The Truth about Prosperity

Prosperity is a Latin word, and it means “to be in the flow.”
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (6th edition) defines prosperity as “the state of being successful, especially financially.”
The two definitions above are saying the same thing, though in different wording.
When you are “in the flow”, you are lively, vibrant, and strong financially, materially, physically, spiritually, and mentally. But one who is not in the flow is like stagnant water, and is as good as dead. Anything that is not in a state of motion is stagnant. For a river to be of great significance to man, it must be “in the state of the flow.” Similarly, one cannot be of great significance to mankind and to oneself, unless one is in the flow.
Prosperity is God’s Will
The truth about prosperity is that it is God's will that you should prosper.
Some time ago, I was discussing with my tribe man who assisted me in finding an apartment to rent in Abuja. In the course of our discussion, he said: “God has done greatly for Abuja city. The resources needed to develop it are readily available. Look at rocks all around. It is these rocks that construction companies are breaking down and crushing into granites for construction of roads and building of houses.” Of course, my tribe man is right. In addition, it is relevant to note that it is not only Abuja that is blessed with resources. Every geographical region of the world is blessed with one resource or the other. Israel, though a desert land, is blessed with human resources. It is these resources that it used to transform its desert (barren land) into fertile land for agriculture.
Similarly, every person is loaded with resources, which he can use to prosper. When God created you, he deposited within you potentialities, abilities, talents, and the brain to enable you “exercise dominion over the earth.” To exercise dominion over the earth is to prosper.
If it is not God’s will that you should prosper, He would not have empowered you to have dominion over the earth.
We are poor not because God created us to be poor. We are poor because we are either ignorant of God’s rich endowment on us, or we fail to harness our God-given resources for our prosperity.
God will not send you millions from heaven, because he has given you the resources to generate the millions. Someone once said; “God will not do for you what He has given you the ability to do.”
Stop running around; all you need to prosper are already deposited within you. You only need to look inward and discover your potentialities and talents.
Prosperity is a question of Choice
The truth about prosperity is that prosperity is a question of choice. Bishop David Oyedepo, founder of Living Faith Church (A.K.A Winners’ Chapel) said: “Success is not an issue of chance, but an issue of Choice.” This simply means if you make up your mind to prosper, you will prosper; but if you decide otherwise, there is nothing any person can do to help you out.
When a person chooses to remain poor, no amount of money given to him will make him rich. A Nigerian proverb says: “You can lead a horse to the stream; but you cannot force it to drink.”
It is the choice you make that determines your destiny. God on your side, there is no Jupiter that can trip you on your way to prosperity.
Choose prosperity today and watch yourself bulldoze your way to prosperity.
Believe You Can, and You Will Prosper
The truth about prosperity is that if you believe you can make it, you will make it.
Prosperity opens its door to those who believe; but shuts its door to the doubting Thomases.
Once upon a time, there was grievous famine in the land of Samaria. There came a man of God who prophesied that there would be surplus food the next day. Someone who had him prophesy doubted the prophecy. He said even if God opened the windows of heaven, that it could not happen. Well, the man of God replied that he would see the surplus, but he would never partake of it. The next day, it happened just as the man of God said. There was abundance. The doubting Thomas saw it, but unfortunately, he did not partake of it because he was trampled upon by the multitude.
In times of difficulties, people find it hard to believe things will turn out better. Some don’t even believe in their ability to weather the storm.
See, affliction is for a while. Anything that has a beginning must have an end. Do not despair. Never give up. Robert Schuller, president of Crystal Cathedral said: “Tough times never last, but tough people do.”
You don't need a fortune teller to tell you how your future will be. You are your own prophet. Begin to prophesy prosperity to yourself today. In the midst of poverty, see prosperity and believe in prosperity. If you hold unto your belief, soon, you will begin to swim in prosperity.
Prosperity Has a Price Tag
The fact about prosperity is that prosperity has a price tag. You must pay the price to enjoy it.
A renowned publisher and importer once recanted how a man bought a copy of a manual he wrote on import business. After some time, the buyer of the manual started abusing the publisher and asked him to refund his money. A sincere and kind man, the publisher promised to refund his money, but told the man to first return the copy of the manual he bought from him. The man refused to return the manual.
Many of us behave like the buyer of the manual. We want success, but we don’t want to pay the price. Everything the man needed to succeed as an importer is already in the manual. There is nothing wrong with the manual. It is on record that of the thousands of people that bought the manual, nobody complained about the manual nor ask for refund of money, except the man.
The problem of some people is that they always blame others for their own laziness. All that the buyer of the manual needed to do to succeed as an importer was to follow the instructions in the manual – contact the suppliers, place his order, make payment for the goods, and the goods would be shipped to him. But alas! He never did that, but turned back to blame the publisher for his own laziness.
Success has a price. The price is hard work. The greatest deception is to think that you can achieve greatness by doing little or nothing. It is either you work or you starve. There is no food for lazy man.
The road to prosperity is not an easy one. That is the bitter truth. There is no guarantee of automatic success.
The road to prosperity is filled with thorns and thistles. There are giant obstacles on the road; there are also detractors who will do everything they can to frustrate you from getting there. That is why many people fall by the way side.
But you can decide never to allow any of these obstacles to trip you. He who desires success must be ready to bulldoze his way to success. You win by violence, not by gentility.
A successful person is likened to a bulldozer. Just as bulldozer clears off anything that stands on its way, so also a successful person clears off obstacles that stand on its way.
Remember that you are greater than all obstacles that stand on your way to prosperity, because God has given you all you need to conquer. Believe in God; believe in your ability to do great exploits. Get up and pay the price by giving it all it takes. Crush the rocks on your way and turn them to granites for greater accomplishment.
A Greek proverb says: “God will send us all good things at the price of labour.”