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Financial Freedom
ULF EKMAN
Word of Life Publications

FINANCIAL FREEDOM
First published in English, 1989
Second edition, 1993
ISBN 91 7866 139 0

ISBN 1 884017 05 3 USA
Original Swedish edition, copyright © 1989 Ulf Ekman. All rights reserved
English translation, copyright © 1989 Ulf Ekman
Printed in Finland for Word of Life Publications by TryckPartner AB

Box 17, S-751 03 Uppsala, Sweden
Box 46108, Minneapolis, MN 55446, USA
Box 641, Marine Parade, Singapore 9144
Acknowledgements
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the New King James
Version of the Bible, copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson Publishers,
Inc. Used by permission
Scripture quotations noted NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version,
copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of
Zondervan Bible Publishers
Scripture quotations noted AMP are taken from The Amplified Bible, copyright ©
1954, 1958 The Lockman Foundation
Scripture quotations noted KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible
Contents
Introduction...............................................................................5
Part I Financial Prosperity in the Old Testament

1 God’s Character—Riches and Abundance...........................11
2 The Blessing of Abraham.....................................................27
3 Righteousness—The Prerequisite.......................................45
4 Riches in the Book of Proverbs............................................49
5 Start Right Where You Are!................................................61
Part II Financial Prosperity in the New Testament

6 Jesus—Example and Substitute.........................................67
7 The Rich Young Ruler—What Did He Refuse?...................71
8 Allow God to Bless You!.......................................................83
9 Paul’s View of Money...........................................................87
10 God Is Your Provider.........................................................97
11 Sowing And Reaping........................................................107
12 Prosperity in Every Area of Life......................................113

Introduction
The truth about financial prosperity is an important
revelation from the Word of God. For years, it has been
concealed because of human thinking and religious
traditions. This wrong thinking, which is not based on God’s
Word, has caused many Christians to miss the plan of God in
their finances. They have thought that God was not
interested in that part of their lives or that He wanted them
to be poor and in need.
The truth is that God is concerned about every area of
human life. He has made total provision for those who have
given their lives to Christ, by believing in Him and desiring
to follow Him. There is no area of our lives that has remained
untouched by the death of Jesus at Calvary. Through His
death, abundant life and blessing have been made available
to us. The goodness of God covers every aspect of human
existence and His blessings touch every area, for those who
are partakers of His covenant.
It is interesting that as soon as a hidden Biblical truth is
brought into the light, a dispute arises. Often those whom
the Lord has first instructed regarding the truth, undergo
tremendous attack, and there is often a long struggle before
the truth eventually becomes established. Once established,
however, the entire Body of Christ is able to enjoy it. It has
always been this way.
The enemy resists the truth about financial prosperity,
intensely. His goal is to bind up the army of God in these last
days so that it lacks ammunition, weapons, food and the
provisions it needs to accomplish what it is called to do. If
Satan succeeds, he has won the war.
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It was challenging, to say the least, when the Lord began

to raise up teachers to present God s view of money and to
allow the anointing on the message of financial prosperity to
flow.
We must realize that one of Satan’s forces in this world is
money; the fear of not having enough money and the greed
for more of it. Wherever you go you will find people dictated
to and ruled by money. The only exceptions are those who are
ruled by the Spirit of God. There are also many people who
though not directly ruled by money itself, are ruled by what
it can buy.
As believers, we are beginning to learn that God is to
have control over our money. Our God is the One who says,
The silver is mine and the gold is mine (Hag 2:8). This is
something that annoys the devil. He realizes that if he loses
his control of money, he will lose his control of people.
We must destroy the fear of money. There is nothing
inherently wrong with it. There is, however, something
wrong with those who are greedy and driven by it. Money
itself is not the root of all evil; the love of money is a root of
all evil (see 1 Tim 6:10).
Unfortunately though, the Body of Christ has thrown “the
baby out with the bath water.” We are virtually afraid of
speaking about money. Why? Because we are fearful that
others will think we are overly interested in it. Therefore, we
have almost renounced money altogether.
As a result, we have not had the necessary funds to do
what we are called to do. This is just what the devil wants.
He may be able to trap a few Christians with greed, but he is
more eager to make them afraid of having anything to do
with money, even to the point that just talking about it,
makes them feel guilty.
It is vital that you recognize the traditions of men
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Introduction
concerning this issue. You need to see how these traditions

have infiltrated and robbed the Church of God, keeping God’s
children in financial bondage. Thus, we become easy prey for
the enemy in these last days.
Financial prosperity is certainly not a get-rich-quick
scheme; however, it does seek to challenge incorrect beliefs
concerning money. This teaching about money should be seen
in light of the fact that we are living in the last days and in a
time when God is restoring and equipping His army. Victory
in this area will make it possible for us to spread the Gospel
around the world.
Money is a sensitive subject. For many, it is an open
wound they dare not touch, think about or speak about. It is
vital, however, that we do just this and expose wrong
religious thinking. Then we will see people set free. You have
not been called to live in financial bondage. You have been
redeemed from the curse of the law, a curse which also
included poverty (see Gal 3:13; Deut 28).
Poverty consciousness has become such a normal part of
people’s thinking that it is necessary to renew our minds
with the Word of God in this area. It may sometimes take
years before this wrong poverty thinking is purged from our
minds. However, the Lord wants people to be free to enjoy
His blessings in this area.
Sometimes people say, “You have to be balanced. What do
they mean by this? It is obvious that we should be balanced,
but the only true balance is found in the Word of God. A
“balance” of 50% faith and 50% unbelief is not balance at all.
This is imbalance. When we are in a state of true balance,
the world will regard us as completely unbalanced. Still,
many Christians try to appear balanced in the world’s eyes in
order to gain its acceptance.
If we strive to maintain God’s balance, the world will be
attracted to us as they see what our God has done for us.
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This is why it is so important that we do not flirt with the

world or compromise with old religious thinking and
traditions. We must put things in order so that we can more
easily lead the world into the Kingdom of God.
Receive the message of financial prosperity. It does not
center on you, instead, it is about being a channel for God’s
blessings to others.
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PART I
PART I Financial Prosperity in the Old Testament
1
1 God’s Character—Riches and Abundance
And my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).
Financial prosperity is not just another subject—it is an

integral part of the character of God. His character
determines the quality of spiritual life you and I enjoy.
Therefore, the more you know God, the fewer problems you
will have with areas like healing, the authority of the
believer, demons, speaking with other tongues, and so on.
These will all fall into their rightful place when you see who
God actually is. Therefore, we must always return to the
foundation—God’s character.
The Bible speaks clearly about the nature of our God.
Paul shows us something about God’s character in his letter
to the Philippians. He thanks the believers in Philippi for
blessing him with their money and other gifts. He tells them
that because they have given to him, God will also meet their
needs. “My God is rich,” he says. “My God will meet every
one of your needs.”
Notice that the scripture does not say that God will give
you just enough to break even. It does not even say that He
carefully evaluates and measures out according to your
needs. It says that He sees your needs, and meets them
according to His riches not just according to the amount of
your need.
God does not measure His giving as we do. Ephesians
3:20 says He gives exceedingly abundantly above all that we
ask or think. He gives much more than you think He should
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give. He gives according to His riches because He is a rich

God. He gives in full measure, just as it says in Luke 6:38:
Give, and it will be given to you: good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, and running over
will be put into your bosom.
To give in good measure means to give abundantly. It

means using a larger measure than is really necessary—the
largest measure one has. “Pressed down” means packing the
measure as full as possible, then shaking it together to add a
little more. Finally, when the measure is completely full,
even more is added until it ends up running over. Give and it
will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, and running over!
And my God shall supply all your need according
to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19).
God enjoys giving. Just as you enjoy giving gifts to others,

He enjoys giving to you. God is a cheerful giver.
Many people believe that they have to nag and beg God to
give them something, until He finally says, “OK, here, take
this and be quiet” just to get rid of them. Some even make
the mistake of raising their children in this way.
However, God is not like that. He is eager to give things
to you and He does it cheerfully. He loves to give, both
because He is rich and because, according to John 3:16, He is
a giver by nature.
For God so loved the world, the Bible tells us, that He
gave His only begotten Son.... This verse is important in
showing us the character of God. You need to see His
character with regard to giving so that you will no longer
have a bad conscience in this area.
God is a Giver
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God’s Character—Riches and Abundance
God has two primary characteristics in the area of giving:

first, He is a rich God and second, He is a glad and cheerful
giver. God loves to give. He gave the best and most precious
thing He had to give, and He was deeply involved in His
giving. We know that Jesus said,
The thief does not come except to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it more abundantly
(John 10:10).
We see from this scripture that God is involved in giving and

the devil is involved in stealing.
There is a religious way of thinking which says that God
does not give everything He has, because we are unable to
manage it properly. Instead, we are told, He saves His
blessings until we are old or until we get to heaven. This is
wrong.
If I am unable to manage finances, it may be because not
everything in my life is pleasing to God. If this is so, God
wants to help me put my life in order so that I can use His
blessings correctly. But He is not withholding them because
He is afraid I cannot handle them.
The Bible reveals to us that God is wealthy; there are
streets of gold and gates made of pearls in heaven. There is
no deficiency there because God is in heaven, and heaven is a
perfect and complete reflection of His character. You can
read a description of heaven in the Book of Revelation. There
is gold and crystal, and diamonds and pearls without end.
If being rich is a sin, then God is the greatest of all
sinners. This is the logical conclusion of such absurd
thinking! God is rich. He lives in abundance in every area.
His life is an abundant one and it is this life He has given us
through His Son, Jesus Christ.
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Get Used to the Word of God

There are people who are afraid to use the word “money,”
and others who feel the same about the word “rich.”
However, the word “rich” is often used in the Bible. Often,
though not always, it is used to refer directly to money. You
should get used to using the Word of God without being
ashamed. You need to be balanced and to avoid either
extreme, but you should not be ashamed of the scriptures.
You need to be able to use words found in the Bible
without feeling embarrassed. You will gain nothing by
diluting God’s Word, so don’t waste your time trying to
please those who will end up not believing what you say
anyway. Say what God says, no more and no less. It is the
truth that sets people free.
God revealed Himself to Abraham in Genesis 17:1 by saying,
I am Almighty God; walk before me and be
blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me
and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.
The word translated “Almighty” in this verse is the

Hebrew word El Shaddai. This word may give us the
impression that God is great, almighty and far away. Words
can give us both right and wrong associations. The words “El
Shaddai,” however, not only mean almighty and great, they
also mean “the God of abundance.”
Abundance is the state of having more than enough.
When you are in abundance you have enough left over to give
to others. God is almighty and omnipotent and has more
than enough for all of us.
“El Shaddai” actually means “the many breasted One.”
Strange though it may sound, this is its literal meaning. God
gives life in the same way that a mother’s breast gives life
and nourishment to a newly born child. The word, therefore,
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has this combined meaning, that God gives more than

enough. He is more than enough. He is the God who gives life
and abundance. This is our God.
God Has Made a Covenant with You

God made a covenant with Abraham. In so doing, He
placed at Abraham’s disposal all that He had and was able to
do. Through Christ Jesus, you too have become a part of this
covenant. When you are in need, as you often are, you know
that He is greater than your needs and that He has bound
Himself to meet every one of them.
God is bound by His Word. Some people say, “But you
cannot force God to do something.” Yes, you can. This may
sound extreme, but it is exactly what God has said. This is
the nature of a covenant; but it must not be confused with a
carnal and demanding attitude.
Let’s look at Mark 11:24:
Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe
that you receive them, and you will have them.
The word “ask” here is aiteo, which means “demand” in the

original text. It is a very strong word and therefore it is
interesting to note that Jesus used it.
To “demand,” as the Bible uses the word, is different from
jumping up and down and shouting out demands. It is boldly
knowing what God has said and that He has made a
covenant with us in which He has placed everything at our
disposal. God has taken the initiative, not us. He has
committed Himself through the covenant and has put all that
He has at our disposal. How can we know what this actually
means? By understanding who He is—the God of abundance.
God could choose to keep His abundance for Himself.
After all, He is God and can do whatever He wishes. If He
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Financial Freedom
wanted, He could say to us, “You’re not getting anything. You

should be grateful that I even let you into my Kingdom.”
Indeed we should be happy that we have been accepted in the
Kingdom of God.
The prodigal son (see Luke 15) realized that his father’s
servants were better off than he was. So he said, “I am not
worthy to be called your son. I’ll do anything as long as you
let me come home again.” We too should rejoice that we can
do the same; we can come to our Father’s house and know
that we will be accepted.
Think about this—what if God had said, “I am not
helping you with a thing. I’m not healing a single sickness.
You’ll just have to stumble your way through life.” Would we
still shout hallelujah? I would, because I am not saved in
order to get earthly blessings; I’m saved in order to escape
from hell and to spend eternity in heaven.
However, this is not the nature of our God and it is wrong
of us to suggest that He is like this. We should do nothing
but gratefully receive what He has already promised.
Through His covenant with us, the Almighty God has placed
His abundance at our disposal. This is the meaning of a
covenant.
But before this covenant blessing can become a
manifested reality in your life, you must put yourself at God’s
disposal. Until you have done this the covenant will not work
for you. Just as God has put everything at our disposal, we
must put everything at His.
One day God may tell you, “I need your arms, or I need
your tongue, or I need your eyes, your legs, your life, your
money or your family. I have a need, and I want to make a
covenant with you. Whenever I am in need of something on
earth, I want you to put yourself at my disposal. When I need
your hands, I want you to give them to me. When I need your
mouth, I want you to give it to me. I want you to give me
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your time when I need it.” We must accept this as our part of
the covenant.
This is what it means to have Jesus as Lord. It is walking
in forgiveness for our sins and in the righteousness of God,
which has been provided for us in Christ Jesus. It is realizing
that all God owns has been made available to us, and that
you can take advantage of His abundance when in need of it.
However, it also means that when God needs your hands to
heal, you must be willing to lay them on the sick for Him.
God Keeps His Promises

God is more than willing to meet your every need through
the covenant He has made with you. The truth is, He is
actually obligated to meet your needs.
He has obligated Himself with His covenant. He could
just as well have said that He would not give us anything
and in that case He would have no obligations. But because
He has said the opposite, He has bound Himself to His
promises.
When the theological seas run high in a discussion of this
sort, I always like to quote what Luther said, “Fill God’s ears
with His own promise and force Him to do what He has
promised.” You can remind God of what He has said, because
He is a covenant-keeping God, and He wants to do what He
has promised. He is the God of abundance who abundantly
gives us all that we need.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual
blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Eph 1:3).
God has truly blessed us. Some say that this applies only
to “spiritual” and not material blessings, but this is only
because they have not understood the true meaning of the
word “spiritual.” The long-term influence of Greek philosophy
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has twisted their understanding of the scriptures. We see in

the Old Testament that whatever comes from God is
considered spiritual. The Bible never puts the spiritual in
opposition to the material. Anything that comes from
God, who is a spirit, is to be considered spiritual.
Unfortunately, Greek philosophy crept into the Church in
the form of Gnosticism, which differentiates between the
inner, spiritual life and the outward, material one. The
outward life was said to be evil and, in order for one to be
truly spiritual, it had to be denounced. Cloisters and
monasteries arose in which people flagellated themselves and
took oaths of poverty in an attempt to win God’s acceptance.
But it was a doctrine of works.
The Body of Christ is still suffering the after effects of
this kind of thinking today. This is how the poverty
mentality entered the Church. But God does not separate the
spiritual from the material. He created the whole man and
consequently He always blesses the whole man.
The Lord—My Provider

Genesis 22 describes how Abraham did not withhold his
only son, Isaac, but was willing to offer him to God. On the
way up the mountain in the land of Moriah, Isaac asked
Abraham where the offering was. Abraham replied by saying,
God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering (v.
8). Then in verse 14 we read that Abraham named the place
“The Lord Will Provide.”
The Hebrew word translated in English as “the Lord will
provide” is Jehovah Jireh. In English we use the verb
“provide,” although a more accurate translation would be
“the Lord is the provider.” This is a proper name in Hebrew,
the Lord my Provider, and is one of the seven covenant
names in the Old Testament which reveal the character of
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God.
It is interesting to notice that the name of God that
follows “El Shaddai,” the God of Abundance, is “Jehovah
Jireh,” the Lord my Provider. In other words, this is the
second name God uses to reveal Himself.
Look what happened when the children of Israel were
about to leave Egypt. The first thing God did as He led them
out, was to make sure they took the gold and silver belonging
to the Egyptians. He provided for them. This is one of the
first and most important revelations of God’s character.
While leaving Egypt He also said, I am the Lord who heals
you (Ex 15:26).
Here we can see provision and healing as the primary
revelations of the true nature of God. The devil, probably
more than anything else, has tried desperately to hide these
aspects of God’s character from the Body of Christ. The fact
is, though, that the Lord is our provider. He is the God of
abundance. God is a rich God and He is a cheerful giver.
These truths are revealed to us through God’s names.
Because His name is the God who Heals, He does heal, cure
and restore. Because His name is the Lord your Provider, He
does provide for you, in accordance with His abundance and
glorious riches in Christ Jesus. This is the eternal and
unchanging nature of God.
Get to Know God!

