It is He who gives you power to get wealth!

Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV): "And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day."

The word 'power' here in Hebrew is 'kowach', which can mean 'ability, able, capacity, vigour, strength, substance, power'. In the New Covenant today, this 'power' that comes from Him is the anointing (i.e. enabling or empowering).

And when He gives, you (the believers) are the ones to receive! Acts 1:8 says, 'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'. Note that this power is not just the power to save, to restore, to renew, to heal, to deliver, but this power is also the power to prosper! (see Luke 4:18-19) And the Bible says 'It is He' who gives it to you, not any man, organization, or even government. Look to Him.

Galatians 3:13-14 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'. Notice the word 'receive' again? Some 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ became a curse for you on the cross (tree), so that you can now receive the blessing (that began when God made a covenant with Abraham). And one of the evidences of this blessing is in the area of prosperity!

"Was Abraham rich?" 

Yes. The Bible says so. Genesis 13:2 says, 'Abram (Abraham's former name) was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold'. Genesis 12:1-3 speaks of God's promises to Abram. It says, 'Now the Lord had said to Abram: "Get out of your country, from your family, and from your father's house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."'

2 Corinthians 8:9 says, 'For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich'.

So, people of God, from all the verses above, it is clear that God wants you to prosper! (see also 3 John 2). In fact, Psalm 35:27 says 'God has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant'.

"What is God's purpose in prospering His people?" 

The answer is found in Deuteronomy 8:18 - 'so that He may establish His covenant' on earth. And He's doing it through you. Prosperity is a good testimony for the good news of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, 'And God is able (i.e. God has the power) to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work'. What is this 'good work'? To establish God's covenant on earth! By sowing the seed of the good news of Jesus Christ! (see 2 Corinthians 9:9-11). So, you see, prosperity is not so much for the purpose of you getting a bigger and bigger mansion on earth, or adding to your collection of glossy cars!

"So, is it wrong to prosper?"

No, if you have His covenant in mind. The Bible never says 'money is evil', but it says the love of money is (see 1 Timothy 6:10). In other words, God is not against you having money, but He is against money having you!

So, people of God, set your mind on establishing His covenant on earth, and you'll be on your way to 'prospering you shall prosper', whatever your vocation may be on earth (as long as it's in line with God's Word). This is the key to prosperity in the Lord.
Point to note: Just don't forget Him after you have prospered!

I have also noticed through history that whenever His people remember and are conscious of His covenant, they'd prosper. But when they forget (or leave) His covenant, they'd begin to lack! That's why Moses reminded the people in Deuteronomy 8:18 - 'And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth'.

For those who are currently going through a time of lack (or hard times), by faith receive this anointing to break the 'old cycle' of lack, and right now, be released into a 'new cycle' of blessing and prosperity. The curse has been broken, and the blessing of Abraham has come upon you. Believing this, and you'll have it. Declare this over your life and your loved ones. In Jesus' mighty name. Amen.

Christ the Beginning, the Head, the Firstfruit

Genesis 1:1 (KJV): In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

The words 'In the beginning' here are 'Be-Reshiyth' in Hebrew, and these are the words that lead the way for all the other words in the Bible! According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the word 'Reshiyth' here in Hebrew means 'first, beginning, head, chief, choice part, best, firstfruit'.

Genesis 1:1 (word for word) sounds like this in Hebrew: Be (In the) reshiyth (beginning) bara (created) Elohim (God) et hashamayim (the heaven) ve'et ha'aretz (and the earth).

Let's look now at the words 'Be-Reshiyth' ('In the beginning'), which consist of the Hebrew alphabets 'Beth' and then 'Resh-Aleph-Shin-Yod-Tav':
The alphabet 'Beth' (בְּ) is a picture of a 'house', and in the context of Genesis 1:1, it means 'housed in'.
The alphabets 'Resh-Aleph-Shin-Yod-Tav' (רֵאשִׁ֖ית) picture this: 'The Head (Resh), being sacrificed (Aleph), the God (Shin/Shaddai), whose hands (Yod), are at the cross (Tav)'.

Note: Hebrew is written right to left, and every Hebrew alphabet (i.e. alefbet) has a picture.

Do you see Jesus Christ (Yeshua HaMashiach) now from the very beginning in Genesis 1:1? As a teacher of the Word, I'm here to unveil Christ in the Word of God (for He is in the Old Testament concealed, and He is in the New Testament revealed); and yes, Christ is there even from the very first verse of the whole Bible! Because He is the Word!

Let's now cross-refer to John 1:1. It says, 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'. See the words 'In the beginning' again? John 1:2-4 then follows, 'He (The Word) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him (the Word), and without Him (the Word) nothing was made that was made. In Him (the Word) was life, and the life was the light of men'.

Note: 'The Word' here refers to 'Jesus Christ our Lord' (John 1:14). 

John 1:9-10 continues, 'That (The Word) was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him...' Psalm 119:130 confirms this, 'The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple (i.e. those who lack understanding)'. John 1:12 then says, 'As many as received Him (The Word), to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.' Amen.

The book of Colossians explains much about Christ being the Head, the Firstfruit (see Colossians 1:15-18). Here, the apostle Paul wrote clearly to show that Christ is preeminent ('proteuo' in Greek), i.e. first and foremost in everything, and that a believer's life should also reflect this priority: In all that you are and you do, you are in Him (in Christ)...
- alive in Him (Colossians 2:13),
- walking in Him (Colossians 2:6),
- rooted in Him (Colossians 2:7),
- built up in Him (Colossians 2:7),
- hidden in Him (Colossians 2:3),
- established in Him (Colossians 2:7), and
- complete in Him (Colossians 2:10).
Praise the Lord!
Acts 17:28 also says, 'In Him (In Christ), we live, we move, and we have our being'. Amen!

