God Gives Power, Not Money: The Power and Purpose to Get Wealth

Sermon outline

God does not drop money from heaven but gives His people the power, principles and ability to produce wealth, for the purpose of establishing His covenant and His kingdom, so prepare your heart, sow in faith and be kingdom-minded.

1. God is in the power-giving business

   People pray 'Lord, give me money', but there is no bank in heaven: God gives the power, wisdom and divine enablement to get wealth. The Hebrew carries the sense of force, ability and fruit, meaning God has given laws and principles with the force behind them to produce wealth. Don't confuse intimacy with God, your fellowship in prayer and worship, with the principles of God, which you must find and practise to reap the rewards.

   “God is in the power-giving business and we should be in the power-seeking business.”

   • Deuteronomy 8:18
   • Romans 8:31

2. The purpose behind the power to get wealth

   He says God told him never to teach His principles of financial increase without teaching His purpose. Prosperity is for the sake of the kingdom: God blesses you liberally so you can be a generous channel and a steward, not an owner, so start being faithful at the level you are on now. If we get wealth but don't establish His covenant we are out of His will, and if we are content to stay broke we are out of His will too.

   Illustration: Israel had such a rich land that two men carried one bunch of grapes, and the walls of Jericho fell by the power of God; the walls of limitation the enemy has put around you will fall the same way. He grew up being taught that not having enough was humility, but says that is false humility: humility is accepting what God says about you.

   “Never be content to stay broke.”

   • Matthew 6:33
   • Luke 16:10
   • Numbers 13:23
   • Joshua 6:20

3. The precious fruit of the earth

   God is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth, every person who still needs to hear about Jesus, and it will take money to accomplish great things for the kingdom. The last stronghold of the enemy in the body of Christ is finances: many have given God their hearts but not their wallets. The wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous, and God will give ideas, witty inventions, dreams and words, even through ordinary media.

   Illustration: Years ago he watched people at a well-known prayer church pray for money for hours, until God told him, 'If you need money, sow.' Later, after several banks turned down a loan for a church building, he saw a poster on a light pole announcing that a man had received exactly the sum he had applied for; God told him 'you've got it', the next day the loan was approved, and the church soon paid it off and was debt free.

   “Every time you have a need, God will talk to you about a seed.”

   • James 5:7
   • Proverbs 13:22
   • Proverbs 8:12

4. God will keep His part of the covenant

   The power to get wealth is God's side of the bargain: He gives the principles and abilities, and He will fulfil His part as we fulfil ours. As He promised Abraham, He will greatly bless you and make you a blessing to others. Debt is a bondage the devil wants to wrap around you, but God wants to bless your children and their children so you can leave them an inheritance.

   “Not only will I bless you, but I will make you a blessing to others.”

   • Genesis 17:4
   • Genesis 12:2

5. Prepare your heart for prosperity and tap into God's acceleration

   Preparation begins with renewing the mind, because if your mind rejects the Word your heart won't receive it. A farmer prepares the soil before he sows, and the Word of abundance is sown into your heart as lack, fear and doubt are rooted out. Get off the slow track: he decrees that what took years will now take months, because God can fast-track and promote you, even moving someone on so a position opens for you.

   Illustration: Jesus sent the seventy out with no purse to show them that He would provide.

   “I want you to tap into God's acceleration.”

   • Mark 4:14-20
   • Luke 10:1-4

6. Consider your motive

   Be kingdom-minded, not just money-minded: wealth is not for hoarding. God wants to give you great increase, but He wants you mature enough to handle it, so start where you are and prove yourself a good steward of what belongs to Him.

   “Everything that you have in your possession does not belong to you. You're just a steward.”

7. We are the salt of the earth

   Salt makes people thirsty, and believers should be thirsty for God, seeking Him as the deer pants for water, and hungry for success. When God increases you, don't be moved by critical relatives; point them to the covenant and the principles that brought the increase. When the world comes asking what caused you to prosper, don't be ashamed to say it is the Lord.

   “It is God that has caused me to prosper.”

   • Matthew 5:13
   • Psalm 42:1
   • Romans 8:37