Good Afternoon Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
One question I get frequently from Believers once they’ve learned that God wants them to prosper spiritually, physically, and financially is how to tell whether I’m asking God for something wrongly, or amiss, and therefore consuming it upon my lust. They cite the following verse:
James 4:3
Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Religion has the ordinary Believer so fearful of asking for “things” because they fear God will see them as being lustful. Therefore, most Believers rarely ask for anything, and they preface and end whatever they do ask for with the statement, “if it be Thy will.” They have no faithful expectation that what they’ve asked for will be given them. All three states, “rarely asking for, if it be Thy will, and no faithful expectation of receiving” break the Spiritual Laws of the Kingdom of God (i.e. Law of Faith, Law of Agreement, Law of Confession, Law of Receiving). No wonder a great majority of Believers, especially in the United States and most Western nations, are powerless, new creations – all their earthly lives. This is not God’s will. God’s will is for us to develop into powerful creations of His, decreeing, believing, and receiving the spiritual and physical promises of His, and taking and occupying all God has meant for you to have on this earth as a testimony to the world God’s hand is upon you ((think Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jesus, the poor widow (remember she became rich)).
Let’s go directly to the Scriptures you can meditate upon that will ensure you don’t ask amiss when you do decree. Turn to Psalm 1, verses 1-3:
Psalm 1:1-3
1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
Notice God starts the psalm with “Blessed.” Blessed means to “empower to prosper.” Knowing this, let’s substitute the meaning for the word. “Empowered to prosper is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly……” Are you accepting the counsel of the ungodly in your marriage, in your business, in your finances, in your investments, in your health, in the raising of your children, etc.? Then, you will not be empowered to prosper in that area of your life. Pretty black and white. There is no confusion in this statement. As soon as I say this, I receive so many “buts.” Sisters and Brothers, there are NO “buts” in God’s Word. If you believe there are “buts” or exceptions to God’s Word, you believe God is a liar. That’s right. I’m sorry to be so blunt, but this is exactly what you believe. And this is exactly why your prayer life is unfruitful.
“Empowered to prosper is the man that standeth not in the way of sinners.” If any Believer puts conditions or works on a sinner coming to Christ, you have stood in the way of a sinner accepting Christ. I can think of several denominations that does this and have run off sinners who wanted to give their lives to Christ. The ONLY conditions to a sinner receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior are found in Romans 10:9-10. If any denomination says ANYTHING different, it is anathema. Again, if you are a part to this, your prayer life will be unfruitful.
“Empowered to prosper is the man that sitteth not in the seat of the scornful.” If you’re a scornful person, you are usually a judgmental person who always finds fault in others but not in yourself. This is called pride. Have you met these people in church? Yes, we all have met scorners, the people who judge others, mock the Word, disagree with the pastor who is inerrantly teaching the Word, envy other Believers who are prospering Spiritually, physically, and financially, etc. This Believer’s prayer life will be unfruitful.
Again, as stated earlier, the word “blessed” is to “empower to prosper.” Believers are empowered to prosper which means the Believer must do something to prosper. They are empowered to prosper when they meet a condition. We just spelled out three conditions that must be met: receive no counsel from the ungodly, don’t stand in the way of sinners, and don’t sit in the seat of the scornful. How do we ensure we meet these conditions? Psalm 1:2 tells us “how” we do it.
Psalm 1:2
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in His law doth he meditate day and night.
Today you can replace the “law of the LORD” with the “Word of the Lord” under the New Covenant. The key word to receiving your blessing is to “meditate.” In the Hebrew, meditate in this verse means to “imagine, mutter, speak, study.” Meditate what? The Word of God. “His delight is the Word of God.” Is God’s Word your delight or do you barely pick it up, barely read it, rarely study it? Is your business, your job, your hobby, your family, your money, your church more important to you than the Word of God? If it is, you are not empowered to prosper. God’s Word is very clear. And He is not changing it for anyone.
