I believe God wants all Christians to increase financially. I know that’s a very controversial statement. People have written many books on the Scriptural arguments both for and against that position. I’m sure we could do the same here. I would give you a few verses showing that God wants you prospered. You would give me a few which you believe say the opposite. Then I would attempt to show why your view of those verses is wrong. You wouldn’t agree. Then you might get offended and never read this blog again.
But today I would like to take a brief moment and show why the arguments against my belief are logically flawed. I’m not saying that Scripture isn’t the foundation and source of my beliefs, but I think we could take a moment and just think through the arguments against prosperity and see their flaws. I’m also not saying this will fully persuade anyone, but it may help you. In the end, the Scripture must be the basis for your ultimate convincing on any issue, but I hope you’re blessed in your reading.
Let me first say what I believe about God and our finances. I believe God knows our financial situation and God cares about it. I believe God enables us to increase from wherever we are to greater and greater levels in our finances. It doesn’t matter where you are, God will help you increase. When you increase appropriately you will provide more to the Kingdom of God and increase your personal standard of living. So let me start by saying that no matter where you are financially, I believe God wants you to increase.
Now I know that is different from what most people think prosperity preachers preach. People who attack them just think they believe God wants us all exceedingly wealthy such that we can live in whatever luxury we want. (I don’t believe that, and most of them don’t actually preach that.) Let’s not go there, let’s just focus on this idea of increasing.
So I believe that God wants me to prosper financially and increase financially more and more. Of course many people don’t believe that. For someone not to believe that, they must therefore, and logically, believe that God either wants me to stay the same, or God wants me to decrease, or God doesn’t care. Let’s throw out the idea that God doesn’t care. The fact that more Scriptures in the Bible talk about money than nearly any other subject assists us in throwing that out.
So therefore they say God wants us to stay the same or to decrease. Or they may say that whatever increase you get should go straight to the Kingdom of God, therefore you should personally stay the same. So that last idea is really the same as you staying the same, and therefore those will be handled together.
The problem with the idea that God wants you to stay the same is that it provides no objective guidance for what is appropriate and what is not. If God wants me to stay the same, then God would suggest I only put in the level of effort necessary to remain at this financial level. In that case any efforts to work harder or to make more money would be completely contrary to His will. So in effect, God would be saying, don’t work harder, don’t work better, don’t try to do more, don’t try to get more business, don’t accept new opportunities that come your way, and don’t try to create any new opportunities for yourself.
Do you honestly believe that God is saying that? I hope not, but some people probably do. So to them I would say, do you have more money now than you did 10 years ago? Or has this recession hurt you financially like it has most? If God is always saying that you should stay the same, then whatever you earned last decade, any increase, was against God’s will. God would also be saying, don’t try to get back what was lost in the recession, you are good where you are.
So for you that actually have increased, or are trying to increase for any reason, all that is ungodly. You should return to a previous level. Now where does it stop? And that’s the big problem. Should you go back to living with your parents? What about your home, you could probably move back to the smaller place. You could do without that second car. Why don’t you just ride a bike?
So they would say that logic is crazy, God isn’t saying that. But according to their logic He is. God would want you to go back to a place where you have nothing, if all increase is ungodly.
Now a similar logic prevails in the idea that God wants you to decrease. If God wants you to decrease, then logically God wants you to decrease until you have little to nothing. Then they would try to stop their logic and say something like, “Well God wants you to decrease to have only what is necessary.” But that’s also wrong. Because maybe you could drive a smaller car, or live in a two bedroom instead of three. There is no end. Maybe you could move into a shelter, if you are really trying to decrease.
So I’m not necessarily proving that God wants you to increase, but I’m showing that the ideas that God wants you to stay the same or decrease are logically flawed. They are flawed because they include logical slopes into the ridiculous. And the only way off those slopes is to introduce arguments that have nothing to do with logic or Scripture (like this type of car is o.k., but that type is not). I recently heard, for example, someone say a preacher shouldn’t drive a Lexus. Well if that is what God is saying then maybe the preacher should just walk. God forbid the preacher has the wrong brand of bike.
God is brilliant and wise and logical. I don’t mean that everything of God can be perceived with the natural senses, but that all of God’s reasons and truths make logical sense in light of Scripture and reality. None of God’s positions contain inherent logical flaws. The arguments against God’s desire for your financial increase are completely flawed. Now if there was a Scripture on point that said God does want you to stay the same or decrease, then that would be different. I invite you to comment and suggest such a Scripture. But I don’t believe one exists.
I believe we should all increase with the increase of God. I believe we should be constantly increasing in a Godly manner in every area of our life. My confession is that “God is my financial advisor.” I trust God to provide for all my needs and to increase me always. I hope you do too.
