The heart of David and Prosperity

^{Ephesians 1:15} For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, ¹⁶ I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.¹⁷ I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit^[f] of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength ²⁰ he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹ far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. ²² And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

I have been thinking about David lately and how much God blessed him.  God even said to him that He would have given him more if he did not have enough. We know that David lacked nothing. 

I was thinking about this because I have thought about how wrong the mainstream prosperity teaching is and how much it feeds unholiness within us. Prosperity teaching proclaims that God wants us to live in huge houses, drive fancy cars and have a great abundance of wealth. It makes us want to chase after the things of this world and not focus on the Lord as our source.

And It is very true that the Lord has promised us wealth when it reads, "the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous". (Proverbs 13:22) But is this a given? Should we just lay back, and do nothing? 

I was one of those who wanted to believe the prosperity preachers. I wanted to believe their prophecy of wealth etc...But after years of waiting I have learned some things along the way. It is not so that I don't believe this promise anymore, because I very much do, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.  (2 Corinthians 1:20),  but I have come to understand that God needs to be able to trust us with this wealth. I believe He tests our heart to see if we will not just make an idol from this wealth, and not use it for what it is meant. 

This brings me back to David. Here are some happenings that show the state of Davids heart.

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Of David the Lord said, that "he was a man after God's own heart". 1 Samuel 13:14.

The life of David showed a very intimate friend-relationship with God. In 2 Sam 7, we see how God replies to David, wishing to build Him a house and how David replied

When David wanted to build God's Altar he said: "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. (2 Sam 24:24).

David did not just want to receive from God, as many of us do. David wanted to give to God. (1st clue)

This tells me also that David was a man that loved God a lot. There are many statements in David's life that show his love for God. His last words in 2 Sam 22 show a debt in this friend- relationship he had with God.  He loved God more than anything else. (2nd clue) 

He always put God first, except for that one time that he followed after his flesh with Bathsheba. Even from that came the one who God gave his kingdom to. 

David trusted God because he knew God. He knew who he was with God, one who could do the impossible. He had a faith in God few had, as demonstrated in his battle with Goliath. 

David heard God's voice. He had the Spirit of Wisdom. David was a prophet; he had the Spirit of Revelation. This is seen clearly from David's last words. David had the knowledge of God described in Ephesians 1:18  The eyes of his understanding were enlightened.

David’s Last Words

1These are the last words of David:

“The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse,

the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High,

the man anointed by the God of Jacob,

the hero of Israel’s songs:

2“The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me;

his word was on my tongue.

3The God of Israel spoke,

the Rock of Israel said to me:

‘When one rules over people in righteousness,

when he rules in the fear of God,

4he is like the light of morning at sunrise

on a cloudless morning,

like the brightness after rain

that brings grass from the earth.’

5“If my house were not right with God,

surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant,

arranged and secured in every part;

surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation

and grant me my every desire.

6But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns,

which are not gathered with the hand.

7Whoever touches thorns

uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear;

they are burned up where they lie.”

This means that throughout his life he followed God. He did what the Lord commanded Him. 

He obeyed God. ( 3rd clue) 

When we Give, Love and Obey God, we do what Jesus commanded us to do and the outcome of this is that God will "bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire"

But when we don't Give, Love and Obey God:  James 4:3, "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." Is this not the financial state of many believers these days?

1 Timothy 6:9,  "Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction."

But there is Hope! I believe the Lord will fulfil His promises to His Body for His purpose. He is looking for people with the heart of David.

2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him."

The Lord has been and is testing people. He will strip them to nothing if that is what it takes. Just to test their heart. Will they still love Him, like Job or will they stop serving Him, and fervently chase after Mammon?

It is the Lord who promotes and humbles. (1 Samuel 2:7)  It is the Lord who grants fame and fortune.

I want to say something to all Christian Entrepreneurs and professionals out there. Search your heart. If you truly wish to prosper, which is also the Lord's desire for you, set your priorities straight. The Lord shall not have any other God before Him. If he has called you to something greater, don't settle for the crumbs by worshipping Mammon. Be a giver, Love God and be obedient. Spend time with Him, listen to Him. Follow as He leads. Be faithful.

I am not saying that I have achieved it all already. I too have gone through many testings, and maybe there is more to come. But as I go I pick up certain truths.

God is not in a hurry, we are. He will bring you to where He wants you to be, no matter how long it takes. Why should we be wasting time by resisting God? I have followed after my own heart and have had to learn hard lessons. When you burn your self you have to sit on the blisters. What ever we sow in the flesh we harvest in the flesh. In all of this road of learning, I have learned that what stated in 2 Corinthians 15:9  is true: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 

If God has given you faith, then He has called you for so much more that the state you are in right now.  Stick with it: (Philippians 1:6) "because being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." No matter what gifting or calling.

If there is a stripping process going on in your life, it is for the purpose that God can clothe you with His mantle. The outcome of this stripping should be that you will desire God more than any other thing. In this state you will care less about the wealth of this world. In that state i believe, God can trust you with His wealth meant for His purpose because He knows we will obey Him. In this I see the promise of Matthew 6:33 being fulfilled: "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

May the Lord enlighten the eyes of your understanding. 

God Bless!!

From Transformation to Transfiguration: Our Hope for the Future.

(I felt inspired to write while listening to my favourite teacher, pastor Peter Tan. I have listened to his teaching for years and I always feel spiritually well fed afterwards. He teaches indepth spiritual truth that creates such a hunger for more of God and holiness in me.  Feel free to look him up on www.petertan.net.)

From Transformation to Transfiguration.

When I heard these words I immediately thought of Jesus on the mount with Moses and Elijah. He was transfigured.
Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. ² There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. ³ Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

This is also the promise of the Bride of Christ; we will be transfigured when we receive our Glorified bodies at the rapture.
Phill 3:21 Who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

The Church will first have to be transformed on the inside. In our soul as our spirit man grows. We have to became without spot or wrinkle.

Efe 5:27 So that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish

We have to grow from glory to glory until we become one with Jesus completely, as He is without spot or wrinkle. In Him there is no sin and darkness. He invites us to this unity with him in His prayer to the FATHER. We have to grow to Christ who is the head, and walk with God in such a way as Elijah did before he was taken away. He embodied the Glory of God and his body did not die, but changed when taken up to Heaven.

Moses saw and walked in the Glory of God and his body did not age. He was still in his prime of strength when he went up the mountain and was taken by God.

The Glory of God was with the Israelites in such a way that during the forty years in the wilderness not even their clothes nor shoes broke.

The complete transformation within will lead to the transfiguration at the rapture. The Lord will come for a Holy Bride. Not a half backslidden, sleepy, dirty bride. But one without spot or wrinkle.

Who of us can say we are there already? Who is preparing themself?

I desire to. My flesh is slowly catching up to my spirit. In my spirit I want all these things but my flesh often chooses something else. I pray that my flesh may be more submitted to my spirit so that my transformation can be completed in due time. There is no formula for this to happen. We just have to follow the examples set by Jesus Himself. How he spent time with the FATHER in prayer, and also Enoch who walked with the Lord and was in His presence and Elijah who also walked closely with the Lord in prayer.

So prayer, spending time with the Lord,  is the key to the complete transformation that will lead to transfiguration. I believe prayer in Tongues has the greatest part in this process because it is the spirit man that has to grow to that stage. There are many testimonies of people who spent a lengthy time in prayer, in tongues, with the Lord, and then had some level of spiritual awakening and open visions. A more close walk with the Lord.

Let us join in more fervent prayer in Tongues, so the spirit can do His complete work in us.


God Bless!!