Hindrances to Biblical Prosperity: Stinginess & Laziness

Most people don't view money in the light of God, thus they don't handle it with the right attitude nor do they understand how to steward it well.

A generous person will be prosperous, And one who gives others plenty of water will himself be given plenty.

Proverbs 11:25 NASB

Lazy hands bring poverty, but hard-working hands lead to wealth.

Proverbs 10:4 ISV

We already know that in biblical prosperity, we are blessed of God to be a blessing unto others. Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed the lepers, & delivered the oppressed, that they may then be sent out to set others free. He gave people freedom not to receive anything in return, but from His own compassion and generosity. Jesus calls us to do the same.

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

Matthew 10:8

Or as another version states, You received without paying; give without pay.

Jesus makes it clear that the spiritual gifts and miracles of God are to be given and received freely, the only commodities required being faith that works by the love of God.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

Galatians 5:6

This scripture in it's context is talking about how Jesus Christ came to set us free from not only the bondages of sin, but from trying to serve God and be righteous in our own ability. The Jews used to look at anyone who wasn't circumcised as being "unclean" and "unholy" so there was a major divide there, and at the time that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatian believers some of them were still arguing about circumcision and following the Law (the 10 commandments plus about 603 more). Paul was saying, none of that matters anymore because our righteousness and holiness is not found in anything within ourselves- it is all found in Jesus Christ and in Him alone! Which is really, really good news... because not one person on earth (aside from Jesus) has ever nor will ever be able to be made righteous in the sight of God in their own ability. This is the Gospel message- Jesus was the only man that was ever completely free from the sin nature. Because Jesus is free, we are free. Because Jesus is blessed, we are blessed. Because Jesus is righteous, we are righteous. Because Jesus prospers, we prosper. Who we are, is all in Him. When we lose sight of that- our true identity in Christ- we stop walking in the Spirit, and we stop standing in the victory that Jesus has already won for us.

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Stinginess Hinders us from Prospering

There is a difference between not giving out of stinginess and selfishness, and not giving merely because God has other plans for you in stewarding your money. When you find yourself trying to justify your choice not to give because of a "flaw" in a spiritual minister or leader, this is most likely coming from stinginess. Everyone has at least one flaw, most people have hundreds. If you look hard enough and long enough, you will find something- multiple things- wrong with anyone and everyone. Flaws are not a sufficient reason not to give.

This attitude is a sign of a hardened heart where every preacher is a crook, every pastor is a thief, & every teacher is playing the people in the pews. You cannot let your heart become hardened because of other people's faults. God blessed you to be a blessing, not to be stingy.

From personal experience, I have encountered countless times where I or my family sowed money and possessions into people and 99% of those people handled it wrong. But these people had no revelation on biblical prosperity. Most Christians don't. How can we judge people for what they don't know? And even more, how can we determine our response to the scriptures and principles of God based off of the ignorance of others? Before I had a revelation of biblical prosperity, I did not steward money correctly. Does that mean God's principles are wrong and His WORD shouldn't be followed? God forbid! We cannot let our experiences take precedence over God's WORD. We cannot let our experiences harden our hearts to the point of being unfaithful to God's WORD. When God says to give, then give cheerfully and without reservation not because the person on the receiving end "deserves" it- because none of us deserve it in the light of GOD! Give because GOD is good and He freely gives to you. You give, because God has given. Freely you have received, freely give.

Generosity Cancels Out Stinginess

When we walk in this spirit of giving, stinginess doesn't stand a chance. Money cannot be the master of a generous heart. A generous heart is a free heart. A generous heart is a prosperous heart.

He who has a generous eye will be blessed, For he gives of his bread to the poor. Proverbs 22:9

Give Up, To Go Up

You don't receive from God by holding onto things. The more we give up in the Christian life, the more God raises us up. This is where the saying comes from,

The way to going up, is giving up.

This is the picture of making your body a living sacrifice according to Romans 12:1, and denying yourself, picking up your cross, and following Jesus. The more we give over to God, the more room we make in our lives for Him to give us His blessings, His riches, His purposes.

