A man wrote me a letter and he was very distressed. It seems that his problem was in the area of money. I know that many Christians don’t like to talk about money. They have heard it preached that money is the root of all evil and because of this, they have a subtle fear of money.
Well the truth is this. Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
It’s not money that is a root of evil, it’s the love of money. An interesting note here is this. You don’t have to have money to love money. Greed and envy are not determined by how much money you have or by how little. Strange as it may seem, you can be very poor and have a great love of money.
The man who wrote me was very upset because he did not have enough money to pay the bills. His electricity was about to be disconnected and his wife was getting calls daily from bill collectors.
He said, “Things do not look good financially for me. With the economy bad and things going bad in my industry, is it possible for God to prosper me where I am? I don’t have the money to move, but, should I try to move where the jobs are? Really, I don’t have the money to move anyway. Is it possible that God can help me where I am?”
Well, the answer to that is definitely YES. God can prosper you where you are.
The Bible tells a story about a young man named Daniel. Daniel was taken as a slave into a foreign land. He was in completely new surroundings and was told that he could not follow any of the traditions of his homeland. Things looked bad.
But God prospered Daniel anyway. The Bible tells us in Daniel 6:28, “So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.”
Daniel prospered in spite of his surroundings. In fact, he prospered through two kings and one of the kings, King Darius, was so impressed with Daniel that he commanded that the entire kingdom of Babylon must worship the God of Daniel. God prospered Daniel where he was.
Now, don’t take me wrong. I’m not saying that a person shouldn’t move to get a better job, but what I am saying is this. Don’t limit God. He can prosper you where you are, and according to his Word, He will.
In Matthew, chapter six, Jesus preached his famous Sermon on the Mount. At one point He talked about how we shouldn’t worry about food, clothing and housing. Then He summed everything up by saying, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
In other words, Jesus said if we would seek the things of God first, then the financial things would fall into place. Jesus didn’t say a person had to live in Chicago, London or Hong Kong for this to work. God’s Word works wherever we are.
I’m not saying that we can sit back and have money drop out of the air without having to work. But I am saying God will prosper whatever we put our hands to if we seek His kingdom and His righteousness, first.
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Dr. Larry Ollison is founder and Senior Pastor of Walk on the Water Faith Church and founder of Larry Ollison Ministries. With over forty years in the ministry, he is a very popular speaker nationally and internationally and ministers the Word of Faith through radio, television, Internet, and daily e-mail devotionals. As the author of twelve books (including The Power of Grace, The Practical Handbook for Christian Living, Breaking the Cycle of Offense, Life is in the Blood, and recently released The Paradise of God), he is in frequent demand for radio/TV interviews, book signings, and magazine publications.
Dr. Ollison was raised a Southern Baptist. While majoring in theology at Southwest Baptist University, he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For many years he traveled extensively speaking at Full Gospel Business Men's meetings and conventions. He later earned an M.A. in Theology and a Ph.D. and Th.D. from Life Christian University.
Currently President of International Convention of Faith Ministries (ICFM), Dr. Ollison is also Vice-President of Spirit FM Christian Radio Network, Missouri State Director of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), and a Trustee on the boards of several international ministries. He is also the host of The Cutting Edge Radio Broadcast and authors The Cutting Edge Daily Devotional.
As the owner of a marine dealership, his extensive business background brings a unique flavor to his teaching. He founded and served as chairman of the Missouri State Marine Board, President of the Marine Dealers’ Association, Vice-President of a bank holding company, along with holding several directorships in various corporations.
Dr. Ollison's strongest areas of teaching are the blood of Jesus, faith, relationships, the Hebrew language, the Holy Spirit, the end times, and heaven. During ministry, he operates freely in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. His use of humor and his ability to make a theological concept simple makes it enjoyable and easy for everyone to understand. Countless testimonies have been received from people who say their lives have been changed after experiencing Dr. Ollison's unique ministry.
Dr. Ollison is a pastor, pilot, teacher, and author. His number one goal is to meet the needs of the people through the teaching of faith in God's Word. He and his wife, Loretta, have two children and six grandchildren.