Prosperous Mindset 1 - Disciplined

Hopefully, enough groundwork has been laid by now:
- You know that God wants you to prosper
- You also know that prosperity destroys fools
- Because of this, God loves His kids too much to prosper them when they're acting foolish.
- And we know this means that we need to change.

2 John 2 - "Beloved, I pray above all things that you would prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers."

So let's start looking at the soul of a prosperous believer, and learn how we can develop it in our own lives.

Mindset #1 - Prosperous People Are Disciplined.

Let's take a look at Proverbs 21:20 from several different translations:
NKJV - "There is desirable treasure, and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man squanders it."
NIV - "The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down."
NASB - "There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a foolish man swallows it up."
NLT - "The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get."

On the one side of this verse, you see the wise person.
It's true that their homes are full of luxury, wealth, and treasures. But that's because they store it up, not because they spend all they have to get it. You can clearly see that these things aren't the result of shopping sprees or spending binges. No, all of that wealth and luxury came from diligently controlling themselves - and storing up over time.

On the other side of this verse, you see the fool. He craves the wealth and luxury that he sees in the wise man's home, and so he recklessly chases it. He wastes whatever wealth he has, gulps down anything he can, and spends everything that he gets. And in the end, what does he have to show for it? Zilch...nada...nothing. In the end, after spending everything he has, the fool remains empty.
(Now we can see why prosperity destroys the fool.)

Prosperous people discipline themselves. They do things on purpose, and for a purpose. If you watch someone who is truly prosperous, you won't see them mindlessly doing nothing very often. They're purposeful in what they do. This doesn't mean that they don't relax or enjoy times of recreation - obviously everyone has that need. But prosperous people do "nothing" very differently than fools do.

What do I mean by that? Let me illustrate this point with two different ways...to watch TV.

One way is to plop down in the evening and watch TV for the rest of the night, no matter if you if you find a show that you like...and no matter what else you should be doing instead. As soon as the TV gets powered on, it's as if the rest of the day doesn't even exist

The other way is to have a show or two that you enjoy watching, and then set your DVR to record it (or find it online). And then later on, you choose when to watch it - after your other responsibilities have been taken care of.

Do you see the difference there? Do you see the discipline involved in one, and the lack of it in the other? Now think about this: Which way do you think is more enjoyable?

I think people who watch TV the second way enjoy it more for a few reasons:
1 - They don't have to wait through commercials
2 - They aren't at the mercy of "whatever's on"
3 - They aren't being nagged by thoughts about what they should be doing - because it's done already.
4 - When they're get back up, they don't have to "catch up" on what they should've already had done.
When you think about it that way, it's easy to see how disciplined lives leads to more enjoyable times of relaxation!

This carries throughout your decisions in life. When you make intentional decisions about the way you spend your time, energy, and money - you'll find that your life holds together. But when you mindlessly go about your day, pursuing what's pleasurable - you'll wake up one day in a life that's falling apart.

The Safety of Self-Control

Proverbs 25:28 - "Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control."

According to this scripture, a person's self-control is like a wall of defense around their lives. What do you suppose that wall is protecting them from? To put it simply - it's protecting them from themselves!
From their own laziness, and the consequences from it.
From their own rage, and the consequences from it.
From their own desires for pleasure, and the consequences of not controlling them.
Living without self control is dangerous.

I'm sure, if you think about it, it wouldn't take you long to identify someone who ruined their own life by refusing to control themselves. Sometimes a person lacks this discipline for only a moment, and then suffers for that moment for a long time after. Other times, you can see the accumulation of a years without self control...resulting in a life that is perpetually held down.

 "We must all suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The difference is discipline weighs ounces while regret weighs tons." -Jim Rohn

Discipline (i.e. "self-control") is the power that the Holy Spirit provides to reign yourself in, and bring your natural urges and desires under control. You may ask: What does this have to do with financial prosperity?

This is how: Just because you have it, doesn't mean you have to spend it!" The same discipline that helps you manage your time, will also help you manage your money. The opposite, of course, is also true. The same lack of discipline that wastes all of your time, will also consume every dollar you make!

True Prosperity Does Not Focus On Pleasure

This brings us to the essence of self-discipline (and the prosperity that comes from it) - disciplined people will not live only for their own pleasure.
1 Timothy 5:6 NKJV - "But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives."
1 Timothy 5:6 NLT - "But she who lives only for pleasure is spiritually dead even while she lives."

Of course God wants us to enjoy the best of everything...of course He doesn't want His people suffering under crippling poverty. But if your purpose for living is just to feel good...then you'll never prosper. God will not bless you if all you're doing is chasing the blessing. There must be some higher purpose behind your prosperity - True Biblical prosperity will not be self-centered or self-gratifying.

So start practicing this mindset now. If there's some pleasure in your life that has consumed your time, your focus, and your money, then start learning how to say "no" to it. Even if it's not necessarily "sinful", it can definitely be harmful. For example; maybe there's some mindless form of recreation that is out of control in your life...leading to a lack of time for what really matters. If that's the case...then put a stop to it. Take control of yourself!

Make this verse into your life motto:
1 Corinthians 6:12 - "All things are permissible for me, but not all things are helpful. All things are permissible for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."

Build up a defensive wall of self-discipline, and you will have taken your next step towards having a mind to prosper.