It is important that you receive a revelation of the
character of God from His Word. Through understanding
God’s character and covenant, you will begin to understand
how He thinks. And this understanding is important.
There may be situations in your everyday life when you
need to know the will of God, but are unable to find a
scripture that applies to your specific situation. However, if
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you know God’s Word and are acquainted with His character,
you will always know His will. This knowledge will produce a
boldness and freedom from condemnation in your life.
We need to declare war on the condemnation that
torments the lives of so many Christians. God’s will is that
we walk in His every promise, full of boldness, confidence
and love. By bearing much fruit and receiving His promises,
God is glorified. We need to understand this. It is not
humility to refuse to accept what God has provided for us.
Although it may appear to be an attitude of true humility, it
is nothing more than pride, foolishness and false humility.
What the world calls pride is often what the Bible calls
humility and boldness. Humility is simply submitting one’s
thoughts to God’s way of thinking, while pride refuses to do
so. It is one thing to refuse God’s promises due to ignorance;
but to refuse them even after the truth is revealed, is nothing
but pride, in spite of how “humble” and meek it may appear.
Some of the proudest people can have an appearance of
humility. But what counts is not our appearance, it is our
attitude toward the Word of God. Jesus said, He who has my
commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me (John
14:21). It is not enough just to talk about His
commandments.
The Character of God Is Revealed in Creation

Creation is a demonstration of God’s character. God
always creates and works in accordance with His nature. His
surroundings are formed by His character and they reveal
His nature.
Let’s take a look now at what He has created.
Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an
abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above
the earth across the face of the firmament of the
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heavens” (Gen 1:20).
Notice the word “abundance,” and remember that God

expresses His character in what He creates. He did not just
create three or four fish. He created them in abundance. God
always does things properly. If you stop to look at the world
around you, both the microscopic world and the visible world,
you will notice that there is ample quantity and abundance
in every area.
There are millions of flowers which, remain unseen by
man. A human authority or committee would not allow this,
claiming, “Having lots of flowers that no one can see is
wasteful. We need to do something about this. Let’s put
asphalt there instead and move all the flowers to the center
of town.” But this is not the way God is. He has the resources
to afford abundance.
Ever since I was a child I have wanted to see the
Himalayas. A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to
visit Bangladesh and later Nepal. Nepal, Tibet and the
Himalayas are known as the top of the world. While I was
there, God said to me, “This is the best view of the world.
Just look at the mountains!”
It was spectacular. I could not get enough of it—and when
I left I still had a picture of those mountains in my mind.
Something had happened. God had placed a permanent
picture of that mountain range in my spirit, and since then,
it has been much easier for me to think big.
If you are open to Him, God will use His creation to do
something in you and for you. The Bible tells us that He
speaks through His creation. Why do you think He created
all those mountain ranges and peaks if not to challenge us to
do the same—in the spirit? Why do you think He created
such amazingly intricate flowers, some of which are virtually
invisible? It’s because He wants us to understand how
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concerned He is with the minute details in our lives.

Certain theologians say that it is wrong to think that God
cares about the small, everyday occurrences in our lives. But
our God does care. My God is the God of abundance who
meets every one of my needs—both the little details and the
big issues as well.
God demonstrates His nature and character in creation.
He reveals that He is a God of abundance. He can afford to
create things in abundance. He is not stingy with anything.
We read about creation in Genesis 1:31, Then God saw
everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.
When God was finished, He put His stamp of approval on
creation: “Made in heaven!”
God deposited gold and other precious metals in the
mountains. He put reproductive ability in the earth and
placed man over it, to tend it and put it to use. In doing all
this He said, “It is good.” The devil, on the other hand, tells
us creation is evil. “Be careful!” he says, “it’s dangerous!” But
God called it good and accepted it. It is important that we too
have this view of created, material things. They are not evil,
bad or dangerous; they are good.
In Genesis 2:8 we read that God planted a garden. He
planted the garden eastward in Eden and there He put the
man whom He had formed. The name of the garden was
Eden. In Hebrew this word means riches, abundance and
delight. These were the surroundings in which God put
man.
God Created Beauty

In other words, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden,
an environment of riches, abundance and delight. Genesis 2:9
says, And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree
grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food.
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God has never considered beauty and good taste taboo.

The devil has perverted these things. He has made people
hedonistic and sensual, living only by their feelings and
completely imprisoned by sensuality. As a result, Christians
have responded in fear by rejecting anything that stimulates
the five senses. They have difficulty permitting themselves to
enjoy things and being afraid of becoming “worldly,” they live
stingy lives.
God wants you to be neither greedy nor to live only after
your senses. However, He does not want you to dissociate
yourself from what He has created.
There was a time in my early Christian life when I
thought it was wrong to do just about everything. I believed
that getting God to bless me was extremely hard, but I
discovered that this is not at all the case. God created
beautiful colors and beauty itself and therefore, He has
nothing against you using them. God desires to encourage
you and set you free in this area.
Freedom outside of Jesus Christ is a destructive force. We
must not use our freedom to indulge in the flesh. But if you
are filled with the Holy Spirit, love Jesus and have made
Him your Lord, you have the right to enjoy and bless others,
with all that God has given you. This was God’s original
intention for your life.
If your motives are pure and you have a longing to follow
Christ Jesus, it is not difficult to part with things when
prompted by God to do so. Your possessions do not own or
bind you. God’s intention was for you to eat of the trees that
were good for food and pleasant to the sight. It’s interesting
to notice that one of the first things said about the garden is
that the trees were pleasant to the sight.
God Has No Lack
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Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden,

and from there it parted and became four river
heads. The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one
which encompasses the whole land of Havilah, where
there is gold. And the gold of that land is good.
Bdellium and the onyx stone are there (Gen 2:10-12
KJV).
God did not warn Adam and Eve about going to this land
or tell them that they would fall into sin because of the gold
and precious stones there. It was God who put these things
in the earth and here, in this scripture, He is actually
describing the site. He even says that the gold there was
good.
Gold is good when used for the right things. It is not
sinful in itself, otherwise God would not have created it.
Heaven is full of gold. The temple in Jerusalem was bulging
with it. It is the greed for gold that is sin—walking on others
to get at it. Gold is not sinful, it is simply a precious metal!
Metals are created by God and deposited in the earth so that
we can discover them and use them to glorify Him.
When God viewed His creation prior to the Fall, He saw
that it was good. By saying this, He meant that it was perfect
and without deficiency. When God created the world and
man, there was no such thing as poverty. Poverty is
completely foreign to the nature of God, who is the God of
abundance. He creates things in accordance with His own
nature: pressed down, shaken together and running over.
Before the thief came poverty did not exist. When
someone steals from you, you always become poorer and
suffer loss. For this reason, Jesus calls the devil a thief. He
steals, kills and destroys.
Poverty was non-existent before the Fall, but after the
Fall came spiritual and physical death, sickness, shortage,
loneliness, hatred, murder, poverty and so on. These entered
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the world as a direct result of sin. Poverty did not come from
God. There was no poverty in the Garden of Eden, otherwise
God would have called it poverty, deficiency and
malnutrition. Instead, He put man in a garden of abundance,
riches and delight.
Remember also, that there will be no deficiency in the
new heavens and the new earth. God is the God of abundance
in all that He does.
A Higher Level of Poverty

We must understand that there is a curse over the earth
and over all of creation, and that if it were not for Jesus, we
would have to wear ourselves out just to survive.
In 1982, when I returned to Sweden from America, where
I had been attending Bible school, the first thing the devil
told me was, “You can preach faith and healing here but not
finances because people will think you are Americanized, so
don’t say anything about money!”
Just as I was about to accept this thought, I recognized
where it came from. The Lord then spoke to me and said,
“You need to preach prosperity in Sweden more than
anything else.”
I was amazed at this. Sweden is one of the most highly
developed countries in the world. “Surely no one is poor in
this country,” I thought. But God showed me the people. He
showed me how worn their clothing was and how they could
hardly afford the basic necessities of life. God said, “Look at
them! They are in need.” He reminded me of the many people
who are up to their ears in credit card bills. “Sweden is a
poor country, although its poverty is on a much higher level
than many other countries,” He said.
The newspapers report about the large numbers of people
in Sweden who live in poverty and want. The price of food is
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high, take-home pay has decreased and people are tied to

their credit cards. They buy and borrow foolishly and end up
in even greater bondage, under the heavy yoke of financial
burden. Jesus wants to lift these burdens.
We all know that in the end times, the devil wants to
make the whole world part of the same credit account and
eventually, put that account number on their foreheads. We,
on the other hand, will continue to teach about financial
prosperity as we become increasingly dependant on “El
Shaddai.”
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2
2 The Blessing of Abraham
There is abundance in heaven. Jesus prayed, Your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10). Poverty is a
curse on this earth that came because of mankind’s fall into
sin. This curse over the ground made it necessary for man to
toil in the sweat of his brow, before it would produce. The
earth no longer produced of itself.
After some time under these conditions, God chose a man
named Abram (whose name God later changed to Abraham)
and made a covenant with him:
Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your
country, from your family and from your father’s
house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you
a great nation; I will bless you and make your name
great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those
who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you;
and in you all the families of the earth shall be
blessed.” So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken
to him (Gen 12:1-4).
The blessing God placed on this man is known as the

blessing of Abraham. It was a blessing that would be
available for all generations throughout all eternity. The
scriptures tell us that we have received the blessing of
Abraham, through Christ Jesus. We share in the same faith
as Abraham and therefore we are his seed (see Gal 3:7).
God blessed Abraham and his seed. At one point in his
life Abraham went to Egypt for a while. The Bible tells us
how God blessed him while he was there:
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife
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and all that he had, and Lot with him, to the South.
Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver and in
gold.... Lot also, who went with Abram, had flocks and
herds and tents (Gen 13:1-2,5).
Lot was rich because he stayed with Abraham. There are

people today who are just like Lot. They stay close to where
they can enjoy some of the blessings, but they have no faith
of their own. When they leave those who are blessed, they
lose their blessings.
You have been personally blessed by God. The place
where you put your foot is blessed. The people you come in
contact with are blessed. If you walk with God as Abraham
did, the people around you will be blessed, whether they
happen to like you or not.
Never Help Yourself!

Now the land was not able to support them, that
they might dwell together, for their possessions were
so great that they could not dwell together. And there
was strife between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock
and the herdsmen of Lot’s livestock. The Canaanites
and the Perizzites then dwelt in the land. So Abram
said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you
and me, and between my herdsmen and your
herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land
before you? Please separate from me. If you take the
left, then I will go to the right; or if you go to the
right, then I will go to the left.” And Lot lifted his
eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well
watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord,
like the land of Egypt as you go towards Zoar. Then
Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan (Gen
13:6-11).
Abraham’s herdsmen began to argue, but Abraham
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The Blessing of Abraham
himself was of another spirit. He was blessed and knew the

God he served. He refused to dispute with Lot about the land
and even went so far as to give it to Lot. Those who walk
with the God of abundance need never be greedy.
Lot’s greed became apparent in this situation. He had
been given the opportunity of a lifetime. He was just about to
make a real killing. He was free to help himself and that is
exactly what he did.
Never help yourself to something, whether it is a
possession, a ministry or a position. Some preachers push
their way around and are eager to receive invitations to
speak. You never need draw attention to yourself. If you have
something, it will be noticed. You need to be like Abraham
and let others take the best. If God has promised you
something, it will be yours, regardless.
Lot had no faith in God; so he reacted as he did and
consequently lost everything. Jesus said in Matthew 16:25,
Whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses
his life for My sake will find it.
Abraham was Rich

Abraham was extremely rich—in livestock, silver and
gold. He was probably the wealthiest man in the Middle East
at that time. But his riches did not prevent him from serving
God; in fact, he was the only one who did serve God.
Genesis 14 relates an interesting account of an incident
in Lot’s life and in so doing, reveals Abraham’s character and
also the blessing of God that was over his life. Lot, we are
told, ran into problems and was captured and robbed of
everything he owned. Both Lot and all his goods were taken
by the enemy. Abraham, however, was not delighted to hear
of Lot’s misfortune.
Now when Abram heard that his brother was
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taken captive, he armed his three hundred and

eighteen trained servants who were born in his own
house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan (Gen 14:14).
Abraham and his men defeated the enemy army and rescued
Lot and all his family and possessions. Think what a victory
this was. 318 men were able to put the enemy to flight.
Abraham had more than just 318 servants. These men
were hand-picked from seven or eight hundred others. You
may have imagined Abraham as an old man who wandered
around alone in the desert, followed by his wife, Sarah,
thinking they, pitched their little two-man tent and squeezed
in together. But it was not at all like this. Abraham lived in a
tent, but have you ever stopped to think what his tent looked
like?
A nomad is often forced to move because of his large
herds of cattle and livestock. A brick house is, therefore, not
the most practical kind of dwelling for this mobile lifestyle.
By understanding the culture of the nomadic people in this
part of the world, we know that they lead their herds to oases
and other places where pasture can be found. They cannot
build palaces for themselves.
However, if you visit a bedouin tent even today, you will
find thick layers of carpets that are worth thousands of
dollars each. The tents are full of gold and treasure chests,
but from the outside all you see are the gray colored goat
skins, which offer protection from the heat of the sun.
The Blessing Is Passed On

We need to realize that when the Bible says that God
blessed Abraham with oxen and other livestock, it means
that God blessed him financially. He blessed and increased
the work of his hands and made him prosperous. God passed
this blessing on to Abraham’s son Isaac.
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Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear

you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will
establish My covenant with him for an everlasting
covenant, and with his descendants after him” (Gen
17:19).
The covenant God made with Abraham was an eternal

covenant that applied both to Isaac and to all his
descendants. We as believers are also partakers in this
covenant.
Genesis 26:1-6 tells us about the blessings of God that
came to Isaac:
There was a famine in the land, besides the first
famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac
went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.
Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go
down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell
you. Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and
bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all
these lands, and I will perform the oath which I
swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your
descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will
give to your descendants all these lands; and in your
seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my
charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my
laws. So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. Isaac inherited his
father's camels, donkeys, silver, gold and his
servants. When famine came, he naturally thought he
should journey on to a better land. But instead God
said, “No, Egypt is not to be your source. Egypt is not
to provide food for your flocks or make you rich, I am
the one who will do it. Stay in this land in spite of the
famine. Trust in me and I will bless you. This is the
land I will give to you.”
So Isaac remained in the land and sowed his crops there.

