I titled today’s study this way, on purpose, after some consideration, because these two things: prosperity and protection, are some of the most often attacked – not just by the world in general, but from inside Christian circles as well. In many places it is considered “radical” or “extreme” to believe in and trust God for prosperity, whether it be financial prosperity, or prosperity of other kinds such as prosperity in your relationships or prosperity in your health (i.e. healing).
There seems to be a disconnect in these areas, because the people that I often speak with, seem to have no real issue believing in a God who can give them eternal life, and save them from final destruction in hell; yet they have great difficulty believing that this same God is able or willing to provide for their temporal needs right now on this earth.
What I want to share with you today, is precisely what Jesus said about the provision, prosperity and protection, which the Father has for you, right now, today. And by seeing this, you will no longer be subject to the doubt that is so prevalent in the world today.
Now as I stated in the opening, there seems to be somewhat of a disconnect when it comes to these specific areas of prosperity and protection in Christ. The word prosperity itself is almost considered taboo, because people often associate it with greedy pastors, who try to squeeze massive amounts of money out of their congregations and build private empires.
Yet, the fact of the matter is that God Himself wants you to prosper, not only in your finances, but in every single area of life. I always encourage the people whom I speak with, to never limit prosperity to just money alone. That certainly isn’t to say that money isn’t included – because it is – but money is actually a very small speck on the vast map of God’s prosperity.
God, as your loving Father, wants you to prosper, just as any good parent wants their children to prosper; in-fact even more-so, because His love is divinely perfect. We need to stop and meditate on this fact for a moment, because there is so much worldly confusion, and spiritual fog if-you-will around this aspect of God. I could cite passages such as Jeremiah 29:11, even though some would dismiss it as being just for Israel during captivity. I could also cite 3rd John 1:2, which is also very clear and straightforward, but others would try to dismiss that as just John writing to his friend Gaius.
There are literally hundreds of scripture verses all throughout the Bible that speak of prosperity and protection – and those same verses are one after another dismissed, disregarded, tossed-aside as being, just for Israel, just in the Old Covenant, just for a specific time or person.
It’s easier for people to cling to suffering, than it is to stand in the faith of a healing and caring God. And I say this with a certain sadness in my heart because I see people refuse the deliverance of Christ quite often, simply because they don’t really believe that He wants to… and these are people who claim to be believers!
Ask them if God has saved them from hell, and you will hear “oh yes, absolutely!” – but ask them if God will heal that sickness in their body, and you will hear: “well, let’s not get crazy… God gave us brains, we shouldn’t be stupid!”
It’s a kind of spiritual cognitive dissonance. I see it nearly all of the time, and it manifests in a variety of ways; but most commonly in these areas of healing and protection and prosperity.
So if we can manage to put aside all of man’s ideas, man-made doctrines and theologies, what exactly does Jesus say about all of this? Check out Romans 1:16-17 to start with:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God to salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
The Gospel, the good news of Christ, is the power of God to salvation to everyone that believes. This one statement shatters most man-made beliefs today within Christian circles, because it destroys the very cognitive dissonance that I mentioned. It kills the “Yeah but”’s that most people have.
Two interesting things to note here, are that the word “power” in verse 16, is the Greek word dunamis, which is a very vast word meaning strength, endurance, ability and influence, and is very often used in connection with the miracles of Jesus as He cast out demons and healed diseases.
We see that the good news of Christ is the strength, the ability the power, to salvation. The word salvation here is the Greek word soteria, which means complete deliverance (in every sense of the word), complete welfare, wholeness, soundness, deliverance from enemies.
It doesn’t merely mean deliverance of your spirit only, later when we go to heaven. That’s all that we typically think it to mean, but it actually means much more. Physical health is included in this word as well, (even used as such in Acts 27:34).
This is precisely why Jesus could say what He did in Matthew 6:25-33:
“Therefore I say to you, Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit to his stature?
And why take you thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say to you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Why, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.
But seek you first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.”
Many of us are already familiar with these words of Jesus… but do we really believe them? Do we really believe that our Heavenly Father has the kind of actual care for us that Jesus is describing?
Think about it… Jesus is painting a very detailed, and very natural picture for us here. He is not speaking in spiritual metaphor here – on the contrary, He is speaking about real earthly cares; things that many people worry about every single day, your body, food, clothing, shelter, even your very life.
In heaven, there are no such cares to worry about, but Jesus is speaking about life here and now. And He has mentioned things that most of us worry about almost instinctively, on a regular basis.
He then tells us to do something that most people would mock: don’t worry about any of it!
As I said, most people – even Christians – would mock this, saying “That’s just not practical! Be reasonable Jesus! We need to be smart after all!
You see…. Cognitive dissonance again. The truth is that most people don’t really believe the portrait of God that Jesus is painting here.
Jesus, describes the reason why not to worry, by mentioning both the care of the Father, and your value to Him.
He says “look at the birds. They don’t sow or reap, but your Heavenly Father feeds them.” The little birds who don’t plant or harvest anything… they don’t gather things in storage… but your Father (that’s personal) Your Father feeds them.
Then Jesus continues, aren’t you more valuable than the birds? You see, there are two variables to this equation that you must answer before you can see the result… the first is to know that God actually cares for you, and wants to give you every good gift (Matthew 7:11); and the second variable is to know that you are valuable to God, your Father in Heaven. (Matthew 10:21)
In verse 33 here, Jesus says to keep first the kingdom of God and His righteousness… ah, look at this. The kingdom of God, and His righteousness; this is not your own righteousness, that comes from your efforts, your strength or your performance. Now we are getting to this point, and the key of it all.
This is the righteousness of God, this is His righteousness. This is what we are to seek. And what happens when we find it? All these things will be added to you.
Surely Jesus didn’t mean everything, right? He only meant some things didn’t He?
Nope. He actually meant all. Romans 8:32 says:
“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?”
And oops! Spoiler alert! This also tells us where we can find the righteousness of God! It’s in Jesus Christ, His Son.
For confirmation, check out Romans 3:20-23:
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ to all and on all them that believe: for there is no difference:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
The righteousness of God, comes by faith of Jesus Christ. The knowledge of what He has done for you, who He has made you to be – and belief on Him.
This is why today, you can indeed have protection and prosperity of every kind in Christ. It is not some crazy out of balance thing that some make it out to be… it is the truth of Jesus Christ and the reality of what He has accomplished for you.
Be blessed.