Let's begin with a familiar and basic Bible verse that we must all grasp and know.
3 John 1:2 (NKJV) says, 'Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.'
Here, John prayed that his reader (and this includes you) may prosper. Prosper in what? Prosper in all things! Not just in some things. Not just in a few things. But in all things! It means in all aspects of your life!
Look at this statement now: '...that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.' Now, what does this imply? It means just as your soul prospers, i.e. the inside of you prospers, therefore you shall also prosper in the outside of you, i.e. in the physical realm, in your physical body, in the material world!
You see, God wants you to prosper! God wants the best for you! Prospering in your inside (i.e. your spirit, your soul) and also prospering in your outside (i.e. your physical body, in the material world)! Because when you prosper, you glorify God! As a matter of fact, God doesn't get the glory if you always suffer lack, and if you always have to beg other people to give you things!
The word 'prosper' here, according to Oxford Dictionary, can mean 'succeed, flourish, grow strong and healthy'. You see, it is not necessarily just in monetary form. It is more than that. In the context of our study here, you prosper both in the inside of you (i.e. spiritually, emotionally, mentally) and also in the outside of you (i.e. in the physical body, the material world).
So beloved of God, you can see that prosperity begins from the inside of you (i.e. in your spirit and in your soul). When you prosper in the inside of you, and when you see yourself prospering in the inside of you, it will be reflected in the outside of you (i.e. in the physical world)!
Let's continue with another familiar verse.
Philippians 4:19 (NKJV) says, 'And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.'
See here? All your need! Not some of your needs. Not a few of your needs. But all your need! And 'all' means 'all'! And according to what? According to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!
What does it mean by 'according to His riches in glory'? It means 'according to the unlimited and infinite riches in His glory realm, in the spiritual realm'. You see, the Lord our God owns the whole universe. He is the Creator of the whole universe and all the galaxies. Even scientists cannot fathom in any measurement how wide and how deep the whole universe is. So, according to this riches in glory, i.e. in the glory realm of God; and not according to the limited, finite, and scarce resources of this fallen world!
You see, in this finite and fallen world, when there is a competition or when there is a race, there's only one winner, but many losers. But I want to encourage you to see yourself in the glory realm, in the spiritual realm; even though you are walking on this earth, in the physical realm. In this glory realm, no one loses. Everyone is a winner. When you look to the Lord and walk according to His plans and purposes for your life, you never lose, but you are always a winner!
You see, in this finite and fallen world, there can only be one winner or one gold medalist, but many others are losers. But when you know how to walk in His glory realm, you are no loser. You win. You triumph in Christ!
And why is that so? The answer is easy. Because you are blessed! Galatians 3:13-14 (NKJV) says, 'Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.'
As a believer in the Lord, you are blessed, because Christ has redeemed you from the curse. In fact, Christ has become a curse for you! And you know this happened some 2,000 years ago at Calvary. He died for you on the cross and carried away all your sins and curse, so that this blessing of Abraham can come upon you! You can cross-refer to Deuteronomy 28 on the blessing of Abraham (the whole list of it).
Back to Galatians 3:13-14. What does it say here? That you might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. It means through your believing heart. Believing, you shall receive it. Now, believing begins from the inside of you. You see? Just like what 3 John 1:2 says, 'just as your soul prospers'.
Believing begins in the inside of you; and receiving also begins in the inside of you.
What is in the inside of you will lead to what is in the outside of you. And that's how the spiritual realm works. What is in the spiritual realm will surely be reflected in the physical realm. This is a very important truth that every believer must grasp and know!
Speaking of the blessing of Abraham, and speaking of Abraham, let's move on to Genesis 14:18-20a (NKJV), 'Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; And blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand."'
'Melchizedek', the priest of God Most High here is a 'picture' of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. After all, Jesus is the Prince of Peace. 'Salem' is from the word 'Shalom', meaning 'peace'. And 'Melchizedek' means 'King of Righteousness'. 'Melchi' means 'King'; and 'Zedek' means 'Righteousness'.
How about 'bread and wine'? These are 'pictures' of Jesus' body and Jesus' blood. His body was broken for you on the cross, and His blood was shed for you on the cross. He has carried all your curse on the cross, so that you can now be blessed! And this blessing has come upon you who are the righteousness of God through Christ (i.e. through your faith in Christ). That's why, beloved of God, you are blessed! Not only are you blessed, the Lord has also delivered you from all the works of the enemy against you!
Let's move on to Psalm 118:24-25 (NKJV) that says, 'This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save now, I pray, O Lord; O Lord, I pray, send now prosperity.'
This is a good prayer that you can pray in this time of uncertainty.
The word 'prosperity' here is 'tsawlakh' in Hebrew.
It can mean any of these:
- 'to go forward (in your life)'. You see, prosperity doesn't just have to be in monetary form. It can also mean you go forward in your life, or you move on to greater things in your life.
- 'to be profitable'. You see, the Lord will not shortchange you. People around you (people in this fallen world) may shortchange you, may take advantage of you, may cheat you, may deceive you, or may scam you; but the Lord your God will not. The Lord your God will instead ensure that whatever you do; as long as you follow His way; you shall prosper, you shall profit, you shall be blessed, and you shall have favor!
- 'to see good things'.
- 'to see good days'.
- 'to break out mightily (in a good way)'. Indeed, there's an anointing being released upon you right now to set you free from your 'box', and to take away the 'lid' from above you, so that you can break out mightily, i.e. you can see your breakthrough!
- 'to go over a barrier'. It means you cross over a barrier and enter into that breakthrough realm or the prosperity realm!
So beloved of God, you see that 'tsawlakh' can have many meanings!
Let's continue now with Psalm 34:9-10 (NKJV), 'Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.'
It means you have more than enough for every good thing. It means you have no lack. And you don't have to beg people, but you are well provided for.
For those who seek the Lord, He is giving you the wisdom, the favor, and the anointing for you to be set free from any form of lack. And He is giving you the grace (i.e. His supply and His ability that works in your life) to see your openings and to see your open doors into the realm of breakthrough or prosperity!
This is awesome! Let's see what Psalm 1:1-3 (NKJV) says, 'Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord (i.e. 'the Word of God' in our context), and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.'
This word 'prosper' here is the same word 'tsawlakh'.
In other words, whatever the blessed man (or woman) does shall 'tsawlakh'!
So today, let's learn and remember this key word 'tsawlakh'. And throughout this time of economic uncertainty that you see in the world, keep receiving your 'tsawlakh'!
Let's continue now with Genesis 39:2-3 (NKJV), and this time it's about Joseph, 'The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.'
You see, as a blessed man (or woman), people around you can see and sense that the Lord is with you, and the Lord is prospering you (in spite of whatever external circumstance you may be facing). For the record, Joseph was a slave at that time. But his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.
The word 'prosper' here in Hebrew, yes, you guess it right, is the same word 'tsawlakh'. In other words, the Lord made all he did to move ahead, to move forward, to break out, to cross over whatever barrier, to be profitable, to see good days, and to see good things! Now, all these actually happened to Joseph, if you study the life of Joseph in the book of Genesis!
So, it doesn't matter what people say about the doom and the gloom of this world, or about the economic shakings, and all that. Of course we don't deny this reality. We are living in reality. But in spite of all these doom and gloom, the truth is the Lord can still prosper you! Yes, you! The Lord can still 'tsawlakh' you! Hallelujah! This is the truth that the Lord wants you to know today!
