping on others, or any number of other ways people trade their souls to achieve “prosperity”—little-by-little, day-by-day doing whatever it takes to look prosperous.
I call this the Ebenezer Scrooge Syndrome: Living empty while facing death sitting on a pile of ever diminishing wealth.
Anyone who follows the news has seen where insider trading or ponsi schemes led to a quick fortune, even if it did eventually land the perpetrators in prison.
But before they were caught, were they truly prospering?
Consider the rich landowner who decided to build bigger barns in order to “eat, drink, and be merry” (see Luke 12:13-21) without realizing he would die that very night.
Such wealth creates a life that may feel good for a time, but always ends the same—full of regret, broken relationships, or spending your hard won accumulation of capital to regain the health you’d taken for granted.
There is another kind of prosperity that, while it may require us to be more patient and intentional, it is so much richer. It is a more pervasive prosperity—a prosperity rooted in wholeness.
It recognizes that true prosperity is not about making a living but building a life.
At the very center of such prosperity is one’s soul—one’s core being, potential, and vitality.
Real and abiding prosperity realizes that true riches are not measured by what we own, but by what we give—that the most rewarding balance sheet is not our net worth, but the extent to which we’ve positively affected the lives of others.
It understands that true physical health comes out of spiritual strength and a thriving soul.
It acknowledges that money is not an end unto itself, but a tool that can be used to extend God’s love and His Kingdom.
True prosperity is summed up in the lives we touch, the influence we exert for the better, and the joy we experience as we learn, grow, create, and connect with others every day of our lives.
It is about living in the fullness of Christ so that we can do more towards making our communities safer, our governments more effective, our families healthier, and letting our “lights so shine” that through the provision of God, others might see our good works and glorify Him.
It is about our style of living—versus a particular lifestyle. As Paul told Timothy, it is godliness that “is profitable for all things” (1 Timothy 4:8).
All prosperity begins with spiritual prosperity!
Prosper your soul and you will prosper in every area of your life. As Jesus told His disciples, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Get your copy of The Prosperous Soul, enroll in the brand new e-course, and join me for the End Your Year Strong Empowerment Summit where you will receive the divine downloads, supernatural impartation, and prophetic ministry you need to prosper like never before.
Invest in the life of your soul today. The dividends will last a lifetime!