The idea that God wants you to increase is perfect in its application and logic. Wherever you are, you can increase by the power of God. When you increase appropriately you increase for God’s Kingdom and your personal situation. There are no limits, there are no ends. You won’t immediately win the lotto or receive millions from the sky, but little by little your life will improve.
God wants you to ride on the high places of the earth (Isaiah 58:14) and eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Don’t accept the flawed positions (in light of both Scripture and logic) that tell you otherwise.
Let me first say what I believe about God and our finances. I believe God knows our financial situation and God cares about it. I believe God enables us to increase from wherever we are to greater and greater levels in our finances. It doesn’t matter where you are, God will help you increase. When you increase appropriately you will provide more to the Kingdom of God and increase your personal standard of living. So let me start by saying that no matter where you are financially, I believe God wants you to increase.
Now I know that is different from what most people think prosperity preachers preach. People who attack them just think they believe God wants us all exceedingly wealthy such that we can live in whatever luxury we want. (I don’t believe that, and most of them don’t actually preach that.) Let’s not go there, let’s just focus on this idea of increasing.
So I believe that God wants me to prosper financially and increase financially more and more. Of course many people don’t believe that. For someone not to believe that, they must therefore, and logically, believe that God either wants me to stay the same, or God wants me to decrease, or God doesn’t care. Let’s throw out the idea that God doesn’t care. The fact that more Scriptures in the Bible talk about money than nearly any other subject assists us in throwing that out.
So therefore they say God wants us to stay the same or to decrease. Or they may say that whatever increase you get should go straight to the Kingdom of God, therefore you should personally stay the same. So that last idea is really the same as you staying the same, and therefore those will be handled together.
The problem with the idea that God wants you to stay the same is that it provides no objective guidance for what is appropriate and what is not. If God wants me to stay the same, then God would suggest I only put in the level of effort necessary to remain at this financial level. In that case any efforts to work harder or to make more money would be completely contrary to His will. So in effect, God would be saying, don’t work harder, don’t work better, don’t try to do more, don’t try to get more business, don’t accept new opportunities that come your way, and don’t try to create any new opportunities for yourself.
Do you honestly believe that God is saying that? I hope not, but some people probably do. So to them I would say, do you have more money now than you did 10 years ago? Or has this recession hurt you financially like it has most? If God is always saying that you should stay the same, then whatever you earned last decade, any increase, was against God’s will. God would also be saying, don’t try to get back what was lost in the recession, you are good where you are.
So for you that actually have increased, or are trying to increase for any reason, all that is ungodly. You should return to a previous level. Now where does it stop? And that’s the big problem. Should you go back to living with your parents? What about your home, you could probably move back to the smaller place. You could do without that second car. Why don’t you just ride a bike?
So they would say that logic is crazy, God isn’t saying that. But according to their logic He is. God would want you to go back to a place where you have nothing, if all increase is ungodly.
Now a similar logic prevails in the idea that God wants you to decrease. If God wants you to decrease, then logically God wants you to decrease until you have little to nothing. Then they would try to stop their logic and say something like, “Well God wants you to decrease to have only what is necessary.” But that’s also wrong. Because maybe you could drive a smaller car, or live in a two bedroom instead of three. There is no end. Maybe you could move into a shelter, if you are really trying to decrease.
So I’m not necessarily proving that God wants you to increase, but I’m showing that the ideas that God wants you to stay the same or decrease are logically flawed. They are flawed because they include logical slopes into the ridiculous. And the only way off those slopes is to introduce arguments that have nothing to do with logic or Scripture (like this type of car is o.k., but that type is not). I recently heard, for example, someone say a preacher shouldn’t drive a Lexus. Well if that is what God is saying then maybe the preacher should just walk. God forbid the preacher has the wrong brand of bike.
God is brilliant and wise and logical. I don’t mean that everything of God can be perceived with the natural senses, but that all of God’s reasons and truths make logical sense in light of Scripture and reality. None of God’s positions contain inherent logical flaws. The arguments against God’s desire for your financial increase are completely flawed. Now if there was a Scripture on point that said God does want you to stay the same or decrease, then that would be different. I invite you to comment and suggest such a Scripture. But I don’t believe one exists.
I believe we should all increase with the increase of God. I believe we should be constantly increasing in a Godly manner in every area of our life. My confession is that “God is my financial advisor.” I trust God to provide for all my needs and to increase me always. I hope you do too.
The idea that God wants you to increase is perfect in its application and logic. Wherever you are, you can increase by the power of God. When you increase appropriately you increase for God’s Kingdom and your personal situation. There are no limits, there are no ends. You won’t immediately win the lotto or receive millions from the sky, but little by little your life will improve.
God wants you to ride on the high places of the earth (Isaiah 58:14) and eat the good of the land (Isaiah 1:19). Don’t accept the flawed positions (in light of both Scripture and logic) that tell you otherwise.
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