Practical Prosperity 101

[LeadWorship]

BTW, grats on 6k posts Balance!

 

[simpleone]

Am interested if its sound, practical financial advice....will keep checking the thread....I would like to learn to budget, etc
thank you sir...

 

[JimB]

this is not true. To say we need prosperity or self control is a statement of unbelief not belief that is to say christ didn't gives us all things in Him it's calling him a lair.

Thanx, ES. This phrase “all things” made me stop and think about what “true riches” (real prosperity is). I thought of Ephesians 1.3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. All things—every spiritual blessing—is what God is interested in. True prosperity, true riches, is to “blessed” with “every spiritual blessing”. It has little to do with material things. Furthermore, 2 Peter 1.3 defines “all things” as “all things that pertain to life and godliness”—His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue. IOW, all things that are within God’s will.

I also looked up the 147 occurances of the phrase “all things” in the NKJV (see here) and discovered that “all things” does not always mean everything, just all things that pertain to life and godliness. See here, for example:

And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, Mark 4.11

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9.23

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10.27

But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand. Mark 13.23

But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God . . . But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. 1 Cor. 2.10, 15

Therefore let no one boast in men. For all things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. And you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. 1 Cor. 3.21-28

[Love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor. 13.7

For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God. 2 Cor. 4.15

I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Phil. 4.12-13
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Thanx, ES.

~Jim

Apathy? Who cares?​

 

[Hishandmaiden]

I think good financial management is a skill I seriously need to acquire. I am very bad when it comes to saving money.

 

[LeadWorship]

Can we first agree not to argue prosperity?

I'm sure it'll be a [No Debate] thread, since it'll be like a teaching thread.

 

[JimB]

Hmmm. I did not read “NO DEBATE” in the OP.

~Jim

Apathy? Who cares?​

 

[Faulty]

Hmmm. I did not read “NO DEBATE” in the OP.

~Jim

Apathy? Who cares?​

It's in there.

I'll not fight with you, I'll not argue with you

...and again

The threads will be no debate threads and you do not have to do one thing that I suggest.

 

[LeadWorship]

Jim, I'm guessing Balance will start new threads, and those threads - teaching ones - will be [No Debate]. Not this thread, as it has no tag.

 

[BellaSong]

This is a good thread

 

[hislegacy]

Bump to show what Word of Faith teaches on prosperity

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Bump to show what Word of Faith teaches on prosperity

Have you started these teachings yet Balance?

I know for a couple of years now, I have not had a credit card. I have not bought anything unless I could pay for all at the time I brought it home or had it delivered. I am not in debt to anyone.

About a month or so ago I had a credit card group contact me telling me that I qualified for one so for the heck of it I applied...due to past credit problems I honestly thought it would be turned down. Well, they gave it to me. I held on to it for a couple of weeks not activating it 'cause I was not sure that I really even wanted it. I then get a call from them asking me why I have not activated it yet. I told them that at this time I could not even afford (work had slowed down quite a bit) the yearly service charge. The guy told me that the charge would not be applied until I actually used the card, so I thought, what the heck, I'll go ahead and activate it. I told the caller I would do the activation at a later time. I did not want to do it on the phone, since he had called me and all...these days ya never know.

So anyway, the next day I call to activate it and when a person came on the phone I said I wanted to clarify with her that there was no fee until I actually used the card. She said, "oh no maam, you were charged that fee when we sent you the card."

I canceled the card. Fortunately, because it was less than 30 days, they canceled the fee as well.

 

[JimB]

Shouldn’t this thread be called “Practical Finances 101”? That is, unless we are trying to change the English definition of prosperity to mean debt-free or living just above the water-line, or something other than what it means.

For the record, here’s the way the rest of the English-speaking world defines the word:

pros-per-i-ty
/prɒˈspɛrɪti/[pro-sper-i-tee]

–noun

1. successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, esp. in financial respects;
2. the state of being prosperous;
3. advance or gain in anything good or desirable;
4. successful progress in any business or enterprise;
5. attainment of the object desired;
6. good fortune;
7. success; as, commercial prosperity; national prosperity.