We can say that Jesus is God, but do we really believe that? Our actions will prove the posture of our hearts, and the fruit produced in our lives will illustrate what we believe and what we depend on. Again, I don't expect someone who came to Christ yesterday to be a perfect representation of the character of Christ, but I do expect them to be seeking God with all their heart. This standard of seeking is the biblical standard for all believers. If Jesus is LORD, GOD, and SAVIOR, our hearts will prove what we believe. A heart that is seeking wholly is a heart that Jesus is LORD over. A heart that Jesus is LORD over is a heart that has been wholly given up unto Him! The transformation will come in time as the mind is renewed to the WORD of GOD. Amen!

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

The Biblical Strategy for Giving

One can have all the money in the world, and not be walking in biblical prosperity. A stingy scrooge who holds onto their money like their own child, is not a person prospering God's way. When you begin to ask God for opportunities to intentionally give, He will open that door for you. God loves when His children are happy and excited to give, and this is a great meter to use when wondering if you should give or not.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

2 Corinthians 9:8

This does not paint a picture of a stern God saying,

you better give and you better like it!

This scripture provides us with a strategy and a barometer that helps us to discern where & when to give. Give where it brings you joy. Give when you have purposed in your own heart to do so, and when it brings cheer to your heart. Do not give when you feel pressured or reluctant! And do not feel condemned about deciding not to give! When you make the decision to walk in biblical prosperity and ask God for opportunities to give, He will direct you where, when, and to whom to give next... and you will have joy! Do not give when it feels like a burdensome task you must complete, or a religious ritual you must perform in order to have good-standing with God. Give from being blessed to be a blessing, and give from joy. And don't feel condemned when you don't have joy.

In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35

The Thief of Laziness

Laziness- another hindrance to biblical prosperity- begins with an attitude in the heart that manifests in inactivity and lack. Laziness isn't necessarily someone who sits on the couch all day, but is a heart posture of always wanting to receive and take, but never wanting to give. While it is good to receive from God and always expect His blessing and favor in our lives, the biblical principle of receiving always pairs with giving.

Freely you have received, freely give.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Luke 6:38

Having nothing but a taker or consumer mentality is a lazy spirit. We are not blessed by God, to take advantage of others and suck the life out of them. We are blessed by God, to be a blessing! Here at Kingdom Victory, we refer to such people who are always taking and never giving as spiritual vampires. They come into your life usually claiming to be Christians with "spiritual giftings" & claiming to have a desire to "help" you. But then they steal your joy, drain your money, take your confidence, suck the life-energy out of you, and before you realize it you're left with nothing and you're emotionally & spiritually burnt-out. These people are assignments from satan. Do not give place to such people. They will only steal, kill, and destroy. Turn away from them and let God handle them as you move forward in the WORD of God and His call for your life.

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. Matthew 7:15

Diligence

The way to overcome laziness is through diligence.

Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

Proverbs 12:2

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 10:4

A diligent heart is a heart that understands that God gives us purpose. The root of most laziness usually comes from a lack of purpose in life. Those who don't have a sense of destiny or hope in how God can use them lack purpose and drive, and their lives manifest laziness. When you see that God can use you, it motivates you to be diligent and pursue the will of God. When you don't feel a sense of purpose and you don't see how God can use you, then start praying for God to make you usable.

Qualified

Those who lack purpose and hope often have a sense of inadequacy. They don't feel adequate, they don't feel qualified, therefore they see no way or reason for God to use them. But it's not about feeling adequate in ourselves, because we will never find true adequacy in ourselves! Believers must know in their hearts that GOD has qualified us! Just as we prosper because God is prosperity, we are qualified because JESUS is qualified! And through and in Christ, God has qualified US as sons and daughters to partake of His blessings and promises!

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Colossians 1:12

When you are in God's WORD and He gives you direction & a command, with His command comes the special grace and ability to move in that direction, perform His command and fulfill His purposes! You may not feel adequate, so you must lean into God's grace and into CHRIST's adequacy! The Father has already qualified you. Your ability- or lack thereof- in yourself does not and cannot un-qualify you. All you need to know in following God's will in this life is,

GOD called me.

GOD sent me.

I am the very best person for the job to which GOD has commissioned me.

Inadequacy devalues you because it removes the value that GOD has placed on you. When that heavenly value is removed, hopelessness sets in and laziness comes right behind. You stop trying because instead of focusing on God's ability and how much God values you, your focus is on your own inability and inadequacy.

The truth is that we are ALL LOSERS without JESUS! We are ALL inadequate without JESUS. BUT WE ARE NOT WITHOUT JESUS. So stop considering yourself without HIM!