He sowed in a time of famine and because the Lord blessed
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him, he reaped a harvest of one hundredfold that year (see

verse 12).
Obedience Leads to Influence

Isaac was immediately blessed when he obeyed what God
had said. He was the only one in the country to receive such
a harvest and it came as a direct result of the blessing of God
over his life. In spite of the famine and the curse, with all of
its many difficulties, God released His blessing over Isaac.
Genesis 26:13-14 says,
The man began to prosper, and continued
prospering until he became very prosperous; for he
had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds
and a great number of servants. So the Philistines
envied him.
People had not paid much attention to the old man

Abraham while he was still alive. But suddenly, his son came
along and grew to be a mighty man. The Philistines became
nervous as the ground beneath their feet began to crumble,
because as Isaac walked he said, “I praise you, God, that this
ground belongs to me. These people live here, but I own this
land. I just thank you for your blessing!” The same is true for
us. God has said that the whole earth belongs to us and, like
Isaac, we too can walk in the blessings of our God. Suddenly,
we have become mighty and influential in the spirit realm,
and in every other realm as well. The Church is beginning to
grow up. It is no longer a prayer group of three or four
people, but it has now become a true Church.
God’s will is that we increase. He wants us to have such
an influence on our surroundings, that His power and love
and His revelation and Word affect people’s lives.
The devil fights God’s revelation at two points: first, as it
comes to you and second, as you pass it on. The devil gets
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nervous when you become a channel for God, by blessing

people with what God has given you.
We see an example of how the devil attempted to hinder
the flow of God’s blessings to Isaac in Genesis 26:15, when
the Philistines tried to stop the water supply by filling the
wells Abraham had dug.
Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells
which his father’s servants had dug in the days of
Abraham his father, and they had filled them with
earth.
By doing this they tried to stop Isaac’s livestock from getting

water, but we see in verse 18, that Isaac simply reopened the
wells. There was a constant fight over the wells because of
their importance in feeding the flocks and livestock.
The devil tries to block the flow of provision to us as God’s
people, so we become unable to accomplish all that God
wants. Additionally, if we do not give tithes and offerings,
then the devil has succeeded in preventing the necessary
resources from reaching those who need it to do His work.
This is where the battle lies. For this reason, we must be
financially independent in the Lord and able to do and
accomplish all that God desires.
Financial Blessing in the Covenant

The blessing of Abraham was passed on to Isaac and then
from Isaac, to Jacob. In Genesis 27, Isaac blesses Jacob
under the false belief that he is his son, Esau. Because a
spoken blessing cannot be revoked, Jacob retained the
blessing.
And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled
the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said,
“Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field
which the Lord has blessed. Therefore may God give
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you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth,

and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you.' Be master over your
brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to
you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed
be those who bless you! (Gen 27:27-29).
This was the same blessing given by God to Abraham. He

was blessed with the fatness and the fruit of the earth and
with plenty of grain and wine; he was blessed in abundance.
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be
with me, and keep me in this way that I am going,
and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so
that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then
the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I
have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all
that you give me I will surely give a tenth to you”
(Gen 28:20-21).
Here, we can see that the tithe was not originally a

commandment of the law. It came before the Mosaic law was
established and goes back as far as Abraham and the days of
Melchizedek the high priest (see Gen 14:18-20). The principle
of the tithe existed before it became a part of the Law of
Moses, just as it continues now that the law has been
fulfilled.
God is Your Provider

Jacob was at odds with his older brother Esau, because
he had tricked him out of the blessing. He departed with
nothing and left Esau behind, with all that his father, Isaac,
owned. He labored for many years to earn his wives and his
keep at the home of Laban. But then God began to bless him,
in spite of his faults, imperfections and many mistakes.
In Genesis 31:7-9, Jacob says to his wives,
Your father has deceived me and changed my
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wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt
me. If he said thus: “The speckled shall be your
wages,” then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he
said thus: “The streaked shall be your wages,” then
all the flocks bore streaked. So God has taken away
the livestock of your father and given them to me.
There is a principle to be remembered here: If you are

blessed, which you are, you need never try to get something
by force. If you are mistreated, you do not need to defend
yourself. You will quickly realize that the more you serve
God and fellowship with the Lord, and the more you affect
the lives of others, the more people will try to misuse and
exploit you. You need to learn this and decide in advance, not
to become disappointed or angry with people, who only want
to use you.
If you stay in close fellowship with the Lord, God will
always turn these situations around for good. Like Joseph,
you might be thrown into a well by your brothers, sold as a
slave into Egypt and end up in prison. But, one day you will
find yourself with Pharaoh’s ring on your finger, if this is
what God has planned.
Your life will be just as God has said if you keep to the
vision He has promised, rather than becoming bitter,
disappointed or irritated with people. Joseph is a wonderful
example of a man who protected his heart from hate, envy,
bitterness and disappointment toward those who had treated
him wrongly.
Gold Belongs to the People of God

Now back in Genesis, we find that the time came when
Jacob, full of fear, returned to meet Esau. Jacob had nothing
when he left home. But when he came back again, he had so
much that he was able to divide everything into two large
companies of camels, donkeys and livestock and even give
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one away, in an attempt to bribe Esau and win his favor. But
because Esau was already favorably disposed toward Jacob,
he wanted no gifts. His possessions had prospered as well.
Perfection is not a requirement for the blessings of God.
What really matters is the person’s heart attitude. If the
heart is right, the blessings of God will immediately begin to
flow.
The blessing received by Abraham was passed to his son
Isaac, then to Jacob and eventually, to the whole nation of
Israel. This was the blessing of Abraham. We know about the
misery that Israel later experienced in Egypt; but we also
know that God delivered them. He also brought them out with
silver and. gold, and there was none feeble among his tribes (Ps
105:37).
The word “feeble” means infirm or sick. Infirmity and
sickness are the same thing. No one was sick among the
tribes of Israel when they came out of Egypt. God had healed
every one of them who had eaten of the Passover lamb. This
was a pattern of Jesus Christ, the spotless lamb of God, who
died and took on Himself our sickness and disease; ...by
whose stripes you were healed.
However, healing and the forgiveness of sins are not the
only promises included in redemption. We read that God
brought His people out of Egypt with silver and gold. The
Egyptians finally gave the Israelites their silver and gold,
just to get them to leave the country and put an end to the
plagues. Egypt was under an extreme curse for a short period
of its history. The Egyptians clearly saw the difference
between who was blessed and who was not. By giving their
gold to Israel, they exemplified the fact that the wealth of the
sinners is stored up for the righteous (Prov 13:22).
This gold was later used to build the tabernacle in the
desert, through the freewill offerings of the people.
Something was built with the gold God brought to His
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people. The same principle applies today.
Don’t Forget the Source of Wealth!

And it shall be, when the Lord your God brings
you into the land of which he swore to your fathers,
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and
beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of
all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells
which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees
which you did not plant—when you have eaten and
are full—then beware, lest you forget the Lord who
brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house
of bondage. You shall fear the Lord your God and
serve him, and shall take oaths in His name (Deut
6:10-13).
The children of Israel lived in lack, famine, slavery and

bondage in the land of Egypt. They were not allowed to
worship their God, but then God delivered them. He brought
them into a land where they had all they needed in every
area of their lives; a land in which God met their needs in
abundance.
Nowhere in the Old Testament does God warn the
children of Israel about becoming rich. He warns them
only about forgetting the One who gave them their
riches.
In Deuteronomy 8:4, the Lord reminds His people that
their clothing did not wear out nor did their feet swell, for
forty years. God supernaturally looked after their clothing.
He provided for them miraculously, while they were in the
wilderness and unable to weave or spin clothes for
themselves. But this was not God’s perfect will He did not
want them to have to spend forty years in the desert. Elijah
proved that the same distance could be traveled in only forty
days when he walked from Israel down to Horeb (1 Kings
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19:8).
The children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for
forty years, because of their rebellion. In spite of this, the
Lord was still their provider. He provided them with food
from heaven, led them to springs and prevented their clothes
from wearing out. However, his perfect will for them was
that they live an abundant life in the promised land where
there would be a continuously rich harvest from whatever
they sowed. This is a picture of abundant life.
When you have eaten and are full, and have built
beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your
herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and
your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is
multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you
forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the
land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led
you through that great and terrible wilderness, in
which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty
land where there was no water; who brought water
for you out of the rock of flint; who fed you in the
wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not
know, that he might humble you and that he might
test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in
your heart, “My power and the might of my hand
have gained me this wealth.” And you shall
remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives
you power to get wealth, that he may establish His
covenant which he swore to your fathers, as it is this
day (Deut 8:12-18).
This means that the eternal covenant made with

Abraham and his seed, Isaac, Jacob and Israel, included the
power to get wealth. When you gain this wealth, which you
will do, because God has promised by oath to keep the
covenant, you are not to forget that He is your source.
The Bible does not say that the poorer you are, the more
humble you are, and the better you can serve and glorify
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God. No, it says that when you walk according to the

covenant, God will bless you even in the financial area of
your life. God will be glorified when you give Him the credit
for this, but if you fail to do so, nothing will work for you.
Wealth—A Mark of Royalty

Romans 5:17 tells us that we have been made to reign in
life, through Jesus Christ. We are kings and priests and God
has made us a chosen, royal priesthood (see 1 Pet 2:9). Like
David, a king is one who rules and reigns and exercises
power. However, David was also characterized as a king by
His prosperity. We read about this in First Chronicles 29:2-3:
Now for the house of my God I have prepared
with all my might: gold for things to be made of gold,
silver for things of silver, bronze for things of bronze,
iron for things of iron, wood for things of wood, onyx
stones, stones to be set, stones, and marble slabs in
abundance. Moreover, because I have set my
affection on the house of my God, I have given to the
house, of my God, over and above all that I have
prepared for the holy house, my own special treasure
of gold and silver.
Here we can clearly see that as a king, David walked in

royal authority and prosperity. He gave to the construction of
the temple from the abundance of his own silver and gold. He
even distinguished between his own personal possessions
and that which was designated for building the temple.
David was a king on all levels. He was a king in terms of
his dignity, in terms of his relationship with the Lord and in
terms of his financial prosperity. We are also kings and
priests to the Lord. We give what we have, and by putting it
all at the Lord’s disposal, He can do whatever He wants with
it.
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Blessings
We know that we have been blessed with the blessing of
Abraham because, according to Galatians 3:13-14 Jesus
Christ has become a curse for us so that this blessing could
come to the Gentiles, and so we could receive the promise of
the Spirit. We receive the Spirit in order to receive abundant
life. Through the Holy Spirit, the Body of Christ is able to
partake in the blessings of the New Covenant, which also
includes the blessing of Abraham.
We read about this blessing of Abraham in further detail
in Deuteronomy 28. If you follow God and walk in obedience,
if you are committed to Him and love Him above all else,
then all of the blessings mentioned in this chapter will come
to you, as long as you do not refuse to accept them. Of course,
you will not receive them if you do not believe that they are
there for you.
But, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord
your God, to observe carefully all His
commandments...the Lord your God will set you high
above all the nations of the earth. And all these
blessings shall come upon you and overtake you
(Deut 28:1-2).
In Hebrew the word “overtake” carries the implication

that something you cannot avoid is thrown at you, similar to
a heat-seeking missile! It continues to pursue until it has
reached its target.
What then follows in Deuteronomy 28 is a lengthy list of
blessings that will come over you: Blessed shall you be in the
city, verses 3-4 declare, and blessed shall you be in the country.
Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your
ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle
and the offspring of your flocks. All this is concerned with your
work, your livelihood. The things the Bible mentions here
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were the primary sources of income at that time.

Ephesians 4:28 says, Let him who stole steal no longer, but
rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that
he may have something to give him who has need.
If you are constantly working but receiving only enough
to make ends meet, you have nothing to share with those
who are in need. Your work should be so blessed that you
have an abundance from which you can give to every good
work.
Deuteronomy 28:5 says, Blessed shall be your basket and
your kneading bowl. This applies to your food.
Verses 6-7 tell us, Blessed shall you be when you come in,
and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will
cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before
your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee
before you seven ways. In these scriptures, God is promising
victory over the attacks in your life; the times when the devil
comes to steal, kill and destroy and take what God has given
you. But He who is in you, is greater than he who is in the
world (1 John 4:4).
We find in verses 8-9 that, The Lord will command the
blessing on you in your storehouses (in your cupboards; your
larder and freezer) and in all that you set your hand, and he
will bless you in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
The Lord will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as
He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the Lord
your God and walk in His ways.
Continuing in verse 11, the Bible tells us, And the Lord will
grant you plenty of goods. John 16:24 says, Until now, you have
asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your
joy may be full God wants your joy to be complete in Him.
In fact, in Deuteronomy 28:11-12, He says He will give you
plenty, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock,
and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the Lord
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swore to your fathers to give you. The Lord will open to you His
good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its
season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to
many nations, but you shall not borrow. Although you may not
yet be at this point, this is your ultimate goal.
Curses
We have just seen that the blessings of God apply to
every area of your life—your family, your finances and your
health. Every aspect of your life will be blessed if you hear
the voice of the Lord your God. However, if you fail to hear
His voice, you will come under a curse. The Lord knows that
the curse, which is in the world will come over us, if we
choose to disobey, by following our own ways and the ways of
the world. Therefore, we are continually encouraged and
commanded to walk in obedience to Him.
In Deuteronomy 28, beside the list of blessings we may
enjoy, there is also a long list of the various types of curses
that disobedience brings. We will name just a few of them.
Verse 29 mentions that there will be plundering. Verse 30
says, “you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather
its grapes.” This is what it means to be in lack.
We find in verse 33 that, “A nation whom you have not
known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce
of your labor.” To work hard without achieving results is
a curse.
Verse 38 goes on to say, “You shall carry much seed
out to the field and gather but little in.” This means that
you will have nothing left over to put in storage.
In verse 42 we read, “Locusts shall consume all your
trees and the produce of your land.”
Previous roles are reversed as verse 44 states that “the
alien shall lend to you, but you shall not lend to him.”
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Verse 48 says, “you shall serve your enemies, whom

the Lord will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in
nakedness, and in need of all things; and he will put a
yoke of iron on your neck until he has destroyed you.”
This was the situation the people had in Egypt.
Even for you today, when you leave the blessings of God,
the curses of “Egypt” will come over you once again and you
will find yourself in need of all things. This is not the will of
God, but, “Because you did not serve the Lord your God
joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity” (Deut
28:47 NIV), it will come on you.
Be Thankful!
God’s will is that you live in prosperity and serve Him
with joy and gladness of heart. The first tendency toward sin
is ungratefulness. For this reason you should be sure to
thank God for all that He has given you, without complaining
or grumbling. It is important that you praise the Lord for
what He gives you, because it was through ingratitude that
man fell into sin.
If you maintain joy, gratitude and a right attitude—in
spite of how the circumstances may look—God will bless you
in increasing measure.
You will even be able to enjoy these blessings without
becoming materialistic. They will be a blessing to you and to
others, and God will be able to use you effectively when it
comes to sharing with those in need and in financing the
Gospel. You will be a blessing and through this, God will be
glorified.
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3
3 Righteousness—The Prerequisite
According to the Word of God, if you have received Jesus
Christ as your Savior, then you have been made righteous.
Wherever the Word of God refers to the righteous, it is
referring to you. Never forget that you have been made
righteous and that every promise given to those who are
righteous, has been given to you through Christ Jesus.
The righteous are not those who behave well, they are
those who have had their sins forgiven.
Righteousness is a position that you have received, based
on the work of Jesus Christ. It is completely independent of
your feelings. You cannot become more or less righteous. You
have been made righteous once and for all.
You are a child of God even when you happen to be
disobedient, although, until you ask for forgiveness,
disobedience will prevent righteousness from reigning in
your life. David said, “Blessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven” (Ps 32:1). Righteousness is a legal position—not
an emotional feeling.
“Blessed is the man”, the Bible declares, “who fears
the Lord, Who delights greatly in His commandments”
(Ps 112:1). This obedience comes through faith, and involves
listening intently to what God has to say and then, being
willing to do it. The devil does all he can to stop you from
entering into this obedience.
But the Bible clearly shows us that obedience to the Word
of God releases blessing in our lives.
Second Corinthians 10:5 speaks of strongholds that raise
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up against the knowledge of God, which must first be pulled

down before obedience can come. When active obedience is
established, the blessings will begin to enter your life.
The Fear of God Brings Wealth

