Biblical Prosperity in Perspective 19

Divine Connections & Prosperity, Part Two

by Pastor John Hamel

In our last lesson we studied the importance of never breaking Covenant relationship with the spiritual leadership God places over you.  Unhooking, without permission, from God-ordained relationship with spiritual authorities will drive an individual into both fear and poverty.

We saw what happened to Lot.  Things got a little crowded and it resulted in strife between Lot’s herdsmen and Abraham’s herdsmen.  All they needed to do was spread out a bit but Lot used poor judgment.  He disconnected from his uncle, Abraham.  

This was a bad move because Abraham was Lot’s connection to Divine prosperity.  When he disconnected from his uncle, without God’s permission, Lot ended up losing his wife, he went broke, fear overwhelmed him and he ended up living in a cave with his daughters.

What Lot should have done was to lay off all of his employees, have a yard sale and get rid of all the junk that was causing problems between him and his precious uncle.  He then should have recommitted to stay with Abraham no matter what.  

However, Lot got the big head, figuring he was a self-made success and headed for new horizons.  That turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life.  He gave up everything for one thing, pride.  Lot’s story is in the Bible so we can learn the importance of never disconnecting from Covenant leadership without permission, God’s permission.

Almighty God is watching to see if He can trust you to stay in one appointed place while He is getting you out of debt and meeting your needs.  You must prove to Him that He can trust you to stay in one appointed place before He is going to prosper you with supernatural wealth and riches.  If you do not bother to prove this to Him, He knows you will take His money and run if He were to give it to you.

God wants to start out showing you favor right where He has placed you.  Hang tough even when things are not to your liking and God will promote you and prosper you. (Psalm 75:6,7)  He will introduce you to individuals He wants to use to help you.  

Somebody said, “There’s nobody in my Church who God can use to prosper me.”  To which I say, “I promise you, if you leave without permission, that individual will show up right after you do so.”  

Stay where God places you.  He knows what He is doing.  We are going to see that in this lesson.

Tough Places Produce Great & Prosperous People

Joseph learned this.  His own beloved brothers sold him into slavery.  He then ended up going to prison on a false rape charge and God turned it into the golden connection of his life.  God was with him in his tough times just like God is with you.  

Hold steady during the tough times.  God is watching you.  He wants to show you favor just like He showed Joseph favor.

“And Joseph’s master took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king’s prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.  But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.” (Genesis 39:20-21)

Things might not be exactly to your liking where God has you right now.  But whatever you do, do not jump and run.  Things were not exactly to Joseph’s liking either.  But he hung tough and God used his horrible circumstances to ultimately show him favor and promotion.

“And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it.  The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to PROSPER.” (Genesis 39:22-23)

It was right here in this very prison of squalor and inhumanity that Joseph met Pharaoh’s butler.  The butler introduced Joseph to the Pharaoh.  Almighty God then gave Joseph the ability to interpret some dreams that had been tormenting Pharaoh.  As a result the Pharaoh then made Joseph the Vice-President of the world.  Joseph was then able to save his whole family and the entire Nation of Israel from Satan’s intended genocide.  The rest of the world was also saved from famine as a result.  

Isn’t it amazing how the right place can so easily appear to be the wrong place when you do not know how to listen to the witness of the Holy Spirit inside of your human spirit? (Romans 8:14,16; Colossians 3:15 Amplified Bible)

It is so important that you not go AWOL like the Prodigal Son and Lot did.  Stay under the authority God has driven you to and set you under.  That is the place where you will grow spiritually and financially.  Good things only come when you decide to grow where God plants you. (Ephesians 6:5-8)  

Obedience always sets the stage for the supernatural.  Don’t be a Church tramp, jumping from one Church to another.  Let God tell you where to go and to whom you are to submit.  Do not leave without permission or you will clog the spout where the Biblical prosperity in perspective comes out.

Submit to Authority & You Will Be Given Authority

One day Jesus offered to go to the home of a Centurion to pray for his sick servant.  The Centurion said to Jesus, “Save yourself a trip, Master.  I know how authority works; I’m a leader of men.  I am also a man who is under authority.  If my men don’t obey me, Caesar will punish them, not me.  I figure You’re under authority, too, God’s authority.  If Satan doesn’t obey You when You tell him to leave my servant, he’ll answer to God, not You.  Therefore, just give the faith command standing right where You are and my servant will be healed right where he is.” 