Let’s address meditation for a moment. If one meditates something, they are like a cow chewing its grass or “cud” as we call it on the farm. The cow has seven stomachs. It chews the cud in the first stomach, spits it up, and it moves on to the second stomach, and so on. By the time the cud is expelled from the cow’s body as waste, every nutrient in the cud has been extracted and feeds the cow’s body. This is exactly what we’ve been commanded to do with the Word of God. You are to study it, to chew on it, to ponder it, to speak to God about it, to speak it over yourself, your family, and your situation(s) until it becomes “wisdom” or “rhema, revealed Word” from God in your heart. Once this happens, you become “fully persuaded” of the Word and its promise. You never doubt or disbelieve it ever again. It is as sure to you as the next breath you draw. This is faith.
Now, what do we become, or what are our outcomes, as a “blessed man” who has met the three conditions through meditation. Verse 3 describes what we become as this blessed man.
Psalm 1:3
And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
If you can’t get excited when you read this verse, you need to reexamine your heart. Do you really know Jesus as your Savior and Lord of your life, or, if you are sure of your salvation, is Jesus the priority in your life?
A blessed man “SHALL BE” like a tree planted by the RIVERS of water – not a river of water, but rivers of water. This means you will never lack, no matter what is happening in this earth. Not only will you not lack, but you shall have an abundance. Global economy melts down, you prosper (see Genesis 26:1-16 about Isaac). I mock the wisdom of this world when fear sets in from pandemics, from economy meltdown, from anarchy, etc. They’re reaping exactly what the Word says they will reap for their iniquity. But, just like Isaac in Genesis 26, if you believe the Word of God, the Blessing of God, you have NO FEAR. Instead, you thank God profusely and happily for being your ONLY source. Now, you become the “light” spoken of in Matthew 5:16.
A blessed man will always be fruitful. Not just fruitful, but fruitful to a mighty abundance above all that we can ask or think. You will have great fruit Spiritually, materially, and physically. Your fruit will be like the grapes, figs, and pomegranates brought by the 12 spies of the Promised Land. Grapes as big as your hand. That’s God’s abundance.
A blessed man’s leaf will also not wither. The leaf represents a man’s physical body. His body shall not wither. Wither means:
1. To fade; to lose its native freshness; to become sapless; to dry.
It shall wither in all the leaves of her spring. Ezekiel 17:9.
2. To waste; to pine away; as animal bodies; as a withered hand. Matthew 12:10.
3. To lose or want animal moisture.
Your physical body is empowered to remain fresh, not to dry out, not to lose strength, not to lose your eyesight, not to waste away as does the natural man. I know. This is one blessing that most Believers just can’t believe. Well, if Moses can climb a mountain at 120 years of age and the Scriptures tell us that “his strength was unabated and his eyesight was not dimmed,” so can I. Or Caleb, at 85 years of age, said he had the vitality and strength he had at 40 years old, took up the sword, went into the mountainous region called Hebron and fought against the giants. I can have this, too. Why? Because God’s Word has not changed, and He is no respecter of persons. What He did for Moses and Caleb, He’ll do for you and me. He must do so according to the blood covenant. He CANNOT break it. But, we have to act on it.
Lastly, the blessed man prospers in whatsoever he does. Sisters and brothers, there is no confusion in this statement. “Whatsoever” means “whatsoever.” Anything a blessed man does prospers. I don’t need to spend any more time with this outcome. As Andrew Wommack states, “it is so simple, you have to have someone help you mess it up.” That someone is Satan. He’ll sure help you mess it up. This is his tactic.
In closing, and I apologize for the length, you’ll never ask amiss and you’ll always receive what you ask for if you are a woman or man of Psalm 1:1-3. Remember Psalm 35:27:
Psalm 35:27
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.
Don’t let Satan and the world talk you out of your inheritance, your heritage. Claim it in the name of Jesus Christ.
Blessings,
Larry