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, Who delights
greatly in His commandments. His descendants will be
mighty on earth; The generation of the upright will be
blessed. Wealth and riches will be in his house, And his
righteousness endures for ever. Unto the upright there arises
light in the darkness; He is gracious, and full of compassion,
and righteousness. A good man deals graciously and lends;
He will guide his affairs with discretion (Ps 112:1-5).
The Bible goes on to say in verse 7 that the righteous,
“will not be afraid of evil tidings.” Because you are
righteous, when your circumstances directly contradict what
God says, your heart can remain steadfast and established.
Verse 8 says about the righteous that, “His heart is
established; he will not be afraid.” His soul and spirit are
established and steadfast. Isaiah 26:3 says that God will
keep in perfect peace those whose minds are stayed on Him.
Peace and blessing come as a result of a steadfast heart and
mind. In other words, if you are aware of what God has said
and have decided to agree with it and apply it to your life,
your mind will stop constantly swinging back and forth like a
pendulum.
“He has dispersed abroad,” verse 9 tells us, “he has
given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”
When the righteous delight greatly in the commandments
of God and fear the Lord, wealth and riches will be in their
house (see verses 1-3).
This means that wealth and riches in your house are a
direct blessing from the Lord because you fear Him and keep
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Righteousness—The Prerequisite
His commandments. It is your legal right because it is

promised in the scriptures and because you are one who is
righteous and fears God and obeys His commands. Wealth
and riches are a blessing from the Lord. The Bible calls them
blessings, not curses.
We have already seen from the Word of God that there
are blessings and there are curses; and that one of the curses
is poverty. Poverty is a curse and does not come from God,
but entered the world as a result of man’s sin and rebellion.
Whether clothed in secular or religious garments, poverty
has one aim—to rob people of the blessings of God and to
prevent them from doing what He has called them to do.
Psalm 35:27 says that the Lord has pleasure in the
prosperity of His servants. We must destroy the opposition to
this truth which, is caused by envy, stinginess and poverty.
Being clothed in rags is not a virtue, nor is it pleasing to God.
He delights in the prosperity of His servants. However, God
does not delight in greed.
The Bible says, “Every plant which My heavenly
Father has not planted will be uprooted” (Matt 15:13).
Greediness and poverty thinking are plants that have been
cultivated for centuries and have influenced you more than
you can imagine. Many times you have wanted to please
others by appearing unassuming or modest. However, it is
much more important to please God, who says that He has
pleasure in the prosperity of His servants. Your correct
response should be to let God be pleased by your prosperity.
When you have the revelation of this, you will have no more
problems in this area.
Wisdom Brings Riches

God said to King Solomon, “Ask! What shall I give
you?” (1 Kings 3:5). Solomon did not ask God for might or
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riches, instead he asked for wisdom. God granted him riches

and honor along with wisdom, because he had requested
what was on the Lord’s heart.
If you seek the Kingdom of God, all other things will be
added to you (see Matt 6:33). Your attitude is all important.
You seek first the Kingdom of God, by seeking Christ Jesus
and His Word. You need to know what God’s Word has to say
in the area of finances. You must see the Kingdom of God
established in this area of your life, so that you can walk in
faith with a good conscience.
If you honor God with your possessions and are
constantly looking for opportunities to give things away,
“your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats
will overflow with new wine” (see Prov 3:9-10). This is a
picture of abundant life. God has promised to prosper you
when you make your possessions available to Him.
Prosperity is a direct result of your obedience in this area.
Isaiah 1:19 says, “If you are willing and obedient, you
shall eat the good of the land.” Willingness and obedience
produce blessing. You have been given a free will and the
ability to choose. God wants obedience to operate in your life,
bringing with it His blessing.
Proverbs 10:22 says that “the blessing of the Lord
makes one rich and He adds no sorrow with it.” God
does not include a small amount of sorrow in His blessings,
to test you. When God blesses you in the area of finances, He
will protect His blessing so that it does not cause you any
problems. He has determined that you will eat of the good of
the land. He has made up His mind, and now it is up to you
to enter the land, through obedience.
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4
4 Riches in the Book of Proverbs
The book of Proverbs can be likened to a gold mine in
which you can find valuable truths, especially in the area of
financial prosperity.
Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honor the Lord with your
possessions.” The prerequisite for all financial blessing is
serving God. You never need to seek riches, for when you
seek God, they will find you. The Bible tells us to seek first
the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to us
(Matt 6:33).
Proverbs 3:12-13, describing the correction and the
wisdom of the Lord, declares, “Happy is the man who
finds wisdom.” Wisdom is supreme and it is this that God
wants you to seek. The Bible never says, “Seek after gold and
diamonds!” Instead it says, “If you seek her (wisdom) as
silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures...”
(Prov 2:4). And again, “For her proceeds are better than
the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold” (Prov
3:14).
What is this wisdom? It is Jesus Christ who has been
made wisdom and understanding to us (see 1 Cor 1:30). Seek
Jesus and His wisdom and understanding and when you
have found Him you will be blessed and happy. You will
profit more by wisdom, or the Word of God, than you will
from silver and gold.
What are your priorities? How highly do you value the
Word of God? If you secretly believe that the Bible is good but
that a different set of criteria apply out in the real world, you
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have missed the point entirely. The Word of God is reality

itself, for, “the reality...is found in Christ” (Col 2:17 NIV).
Proverbs 3:15-16 says, “She (wisdom, or the Word) is
more precious than rubies, And all the things you may
desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in
her right hand, In her left hand riches and honor.” This
means that if you gain wisdom instead of silver, wisdom will
in turn gain riches and honor for you.
We are told in Proverbs 3:33 that, “The curse of the
Lord is on the house of the wicked, But He blesses the
habitation of the just.” The Lord blesses both the house
itself and that which is in it.
Proverbs 8:17-18 states, “I love those who love me,
And those who seek me diligently will find me. Riches
and honor are with me, Enduring riches and
righteousness.”
Continuing to read in Proverbs 8, God’s Word says, “I
traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the
paths of justice, That I may cause those who love me to
inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries” (vv. 20-
21).
This is still wisdom speaking here. Reliable Old
Testament expositors agree that the wisdom Proverbs 8
describes is referring to Jesus, Himself. So it is actually
Jesus speaking here. He is the One who traverses the way of
righteousness and the paths of justice.
The phrase, “to inherit wealth,” is not limited just to
“spiritual” wealth. This inheritance is intended to fill your
treasuries.
Paul said, “For we are not writing any other things
to you than what you read or understand” (2 Cor 1:13).
So when we read the scripture Which says “I traverse the
way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of
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Riches in the Book of Proverbs
justice, That I may cause those who love me to inherit

wealth,” we know that it contains nothing other than what
we are able to read and understand.
You may think that this is too good to be true. That is not
your problem. You might ask, “But how will it happen?” That
is not your problem either. Say only,
Jesus, I praise you that your Words are true. I

don’t know how or when it will happen, all I know
is what you have said. Let it be just as you have
spoken.
Work and Wealth

Proverbs 10:4 says, “Lazy hands make a man poor”
(NIV). This is also one of God’s promises. It tells you exactly
what to do if you want to become poor. Be lazy, inattentive
and undisciplined and you will suffer lack, financially and in
every other area of your life, as well. According to the
covenant in Deuteronomy 28, God has given you the power to
gain wealth. You are the one who gains the wealth, and you
do it by working with diligent hands.
Diligent hands will bring you success in every area of
your life. You must diligently claim the things that God has
for you because God has given you the power to do so. Indeed,
He expects you to actively work to obtain them, rather than
simply expect them to fall out of heaven on top of you. Verse
4 ends by saying, “...but diligent hands bring wealth.”
We are told in Proverbs 10:15 that, “The rich man's
wealth is his strong city; The destruction of the poor is
their poverty.” Poverty is obviously destructive and not a
blessing.
“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, And He
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adds no sorrow with it” (Prov 10:22). You must work, but
it will not result in blessing if you are completely reliant on
your own strength. Even in your work you must rely on the
Lord.
Proverbs 11:18 says, “The wicked man earns
deceptive wages” (NIV). Though people may make their
way in this world and achieve success for a time, without the
blessing of the Lord they will not endure. However, “he who
sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.” This is a good
verse for preachers: when you sow righteousness, by
preaching the Word of God, you will receive a sure reward.
As a preacher, it is important that you put your trust in
God alone and do not put pressure on other ministers or their
treasurers. When you sow righteousness you will receive a
sure reward. You should not be dependent on other people’s
money. This is extremely important.
You do not need to beg or threaten, you only need to
believe God. He is the source of your provision and, even if
the church happens to be stingy, He has other channels. The
key is that you obey what God says and continue to sow
righteousness. In this way you honor God with your
possessions.
The Work of God Can Be Hindered

Proverbs 11:23-24 says, “The desire of the righteous is
only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath.
There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And
there is one who withholds more than is right, But it
leads to poverty.” These are the divine economical
principles.
The generous soul will be made rich, And he who
waters will also be watered himself. The people will
curse him who withholds grain, But blessing will be
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on the head of him who sells it (vv. 25-26).
Among other things, withholding grain means refusing to

give. As you know, Paul refers to money as seed. If God is
directing a project intended to bless thousands of people and
you withhold your “seed,” many people will be cursed,
including yourself.
In certain churches, there are servants of God whose
visions remain unfulfilled due to rebellious people, who have
destroyed the possibility of these visions becoming reality, by
refusing to give financially. This is tragic, especially for those
who refuse to give. Thousands of people fail to hear the
message of the Gospel and are cursed as a result.
The key to this issue is consistent giving. Those who
constantly save become only poorer, while those who give
become wealthier. They give freely yet gain even more. This
is the attitude you need: “I will not cling to my last penny but
will give the last thing I have. Even if I should die, I will die
a giver.” However, a giver will not die.
Proverbs 11:31 says, “If the righteous receive their
due on earth, how much more the ungodly and the
sinner!” (NIV). We have often emphasized the fact that the
ungodly receive their due here on earth while the righteous
receive theirs in heaven. But that is not what this verse says.
We do indeed receive a reward in Heaven, but we will also
receive a reward on earth. There are tremendous blessings
waiting for us in Heaven, just as there is a reward for us
here, on earth.
Proverbs 13:11 states that, “Wealth gained by
dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by
labor will increase. Poverty and shame will come to
him who disdains correction, But he who regards
reproof will be honored” (Prov 13:18). We see here again
that obedience brings blessing.
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Proverbs 13:22 says, “A good man leaves an

inheritance to his children’s children, But the wealth
of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.” When the
good, or righteous man dies he leaves an inheritance, not
only for his children, but for his grandchildren as well.
Having many grandchildren is a blessing from the Lord,
however, your children have a right to your inheritance, so
they need to have enough, before your grandchildren receive
anything. In other words, your inheritance needs to be rather
large to go around to both your children and your
grandchildren.
The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
What does this mean? When the sinner dies, the possessions
he has left behind are transferred into the Kingdom of God.
God has the ability to cause the possessions that the ungodly
man has greedily gathered up to be added to His Kingdom
and distributed throughout the world, for the sake of the
Gospel.
How does God bless financially? He does not have a mint
in Heaven, nor do bills usually fall from Heaven. No, He
channels the money that is already here on earth. Wealthy
people, who are not saved, are reservoirs for the devil. They
pile up possessions and gather wealth to themselves, thus
restricting resources that could be put to much better, active
use.
If you take this scripture seriously and begin to pray in
accordance with it, you will release the contents of these
reservoirs and cause them to be transferred to the righteous.
Who needs money more than the righteous? Who needs
earthly possessions more than the righteous?
We have been called to preach the Gospel to the world.
We have been called to give to the poor. We have been called
to bless others and expand the Kingdom of God. None of this
is possible without money.
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Abundance Is More Than Enough

Proverbs 14:24 says, “The crown of the wise is their
riches, But the foolishness of fools is folly.” What does a
crown symbolize? It symbolizes authority and honor.
Placing a crown on someone’s head honors, blesses, and
exalts that person. God is saying here that riches are a
means by which the wise are honored. God’s way of blessing
and honoring the wise and the righteous is by giving them
riches.
The word “riches” produces a certain emotional reaction.
You may have been given the impression during your
childhood that wealth was dangerous, negative and dirty.
But the blessings of God are never dirty, they are only good.
Only good things come from God. Being blessed by God is
something good, not something bad which makes you feel
ashamed. You need to begin to view riches in a way that is
not worldly or religious.
Riches are synonymous with prosperity. Worldly
thinking, though, makes riches synonymous with words like
“greed,” “excess” and “gluttony.” This makes you either afraid
of riches or too intimidated to ask God for anything
associated with it. However, if you never ask for prosperity
you will never receive it and unless you do, the financial
resources of God, that are needed to carry out His work, will
not be released.
You must see prosperity in the proper perspective. It is
nothing more than having your needs met in such a way that
you have enough to give to others. This is true prosperity and
riches.
It is possible to be rich in a number of different ways. You
can be rich in money, time, love and faith. Being rich means
having so much of something that some of it can be
distributed to others, without you, yourself, being in need.
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This is true prosperity, our goal.

It does not mean that your bedroom will be filled with
bars of gold. This is not a goal in itself. You need to get rid of
any delusions you may have regarding prosperity and
discover what God actually means. Otherwise, you will have
an unrealistic perspective about the subject and either end
up daydreaming and fantasizing about being rich, or just
feeling guilty every time money is mentioned.
The truth is that God gives you more than enough so that
you can abundantly meet the needs of others.
You cannot only be rich in different ways, you can also be
rich on a number of different levels, depending on what you
are called to do. I do not believe that every believer is to be a
multi-millionaire, although I do believe that God wants
multi-millionaires, and that He can raise up such people who
are supernatural givers. Each of us is a giver, but not all of
us have the ministry of giving (see Rom 12:8).
Proverbs 15:6 says, “In the house of the righteous
there is much treasure, But the revenue of the wicked
is trouble.” The ungodly wear themselves out to get rich and
their greed is under a curse, while the house of the righteous
is full of treasure. This would imply that, as a righteous
person, your house is allowed to contain furniture made of
something other than rough wooden boards. You should not
feel guilty about owning beautiful furniture.
Work and Wisdom

Now let’s read in Proverbs 21:20: “There is desirable
treasure, And oil in the dwelling of the wise, But a
foolish man squanders it.” This scripture tells us that God
is willing to bless your private life so that you have more
than enough to meet your own needs. You are a blessing, not
a curse.
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A fool who becomes rich overnight cannot help letting his

money go to his head. Not knowing what to do with it all, he
quickly wastes everything. But the wise man is different. He
increases his capital and receives supernatural wisdom and
guidance on how he is to invest it, preserve it and cause it to
increase.
Jesus spoke about this in the parable of the talents (see
Matt 25:14-30). The servants who did the will of God caused
their talent to yield interest and increase in value. This
parable is taken directly from the world of banking. It tells
us that we are not to be stingy or greedy; nor are we to throw
or give away everything out of religious duty. Many have
done just this.
Giving away everything is not a general principle. It is
foolish for you to get yourself into a position where you are
unable to support yourself and then expect others to pity you
because of your stupidity. However, if God has told you to
give away something, you will be blessed by doing so.
I have personally given things away and have been richly
blessed as a result. At other times the Lord has told me not
to give and the reason for this has later become apparent.
You need to be sensitive and follow the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 21:26 reads, “He covets greedily all day long,
But the righteous gives and does not spare.” In other
words, the righteous person does not save selfishly but is
always ready to give. A covetous man is always greedy,
whether or not he has something. You do not need to be rich
to be greedy. Greed has nothing to do with riches, it is an
attitude that can be shared by both poor and rich alike. Envy
can be apparent in the rich man as well as in the man with
nothing.
If you have a problem with this attitude, God wants to set
you free. Envy has no place in the righteous man who is a
consistent giver and has no need to spare or withhold. The
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righteous man always has plenty to give.

