Today we continue our series, “Progress On Purpose.” I told you that God wants us to walk in “NEW LEVELS IN 2021!” But if we are going to do so, we must be intentional about our progress. With that in mind, as we lay the foundation for the year, I told you that I would discuss “Leveling Up” in five areas:
1. Spiritually
2. Financially
3. Physically
4. Internally
5. Externally
We have covered the first one thus far. As we study the second (leveling up financially), I am breaking this down into the following five topics:
1. Soul Prosperity & the Answer to Poverty
2. Tithes and Offerings
3. Sowing into Ministry
4. Giving to the Poor
5. The Purpose of Prosperity
We have covered four of these five thus far. For the last two days, I have been dealing with the fifth. We will flow in the same vein again today.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. Tapping into divine prosperity for your God-given purpose is all about understanding God’s grace.
— There are primarily two ways to live life. You can either depend on God’s unmerited favor (grace) or depend on your own ability to accomplish whatever you choose to pursue.
— Human strength is limited at its best. You can only go so far within your own abilities. This is why you need the grace of God.
— God’s dream for your life (His purpose) is so big that it will require His involvement and empowerment.
— Simply put, you cannot fulfill your God-given purpose with human ability alone. However, the good news is that you don’t have to. Everything you need to fulfill your purpose has already been allocated for you by grace. Your job is to tap into it with your faith.
2. You have a unique purpose and your prosperity is tied to it.
— God is a completely purposeful God and He birthed you on purpose and for a purpose.
— Your purpose is tailor-made. No one else has it.
— The earth needs you to fulfill your purpose.
— The church needs you to walk in your purpose.
— Your community (sphere of influence) is waiting on you to maximize the purpose and potential God placed inside of you.
— You will never maximize your purpose if you are focused on NEED.
— People who are “need minded” chase things. People who are “purpose minded” have things chasing them. Said another way, when you are pursuing your divine purpose and solely focused on becoming the man/woman God called you to be, you will discover that everything you need is already provided. You will run into the right people, have the right encounters, build the right experience, and tap into the right resources. However, if you choose to do life on your own terms, pursuing selfish desires that were birthed in your heart (and not God’s), you are going to need things God has not stored up for you, and your life will be frustrating, you will grow weary, and you will perform unnecessary toil.
*** When you pursue your divine purpose your success will NOT BE EFFORTLESS, but it will be SWEATLESS! Paul said, “For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.” (1 Cor 15:10).
3. Some examples of people who prospered because they discovered their purpose.
Peter. Peter was a fisherman before he found Jesus and his purpose. Once he found his purpose and he started walking in it, he did things I am sure he never imagined he would during his fisherman years. Peter walked on water. God used Peter to heal the sick. On the Day of Pentecost, Peter preached the first sermon after Jesus’ resurrection and 3,000 people came to Jesus that day, effectively birthing the New Testament church, and it happened through Peter’s ministry. Peter became a prosperous man. His prosperity could not be measured in money, but it could surely be measured in divine purpose!
David. David was a shepherd boy that spent more time with his father’s animals than with the rest of his family. He was the 8th and youngest son of Jesse and he was somewhat of an outcast in his own home. But while David was tending to sheep, he was spending time with God. God had a purpose for David and it was much bigger than anything he could imagine. The Lord sent His prophet to visit Jesse’s house one day and the man of God anointed David to be the next king of Israel. It took years and it would cost him lots of pain, but David eventually became Israel’s king. David found his purpose. David walked in his purpose. David was a prosperous man. And although David was rich (a billionaire), his prosperity was connected to something much greater than money. It was connected to his divine purpose. To be clear about the vein we are flowing in, as it relates to money, the billions came to David, he did not have to pursue the money. The money pursued him because it was connected to his divine purpose. God called David to store up the money that would be needed for his son Solomon to build the temple. God made David rich and He made Solomon the richest man to ever live. But it was not about money, it was about purpose!
Joseph. Joseph was 17 years old when the Lord gave him a dream. The dream became the defining factor of Joseph’s life. It came with its share of challenges, but it led to Joseph’s success/prosperity nonetheless. Joseph embraced the dream and it was this dream that kept him hopeful during the pit, Potiphar, and prison phases of his life. In the end, the dream came to pass and he was promoted from prisoner to Prime Minister overnight. Joseph became a prosperous man because he found, followed, and finished his divine purpose. He was rich and powerful, but he did not pursue money or fame. He pursued his purpose and everything else wound up pursuing him.
