Deuteronomy 8:11-18(NKJV) 11“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, 12lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; 13and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; 14when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; 15who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; 16who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end— 17then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ 18“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
We have studied 3 key attitudes that will produce divine prosperity. Moses gave these keys to Israel just before they entered the Promised Land. Let us list them here;
1. We must keep God’s commandments and live a godly life to have divine prosperity
2. We must view trying times as an opportunity for victory. We must not grumble, complain or quit under pressure.
3. We must believe that God really is bringing us to a better place.
The fourth key is set forth in today’s scripture. We must never forget the source of our prosperity. In these verses Moses reminds them of all God has done on their journey. Once they are in Canaan, they must not think it was their own ability that brought them there. They must remember that God brought them out of Egypt and God who will prosper them in Canaan.
Verse 18 is particularly significant.
18“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
If we can receive this statement as absolute truth, it will cause us to prosper and it will keep us from developing the wrong view of prosperity. First, we will never come to the place where we think what we have only belongs to us. If it is God who gives us the ability to obtain wealth, so God is the true owner of that wealth. What I have belongs to God.
We often say this in theory. I have had people stand up and say, “God gave me a new car and I want to dedicate it to him.” That sounds very spiritual, but what happens when God wants to use that car to pick up someone for church? “I would like to but that is out of my way.”, or “I just don’t allow children in my car because, after all, it is the Lords car and I need to keep it nice.” I question whose car this really is.
The same can be said of our homes. Do we open them when there is a need? What about our money? If it belongs to God, then he should have access to every account. Giving should be no problem. God gave me the power to obtain it, so if he needs it he can have it.
On the other hand, if God gives us the power to obtain wealth, who can stop us from obtaining it. In Romans 8:31 Paul said, if God is for us, who can be against us. If God is giving me the power to obtain wealth than there is nothing the devil can do that will keep me from that wealth.
We often look at natural factors to determine our income potential. We rarely consider the spiritual factors. If we believe Deuteronomy 18, we must conclude that the spiritual factors are far more important. If we keep God’s commandments and obey his voice, we will prosper. If we do not we will not prosper.
I believe it is necessary to work and not be lazy. I believe that we should get as much education as we can. There may be times when God leads us to move to a different place, but location is not the key to wealth. It is God who gives us the power to obtain wealth. Hard work, education, talent, training and location are all factors, but if God does not bless them, they will not produce divine prosperity.
Take a good look at your life as it stands. Are you prosperous? Is God meeting your needs? Are you free to give to good works? If you can say yes to all these things then remember, it is God who gave you the power to get where you are. Do not get too proud of your position. Without the Lord, you would not be there.
Do you have to answer no to some or all of these questions? If that is the case remember, it is God who gives us the power to obtain wealth. Your education or lack thereof cannot keep you from the blessing of God. Your age does not hinder God’s ability. It does not matter what the economy is like in your area. God gives you the ability to gain wealth because you are his covenant partner. Listen to his voice and obey his commandments. He will lead you to your Canaan land of prosperity.
Finally, God gives us this power to establish his covenant. As we have already stated, this means that all the wealth is really his and should be available to establish his Kingdom in the earth. This may mean building the local church structure, missions giving or preaching the Gospel in our own city. Our wealth must be available to God for all of these things and more.
When God prospers us it also establishes his covenant by showing to the world that those who trust in him are blessed no matter what the physical circumstances may be. We are a house built on a rock and when the storms come to our house it will stand. During the time of great trial all who turn to him will be able to come to our house for comfort and refuge. That is the plan of God for this day.
The fourth key to divine prosperity is to remember that all wealth comes from God. It is not your strength, education or hard work that produces it.
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