Proverbs 22:4 says, “Humility and the fear of the
Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (NIV). If you
maintain an attitude of humility, avoid proud and selfish
thinking, and walk in the fear of the Lord, wealth, honor and
life will come to you, as a result.
Proverbs 28:19-20 tells us, “He who tills his land will
have plenty of bread, But he who follows frivolity will
have poverty enough! A faithful man will abound with
blessings, But he who hastens to be rich will not go
unpunished.” The Word of God contains a built-in
guillotine; it will not work for you unless your motives are
correct.
You Can Demand Sevenfold in Return

“People do not despise a thief,” Proverbs 6:30-31
states, “If he steals to satisfy himself when he is
starving. Yet when he is found, he must restore
sevenfold; He may have to give up all the substance of
his house.”
While this is meant to be a warning not to steal or covet,
it also acts as a picture of the devil, who is the thief. When
the devil steals something, he is to be forced to restore
sevenfold. Bombard him with this verse when you find that
he has stolen from you. Say to him:
Satan, you have stolen from me and in the Name

of Jesus I command you to restore sevenfold.
I thank you, Father, that your Word is true and

that the thief will be punished. Father, I praise you
that this promise is for me and I expect a sevenfold
return on what the thief has taken.
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You will experience attacks in this life, through which

you will learn to walk in boldness, strength and protection.
Proverbs 22:3 says that “the wise man foresees evil and
hides himself, but that the simple keep on going and
suffer for it.” This is why you must know the leading of the
Holy Spirit in your life.
In certain situations, the Holy Spirit will exhort you to
take a particular action, but at other times, He will warn you
and try to calm you. If you are in too much of a hurry to sit
down and think through the situation carefully, you will end
up suffering for it.
You have undoubtedly, at some time or other done
something foolish, that you know you should not have done.
You probably felt all along that it was wrong, but you did it
anyway and were stolen from as a result.
When this happens the first thing you need to do is to ask
for forgiveness for failing to listen to the voice of God. You
can then demand a sevenfold return of what Satan has stolen
from you. However, this is only possible, when you have
humbled yourself and admitted your wrongdoing. God gives
life and riches to the humble. Romans 10:12 says, “He
generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon
Him” (amp). God sees your heart and rewards you
accordingly.
The Word of God is true. It applies to you and is valid
right here and now. You do not ever need to be ashamed of
His Word. If you have made a mistake, confess it as sin. Do
not be ashamed of the blessings of God but expect them. If
your heart is pure you can anticipate His blessings—God
Himself has promised it!
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5
5 Start Right Where You Are!
Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But
you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes
and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you
have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the
tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in
My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of
hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of
heaven and pour out for you such blessing That there
will not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:8-10).
This is the only verse in the Bible that gives you the right
to put God to the test. When you give, you have put yourself
in a position to test Him by praying:
I praise you, God, that your Word is true. I have

now done what you have told me to do. I thank you
that you will open the windows of heaven and pour
out over me the blessings you have promised; such
blessing that I do not have room for it all and have
to give some of it away.
When your faith begins to operate in this area, you will do

things you never dared to try before. However, God does not
want you to suddenly run off and buy tickets to the Bahamas
“in faith.” Some people believe, for example, that it is all
right to write a check hoping that the money to cover it will
come in time. We are not talking about such foolishness. We
are talking about God’s desire for you to trust Him, rather
than your circumstances, whether they are negative or
positive.
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The preaching of the Gospel in the power of the Holy

Spirit is blessed. By doing so, you will become a soldier in the
army of God. A soldier never worries about where to get his
uniform, weapons and ammunition or where to find food and
shelter. He simply expects these things to be provided for
him and it is another person’s responsibility to see that they
are. The same is true for us; we do what we believe God has
told us to do, even if we do not have the finances immediately
available.
Prosperity Is More Than Money

You need to understand that although God can bless you
with a house and car, you cannot expect to start on that level.
Riches has nothing to do with being a millionaire. There is a
difference between this and prosperity. You must begin
where you are. Just as in every other area of your life, you
will learn to grow in prosperity.
Most people want everything instantaneously, but it does
not work like this. This thinking is often just laziness; and,
as we read before, only diligent hands will prosper. Neither
will prosperity work if there is a motive of selfishness. But
where there is a right attitude and an understanding of the
Biblical principles of increase, prosperity will work.
You need to begin where you are, right now. It is all too
easy to look at where others are and think to yourself, “I
want to be there too.” But how did they get there? What we
are talking about here is true for every area: anointing, faith,
financial prosperity, and so on. You want to get there
overnight, while others have done it one step at a time. You
cannot jump straight to the top. You must begin with the
first step like they did.
God will bless you one step at a time. You need to believe
this and refuse to be ashamed when you have to stand in
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Start Right Where You Are!
faith for your needs, even if it is just for a pair of socks.

When the Lord first began to speak to me about financial
prosperity, the only thing my wife and I had were stat loans.
I noticed a house for sale in the newspaper one day and
began to make some calculations in the margin. Our only
resources were student loans, housing supplements and child
benefit. Such a purchase was humanly impossible.
However, I felt an inner peace and God said to me, “You
can do it if you really want to. Scrape together what you have
and use it to pay your fixed bills and believe for your food,
clothing and other needs.” We had just enough to pay our
monthly bills.
Sooner or later you have to make up your mind not to
base financial decisions on how much money you presently
have. If you want to get somewhere with God, you need to
reach beyond your present financial limitations. However,
unless you have a witness in your spirit this would be just
foolishness. Nevertheless, if you are convinced that God has
given you His approval to do something, you should step out
and do it even if it appears that you do not have enough to
begin with.
Personally speaking, ever since I began to walk in faith in
this area, I have never seemed to have enough in the natural.
My expenses are considerably larger than my income. But
praise the Lord, He has always found a way to solve the
problem. I do not walk by what I see; I walk by what God
says.
If you have followed the Lord and given with a right
heart, God will always meet your needs. But, it is not easy
when you first begin to live this way. You may see no
immediate results and feel the devil constantly harassing
you, to make you stingy. But when the breakthrough finally
comes, these principles will continue to operate throughout
the rest of your life, as long as you continue to walk in faith,
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sow out to others, and guard this area.
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PART II
PART II Financial Prosperity in the New Testament
6
6 Jesus—Example and Substitute
Let’s look now at what the New Testament has to say
about money. We will begin by looking at Jesus Himself.
Many people have an extremely peculiar picture of Him.
They say, “We must not speak about money. Remember how
Jesus walked around barefoot in Galilee. We should be just
like Him.” We should indeed be just like Jesus. He should be
our example and our life should be patterned after His.
However, Jesus did some things specifically so that we
would not have to do them. We need to keep in mind two
areas when we consider the life of Jesus: first, His walk on
earth and second, His work on the cross. In the first case He
is our example and in the second case He is our substitute.
We must properly appreciate both of these aspects of Jesus’
life.
Now it came to pass, afterwards, that He went
through every city and village, preaching and
bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And
the twelve were with Him, and certain women who
had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary
called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven
demons, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s
steward, and Susanna, and many others who
provided for Him from their substance (Luke 8:1-3).
The Correct Picture of Jesus

The devil has presented an extremely religious picture of
Jesus. He was much more “normal” than we have believed.
He was supernaturally normal. As a man, Jesus did all the
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things normally done by man. He experienced the same

things as other human beings and, like other men and
women, Jesus also owned things. The Bible even tells us that
He lived in a house in Capernaum.
Jesus had a “traveling” ministry and so He did not spend
His time sitting at home, in Capernaum. He often stayed
with friends for as long as He was in a particular place.
Jesus was accompanied by people whom He had chosen
especially to be helps ministers. Joanna and Susanna are
mentioned here, along with many others, who served the
Lord from out of their own means. In other words, there were
people at that time—just as there are today—whose ministry
was to supply the daily needs of Jesus and His disciples.
They had real material needs; and so that they could do what
they were meant to do, God made sure that these needs were
met.
You must understand that Jesus had the same needs as
any man, and that God satisfied His needs just as He does
yours. Jesus needed sleep, rest, food and material goods to
accomplish what He was called to do. These needs were met
by the people around Him.
Jesus also had a treasurer. This, of course, implies that
He had money, since He would hardly need a treasurer
otherwise. In fact, He must have had so much money that He
needed someone to manage it and keep financial matters
properly in hand. Jesus did not appoint a treasurer because
He did not want to defile or concern Himself with money, but
because there was so much of it. This is a much more
realistic view of Jesus.
Jesus also had the clothing that was practical and
suitable for His needs. His robe, was a very expensive piece
of clothing and not a bunch of old rags, and this was why the
soldiers wanted it. They cast lots for it rather than divide it
into four pieces, because it was a seamless garment.
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Jesus—Example and Substitute
If Jesus were alive on earth today, He would undoubtedly

be wearing ordinary clothing just like everyone else. He was
just like His fellow man at the time in which He lived. He
had material needs, and by using other people, God was able
to satisfy these needs.
Two Sides
You must understand the two sides of Jesus’ life,
otherwise you will be denying something that Jesus intended
to bring blessing and freedom to your life.
Second Corinthians 8:2, describes the church in
Macedonia, and says that, “Out of the most severe trial,
their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled
up in rich generosity” (NIV). Paul is saying here that they
gave generously in spite of their circumstances and poverty
which, in the natural, should have prevented them from
doing so.
In this context, Paul uses two or three chapters of Second
Corinthians to take up an offering for the saints in
Jerusalem. He is exhorting the believers in Corinth to be a
part of it. “I speak not by commandment,” he tells them,
“but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the
diligence of others” (2 Cor 8 8). To further emphasize the
need to give, he uses Christ Jesus as an example.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, that you through His poverty might
become rich (2 Cor 8:9).
This poverty was expressed on the cross. As we have

already mentioned, there are two distinct sides to the work of
Jesus: His life on earth and His work on the cross. When the
Bible talks about an act of substitution, it is referring to the
cross. Our sin was exchanged for the righteousness of Jesus
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on the cross. It was there our death was exchanged for His
life and our sickness was substituted for His healing.
Here we see that He became poor for our sakes so that
through His poverty, that is, His work on the cross, we might
become rich. This poverty is not referring to Jesus’ walk on
earth or suggesting that He had no food or clothing while He
was here. That would have been of no benefit to us at all.
Instead, it refers to the work of the cross, through which the
resources of heaven, have now been made available to us.
Jesus hung on the cross naked, completely destitute and
stripped of everything. He had surrendered everything there
was to surrender. He gave all that He had in body, soul and
spirit. What little clothing He had remaining was taken. He
became truly poor on all levels; spiritually, mentally,
physically and materially. As Paul says, “He became poor
for our sakes that through His poverty we might
become rich.”
Notice that Paul did not hesitate to use the cross and the
reconciliatory death of Jesus as an example of why the
Corinthians should give money.
Jesus had all that He needed during His earthly walk. It
was on the cross that He became poor. Your picture of Jesus
needs to be correct, so that you can understand what He did
for you and walk in it today.
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7
7 The Rich Young Ruler—What Did He
Refuse?
We read about the story of the rich young ruler in Mark
10. We need to consider the entire context, since there are
verses here that have often been used out of context. Jesus’
words to the rich young ruler have been used by many, to
claim that it is wrong for Christians to have many
possessions. Some have made it a commandment for every
Christian to follow: sell all that you own and then you can
follow Jesus. But what is Jesus really saying here?
Let’s start with verse 17,
Now as He was going out on the road, one came
running, knelt before Him, and asked Him, “Good
Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal
life?”
This question came out of the man’s feeling of

unfulfillment, but he was not prepared to do what Jesus was
about to tell him. Recognizing this, Jesus responded with a
question to test his motives.
Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One,
that is, God. You know the commandments: “Do not
commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,”
“Do not bear false witness,” “Do not defraud,” “Honor
your father and your mother.” And he answered and
said to Him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my
youth.” Then Jesus, looking at him loved him (vv. 18-
21).
Jesus understood exactly where the man was. He saw
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that he was an honest man who wanted to do what was right.

The dissatisfaction he felt inside caused him to approach
Jesus, even though he was unprepared to really pay the price
required. The scripture tells us here that Jesus loved him.
For this reason He told him the truth, “One thing you lack:
Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the
poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.”
Don’t Generalize!
A fundamental guideline in reading the Bible is to first
understand the context of the scripture. Here Jesus is
speaking to a rich young ruler. He is dealing with the specific
problem of this young man. You do not necessarily have the
same problem. Biblical situations are described primarily to
illustrate or clarify a particular issue rather than a number
of different issues. It can, however, be applied to various
circumstances in your life.
What Jesus is telling this young man is not a general
command. If it were, it would be included in the Sermon on
the Mount or in the Great Commission, when Jesus was
addressing a large number of people all at once.
Without this realization, it is easy to make a common
mistake and draw the conclusion that you cannot follow
Jesus unless you sell all you own and give it to the poor. This
would imply that you are not following Jesus if you own
material possessions!
The Bible tells us to let everything be confirmed by the
mouth of two or three witnesses. Let scripture interpret
itself. Let’s look closely to see if Jesus really is saying that
ownership in general is wrong. If so, Jesus is the first to fail
the test, since we know that He had material possessions.
Sometimes problems can arise from personal testimonies
in this area. People tend to make a law out of things they
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The Rich Young Ruler—What Did He Refuse?
have heard from God personally, which have brought them

freedom.
When God does speak to you, be sure to do everything He
says. God wants to see the attitude of your heart. This was
Jesus’ intention with the rich young ruler. He was bound by
his many possessions and Jesus told him:
“Sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up
the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this
word, and went away grieved, for he had great
possessions (vv. 21-22).
He was possessed by his possessions. He trusted in what he
owned and, because he owned so much, he had difficulty leaving
it all behind.
The True Meaning of Relinquishment

Relinquishment has its proper place in the life of the
Christian, but it is primarily an attitude. It is not a question
of getting rid of everything you own, it is simply a continual
willingness to give. In this way you will remain free to do the
will of God at all times. This is one aspect of relinquishment.
The other aspect is this; it always pays to relinquish. God
does not expect you just to forsake something for no reason.
Instead, He wants you to give up certain things so that He
can give you something else in return! This is a side of the
issue we have rarely considered.
We have previously described the meaning of a covenant.
Two partners put themselves at one another’s disposal and
make their resources available to one another should such
need arise.
This is the Biblical meaning of relinquishment: I place all
my abilities and all that I have and am at God’s disposal for
Him to use whenever He wishes. He can do whatever He
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likes with me—with my mouth, my arms—with everything I

have. In the same way, should I have need of His abilities or
resources, these things have been put at my disposal.
However, until I have placed myself at His disposal, I will be
unable to make use of them.
This was the lesson Jesus wanted to teach the rich young
ruler: If you sell your earthly possessions you will
immediately receive a treasure in Heaven. But just because
your treasure is in Heaven does not mean that you have to
wait until you get to Heaven to use it. It simply means that
your treasure is kept in Heaven for you. You have made a
deposit into a heavenly rather than an earthly account.
The Bible says that you have been born into, “an
inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does
not fade away,” reserved in Heaven for you. This heavenly
treasure is undefiled by the moth and dust and inflation of
this world—and it is available to you right now.
I can assure you that Jesus is speaking of nothing other
than material goods to which you have access right here on
earth. We need only read on in the same chapter to discover
that these things are not just for when you get to Heaven.
In the case of the rich young ruler, he first needed to get
rid of the things that bound him so he could follow Jesus
Christ. In doing so he would acquire a great treasure in
Heaven, a treasure that would be available to him on earth.
Then Jesus looked around and said to His
disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to
enter the kingdom of God!” (v. 23).
Here, Jesus is showing how hard it is for those, who are

owned by money, to enter God’s Kingdom. The rich young
ruler’s problem was his bondage to money, although you can
be bound by a career, by knowledge, by friends, etc. The more
friends you have, the higher your status, the greater your
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income, the more bound you are—if you let yourself be

bound.
The devil will use these things to tell you, “Just look at
what you will lose if you get saved!” This is what makes it
difficult for you to enter the Kingdom of God. However, Jesus
never says that you will lose all these things by becoming a
Christian. He offers a new set of priorities and a new way of
life.
And the disciples were astonished at His words.
But Jesus answered again and said to them
“Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches
to enter the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23-24).
The disciples must have identified with the rich young

ruler in some way. In other words, they did not consider
themselves extremely poor, nor were they. Peter was by no
means poor. He was a fisherman with others working for
him. Neither was John’s background one of poverty. He too
was a fisherman who ran his father’s company and he had
important friends and relatives in the Jewish council.
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is
impossible, but not with God; for with God all things
are possible” (v. 27).
God is the one who saves people. If we are willing to let