In conclusion, as believers, and together in one body (of Christ), let us continue to 'hold fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments; and grow with the increase that is from God' (Colossians 2:19). In Jesus' name. Amen.

Guard your rest - The Samson story

Judges 16:16 (NKJV): And it came to pass, when she (Delilah) pestered him (Samson) daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death...

There are many things one can learn from Samson's life experiences and mistakes, and I believe nothing is written in the Bible without a purpose (or reason). His story might be a tragic one, but at least he did fulfil his calling in the end (Judges 16:23-31).

Samson was to be a son of rest because His father's name, Manoah (Judges 13:2) means 'man of rest, quietness, being settled' in Hebrew. The word 'Manoah' here is of the same word as 'Noah' ('Nuwach' in Hebrew), which also means 'rest, quietness, being settled'. You see, only a son of rest (like Noah) could build his Father an ark! (Genesis 5:29)

Note: When I write about 'rest' here, I'm referring to one's inner rest, and not so much about one's physical rest (though there is a place for this too). 

'Building an ark' here simply speaks of 'building God's plan/blueprint'. In other words, it takes a son of rest to be able to fulfil God's 'plan/blueprint' effectively. For Samson, God's plan/blueprint for him was to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:5).

Even though he did have a weakness for women (and he couldn't control his lust for them), I believe the underlying reason for his downfall was due to his inner rest being taken away. This was the real secret of his strength, i.e. he 'being at rest' in the Lord. When one is at rest in the Lord, that's when His strength would also come and take over!

Of course, having said all the above, one also cannot deny that he (Samson) should have restrained himself from being enticed by harlots, and should have fled (from them) in the very first place. The Bible says 'to flee youthful lusts' (2 Timothy 2:22). This 'carelessness' on his part in turn opened a 'loophole' for the enemy to come in and take advantage of him, and it eventually led to his inner rest being robbed away!

Let me explain now from the Bible.

From Judges 16, you'd see that not until Samson's rest was being taken away did he get overpowered by the Philistines. And the woman in the thick of this whole thing was none other than Delilah (Judges 16:4). And the lords of the Philistines then came up to her (Delilah) and said to her, "Entice him, and find out where his great strength lies, and by what means we may overpower him, that we may bind him to afflict him; and every one of us will give you eleven hundred pieces of silver." (Judges 16:5) And Delilah did as they said (Judges 16:6-15). By the way, and interestingly, the name 'Delilah' in Hebrew means 'to drain someone of his rest, to exhaust someone of his energy, or to thin something out'!

Judges 16:16-17 then says, 'And it came to pass, when she (Delilah) pestered him (Samson) daily with her words and pressed him, so that his soul was vexed to death, that he told her all his heart, and said to her, "No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother's womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man."'

The word 'vexed' here simply means 'being drained, distressed, or annoyed'. In other words, Samson was so 'drained' by Delilah that he eventually lost his inner rest. The Bible says he was being pestered daily with Delilah's words, and pressed hard, probably from every angle! And as a consequence, his soul grew so tired even to the point of death! And that's also when he told her all his heart's secret.

Judges 16:19 says, 'Then she (Delilah) lulled him (Samson) to sleep on her knees, and called for a man and had him shave off the seven locks of his head. Then she began to torment him, and his strength left him'. This speaks of Samson being cut off from his rest in the Lord. The number 'seven' in Hebrew means 'finished, perfect, completed work, or enter into rest'. For example, the Bible says 'six days God worked' (Genesis 1:31), 'on the seventh day, God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day' (Genesis 2:2), and 'then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work' (Genesis 2:3).

Now, let's see what happened to Samson when he lost his 'seven locks' (i.e. rest) that eventually caused him to lose his strength (i.e. his authority and power). Judges 16:21 says, 'Then the Philistines took him (Samson) and put out (i.e. bore out) his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza (i.e. 'being treated harshly and roughly in a stronghold'). They bound him with bronze fetters, and he became a grinder in the prison'.

'Put out his eyes' here means 'losing his perspective and vision in life'. In other words, when God's people lose their rest in the Lord, they'll also lose God's perspective and vision for their lives. This may even lead to them being 'bound' and 'imprisoned' (i.e. 'taken captives') in the 'stronghold' of the enemies.

So, people of God, never allow anyone (or anything) to rob you of your rest in the Lord! When your heart (and soul) is at rest in the Lord, you'll be less likely to make any rash decisions that may cause you to regret later in your life. Guard your rest in Him and continue to stay in His rest! Also, when one is at rest, he/she can receive God's wisdom and revelation more clearly and accurately. In contrast, one cannot if he/she is anxious or in distress. The solution is to cast all your cares (and anxieties/worries) to the Lord, for He is the Lord who cares for you (1 Peter 5:7).

Today, as a believer in the New Covenant, you can find perfect rest in Christ because of all that He has already done for you on the cross. His work on the cross is already finished and completed. The Bible says 'be diligent to enter into this rest' (Hebrews 4:10-11), i.e. resting in the perfect work of Jesus Christ on the cross. Amen.

Note: Having written all the above, I would also like to end with this: Your God is also a God of second chance. Judges 16:22 says, 'However, the hair of his (Samson's) head began to grow again after it had been shaven'. And Samson found strength again (Judges 16:23-31). There's still hope, my friend, no matter what your mistakes may be in the past. Let the bygones be bygones, and begin to look to Him afresh and anew today. He's here for you, and His love (for you) never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). Let this day be a new day and a new beginning for you as well, and I pray His strength be released upon you afresh and anew all over again. In Jesus' name. Amen.