Remember back in the Old Testament when Moses was trying to build the tabernacle in Israel? I love to read how God moved upon the hearts of Moses and the people to give into that building fund. They really got into it!
What I think is great is how Moses didn’t have to beg them to be a part of it. He didn’t have a pledge drive or offer to print the names of every person giving 20 pieces of silver on a plaque and hang it in the foyer of the new tabernacle.
These people wanted to give toward the tabernacle and they didn’t need any incentive to do it! In fact, Exodus 36:5-7 says that Moses had to tell them, “Stop giving! Stop giving! We have too much already!” (author’s paraphrase).
Now, when was the last time you heard a preacher say that?
Do You Have It All?
In Genesis 33, we read that years and years after Jacob had stolen his brother Esau’s birthright and skipped town, he met up again with Esau. And even though he’d experienced payback in more than one way since then, he was still worried about confronting his brother.
So when Esau approached Jacob, Jacob presented him with a wonderful and generous gift. But instead of accepting his brother’s gift, Esau declined and said, “Jacob, I’m a rich man. I have enough” (Genesis 33:9, author’s paraphrase).
But do you know what Jacob said? He replied, “No, brother, take it. I have it all.” He didn’t say he was rich. He didn’t say he had enough. He said, “I have it all.”
There are two different Hebrew words translated “enough” here. In verse nine, the word Esau used means “abundant.” In verse eleven, the word Jacob used means “all” or “the whole.”
Jacob’s simple statement proved what the Old Testament blessing of God could do. It made the difference between Esau’s “enough” and Jacob’s “too much!” It was the difference the blessing of Abraham made.
Prosperity In Every Means
Now, what does “all” mean where you live? I’ll tell you what it means in Louisiana. It means there ain’t no more! God blessed Jacob until he had more than enough. The boy had too much!
Since Jesus has come into the picture, every believer in the world now has the right to receive God’s too much blessings! Not just in the financial realm, but in areas much more significant than that!
Think about it.
God’s plan of salvation is too much! And His grace? Too much! His mercy? Too much! His peace? Too much! His love? Too much! Think of any one thing that God has given to His children and you’ll find that He always gives too much!
The God of Too Much – you can go all through the Bible and find stories about Him. His abundant nature is evident everywhere. When Deuteronomy 8:18 says “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,” it’s talking about two things: power and wealth.
God’s Abundance Is Everywhere
God’s got the wealth. He’s given you the power. Put the two together and you can touch the world!
Back in Joshua 19:9 (NKJV), you’ll find that the children of Judah had so much “too much” that instead of heaping it up, they decided to bless the children of Simeon. It says that the inheritance of the children of Simeon was included in the share of the children of Judah for the share of the children of Judah was too much for them. Therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of that people.
Then you can skip over to 1 Kings 17:8-16 and find a little widow woman living during a terrible drought.
“Elijah,” she says, “I know you want me to fetch you some bread and water. But all I’ve got is enough flour to make one lousy pancake. After that, my son and I are gonna die from starvation. But since you ask me for it and since you’ve told me that God will supply my needs during this drought, I’ll give you my last meal and I’ll believe that what you say is true” (author’s paraphrase).
Could you see what the media would say to that? They’d freak out! They’d print something like, “Evangelist takes last meal from little old widow.” They’d have a field day with Elijah! You know the story. That widow’s faith in the prophet of God caused a miracle to happen! Her jar didn’t run out of oil and her bin didn’t run out of flour.
If you read some commentaries, you’ll find out that it is believed the widow fed the whole neighborhood during the drought. Now, that’s a lot of flapjacks. That widow sowed her “not enough” and got more than enough – too much!
God Is Not Omnipotent in Heaven and Impotent on the Earth!
If God is omnipotent in Heaven, then He’s omnipotent on the earth! He isn’t impotent! He can do the things He says! We can have the things He says He can do! If you believe it, then you ought to live it.
If you believe in salvation you ought to be saved. If you believe in healing you ought to be healed. If you believe in prosperity you ought to be prosperous!
For years in my ministry, I made it a point not to spend too much time taking up the offering. I’d just say a little prayer and tell the people to give whatever the Lord laid on their heart and go on to something else. I thought I was doing good by spending only a few minutes on the offering. Everybody knew I wasn’t a beggar and I felt good about agreeing with them!
But one day the Lord set me straight about the two-minute offerings I’d been doing for years. He said, “Jesse, when you preach for an hour on salvation you expect people to come forward and be saved. And when you preach for an hour on healing you expect people to receive their healing. Why is it that you spend only two minutes on the offering when you know how bad my people need to be blessed?”
Whew! God gave me a revelation quick! And I knew it was time for me to change! This revelation is why I now take more time preaching on God’s view of prosperity.
People need to be debt-free! People need to be blessed spiritually, physically and financially! Why? So they can have enough for themselves and for every good work, so they can in turn be a blessing to all the families of the earth (2 Cor. 9:8; Gen. 12:3; 28:14).
Because being a blessing is what God is all about.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Jesse Duplantis, minister of the Gospel, motivational speaker, television personality, and best-selling author, has been in full-time ministry since 1976 and is the founder of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, located in the Greater New Orleans area of south Louisiana in the United States of America. With over four decades of sharing his unique blend of humor and faith around the world, generations of believers have been inspired by his messages and countless numbers have come to know Jesus Christ as Savior through his ministry.
Known for his unflinching, status-quo-breaking messages and humorous take on experiences in the life of the believer, Jesse continues to draw large audiences of believers through social media, television, and meetings held around the world. With speaking engagements booked years in advance, Jesse Duplantis continues to keep an intense traveling schedule, flying throughout the United States and the world preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. With no booking agents pursuing meetings for him and no set fees imposed upon churches for speaking engagements, Jesse chooses his outreach meetings based on the same two criteria he always has: invitations that come in and prayer over each one. This uncommon way of scheduling in today’s world means Jesse’s many followers may find him speaking in some of the largest churches and venues in America and the world, as well as a great many small and growing congregations, too. No church is too big or small for the Holy Spirit, as he says.
Side by side with his wife Cathy Duplantis, the co-founder and chief of staff of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the senior pastor of Covenant Church in Destrehan, Louisiana, Jesse continues to fulfill his life’s calling by daily taking up the Great Commission of Jesus Christ: “Go ye into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Through social media, television broadcasts, books, and other ministry products, as well as through many evangelistic meetings, the JDM website, the JDM app, and Voice of the Covenant magazine, Jesse Duplantis continues to see growth in his ministry and expand each year while maintaining his roots. Jesus is the center of his life. The salvation of lost people and the growth of believers is the purpose of his ministry. And for both he and his wife, every day is another day to “Reach People and Change Lives, One Soul at a Time.”