Him take this responsibility, anyone can be saved.
The Fruit of Relinquishment

A closer look at Mark chapter 10 will reveal that a large
portion of the chapter is a single unit, in which the events
take place in succession. We have often divided up the
chapter and ended the story of the rich young ruler with
verse 27 above. However, the account does not end there.
Let’s look once again at what has happened. The rich
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young ruler approaches Jesus. Jesus speaks to him and he

goes away saddened and grieved. The disciples wonder about
the incident and Jesus begins to explain it. The disciples are
astonished when Jesus tells them that it is difficult, or even
impossible for a rich man to enter the Kingdom, but that for
God, all things are possible.
Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left
all and followed You.” Peter’s implied meaning is, “What
do we get out of it?” “Isn’t that just like Peter,” we think, “so
fleshly and tactless!” But this reaction is a result of the fact
that, unlike the disciples, we are unused to thinking in terms
of a covenant.
The disciples, however, knew the meaning of a covenant;
that it meant mutual obligation and responsibility. They
could say with boldness, “We have done what you required,
Jesus. We have given up everything and now we want to
know what we get out of it.”
It is possible that the disciples would have stayed with
Jesus, even if He had told them that they had no reward.
After all, they followed Him because they loved Him and
believed He was the Messiah, not because they wanted a lot
of things. At the same time, they understood the implications
of a covenant and this was the motivation behind Peter’s
question.
I do not believe his question was carnal, nor that he was
calculating the size of his reward.
So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to
you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or
sisters or father or mother or wife or children or
lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not
receive a hundredfold...” (vv. 29-30).
Perhaps you think this hundredfold is referring to the

forgiveness of sins. After all, this is more important than
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anything else. No one would be foolish enough to trade their

salvation for a car, or refuse to follow Jesus by saying, “I
don’t want to be saved, I’d rather hang onto my stuff.”
This was exactly the rich young ruler’s mistake. In his
foolishness and ignorance he preferred corruptible riches
which, would eventually break, rot or burn. The Bible tells us
that everything we own will eventually disappear. Only three
things are eternal: God, His Word and His people, and we
should invest in these.
This man made a mistake by trying to invest in and
preserve something he would eventually lose. Jesus told him
that if he would do the opposite—by becoming less dependent
on his worldly goods and willing to forsake them—then he
would receive a hundredfold in return.
No bank in the world will give you such a good return on
your investment. With a large sum of money and a high rate
of interest, you might gain as much as 10-13%. However,
Jesus says that when you give up something for Him, you
will receive a hundred times as much in return!
Heaven—The Best Storehouse of All

Some people think we will receive this hundredfold in
return, when we get to Heaven. Certainly, it is worth
forsaking everything in this present life to gain a treasure in
Heaven, but this is not what Jesus is saying. He says, “there
is no one...who shall not receive a hundredfold now in
this time” (see verses 29-30).
This reward does come from Heaven, but we can begin to
enjoy it in this present life! We do not need to go to Heaven
itself to receive what is there for us. The treasures of Heaven
have been made available to us right here and now. Heaven
acts as our storehouse (see Deut 28:12).
Blessed by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
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Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has

begotten us—again to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an
inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that
does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who
are kept by the power of God through faith for
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Pet
1:3-5).
When we read this we may be inclined to think that

although we have been born again and received a living hope,
this hope is that when we get to Heaven we will find an
inheritance waiting for us there. However, this is not what
the Bible says. These verses do not imply that you receive an
inheritance only when you get to Heaven.
The inheritance you have received is intended for both
Heaven and Earth. It is referred to here as an incorruptible
inheritance. It is an unending inheritance that remains pure
and undefiled. You have not received it in an illegal manner.
It is preserved for you in Heaven, the best place you could
possibly store something.
No thief is able to break in there and no one can steal
what you have in Heaven, that is, as long as you refuse to let
the devil take what you have, by believing his lies. This is
why Paul prays in Ephesians 1:17-23 that you will be given a
spirit of revelation so that you might understand your
inheritance in the saints.
We can better understand this by returning to Mark 10:
Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has
left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother
or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the
gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in
this time—houses (He starts with material possessions)
and brothers and sisters and mothers and children
and lands, with persecutions—and in the age to come,
eternal life (vv. 29-30).
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Jesus says that you have an inheritance waiting for you

in Heaven. We have all heard that before, but we have not
heard so much about the fact that this same inheritance is
available to us right now. We can enjoy our inheritance in
this life when we forsake what Jesus wants us to forsake.
A Hundredfold Return!
When we relinquish something in obedience to God—no
matter what it may be—Jesus has promised that we will
receive a hundredfold now, in this time. This is true whether
it is brothers, sisters, mothers, children, lands or houses,
including, of course, the contents of the house. This promise
clearly applies to your worldly possessions. It also applies
right in the middle of persecutions.
If you give up a house, then according to the Word of God
—I am only reading what it says—you can expect a hundred
in return. Perhaps you think I am being egotistical. The
truth is, it is selfish not to want a hundred houses. There are
people all over the world who could live in them. There are
homeless children in India. Why not keep one for yourself
and start children’s homes in ninety-nine different countries
with the others!
This is the point Jesus is trying to make: stop thinking
only about yourself. Then you will see these principles come
into operation on a continual basis.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, “Cast your bread upon the
waters, for you will find it after many days.” You will
always receive more than you have given and it will come to
you in just about every possible means and from every
possible direction. And it will be accompanied by
persecutions.
The teaching of Jesus on relinquishment of material
goods can, of course, be applied to other areas as well. For
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instance, if you are a preacher you might get your share of

persecution and have a door shut in your face. But because
you refuse to compromise your message, you will receive a
hundredfold in this area. A hundred doors will be opened to
you, all because you gave up one door to obey God.
Once I had to turn down an invitation to preach in a large
European city. It was a painful decision, but I knew I had to
stay at home and take care of administrative matters,
something I am not particularly fond of. Just a few days
later, an opportunity arose for me to preach on satellite
television that would reach almost ten countries
simultaneously.
When this happened, the Lord said to me, “I would not
have been able to open this door for you if you had not turned
down the other invitation.” I was shocked to realize that it
could be that sensitive.
Jesus shows us that for every situation in which you are
willing to abandon and relinquish something, you will receive
a hundredfold return. It is pure foolishness not to want to
give up certain things. Only pride and prestige prevent
believers from entering that supernatural flow in which they
have access to God’s resources and can fully enjoy their
inheritance.
Jesus promises not only an abundant life when we get to
Heaven, He promises a hundredfold here, on earth. This
applies not only to brothers, sisters, relatives, and those
things we consider spiritual. Jesus actually starts His list
with houses and finishes with lands, both of which are very
tangible, material items.
What is really meant by calling something spiritual is
that it comes from God. “He has blessed us with every
spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”
(Eph 1:3). The gnostic claims that all matter is evil, but the
material things that God blesses, He calls good. If it comes
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from God you are to praise Him for it, without feeling guilty
or ashamed.
After studying the story of the rich young ruler we
understand that Jesus spoke directly into a particular
situation. What He said, though, applies to those who are in
the same situation even today. If this rich young ruler had
given up all that he owned for the sake of Jesus and the
Gospel, he would have become a hundred times richer.
This is, exactly what Jesus says afterwards. There is no
one, not even the rich young ruler, with whom He has just
finished speaking, who will not receive a hundredfold now, in
this time.
Had the rich young ruler done what Jesus said, he would
have received a hundredfold of all that he relinquished. He
missed this opportunity because he did not understand the
covenant. He failed to realize that Jesus was making him an
offer that was far beyond any business proposal he had ever
heard. There it was, right before his very eyes, but because of
his greed he missed it completely. He held on to what he had,
unaware of what he could have received.
Many people do precisely the same thing today. They say,
“Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.” However,
this is a ridiculous attitude based purely on fear. The Bible
says,
For whoever desires to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for My sake and the
gospel’s will save it (Mark 8:35).
This is the difference between fear and faith. Fear is

stingy, afraid of the consequences and always trying to hold
onto things. Fear must see before it can believe. On the other
hand, faith is built on the knowledge of what God has
promised. Therefore faith can easily release things. Abraham
could easily give the most fertile part of the land to Lot
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because God had already pronounced, “The land is yours!”

(see Gen 13:9).
Relinquishment is easy when you know what God has
said. He has told you that whatever you give up will always
return. You will receive exactly what He has promised to
give. He will never forsake you, but will be with you to see
that His promises are fulfilled in your life.
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8
8 Allow God to Bless You!
We are all very different. When God wants to teach you
how to walk in faith, He will begin in the area of your life
where you are the most teachable. Your life is made up of
several different “fields.” God begins to work in those fields
that are most fertile. However, His ultimate aim is to be able
to work in every area of your life.
It is possible to walk in faith and be blessed in one field,
while operating just like the world in another. For example, I
may love Jesus and yet be extremely stingy. This is because I
have not yet received teaching or revelation from the Word of
God in this area. I have failed to realize that the same
principle I use successfully in one area, can also be applied to
the others.
“The just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:17). This is a
principle that applies to every area of our lives, although it
might take some time to see it in operation. This is because
we have been brought up with the mentality of the world,
poverty, greed and fear.
Of course, we should not be careless or wasteful. While
we are to be wise stewards, we need also to be aware of the
tendency to be governed by a spirit of poverty and bondage,
which holds people captive. Many who want to save their
finances for the Lord, do so out of unbelief and actually
prevent the Lord from blessing them.
You need to make room for God in every area of your life.
You glorify God by letting Him bless you. You may be a
cheerful giver, but a poor receiver. God wants you to be able
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to receive, unashamedly. Give the glory to God, be thankful

for what you receive and never feel guilty for what He gives
you.
Who is it that receives the glory when you are blessed?
God does, when you testify to everyone about what He has
done. The devil, however, does not like this, so he keeps
people captive in their poverty by saying that they should not
be extravagant. However, it is worldly to think that you are
being extravagant, because you are walking in the blessings
of God.
Some people do not dare allow God to bless them for fear
of what others might think. But when I receive something I
thank God for it. I do not feel ashamed or embarrassed about
it, but I do ask for the protection of the blood of Jesus from
persecution.
Once, when the devil tried to attack me in this area, the
Lord gave me a scripture that says, “The blessing of the
Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it”
(Prov 10:22). I said to the Lord, “If this is indeed a blessing
from you, then I refuse to accept a lot of worries, sorrows or
attacks because of it. In the Name of Jesus, I ask for your
protection!” As I prayed for divine protection the attack
began to dissolve. God is good and He can ensure that what
He gives us is preserved and protected.
God is not lacking to the extent that He is unable to meet
your every need and desire. Your part is to receive it by faith
and then to stand in faith for it. You need to work toward
this and to be prepared for a few attacks as well. God wants
you to be neither greedy nor to live in overindulgence. His
only will is that you have what you need in abundance.
God Does Not Begrudge You Good Things

You must make up your mind to be willing to receive the
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Allow God to Bless You!
blessings that God has for you, because along with the
blessings will come persecutions. Following close behind the
hundredfold blessings are the hundredfold envy and
suspicion. But if you are secure in the fact that your attitude
is right, you can praise God, regardless. There is nothing
better than knowing that your conscience is clean.
When people begin to speculate and calculate how much
money you earn and where it all comes from, it is important
that your conscience is clean. It would be damaging to the
Kingdom of God, not to mention embarrassing, if their
accusations and suspicions turned out to be true after all.
God will bless you financially in the years to come. There
is no limit to how much He will give you when you look after
your affairs carefully and avoid being greedy or employing
fleshly methods. The riches of this world belong to those with
pure hands and the ability to manage these resources
correctly.
God’s desire is to entrust you with a great deal of money
in the days ahead and to enable you to do what He has
commanded. God blesses you for two primary reasons: partly
because you are a steward and partly because you are His
child.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good
gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father who is in heaven give good things to those
who ask Him! (Matt 7:11).
In any area of your life, the blessings of God are an

expression of your Father’s love and care for you as His child.
Do not let lies cause you to begrudge yourself the good things
God freely gives you. We are not talking about gloating over
piles of money. This is not what it is all about. It is simply
about receiving what God has for you. He allows you much
more than even you allow yourself.
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9 Paul’s View of Money
In a previous chapter we dealt with what Jesus said
about riches and ownership in the case of the rich young
ruler. We understand that what He stated was to a
particular person in a unique situation.
What Paul writes about money, however, is directed
toward everyone. His writings are exhortations to the Church
and are therefore intended for every believer. If the words of
Jesus to the rich young ruler had been a general law or
principle, Paul would have written the same thing in his
letters, by revelation from God. But nowhere in his writings
do we find a general command to all believers to give away
all they own.
What does Paul say to those who are rich? His directions
and exhortations are the Word of God, our yardstick and
guide.
Command those who are rich in this present age
not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches
but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to
enjoy (1 Tim 6:17).
Never be so foolish as to put your trust in something as

uncertain as riches. Do not put your trust in your checkbook.
People have been known to commit suicide by jumping from
windows in the midst of a financial catastrophe because they
have placed their trust in money.
Just look at the resulting chaos if people’s salaries do not
come on time. This is true even of some Christians, including
those who supposedly preach faith. Down come their facades
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immediately and out goes their faith. As paul says here, do

not put your trust in uncertain riches, but in god, “who
gives us richly all things to enjoy.”
Paul continues in verse 18 saying, “Command them to
do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous
and willing to share” (NIV). This is to be the attitude of
the rich. Notice that when Paul is exhorting the rich he does
not tell them to sell all they own. Instead he says, “Just put
your trust in the right thing, not in money, but in God who
has given you what you have, for your enjoyment.” Paul is
not as religious as many of us seem to think!
There is nothing wrong with enjoying what you have. It is
wrong only if this enjoyment becomes selfish and you begin
to live for these things. There is a great difference between
these two attitudes, and you must understand this, if you are
to experience the life of victory and abundance God desires
you to have.
It seems to be more difficult to explain these differences
to journalists, to the world or to the religiously minded. You
will understand the difference only if your life is led by the
Holy Spirit. If you are led by your flesh, your understanding
will be fleshly. But if you are led by the Spirit then you can
be free to rejoice and enjoy what God has given you, using it
both to give to others and to enjoy for yourself.
While you enjoy it, be sure to maintain a generous
attitude and willingness to share with others. This is in
accordance with the Word of God. Possessions are not wrong
or dangerous. The wrong arises only when possessions have
you! God gives you good gifts to bless you as His child and so
that you in turn can bless others.
Money and Ministry

If you hold a position of ministry in the Kingdom of God
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Paul’s View of Money
you must do your utmost to walk before God with a clean

conscience. Use a professional accountant to insure that
financial matters are handled correctly.
As a servant of the Lord, you also need to be willing to go
without a salary in certain situations and as the Lord directs.
Paul often did so.
Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you
might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of
God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches,
taking wages from them to minister to you. And when
I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden
to no one, for what was lacking to me the brethren
who came from Macedonia supplied. And in
everything I kept myself from being burdensome to
you, and so I will keep myself. As the truth of Christ
is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in
the regions of Achaia (2 Cor 11:7-10).
In other contexts Paul tells us that the worker is worthy

of his hire and the ox should not be muzzled while treading
out the grain. So what does he mean in the above passage?
The Corinthians were very fleshly and Paul knew that they
had money problems. Under the leading of the Holy Spirit he
denied himself what was rightfully his.
The Bible tells us that a servant of the Gospel is to live
from the Gospel; not from selling ads and insurance. It is the
responsibility of the church to support him. In other words, a
pastor or preacher has a full-time job and it is wrong to
deprive the worker of his wages. However, situations may
arise in which fleshly or unregenerate people cause us to act
like Paul and go without payment.
This is what Paul is saying: “You are not my source, God
is. My job is to preach the Gospel to you. But because you are
so carnal that you fail to understand that you need to help
me continue my travels, I refuse to take up an offering from
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you in case you say that I have plundered you and have
taken your money. There are others who will support me.”
When Paul planned to go to Rome he expected them to
supply him for the rest of his journey. But such was not the
case in Corinth. It was a church full of problems and he was
forced to descend to their level.
The more you are used by the Lord, the wiser you need to
be. Some people become wise by human standards and they
compromise. We cannot allow ourselves to compromise in
this area by showing regard for what others think. In
delicate situations you must demonstrate wisdom and be led
by the Holy Spirit.
If your conscience is clear it will not be easy for people to
pin something on you. However, it will be quickly noticed if
you are acting deceitfully with money. No one else may know
about it, but it is noticeable in the spirit. You will experience
diminished success and God will be dishonored.
Silencing Critics
As soon as we began the construction of our present
facilities here at Word of Life, the real attacks started. Some
journalists once asked me, “How much money do you make
from your tapes?”
“Nothing,” I answered.
Sudden silence followed. I have decided not to make any
profit from the sale of cassette tapes. The money made from
the many tapes we do sell is put toward the Gospel. We do
not distribute tapes to make a profit, we do it to bless the
people who are in need of our teaching. However, money is
required to distribute cassette tapes. We have employees and
equipment and increased expenses as a result of our new
building.
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“How much money have you made on this book?” one of

them asked me, as he held up the book Faith That
Overcomes the World.
“Nothing,” I said. “It all goes to the building.”
It became quiet again. They had asked the head of the
publishing house the same question and received the same
answer. Amazingly enough, this information actually made it
into the newspaper, even though it contradicted previous
reports.
It is wonderful to know that I have certain rights which,
for the sake of the world and fleshly Christians, I have
chosen to relinquish.
I receive a salary in my capacity as director, teacher and
pastor of Word of Life. My goal is to decrease that income on
a continual basis. The lower I keep my salary, the more I am
forced to trust God. We are not to live by faith only until we
get a fixed salary. You need to decide to live by faith the rest
of your life.
Right now, I have to believe for more money than ever
before. The previous sums I’ve had to believe for are nothing
compared to these present ones. And the Lord continues to
speak to us regarding new projects for which there is no
financial covering in the natural.
Most recently, God spoke to us regarding a project to send
40 million Swedish kronor’s worth of literature, videos and
cassette tapes, as well as several full-time evangelists into
the Soviet Union. We do not have that kind of money.
Besides that, we have our own monthly expenses to cover.
But we do not concentrate on meeting our own needs alone.
We do what God has said by giving instead, knowing that He
will supply our every need.
This is how we are to live. The Word of God tells us to be
examples in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith and
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in purity (see 1 Tim 4:12). It must be apparent from our lives

that we practice what we preach. People will be attracted
when they see these things working for us. You need to keep
yourself pure and continue to walk in faith in an area as
sensitive as money. Sow out and just wait to see the resulting
harvest. God will honor and bless you. He will protect,
preserve and help you.
You Can Live by Faith

