7 Ways God Teaches Us To Prosper -
Harold Herring
If stories about the Children of Israel cover over six books in the Bible, how can we ignore the fact that God has a lot He wants to teach us through them?
I Corinthians 10:11 in the New Living Translation says:
“These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.”
The Amplified Bible says it this way:
”Now these things befell them by way of a figure [as an example and warning to us]; they were written to admonish and fit us for right action by good instruction ….”
The point is … the Children of Israel are examples for us. Their natural lives help us to see spiritual truths so we can succeed where many of them did not.
Scripture is not confined to one level of understanding and truth is parallel from one subject to another.
That is why the story of the Israelites can teach us a lot about life on a number of levels.
There are at least 7 important prosperity principles found in Joshua Chapter 1 that teach us how to become prosperous.
I) The Past Is Dead
In Joshua Chapter 1: 1,2 we read the following in the Amplified Bible:
“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ minister,
2 “Moses My servant is dead. So now arise [take his place], go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land which I am giving to them, the Israelites.”
There are two important points here:
First, Moses was called of God to lead the Children of Israel out of slavery… he performed his assignment as God directed…
Remember … there were those who refused to give up a slave mentality and it cost a lot of others in Israel 40 years in the wilderness before there was a generation who could go to the next level.
If Joshua and Caleb went into the Promised Land, we know it’s possible to leave a slave mentality behind if we really want to but is may mean facing some giants along the way and it definitely means changing the way we think.
Second… God said… Moses is dead. In other words… we don’t need to look back to the past because the past is dead.
The slave mentality is dead.
Our past mistakes are dead.
The way to prosper is to look forward. Just beyond these verses Joshua directs the Children of Israel to consecrate themselves before they go into battle … they were diected toprepare their hearts and bodies to go forward … they had to leave the past in the past and so must we.
2) God Has Given Each of Us A Place of Dominion
Joshua 1: 3,4 says:
“Every place upon which the sole of your foot shall tread, that have I given to you, as I promised Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon to the great river Euphrates—all the land of the Hittites [Canaan]—and to the Great [Mediterranean] Sea on the west shall be your territory.”
God said… this is exactly the land you will possess.
What does this mean to us? We know God doesn’t mean for us to move to the Middle East to possess any land.
It does means God promises each of us success in the sphere of influence we’ve been called to walk in. He wants you to have influence and take dominion wherever you are.
Think of the influence Christians could have if we just put the Word to work… cultivating where God has placed us…taking dominion, making a difference for the kingdom.
This goes back to when God spokein Genesis 1:28 AMP:
“And God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it [using all its vast resources in the service of God and man]; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and over every living creature that moves upon the earth.”
God has us spread all over the World… to take dominion.
And we have been given everything we need to do it. 2 Peter 1:3 says:
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:”
3) God Has Promised Us Total Victory
Not only did God give us an assignment … He gives us promises and assurances for success.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
6 Be strong (confident) and of good courage, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only you be strong and very courageous, that you may do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
Here are the 7 points from these three scriptures:
First, in Gods eyes, He sees no one capable of having dominion over you.
Second, this promise is not only good for the immediate ...but as far as God sees, the promise is good for as long as you live.
Third,God backs up His statement by promising to always be there ... to back you up. Do you remember something God delivered you from? Well…if He delivered you before… He can surely do it again
Fourth,be strong and confident and of good courage...meaning we should be gaining confidence in every new circumstance and not losing it when difficulties arise.
Fifth, you will not only inherit the land God has placed you in, but you'll be an example to others who want to inherit their land.
Sixth, stand strong and courageous so you may do according to what God says… in other words...keep doing the Word and don't give up.
Seventh, don’t turn to the left or to the right… i.e., stay focused on your assignment.
4) God Gives Us a 7-Point Success System in Joshua 1:8
“This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success”
This scripture is really a success system for anything we want to accomplish in this life… if we just concentrated on this and did nothing else…we would wind up successful.
Let’s break it down…
First, this book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth … so many scriptures support the fact that we should let nothing but the Word come out of our mouths.
Second, we are to meditate on the Word day and night. Our immersing in the Word will eventually cause us to not only think the way God thinks but to respond the way God responds.
Proverbs 22:17-19 says:
“Listen (consent and submit) to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge;
“For it will be pleasant if you keep them in your mind [believing them]; your lips will be accustomed to [confessing] them.