Jesus was blown away by this man’s profound understanding of how faith and authority work.  The Centurion was simply saying, “I only have authority because I submit to authority.”  Jesus said, “I have not heard an explanation like this of how faith and authority work, from anybody, anywhere, at any time.  Can I get a witness?”  Jesus then gave the faith command and miles away the man’s servant was healed. (Matthew 8:5-13)

I shared the above with you for this reason.  If you do not submit to authority, you do not have any authority, plain and simple.  Jesus said so.  Refusing to submit to authority puts God in the unfortunate position of not being able to give you authority.  You are a rebel, plain and simple.  

Anyone who wants power with God is going to have to get themselves under God’s appointed authority for their lives.  We only have authority when we submit to authority.  It is just something we all have to adjust to.  It is for our own benefit.  It is to keep us out of trouble. 

The more faithful we are to submit to authority, the more faithful God will be to give us even more authority, spiritually and financially.  God made us, He redeemed us, He owns us and He has the right to command us to get under authority and stay under authority.  But His authority, not a bunch of religious junk we make up for ourselves. 

The Bible says that we are indeed heirs of God through Jesus Christ.  However, it also reveals that as long as the heir is a child, he must remain under “…tutors and governors until the time appointed of the Father.” (Galatians 4:1-7)  This means that in order to come to the place where we can maturely handle our inheritance, we must be willing to submit to God’s tutors and governors.  

Of course, God’s tutors and governors are the Ministry Offices that the Apostle Paul spoke of in Ephesians 4:11.  These are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and Teachers.  The primary Ministry Offices God will use to bring us to maturity concerning finances are the Offices of the Pastor, Teacher and Prophet.  

Everyone needs to be under at least a New Testament Pastor who seeks and saves the lost, destroys the works of the devil and knows how to teach people to prosper. (Ephesians 4:8-13)

Don't Be Fooled ... God Is Going to Test You 

When it came time for Elijah to be taken up to Heaven by a whirlwind, God put it on his heart to test Elisha to see how faithful he would be as Elijah’s replacement.  Three times Elijah told Elisha to stop following him, just to see how dedicated Elisha was.  Three times Elisha told Elijah, in essence, “There’s no way in the world I’m leaving you.  I don’t care if you don’t want me, I’m yours.” (2Kings 2:1-15)  He knew he was being tested and proven.

On the third and final test Elisha put his foot down, absolutely refusing to leave, no matter what the cost.  Elijah now knew he had his successor.

“And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan.  And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I WILL NOT LEAVE THEE.  And they two went on.” (2 Kings 2:6)

Elisha received such an Anointing as a result of refusing to break his Divine connection with Elijah, that he later performed twice as many miracles as Elijah.  Elisha had tenacity.  He had what we call the “Glory glue.”  He knew if he didn’t stick with God’s ordained leader, he was going to end up on the bottom of the spiritual junk pile.  Instead, he stuck like glue to Elijah and he rose to the top.  He passed his tests.  

Almighty God saw how serious Elisha was about submitting to authority.  Almighty God saw in Elisha that because he would stay with Elijah no matter what, he would stay with Him no matter what.  Only a fool would believe that God would trust someone with His money when they refuse to submit to His authorities.  God knows that person would take His money and run.

I gave you two powerful Scriptural examples in this lesson that reveal God will not give authority to anyone who refuses to submit to authority.  If God cannot give you authority because you refuse to submit to authority, then He knows He cannot trust you with money either.  On the other hand, if you pass His tests, submitting to His authorities even when it’s hard, He knows He can trust you with great wealth even when it’s hard.

Stick tight with the leadership God places over you.  He or she is sticking tight with their leadership.  That is how they got their position over you.

God will make good things happen for you if you make good things happen for your Pastor, your Pastor’s family and your Church family.  God will give you so much that He will also have to place people under your authority, people to whom you will delegate authority and responsibility.  

Are you getting the big picture, yet?  I believe you are.

It is vitally important to never break the Divine connections that God brings into your life if you want to enjoy Biblical prosperity in perspective.  Almighty God is testing you through those connections.  If you will be faithful to them, it is tantamount to being faithful to the Almighty.  

Only through proven faithfulness to submit to spiritual authorities, no matter what, will God know experientially that you will continue to submit to Him, no matter what.  That is when He starts giving you authority, wealth and responsibility in areas that are presently beyond your present capabilities and your wildest dreams. (Ephesians 3:20)

Pass God's tests.  He will do the rest.

Be blessed … John and Barbara Hamel

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