No Limits

When we look at ourselves apart from Christ, we only see our flaws, our inadequacies, our limits. This way of thinking completely limits God because it focuses on the self, not on JESUS. With Jesus, all things are possible. Nothing is too difficult for the LORD. When we keep our eyes and minds on Him, we live a life without limits according to His will! When He gives us an assignment, we can know that He has chosen us for that assignment with the highest wisdom and knowledge that exists. Therefore we can know,

I am the absolute best person to serve in this assignment from GOD right now. He has chosen me, and He chooses with intention. He has called me, chosen me, sent me, and qualified me. Nothing is impossible for me with GOD!

Now is the time to stop comparing yourself to others, stop wishing you were someone else living someplace else.

God has called you to be you.

God has called you to be where you are.

God has qualified you to be who you are, where you are.

God has sent you.

You are the absolute best person to fulfill His will in the place He has called you!

Stop limiting GOD by looking at yourself.

Start looking at JESUS!

Now is the time to step into God's call, not what makes you feel comfortable and not what is the most convenient. You can feel inadequate in any and every assignment, but if you agree with inadequacy you will yield to laziness and limit what GOD has for you from coming to pass in your life.

Fear of Failure

In Matthew 25 in the Parable of the Talents, a man goes on a journey and thus entrusts his three servants with his money (the talents). Two of the servants invested the talents and increased their Master's money, but the third servant dug a hole in the ground and hid his Master's money. When the Master came home, he called the third servant wicked and lazy because he didn't increase his wealth. The servant was so afraid of failing that he never tried to increase the talent in the first place.

How many of us are guilty of the same thing? Are we afraid of failure? Are we ashamed of our mistakes? Are we also hiding in a hole, not letting the light of Christ shine through us into the world and increasing His glory? Fear and shame in regards to failure are direct links to laziness and procrastination. We cannot hide our talent- our blessing and the call of God on our lives- in a hole just because we are afraid of failure. We cannot allow the shame from past mistakes when we put faith in our own ability, to be what leads our lives today. We must trust and lean into GOD and know that our boat will not sink with JESUS in it!

The biggest mistake you are making,

is letting the fear of making one rule your life.

If you are more focused on your own abilities, your own qualifications, on always being right and always doing everything perfectly, then you will never get anything done for the LORD!

Never has God called a perfect man other than JESUS!

Never has a man other than JESUS, perfectly fulfilled GOD's will without making any mistakes.

Never has a man done everything right EXCEPT JESUS!

Focus

The LORD isn't calling a people that are always right, He is calling a people that will be diligent in following His will and obeying His WORD. The secret power behind a successful Christian is obedience, diligence and focus that comes from faith in GOD- faith in Who He is and what He has told you to do. Whatever GOD calls you to start, He gives you finishing grace to complete.

Focus on the one thing that GOD has called you to and be careful how much you commit to because wherever there are 2 different visions at a single time, there is division. If you are not sure where to begin, don't focus on trying to improve your areas of weakness but focus on the strengths. Magnify the office GOD has given you, don't try to become stronger in a different one. Diligence is not working harder but it is working smarter by focusing on what you do best. A focused effort, is the opposite of laziness.

Many are lazy because they've had no vision, no focus, and have been too afraid to pursue their strengths because they are ashamed to fail. Some have been wearing too many hats, trying to become a master of everything. But these people end up a jack of some trades but a master of nothing! Focus your energy on developing your GOD-given strength, and as you develop that area you will receive the vision for your calling.

Diligence is focused energy. Ask the LORD to reveal to you what is the next thing that He has for you to do, and then ask Him if you are doing it well. Are you procrastinating? Are you hiding under a hole? Are you trying to pursue too many things at once? Come to GOD with these questions in your prayer time, and He will give you direction so that you can stop hindering His prosperity in your life.

Focus on the next step, and diligently pursue that step alone. Draw from GOD's grace, not from your own ability. Lean on God and trust in JESUS that you are called, chosen, and equipped to complete exactly what He has called you to, where He has called you. Focus on your strengths, and don't let the devil distract you via the "pile-up" method by putting too many things on your plate at once. Give up what is not necessary, so that you may go up in GOD's call for your life.

Cut out the hindrances, and begin to walk in biblical prosperity.

And the LORD answered me: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it. Habakkuk 2:2

For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. Habakkuk 2:3