“So that your trust (belief, reliance, support, and confidence) may be in the Lord, I have made known these things to you today, even to you.”
Third, that you may observe to do. Once the Word of God is living fully in our thoughts, our actions will follow. Sow a thought, reap an action, sow an action, reap a habit, sow good habits and reap a lifestyle of success.
Fourth, according to all that is written in it. “All” is going to be a continual process. We will probably never attain “all” but as much as we can learn to apply of the Word… the more successful we will become.
Fifth, THEN you will become prosperous. Prosperity is progressive. When we look at ourselves and say…’how come I’m not making any progress? It's we've forgotten how far we've come so far. It’s a continual upward climb which should never end.
Sixth, THEN you shall deal wisely. With every part of the Word we apply, we will deal more wisely. The key is not to forget the basics we've learned. It is not usually what we need to learn that holds us back but what we need to remember.
Hebrews 2:1 says:
"Since all this is true, we ought to pay much closer attention than ever to the truths that we have heard, lest in any way we drift past [them] and slip away.”
Seventh, THEN we will experience ... not just success … but good success because we are blessed by God’s wisdom.
Proverbs 10:22 in the Amplified Bible says:
”The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].”
Prosperity that is a cut above the world’s is the lack of sorrow.
4) God Promised Us He’d Be With Us Every Step of the Way
Joshua 1:9 says:
“Have not I commanded you? Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
This scripture is essentially repeating several points.
One of the basics most people struggle with is remembering that it's not our abilities but God's abilities that we must count on.
The fact that the scripture says: Have I not commanded you? indicates that this was a lesson that Joshua needed to have repeated… as do so many of the rest of us.
The Lord repeats…Be strong, vigorous and very courageous.
5) Fear MUST Go!
Fear is one of the most basic tactics of the enemy … because he knows it paralyzes us from taking action or worse makes us give up.
The Bible is full of ‘Fear Nots!’ We may even feel guilty when we begin to fear knowing we shouldn't. When we become afraid…we need to face the fear and decide what is really causing it by asking God what to do. We cannot afford to ignore it and we certainly can't give in to it. It opens a door we don’t want the devil to have access to.
In Psalm 34:4 AMP it says:
“I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
In the New Testament we have Luke 10:19:
“Behold! I have given you authority and power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and [physical and mental strength and ability] over all the power that the enemy [possesses]; and nothing shall in any way harm you.”
Luke 10:19 is worth meditating on. It validates the fact that the devil has ABSOLUTELY NO ABILITIES WE CANNOT DEFEAT.
6) Those Who Do Not Follow God’s Way … Will Not Succeed
Psalm 37:1,2 in the Amplified Bible says:
“Fret not yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God).
“For they shall good be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.”
Joshua 1:18 says:
“Whoever rebels against your commandment and will not hearken to all you command him shall be put to death.
When we don’t follow God commands we are only hurting ourselves.
After the successful takeover of Jericho, everything of value was to be ‘sacred unto the Lord’ … I call it the tithe of the wealth that would soon be released for the Israelites to enjoy. But Achan stole some of the spoils in Jericho and buried it beneath his tent unbeknownst to Joshua or anyone else. Therefore when they went up against the small city of Ai, they were soundly defeated.
Joshua 6:19 says:
“But all the silver and gold and vessels of bronze and iron are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”
Joshua 7:1 in the Amplified Bible says:
“But the Israelites committed a trespass in regard to the devoted things; for Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the things devoted [for destruction]. And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel.”
When Achan was discovered… he and his entire family were wiped out.
We know this type of action is not permitted today… but when we don’t listen to the voice of the Lord, I wonder if there isn’t some spiritual setback …even though we may not recognize it outwardly.
7) God Will Take Care of the Opposition … if We Trust Him
The last part of verse 18 says:
“Only be strong, vigorous, and of good courage.”
The higher we go in the Kingdom of God, the more is at stake. There is more responsibility BUT there is more reward. That is why the Lord says over and over to “be strong … and of good courage.”
We will face opposition but the Lord always promises to be there:
We have already read where He will never leave us or forsake us.
In Psalm 34:6,7 it says:
“This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
“The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers.”
Over in Exodus 23:22 says:
“But if you will indeed listen to and obey His voice and all that I speak, then I be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.”
We know God wants us successful… there are too many scriptural promises not to believe it. We may not be attaining all of it as fast as we want but we can rest assured that if we continue to do the Word… nothing can keep it from coming into our lives.