The first few seconds after an aircraft takes off are
always the most dramatic. Once airborne, flying is easy. The
same is true of your walk in the Spirit. You struggle
feverishly to get off the ground, out of the natural realm and
into the supernatural. Once there, you begin to feel at home.
Your faith grows stronger and you see the devil defeated in
one area after another. The promises of God are fulfilled in
greater degree—you are flying.
Be of good cheer! God has performed financial miracles
before. He loves to bring His people out of financial
difficulties and set them free. The concrete, verifiable
miracles of God are a tremendous testimony to others.
The revelation about financial prosperity cannot be
stopped. When the people of God are finally free in this area,
we will have what it takes to win the world.
God told Abraham that, through faith, the earth would be
his inheritance (see Gen 12:1 and Heb 11:8). What we need
today is deliverance from financial bondage. Poverty is a
bondage, a kind of financial slavery from which Jesus has
promised to deliver us. He came to set the captives free,
including those bound financially.
Jesus brought the Good News to the poor. What is good
news for the poor? Riches and prosperity, of course. And,
praise the Lord, this same Good News is for us! We have no
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right to waste these resources or spend them on our fleshly

passions, but we will do with them exactly what God desires
—take the world for the Gospel.
Contentment Is the Key

Our attitude should be like Paul’s: “I am willing to give
things up. I do not always have to receive.” It is pathetic to
see people who should be serving God, clutching for money.
This kind of begging happens all over the world.
Paul warns against this sort of attitude:
Useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and
destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a
means of gain (1 Tim 6:5).
Such people think it possible to make money from

godliness. Unfortunately, there are such people today. They
have discovered a way to make money from God and they
deceive themselves with their cunning sales tactics. It is
sickening to meet such individuals whose impurity is easily
conspicuous.
Ephesians 5:3 says that fornication, uncleanness or
covetousness are not even to be mentioned among us. God
hates covetousness. It prevents people from walking in His
blessings. In First Timothy 6:6 Paul says, “But godliness
with contentment is great gain.” Contentment is an
attitude that, is independent of how much you have. The key
to receiving more is being content with what you already
have.
Godliness with contentment is a position in which I want
nothing more than to fear and serve God. I am not out to get
something. I want only to please God. Along this line, Psalm
75 tells us that exaltation comes from the Lord. God uses
those who are content rather than those who are idly waiting
for their big “chance” or “breakthrough.”
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In First Timothy 6:7-8 Paul goes on to say,

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is
certain that we can carry nothing out. And having
food and clothing, with these we shall be content.
The Key to Success Is Fellowshipping With God

and Being Content.
This was Paul’s attitude and it is the prerequisite for the
Christian life. “And having food and clothing, with these
we shall be content.” Some people have tried to twist this
verse to mean that we are allowed nothing more than the
absolute essentials in life. However, this is not what Paul is
saying. He is referring to an attitude of contentment.
Later in the same chapter Paul says that God has blessed
the rich with all things for their enjoyment. He is not being
inconsistent. He is demonstrating the importance of the right
outlook on riches. Do not start “standing in faith” to get other
people’s things. This is nothing more than coveting your
neighbor’s goods.
But those who desire to he rich fall into
temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and
harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and
perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds
of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in
their greediness, and pierced themselves through
with many sorrows (1 Tim 6:9-10).
Paul does not say that money itself is the root of all evil.
There are certain ideologies that make this claim but the
Bible is diametrically opposed to such a view. The Word of
God is clear on this: there is nothing wrong with money or
possessions. It is the love of money that is a root of all kinds
of evil. Those who are driven by the desire and lust for money
and possessions will be led astray from the faith and will
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pierce themselves with many sorrows.

If people grasp the message of financial prosperity for the
sake of selfish gain, according to the Bible, they will pierce
themselves through with many sorrows. It is impossible to
get this teaching to work by living in the flesh. Your attitude
must first be right.
Money and the Government

Let’s read now in Ephesians 4:28: “Let him who stole
steal no longer....” Stealing is an external manifestation of
greed. There are many different ways in which to steal. You
can break a shop window and take the goods inside, or you
can do it in a more sophisticated manner. You can cheat with
income taxes, make false deductions or call things by another
name when submitting a declaration.
I have no right to say, “The state has stolen so much from
me that I have a right to take some of it back.” The Bible
tells us to pay taxes. When you pay your taxes, praise God
and say:
This is the money the state says I owe. I give it to

them willingly. No one is taking it from me. God, I
ask that this money be used for sensible purposes
and not to finance the work of the devil. My money
will be used to further the work of God. It will be
used for the good of the people; for hospitals, help
for the handicapped and so on. In the Name of
Jesus I bless my tax contribution. I set it apart for
the expansion of the Kingdom of God through the
system of taxation.
Doing this will make you stop complaining about your

taxes. Of course, you can continue to pray for more justice in
the system, but until that day comes, you still have to pay
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your taxes.
Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let
him labor, working with his hands what is good, that
he may have something to give him who has need
(Eph 4:28).
According to the Bible, working should give you enough

money to meet both your needs and the needs of others.
If you are living in a society with a tax system which
makes it impossible for you to have enough left over to give to
others, you need to pray for the Lord to change that system.
It is God’s will that you have enough to give to others.
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10 God Is Your Provider
God is the God of abundance. He is a rich God and He
meets your needs according to His riches in glory, in Christ
Jesus. All that God gives, comes to us in and through Jesus
Christ. The blessings mentioned in this book are yours
dependent on the fact that you are under the New Covenant
and because of what Jesus has done for you.
Let’s continue now to study what Paul had to say about
God’s provision for His children and the attitude He desires
us to have in the financial area. In Philippians 4:10-19 Paul
says:
But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last
your care for me has flourished again; though you
surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that
I speak in regard to need, for I have leaned in
whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be
abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and
in all things I have learned both to be full and to be
hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do
all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in
my distress. Now you Philippians know also that in
the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from
Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning
giving and receiving but you only. For even in
Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my
necessities. Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the
fruit that abounds to your account. Indeed I have all
and abound. I am full, having received from
Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, a
sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well
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pleasing to God. And my God shall supply all your

need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Be Content—But Not Passive!

We often hear people saying, “We shouldn’t talk so much
about money. We should be content with what we have. After
all, didn’t the apostle Paul say that he was content in every
circumstance?” Those who say this are taking this scripture
directly out of context.
For many of us, the word “content” carries with it the
implication of passivity. However, this is not what it means
in the Bible. In Greek, the word “content” means “self-
sufficient” or “self-producing.” When Paul was content in
every situation, it meant that he was self-sufficient; that
regardless of his circumstances, he knew God was more than
enough to produce what he needed.
Paul points out two different pitfalls, which we should
avoid. On the one hand is greed, coveting your neighbor’s
goods and never being content with what you have.
The other pitfall is believing that contentment means
being happy with what you have to the extent that you never
try to get anything more. But can you imagine telling a
newborn infant to be content with what he has? He has
nothing. We enter this world with nothing and we leave with
nothing. It is while we are in this world that we need things.
Material blessings are designed to help you live in this world.
Paul is talking about this attitude when he says that he
has no lack. He had learned to be content in every
circumstance. Occasionally, he found himself in situations
where he was in lack and suffered need. He said,
I have learned both to be full and to be hungry,
both to abound and to suffer need (v 12).
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God Is Your Provider
Paul encourages the Philippians, however, telling them,

“Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in
my distress” (v 14). He refers to need and hunger as
distress. He does not call these things blessings. He does not
tell us that going without food and clothing and shelter for a
couple of days is wonderful or enjoyable. He calls it distress,
though he knew how to respond to it when it came.
In other words, Paul was saying, “It was good of you to
send me some money. I know what it is like to be poor as well
as rich (and being rich is better!).” This is exactly what he is
explaining: I have suffered need and I have abounded, and
abounding is clearly better.
If you read in Second Corinthians 11:22-23 along with
several portions of the book of Acts, you will quickly discover
that there were periods in Paul’s life when he suffered need.
He was attacked, shipwrecked and subjected to many forms
of misery. Paul had learned to be content in every situation
because he knew that God was his provider. His expectation
was not in people or circumstances, His expectation was in
God.
The primary key to walking in financial prosperity is
never to look at people as your source of provision. Christian
ministries and religious organizations often expect people to
take on this responsibility. Then, when the money fails to
come in they pressurize these people to provide.
God Uses People

If God is truly your provider rather than people, you can
be unmoved and content in any circumstance. Your trust is
where it should be—in the Lord.
Philippians 4:10-19 is actually a revelation of the nature
of God. Paul assures the church in Philippi, “And my God
shall supply all your need according to His riches in
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glory by Christ Jesus.” In other words, Paul is saying,

“God has always met my needs. I know Him personally. He is
my provider, not people.” We see from these scriptures that
one important aspect of walking in financial prosperity is
being free from dependency on other people.
On the other hand, God has made other people to be
channels through which He provides money. Material
blessings always come to us via others.
There is a difference between finances and healing, for
instance. Sometimes, God uses other people as channels to
bring healing, but not always. Healing can occur through the
laying on of hands or it can come directly from God.
However, when it comes to finances, God always uses
other people as His channels. He does not have a mint in
Heaven. Through the Holy Spirit, He is able to direct money
by way of other people to reach selected targets here on
earth.
Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it shall be given unto
you.” You will always receive back when you give. It is a
spiritual law. What you give will be given back to you, and
you will always get back more than you have given.
How do we receive? “Good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over, shall men give
into your bosom” (KJV). The word “men” here means
people. Jesus says that when you give to God, people are the
channels through which you will receive your reward. See
yourself as a channel and keep that channel open so God can
flow through you in the way He desires.
Trust God to meet your needs. He is your ultimate source.
You never need to beg others for money. Simply trust God
that the Holy Spirit will prompt those people whom He has
called to give.
Paul was like this. I am convinced that he went first to
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God with His needs and asked Him to send someone to help
him, allowing God to decide how and by whom it would be
done.
Free From Worry

God has called you to walk in faith. However, this does
not mean that you are to quit your job. That would be
foolishness rather than faith. You should not begin to think
about taking such a step until you have so much to do in
ministry that your job becomes a hindrance.
When you leave a fixed salary behind you will soon
discover that God will give you more through other means
than you ever received from the more traditional sources of
salary and employment. Work is just a means by which the
Lord can provide you with money. There are countless other
sources through which the Lord can meet your needs. It is
not up to you to decide the source of the money, leave that up
to God.
When you lack money, when your expenses exceed your
income, you are in need of a financial miracle. Do not, at this
point, pray, “Father, I praise you that my mother will notice
my worn out clothes and give me two hundred dollars.” Some
people try to figure out different ways to demonstrate their
needs so that people will give. This is called worry and
anxiety and it is a sin.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals that serving
mammon is synonymous with worrying about material
things.
No one can serve two masters; for either he will
hate the one and love the other, or else he will be
loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot
serve God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, do
not worry about your life, what you will eat or what
you will drink; nor about your body, what you will
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put on (Matt 6:24-25).
It is extremely interesting to notice the connection Jesus

is making here. It is not those who are rich who serve
mammon, He says, it is those who worry about how to get
material things. Why? Jesus goes on to describe how
carefully the Father feeds the birds of the air and clothes the
lilies of the field, although these things are not eternal. If
God takes such care of His “lower” creatures, Jesus
continues, how much more will He not meet the needs of
man, the crown of His creation?
We, are experts at worrying. We are used to living in a
world in which things can be seen, experienced and felt.
When you see that your bank balance includes a certain
number of zeros, you feel happy and secure. However, when
you receive a bill that exceeds the number of zeros on your
statement, suddenly your money is gone and your joy along
with it. This is called walking according to sight and
circumstances and it is something you cannot afford to do.
God is not against you feeling happy about your bank
account, but you must release yourself from dependency on
your visible resources. This can take time. You need to begin
by meditating on what the Word of God has to say about this
area until it becomes a personal conviction in your heart. As
a result, God will set you free from the financial bondage and
fear in which most people are still caught.
People lie awake at night. They count and calculate, and
some even go as far as to commit suicide because they cannot
pay their bills. It is a terrifying bondage—but just as God has
a solution for all of our problems, He has a solution for this
one too.
God’s answer to the problem of financial bondage is
financial prosperity through Jesus Christ. But before it can
become a reality in your life, you must get to the point where
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you personally learn to walk by faith in this area. Turn your

attention away from what you see in front of you and stop
worrying.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your
requests be made known to God; and the peace of
God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally,
brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things
are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things
are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things
are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there
is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things
(Phil 4:6-8).
Never Let Money Decide!

Those who are pastors need to be on their guard against
allowing people with financial resources to control them. The
book of James warns against showing favoritism toward the
rich over the poor (see Jas 2:1-4). Just because someone is a
rich businessman does not automatically make him
spiritually in tune. Similarly, a pastor is not necessarily good
at business. He can receive powerful revelation without
knowing anything about money.
A giver should never be allowed to lead a minister or a
church. The amount of money a person has says nothing
about their influence in the spirit realm. Something has gone
terribly wrong when money begins to direct a church. God
never intended money to lead His Church, He intended the
Holy Spirit to lead it.
Many people are motivated by a desire for personal
influence or power. You cannot ever afford to be influenced
by such people. If you are, you will be prevented from doing
the will of God.
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You must stay free by spending time in your prayer closet

and by walking in faith in the area of personal finances. Your
personal victory will be transferred to your public ministry,
where you may later be dealing with large sums of money.
The principles of prosperity stay the same, regardless of the
amount you are dealing with.
It is important to stay pure and free in the area of money.
You may end up dealing with a lot of it. We are living at a
time when God will supernaturally release resources across
the earth to finance the mighty work that needs to be
accomplished. You must be a ready and clean channel, if
what He desires to do through you is to be fulfilled.
Keep the Vision Clear

Just as all of us can be attacked with physical sickness, it
is possible to be attacked financially. This does not mean that
we are sinners or that God has forsaken us. We are merely
under attack. During these times, it is vital to remember that
this is not a permanent condition.
If you find yourself in a time of famine, but continue to
“sow” and apply the Biblical principles, you will emerge on
the other side victoriously. Do not become afraid when you
are attacked. Rather than worry, present your requests
before God with prayer, petitions and thanksgiving.
Praise God in such situations for complete and total
victory and for a way of escape from temptation. Like Paul,
you will be able to say, “I know what it is to abased and I
know what it is like to abound. I can be content and confident
in any position or circumstance. I can be hungry. I can be fed.
I can have abundance and I can suffer lack. In other words, I
can handle any situation because I can do all things through
Him who strengthens me.”
Paul was saying that he was not dependent on anyone to
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do what God had called him to do. He was not dependent on

his circumstances. He could handle anything. Though he had
only a wooden plank on the open sea, he was determined to
reach the emperor in Rome—and because this was his
attitude, he made it.
Just imagine what would have happened if Paul had said,
“Unless I cross the Mediterranean in a luxury liner and stop
off at Crete, the trip is off.” Instead, in spite of how he got
there, he had made up his mind to see the Roman emperor.
Remarkably enough, it was the state that paid his way.
As a prisoner, Paul was provided with food, clothing,
transportation and protection throughout his journey. He
had everything he needed, including protection from those
who wanted to take his life. His provision was ideal for the
situation. However, the devil still tried to use a shipwreck to
stop him. But Paul walked in his royal authority as a king
and priest before God, even as a prisoner, and so the entire
ship was saved, and he reached Rome.
We are also on a journey, and possessions cannot be
allowed to prevent us from reaching our destination. We do
not live only for ourselves. With this attitude, it is easy to
make an offering. The vision God has given us ought to be so
central to our lives that we refuse to retreat, even when our
flesh reacts.
God is the God of abundance. His plans and intentions
are already blessed. Of course, you must pray, stand in faith
and drive back the powers of darkness.
The channels need to be open and able to carry the means
to finance what God has instructed you to do. The devil may
try to block these channels so you need to fight in the spirit
and keep the victory. However, do not go crawling to others
begging for money or trying to use flattery to talk them into
giving. If God has decided to do something, it has been
blessed and He will assure that it happens.
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11
11 Sowing And Reaping
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also
reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also
reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes
in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God
loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all
grace abound toward you, that you, always having all
sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every
good work. As it is written, “He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor; His righteousness remains
forever.” Now may He who supplies seed to the
sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the
seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your
righteousness, while you are enriched in everything
for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through
us to God (2 Cor 9:6-11).
Here Paul reminds us of the law of sowing and reaping.

