There is no lack of Anointing in the body of
Christ. Neither is there any lack of willing laborers who are willing to go out
into the harvest. The greatest point of need in the church today is financial
need. A survey was conducted one time in a big preacher's conference. Thousands
of ministers were in attendance and they were asked two simple questions. The
first question was asking about those who faced problems of sickness that
hindered them from fulfilling their ministry assignment. Only two ministers
raised their hands. The second question was posed asking which of them faced
financial constraints in fulfilling their callings and the vision God had given
them. The majority of the ministers raised their hands. This shows us that the
greatest bondage in the body of Christ is not the bondage of sickness,
unfaithfulness or laziness, rather it is lack of financial resources to get
God's job done. King Solomon, the richest man who ever lived, made an
interesting observation in Ecclesiastes, "A
feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but MONEY ANSWERETH ALL
THINGS" (Ecc 10:19). Solomon never said that money answers just a few
things, he said it answers all things.
There are three basic keys about wealth that I
will share with you concerning wealth that every believer needs to know if they
are to come out from under financial burdens and yokes. These three keys are
part of the apostolic foundation which is supposed to be laid in the life of
every believer. "According to the
grace of God which is given unto me, AS A WISE MASTERBUILDER, I HAVE LAID THE
FOUNDATION, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he
buildeth thereupon" (1Co 3:10). Without this financial foundation, the
rest of the building will eventually collapse.
Key 1: Recognise God As Your
Source:
Many Christians assume that they recognize God
as their source yet they do not. Merely having head knowledge about God being
the provider is not enough to convince God that you have faith in Him. As James
succinctly said, "For as the body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (Jam
2:26). Many believers still look to this world's system as their source of
supply and totally get God out of the picture. Many individuals consider men as
their source of supply and not God. In the book of Deuteronomy, Prophet Moses
described two kinds of believers, the first who sees the world and his own
might as his source and the second who sees God as His source, "And thou say in thine heart, MY POWER
AND THE MIGHT OF MINE HAND HATH GOTTEN ME THIS WEALTH. But thou shalt remember
the LORD thy God: FOR IT IS HE THAT GIVETH THEE POWER TO GET WEALTH, that he
may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this
day" (Deu 8:17-18). The majority of the body of Christ lives in verse
17 where the job, government, parents, education or their own strength is their
source of supply. You can tell such individuals by their response when they are
about to be fired from their jobs. They will plead, beg and even give away
their bodies to their bosses if only they can keep their jobs. They will accept
to fulfill every evil scheme of their bosses such as adding zeros and balancing
accounts that obviously do not balance. Many will even give bribes to company
officials if only they can be given a job in the company. Some look up to their
parents as if they are semi-gods. Such people will never think of praying or
sowing a seed when they are in financial need, they will simply pick up their
phones to call or SMS their parents or guardians. Others stake all they have on
the government. They will fight for specific leaders to remain in power since
they look up to the government as their source of supply. Their greatest dread
is a change in the political setup since the government is their god. You
should never hang on to any man so close that you cannot let go.
One of the things
that God detests most is idols. Some Christians think that since they no longer
have any of the Maria and Saints statues in their homes that they have now been
delivered from idols. There is no greater lie. An idol is not just a sculpture
made with human hands, it can also be a person or a system. One of the greatest
idols that we have in the church today is financial idols. Pastors and
Evangelists idolize rich businessmen in their congregations and even provide
special seating for them since they have began looking to them as their source.
Committees start looking to patrons and donors as their source of supply.
Sometimes spiritual leaders even take their congregations as their source. The
Apostle John had something to say about this in his first epistle, "Little children, keep yourselves from
IDOLS. Amen" (1Jo 5:21). He shows us very clearly that we should keep
ourselves far from idols. Even Moses under the Old Covenant warned the
Israelites that their God was very jealous and would not share affection with
another, "For thou shalt worship no
other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a JEALOUS GOD" (Exo
34:14). Some believers cringe at the very mention of their bosses getting to
know that they are born again. This shows that you are serving more than one
master. If you fear to preach the gospel at your place of work you are not
worthy of Jesus Christ who paid a great price for your redemption. If you fear
being chased because you have a Bible on your desk, then you will surely remain
in lack the rest of your life. Some preachers will even refrain from preaching
specific messages because the chief thither in the church warned him that such
messages offend him. Shame on you preacher if you forfeit your divine calling
for the acceptance of a few shillings or dollars. Shame on you if you treat the
rich men better than the poor ones, a habit that is clearly condemned in the
scriptures, "My dear friends, don't
let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated
faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street
person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the
suit, "Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!" and either
ignore the street person or say, "Better sit here in the back row,"
haven't you segregated God's children and proved that you are judges who can't
be trusted? Listen, dear friends. Isn't it clear by now that God operates quite
differently? He chose the world's down-and-out as the kingdom's first citizens,
with full rights and privileges. This kingdom is promised to anyone who loves
God. And here you are abusing these same citizens! Isn't it the high and mighty
who exploit you, who use the courts to rob you blind?" (Jam 2:1-6). Racial or financial segregation
in the church is strictly prohibited. It simply shows that you have made an
idol out of the rich men and have began seeing them as your source and not God.
You need to repent of these idols and renounce them. Submit to God and declare
Him to be your source from this day forward.
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