~Ho Lin Wun

Contentment is not found in having what you want, but in wanting what you have​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

Shouldn’t this thread be called “Practical Finances 101”? That is, unless we are trying to change the English definition of prosperity to mean debt-free or living just above the water-line, or something other than what it means.

Jim, no one is going to force you to read and/or apply anything written. You seem to feel the compulsion to correct everything written here regarding prosperity? Who elected you to sit in Moses' Seat as Supreme Arbiter to determine what is the proper usage of a term for the rest of us.

No where does it say in the Bible that we are required to use the American Dictionary to define everything.

When you start a thread, you are free to call it what you want. Please allow others to do the same.

 

[JimB]

So, what do you propose? Are we free to define words as we want them to be rather than as they are?

If I were to offer a definition of “prosperity” from a NT Greek dictionary are we still free to change the definition to fit our doctrine?

~Ho Lin Wun

Contentment is not found in having what you want, but in wanting what you have​

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

So, what do you propose? Are we free to define words as we want them to be rather than as they are?

If I were to offer a definition of “prosperity” from a NT Greek dictionary are we still free to change the definition to fit our doctrine?

~Ho Lin Wun

Contentment is not found in having what you want, but in wanting what you have​

I had a whole thing typed up and then the system went down.

So here goes again:

No, we can't rewrite definitions to fit our doctrine, however, we should consider things according to the way God has used it.

Ps 1:
​

1 Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.

While the definition you gave and the one given in the Hebrew look similar, I feel they are not. I feel that in the definition you gave there is implied "riches beyond control". The one in PS say "prosperous" in whatever the one who does not listen to ungodly council, does not act like the sinners they are with, does not scorn the things of God, and, takes delight in what HE says vs what man says they are prosperous.
​

I'm not wanting to argue about whether God will provide all our needs or not. He says He will so whether I am filthy rich or have only what I need. To me I am prosperous. I am prosperous whether the American dictionary wants to define me as so or not.

The point I'm trying to make Jim is that I don't see the point in you continue to harass a thread based on your definition of the term prosperity being different from what you think others are saying. If you don't like it then don't read it. It's that simple! I love ya Jim, but sometimes you're an unnecessary pain in the patootie when it's not necessary.

That's my humble opinion. Of course, since I just declared myself humble maybe I'm not really

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[the.Sheepdog]

I think I must have caused this by asking what I thought was an innocent question.

I apologize to all concerned. It has never been my aim to cause division in the body.

 

[hislegacy]

I think I must have caused this by asking what I thought was an innocent question.

I apologize to all concerned. It has never been my aim to cause division in the body.

No need for apologizing for another posters obsession.

 

[gratefulgrace]

So where do I find this thread on Finances? gg

 

[SpiritPsalmist]

I think I must have caused this by asking what I thought was an innocent question.

I apologize to all concerned. It has never been my aim to cause division in the body.

I don't know how long you've been around here sheepdog but the word "prosperity" all by itself without any frills and glitter is a hot subject. Many a heated argument has developed over it. There's a lot of misunderstandings between the groups with their differing opinions and no matter what one says the other seems to always and largely hear something that was not said.

I'm not seeing this as much a division (at this point in the thread anyway) as just differences of opinion. I like Jim a lot, he makes me think. He says a lot of good things.

I know that one point can always trigger another (at least it does with me) and it's easy to get off track. The point is though that if one does not like the subject of a thread we have the freedom of choice to voice our opinion and then move on. I highly doubt that the writers usage of the word "prosper" in PS 1 or the OP's intent of the word prosper has anything to do with visions of Richie Rich . That does seem to be what many think though when they hear it.

Anyway, I guess I've just become guilty of my own rant. I'll back off now. Sorry.

 

[JimB]

*****

I love ya Jim, but sometimes you're an unnecessary pain in the patootie when it's not necessary.

*****​

If this is so, it is only because I insist on posters backing up what they say with scripture (truth) or documentation (facts). So much of what is offered in this forum is snatched out of thin air (like made-up definitions of words, for example).

I will probably continue to be a pain in your patootie, SP. You will just have to forgive me or skip over my posts (though I betcha won’t ).

~Ho Lin Wun

Contentment is not found in having what you want, but in wanting what you have​