This law always operates in proportion and according to how
much you give. The more you sow, the greater your harvest.
You will personally reap what you have sown. The crop will
be the same, but the amount will be greater. Galatians 6:8
tells us that we will reap corruption if we sow to the flesh,
but eternal life if we sow to the Spirit.
You Reap What You Sow

Whether you sow your time, your money or something
else, you will always reap the same thing that you sow. This
is how it works in the natural: parsley seed does not produce
carrots. It is impossible. What you put in the ground is
exactly what comes up.
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Financial Freedom
Another facet of this law is that some crops grow quickly,

while others take more time. This can be both good and bad.
The person who plants an olive tree seldom lives long enough
to pick an olive from that same tree. In this case it is the next
generation that will reap what the previous one has planted.
Certain things bring long-term results, while other things
produce a quick, but unenduring return.
When you plant or sow something, it is better to find a
seed that continues to produce fruit for a long period of time.
For example, you will benefit more from the seed of an apple
tree than from the seed of a radish. God has provided you
with long-term areas in which to sow and He will show you
exactly what they are.
Paul tells us that he who sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly. But to encourage you, he promises: “And God is
able to make all grace abound toward you, that you,
always having all sufficiency in all things, have an
abundance for every good work.” Here, God is saying
that He is the giver and you are the sower. He supplies seed
to the sower and bread for food. If you dare to place yourself
at His disposal and begin to give, this law will come into
operation.
We need to remember two important laws: the law of
sowing and reaping and the law of faith, or walking by what
is not seen. You must always walk in faith. You need to
exercise this faith by beginning to sow what little seed you
have.
Take a step of faith at a time when you personally have
very little to give, and sow. You must begin somewhere if this
law is to function for you. At a time of need it is easy to think
that you ought to hold on to what you have. The mentality of
the world says, “Keep what you have. Don’t let anyone else
have it.” However, the Kingdom of God is the opposite of this.
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Sowing And Reaping
Dare to Give
There is one who scatters, yet increases more;
And there is one who withholds more than is right,
But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be
made rich, And he who waters will also be watered
himself. The people will curse him who withholds
grain, But blessing will be on the head of him who
sells it (Prov 11:24-26).
This law works. If you dare to test it, God will give you
more blessings than you have room to contain.
Make a quality decision to always do what God tells you
to do. Every time you wonder if you can afford it, you are
asking your checkbook for permission. If God says yes and
your checkbook says no, do it anyway. On the other hand,
you should not do something if God says no, even if your
checkbook says yes. Be led by the Holy Spirit and not your
bank balance!
You may find yourself in a situation where you have
nothing. God does not condemn you or complain about you.
He looks at your will. If your will is engaged and you give
according to your present ability, you will end up “giving”
yourself out of famine and into prosperity.
Some people, however, stop giving as soon as they receive
some money. Their resources dry up and suddenly, that
money has disappeared—all because they tried to retain it.
What you attempt to hold on to will always disappear.
Do not delay if God exhorts you to sow into a particular
project. When the Holy Spirit speaks, you should be prepared
to sow within a second’s notice. This will bring you out of
financial bondage and into freedom, where God wants every
one of us. If you lack money at the moment, God will provide
it for you. There is no greater satisfaction than to give to the
work of God. It involves being independent of the world and
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Financial Freedom
having the freedom to act and do what God has told us to do.
Sow Into Good Soil

When Paul exhorts the Corinthians to contribute to the
collection for the poor in Jerusalem, he uses the
substitutionary death of Jesus as a motivation for them to
give. According to Paul, the reason they should give is
because Christ Jesus Himself became poor so that, through
His poverty, they might become rich and therefore able to
give:
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that though he was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, that you through His poverty might
become rich. And in this I give advice: It is to your
advantage not only to be doing what you began and
were desiring to do a year ago; but now you also must
complete the doing of it; that as there was a readiness
to desire it, so there also may be a completion out of
what you have. For if there is first a willing mind, it
is accepted according to what one has, and not
according to what he does not have. For I do not
mean that others should be eased and you burdened;
but by an equality, that now at this time your
abundance may supply their lack, that their
abundance also may supply your lack—that there
may be equality (2 Cor 8:9-14).
Always sow your seed into good soil and never sow under
pressure. God will speak to you, thus enabling you to give
with joy. However, do not give an arbitrary sum. Ask God
how much you are to give.
The devil does not want believers to give. If they do, he
wants them to contribute to the wrong things. If you sow into
something that is not approved by God, the devil has
channeled your money down a blind alley and prevented it
from bearing fruit. You should do nothing out of routine or
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Sowing And Reaping
religious duty, but let it flow as a result of your fellowship

with the Lord. In this way, you will be actively involved in
what God is doing.
Similarly, you should not allow threats or flattery to
motivate your giving as this is not the leading of the Holy
Spirit either. As soon as you feel under pressure to give, stop
immediately. This is not the correct motivation for giving—
and the motivation for giving is the most critical issue.
The sum of money is not what matters. This is what Paul
is saying: “For if the willingness is there, the gift is
acceptable according to what one has, not according to
what he does not have” (NIV). God does not consider the
amount of money given, He looks at the motive behind the
giving.
Stick to Your Decision!

Paul wanted to remind the believers in Corinth of their
previous decision. Like the rest of us, they had a tendency to
act on impulse and then go home and forget all about it. Now,
a year later, Paul was writing to remind them of their
decision. He says,
Now finish the work, so that your eager
willingness to do it may be matched by your
completion of it, according to your means (NIV).
If you have made a decision before God to contribute to a

particular cause, that is, if you have made a financial
promise, it is too late to try and excuse yourself by saying
that you have nothing to give. It is not a question of what you
have, it is a question of what you promised. If you do have
nothing, then give according to what you do have!
Prove that you are willing to carry out your decision. God
considers the promise you made to be sacred and precious.
Just as His promises to us are precious, He wants the
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Financial Freedom
promises we make to be equally precious, holy and reliable.

God is merciful. He fully understands your situation and
will never condemn you. He sees your good will and
intentions. But you should make sure you do not forget to do
what you have promised. There are two important sides to
this issue:
1. On the one hand, we must be sure to keep our
promises and,
2. on the other hand, we must avoid getting into
legalistic bondage by letting others force us into
making wrong decisions and doing things we would
otherwise never do.
God has established a financial plan for His Kingdom and
it involves us giving voluntarily to His work. This is a
ministry to the Lord, which is no less holy than praise and
worship in the Spirit.
112
12
12 Prosperity in Every Area of Life
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things
and be in health, just as your soul prospers (3 John
2).
John was inspired by the Holy Spirit when he wrote this.

God’s will is communicated here, not just a general greeting
from John himself.
To prosper “in all things” refers to prosperity in every
area of your life. Money is just one of these areas. The
message of financial prosperity is only one aspect of the
complete prosperity God desires to give you. God is a God of
prosperity. He is a covenant God. Because of the covenant He
has made with you, He wants to meet your every need. And
He meets your needs with His abundance and prosperity.
A life of prosperity means having so much, that not only
are your own needs met, but you can also meet the needs of
others.
Adam had no lack in the Garden of Eden. He never
experienced any need because God was his constant source of
provision.
Jesus Christ said that He had come to give abundant life:
The thief does not come except to steal, and to
kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have
life, and that they may have it more abundantly
(John 10:10).
The thief comes to steal many things—and among them is

your money. Jesus, however, came to give us abundant life,
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Financial Freedom
and this means having an unlimited supply.

Financial prosperity is the lowest level of this abundant
life. While it is not to be despised, you need to recognize that
life with God is much more than a couple of dollar bills in
your pocket. Money is the world’s ultimate guarantee of a
secure life. For us, that guarantee is God.
Think Right!
Prosperity involves every aspect of your life. God wants
you to have an abundance of peace, joy, power and love. He
has deposited these within you. However, the spirit and the
flesh are continually at war within you, and there is a
struggle against the devil, who is out to steal your strength,
your peace, your health and even your possessions.
Just as God wants you to prosper, the devil wants you to
fail. He often uses fear, coupled with the power of
association, to achieve this. You see the unrighteous and
their riches and conclude that having what they have, would
automatically make you unrighteous.
God is your defense. When you are blessed materially,
those who are spiritual will listen to what the Holy Spirit has
to say about it. Such people will never cause you problems.
On the other hand, fleshly people, who respond to what the
carnal mind says, will always cause you trouble.
You need to maintain an attitude of humility and a
willingness to adjust to every situation. But be sure to let
God be the one who adjusts you, not the devil. Satan would
like to make you look truly “spiritual” by getting you to
“forsake” everything.
In certain situations Jesus tells us to be prepared to
forsake everything. He once said to His disciples, “Whoever
desires to come after me, let him deny himself.” He is
referring to an attitude of heart. We cannot follow Jesus if
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Prosperity in Every Area of Life
our lives are directed and bound by something such as houses

or other earthly possessions. If you have so much as a
thought that says, “I can’t follow the Lord because I don’t
want to lose my car or my house and so on,” then Jesus is
speaking to you. You cannot follow Him. You are not worthy
of Him.
Although you must always be prepared to give things up,
the devil has often used this scripture to point the finger at
you and say, “You have to get rid of everything before you can
serve Jesus!” However, what Jesus is talking about has
nothing to do with immediately giving up everything you
own, but simply with your willingness to do so if He requires
it. Nothing should be allowed to stop you from following God.
You must make up your mind once and for all that all
your money, your possessions and your time belongs to Jesus.
The Holy Spirit will then lead you as to how and when you
are to give.
As we mentioned earlier, there are times when God
directs us to go without certain things. However, there is no
arbitrary rule governing this. It is crucial to be led by the
Holy Spirit. He will tell you what you are to relinquish and
your decision will be accompanied by peace and joy.
Remember that you do not live only for yourself!
Think Further!
You must choose to follow the Word of God. If you have
received revelation from God’s Word regarding financial
prosperity, He wants you to obey His Word, by walking in
that revelation.
If God has said, “I have determined to bless you,” and you
respond by saying that you do not want to be blessed, you are
in disobedience.
If you think that prosperity is unimportant and that it is
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Financial Freedom
up to you to decide how much money you should have and

what you will do with it, you are thinking selfishly. You are
afraid of persecution and afraid that people will speak evil of
you. In fact, you are being egotistical, and have failed to
realize that prosperity involves more than your personal
needs. Although it may begin there, prosperity is God
revealing to you the way in which His resources should be
distributed throughout the earth.
It is your responsibility to make sure that you secure the
good things God has promised you and that you use them
according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, you
need to make a difficult decision—allow yourself to be
blessed!
When Jesus came to live and dwell in you, He brought
with Him all the resources of Heaven. You have access to
these things. Is that anything to be ashamed of? No, God
would rather that you brag about His blessings. The Bible
says, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord” (2 Cor
10:17 NIV). You should boast about the blessings of God.
God wants you to testify to His blessings in every area of
your life. There is a spiritual force that would like to tell us
that ownership is evil. It is the spirit of Antichrist because it
is in opposition to the Word of God. The Bible guards and
protects the right to private ownership and this is an area in
which God wants you to be blessed.
Abraham was a rich man who walked continually in the
blessings of God. However, when he was presented with an
opportunity to gain possessions unjustly, he refused to
receive them, and thus avoided being brought into bondage
(see Gen 14:23).
God will bless you if you have the right motives. It all
starts with you receiving this teaching and understanding
that it is not just about your personal gain. Prosperity exists
for the expansion of God’s Kingdom. The Gospel can be
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Prosperity in Every Area of Life
spread to the ends of the earth—through financial freedom.
117
Other Books by Ulf Ekman
A Life of Victory
The guidance, help and inspiration you need to put God’s
Word first. Fifty-four chapters, each dealing with a particular
area of the believer’s life. 288 pages
The Authority in the Name of Jesus
When you receive a revelation of what the name of Jesus
really means, you will have boldness like never before.
Booklet, 32 pages
Destroy the Works of the Devil
Jesus came to earth to destroy the works of the devil. His
death on the cross struck Satan a death blow. Jesus
triumphed over him and won the victory for YOU. Booklet,
32 pages
Faith that Overcomes the World
Explains how faith arises, how it becomes operational, and
what makes it grow. 144 pages
God, the State and the Individual
God not only deals with individuals, but with nations and
governments. You can change the destiny of your nation! 112
pages
God Wants to Heal Everyone
Discover the wonderful fact that God’s will is to heal
everyone—including you. Booklet, 32 pages
Power in the New Creation
A new dimension of victorious living awaits you. The Lord is
with you, Mighty Warrior! Booklet, 32 pages
The Jews—People of the Future
Clarifies basic truths about the people and the land.
Historical facts and Biblical prophecies combine to reveal the
fulfillment of God’s End-time Plan. 160 pages
The Prophetic Ministry
“Provides essential guideposts for the operation of the prophetic
ministry today.” From the Foreword by Demos Shakarian. 224
pages
Available from your local Christian bookstore, or order direct
from the publisher:

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Financial Freedom

Word of Life Publications

ISBN 91 7866 139 0

English translation, copyright © 1989 Ulf Ekman

Printed in Finland for Word of Life Publications by TryckPartner AB

Word of Life Publications

Part I Financial Prosperity in the Old Testament

2 The Blessing of Abraham.....................................................27

4 Riches in the Book of Proverbs............................................49

5 Start Right Where You Are!................................................61

Part II Financial Prosperity in the New Testament

7 The Rich Young Ruler—What Did He Refuse?...................71

8 Allow God to Bless You!.......................................................83

9 Paul’s View of Money...........................................................87

10 God Is Your Provider.........................................................97

11 Sowing And Reaping........................................................107

12 Prosperity in Every Area of Life......................................113

It was challenging, to say the least, when the Lord began

concerning this issue. You need to see how these traditions

This is why it is so important that we do not flirt with the

Financial prosperity is not just another subject—it is an

give. He gives according to His riches because He is a rich

To give in good measure means to give abundantly. It

God enjoys giving. Just as you enjoy giving gifts to others,

God has two primary characteristics in the area of giving:

We see from this scripture that God is involved in giving and

Get Used to the Word of God

The word translated “Almighty” in this verse is the

has this combined meaning, that God gives more than

God Has Made a Covenant with You

The word “ask” here is aiteo, which means “demand” in the

wanted, He could say to us, “You’re not getting anything. You

God Keeps His Promises

has twisted their understanding of the scriptures. We see in

The Lord—My Provider

Get to Know God!

The Character of God Is Revealed in Creation

heavens” (Gen 1:20).

Notice the word “abundance,” and remember that God

concerned He is with the minute details in our lives.

God Created Beauty

God has never considered beauty and good taste taboo.

God Has No Lack

Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden,

A Higher Level of Poverty

high, take-home pay has decreased and people are tied to

The blessing God placed on this man is known as the

Lot was rich because he stayed with Abraham. There are

Never Help Yourself!

Abraham’s herdsmen began to argue, but Abraham

himself was of another spirit. He was blessed and knew the

Abraham was Rich

taken captive, he armed his three hundred and

The Blessing Is Passed On

Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear

The covenant God made with Abraham was an eternal

So Isaac remained in the land and sowed his crops there.

him, he reaped a harvest of one hundredfold that year (see

Obedience Leads to Influence

People had not paid much attention to the old man