Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:2  … a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

That which we experience today is a result of our doing or “not” doing in the past, as the case may be. The seeds sown or “not” sown come to fruition.

Many people pray for prosperity, but there are foundational ground rules that must be followed for prosperity in conjunction with prayer.  Where are those principles or ground rules to be found?  In the Bible.

At a certain point if a person wants to make progress, it is necessary to break out of the cycle of unbelief and doubt that keeps them locked in because of questioning  the Bible and the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. A person might say, well, how do I know the Bible is true? How do I know the principles are true?

The One responsible for seeing that Bible got written, the Word made flesh, came to earth, lived, was crucified, died, and was buried, and rose from the dead.

Luke 16:31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

At some point it becomes necessary to look at facts and accept them.

A good example is the fact that God created only man and woman. “You either get it or you don’t.”

I Corinthians 14:38 But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.

The facts are out there, a Google away.  But the thing is, when a person finds the facts, it is necessary to believe them and act on them. Google hides searches and what comes up in a search today may not come up tomorrow. Save and share things that are important.

When it comes to finances, there is a thought that the only thing that is needed is to pray and that God will answer.  And while it is true that God answers prayer, the Holy Spirit may require something in addition  … tithes, offerings, a seed sown … some act of obedience.  The Lord of the harvest directs the seed that must be sown to have a harvest.

God is interested in souls, in the things of eternity, in the trajectory of lives whether to heaven or hell.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

The first thing to be done with any supply of money  is to tithe and to give offerings to those who are spreading the message of the gospel because there are expenses involved in the gospel being shared.

To put it in today’s terms, the content is free, but the delivery system is not.

Every person with a cell phone understands that.  People are delivered free content every day through phones that can cost $1000 or more.  The content is free.  The delivery system is not.

The things of the kingdom of heaven are no different.  The message is delivered free, but someone pays for the delivery system and the content creation.

If you continually consume free content, just because it is free, and you think you have “beat the system” and figured out how to live without taking any responsibility to give, if you never give back in some way, it will eventually work to your disadvantage.

Proverbs 11:24 There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.

25 The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.

 

Judges 5:23 Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

 

I Timothy 5:18 For the scripture saith, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

 

Haggai 1:5 Now therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

6 Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

7 Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

8 Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

9 Ye looked for much, and, lo it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

10 Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

11 And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

 

Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.