A Mind To Prosper - Prosperity: The Destruction Of Fools

 Previously, we discovered that God wants His people to prosper...and also that His plan to prosper us includes financial success. (Before you disagree with this statement, back up and read my first post.) But when I was writing that, I made some assumptions:
1 - You were a born-again believer
2 - You habitually spend time in God's Word and prayer
3 - You lived for HIS glory, not your own
4 - You had an outward perspective, walking in love toward other people

These are the believers that are in prime position to receive financial prosperity. But that blessing does not manifest in everyone's life. There are even many Christians who have heard the prosperity message, but never experience it for themselves.
Why was that the case? Are there some Christians that get blessed in their finances, and others that remain permanently poor?

If I said "yes"...would that surprise you? I do not believe that every one of God's people will experience the promise of prosperity in this life. Jesus said as much in Matthew 26:11, "The poor you will have with you always." But here's the catch...God is not the one deciding who will prosper and who will not. 

Some people will never hear the word about prosperity, and so will remain poor without ever knowing there's more available.
Some people will hear the message and then reject it; remaining poor...and also angry at those believers who are prospering.

And then there's one more group of Christians...the one that I want to focus on today. These are the people who hear the word of prosperity, agree with it, desire it in their life...but still fall short of receiving the promise. They get frustrated, throw up their hands, and say "God, I thought you wanted me to walk in blessing!"

(I know this group all too well...and all too often I find myself joining their ranks.)

Prosperity Will Destroy These People

Listen, I'll flat out say it: There are some people that God will not make wealthy. But it's not because His promise is true for some and not for others. It's because if He poured out the prosperity that He wants them to have, it would absolutely ruin their lives.

Proverbs 1:32 - "...the complacency of fools will destroy them."

That Hebrew word for "complacency" is "shalvah". It literally means "peace and prosperity." This is why the King James version says it this way: "...the prosperity of fools will destroy them."

You can see this principle at work in the well-known "curse of the lottery". Suddenly, someone that won't manage their money wins the lottery and is flooded with riches. They thought that all their dreams would come true...but in actuality, their lives implode under the wealth. Why?

Because they were fools before the prosperity came...and when it arrived, they were destroyed by it. 

God doesn't leave us in the dark about who He calls "fools".
  Proverbs 1:7 - fools take instruction lightly
  Proverbs 10:18 - fools spread slander
  Proverbs 11:29 - fools bring trouble in their own home
  Proverbs 12:16 - fools let their anger show immediately
  Proverbs 14:8 - fools walk in deceit
  Proverbs 15:5 - fools don't see the importance in their father's advice
  Proverbs 17:24 - fools are always looking for something else "coming their way"
  Proverbs 20:3 - fools start quarrels
  Proverbs 21:20 - fools waste everything they have
  Proverbs 26:11 - fools are always repeating their foolishness
  Proverbs 28:26 - fools trust their own heart

These people cannot handle wealth or riches. Their lives are absolutely destroyed by it.

God Will Not Be The Author Of Your Destruction

I have three boys: 6 years, 4 years, and 3 years. All three of them like trucks, but my middle son Levi really likes them. I want that guy to have the absolute best truck...but not just yet. This is probalby a silly question, why do you think I wouldn't give my four-year-old a brand new truck? Because he can't handle it right now!

Now let's say that Levi comes and asks me, "Dad, I like your truck. Can I have one like it?" Of course the answer will be "No son, not now." But can you imagine him stomping off, crying and saying "Dad doesn't want me to have a truck!"

See where I'm going here? 

How many Christians are whining about how God "doesn't want them blessed"...but still living foolishly? They would never say those exact words...but that's what they really mean when they say "well, it must not be God's will." 

No my friend, it is God's will for His people to prosper...but not if that prosperity is going to destroy them! He'll give you the blessings that you're capable of handling. Not more, not less. 
Proverbs 30:8-9 - "Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches. Feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full [rich] and deny You , and say, 'Who is the Lord?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God."

The First Thing To Prosper In Your Life

What do you think? If God were to open the windows of Heaven and dump all of His blessings onto your finances...would you survive? That's a serious question, and one that deserves some time thinking about. 

I remember coming to this point in my life. My wife and I were living in a basement apartment, with one vehicle that I took to work. I drove 30 minutes one-way for a $10-an-hour job. Although we didn't lack our essential needs, I found myself getting more and more frustrated. One day I said, "God, I know it's Your will for us to prosper! What is going wrong here?"

I remember His answer so clearly:
3 John 2 - "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, just as your soul prospers."
He said to me, "Son, I've already blessed you to the limit of your capability. If you want more, you need to increase what you can handle."

The first thing that needs to prosper in our lives is our souls - our mind, our will, and our emotions. We can't be fools and expect to walk in the blessing. If we want more, if we want to walk in the blessings of God, then we must develop a mind to prosper.