Paul. The Apostle Paul was the church’s #1 enemy and he wound up becoming its leader. How? By grace. Why? Because it was his divine assignment. Paul may have thought he was prospering when he had the backing of the Jewish leaders to persecute Christians. He may have thought he was prosperous when he was quickly moving up the ranks of the Jewish religious elite. But Paul did not find true prosperity until he found Jesus, and subsequently his purpose. Paul’s success and prosperity in life were connected to his divine assignment. This had nothing to do with how much money he had or where he lived. Paul endured countless challenges. He spent years in prison. But Paul was a prosperous man because he found, followed, and finished his divine purpose. Paul went on four missionary journeys, he started churches all throughout Asia minor, he became a Pastor to Pastors, and he wrote half the New Testament. Without question, Paul was THE most influential man of the first century, outside of Jesus, and he became this because he pursued his purpose.
You also have a divine purpose. David said the following and it applies to all of us: “Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you, The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day” (Psalm 139:16). Paul said the following and it also applies to all of us: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). You are not a mistake. You were born for God’s divine purpose and your success/prosperity in life is connected to that purpose. You will never experience divine prosperity until you find your divine purpose.
4. Your purpose is the key that unlocks the door to your prosperity.
— God will never EXPECT you to do what He has not ALREADY EQUIPPED you to do.
— If God made plans for you before the foundations of the world and He then birthed You on the earth to bring forth those plans, then don’t you think that God also made a way for you to receive everything You need to accomplish what He sent you to this world to do?
— God knows how to resource His projects, but He is not obligated to resource yours! You don’t get to come up with whatever you want — a business, a ministry, a book, etc. — and then demand that God bless you with it in what you think is FAITH. That’s not faith at all.
— Faith is about surrender. Faith is about submission. Faith is about dying to self. When you find your divine assignment, you accept it by grace, and you pursue it by faith, God will see to it that you have everything you need to be successful! Because at that point, everything you need is already stored up for you.
— The Hebrew Word for bless is “barak.” The Hebrew word for creating or manifesting something is “barah.” I learned a long time ago that God only baraks what He barahs. Meaning that God only blesses what He creates. Because what God initiated, from the foundations of the world, is already blessed. So if you have been struggling in life and you are tired of failing over and over again, it may be because you are pursuing the wrong things. You may be doing things God did not tell you to do. If you pursue the wrong things, you are going to need things that are NOT already stored up for you. And God is not in the business of fulfilling our selfish desires. God is in the business of ensuring that what He planned, before the world began, will come to pass in the fulness of His timing.
— When you know you are and you pursue your divine purpose, you will need things that God already stored up for you, these things will manifest at just the right time, and you will walk in the wisdom and insight you need because God has already provided it. God’s instruction is always equal to His injection. Meaning that whatever God instructs you to do, He has already injected you with. It’s already IN you. It’s already yours. God’s grace is on you to do what you were birthed to do.
*** And lastly, while you are doing what God called you to do, not only will discover how everything you need will manifest in God’s timing, but you will also discover the fact that God is NOT opposed to you enjoying life. Along the way, God will give all things richly to enjoy (1 Tim 6:17). You will have and enjoy life. You won’t lack anything, because you are pursuing only that which is already provided!
*** Discovering Your PURPOSE is the Key to Your PROSPERITY ***
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for teaching me about Your grace and my purpose. You made plans for me before the world began. I am not a mistake. I was born for a reason and that reason is Your assignment for my life. My prosperity is connected to my purpose. I understand this. So I accept my assignment with my whole heart. I don’t fight against what I was born to do, and I don’t waste time pursuing something else. I accept my assignment, I embrace the grace to fulfill it, and I live by faith in pursuit of it. Living this way will lead to divine success and prosperity. I am excited about my future because I know it will be lived on purpose! And everything I need to become the man/woman You birthed me to be is ALREADY PROVIDED! Knowing this, I level up in every area of my life in 2021! GREATER IS COMING FOR ME! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
