[Music] good morning praise God man we had an awesome men's Advance last week so how many of you ladies viewed it snuck in watched it was pretty awesome I tell you Todd Wyatt was really a blessing he got he got so touched he's coming back this afternoon and bringing an offering and U so I'll see him this afternoon he won't be in school but uh it was a powerful powerful time so you ladies really missed out but you can go on the website and you can watch it and it was awesome praise God great things are happening am all right so I've been teaching on in Chapel on prosperity and we've covered a multitude of things there's no way I can go back and uh summarize everything I would say that one of the main differences between what I teach and what most people teach on Prosperity is motive and I I've gone out of my way to try and prove that the motive for Prosperity isn't selfish it's not so you can have a bigger house bigger car bigger anything it's so that you can be a bigger blessing it's you know before you can be a blessing you've got to be blessed and if you keep your heart right in that and if you seek first the kingdom then everything else will come to you so I just want to expand on that a little bit I think I've mentioned that every single time we' taught on this but in Matthew chap 6:33 it says but seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you what are the things that he was talking about it's what you're clothed with where you sleep and what you eat it's talking about your physical needs and here is something that the Lord has taught me that uh it's countering intuitive it goes contrary to our normal way of thinking and therefore very very very few people have embraced this but if you would put first the kingdom of God and if you would just seek him with all of your heart then money will come to you because God wants to equip you to be able to do every good work as it says in 2 Corinthians chapter 9 verse 8 God is able to make all Grace bound towards you that you always having all sufficiency in all things may have a bigger house and a bigger car and all of that stuff right no it says the reason he does that is so that you can abound un every good work if you get to where your desire is truly seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness then God will supernaturally take care of your finances amen most people do not have a clue about this most people feel it's totally my responsibility to provide my needs and if I've got a lack well then I've got to do something and it's all about us doing something and and we really focus and put the burden of prosperity Upon Our shoulders and uh the scripture teaches just the opposite that it's actually a byproduct of seeking the Lord another way of saying this Billy epart says this all the time that money isn't pursu sued it's attracted and when you get the right heart it's like you become a money magnet and finances just start flowing towards you so that God can equip you to do what he wants you to do but it says over in 1 Timothy chapter 6 that the love of money is the root of all evil which while some coveted after they've pierced themselves through with many Sorrows that drown man in predition in other things if you're heart is set on money it will destroy you and this is one reason that God doesn't give money to people whose Hearts aren't right did you know money just amplifies what's in your heart if you I don't know what your deal is but you know whatever your lust is outside of the Lord if you desire whatever it is and if you just all of a sudden had unlimited amount of money what you would do is just indulge that lust it would just amplify it and and uh but if your heart is set on the Lord and if your desire is God I don't really care that much about me I just want to bless you I want to be a blessing I want to establish the kingdom I want to accomplish what you've given me to do and if your desire is all for other people and for the kingdom of God when you get like that it you just attract money and I tell you I am an example of this because I I doubt seriously if there's anybody that's been as poor as I've been in here mine was all by Design I was raised pretty well off I didn't know it but we were we were well off uh and and but when I got turned on to the Lord I got into this preacher mode where you got to be poor and you can't tell anybody and I I mean Jamie and I nearly starve for six years and we went through terrible terrible times and stuff but when the Lord got my heart straight on this I guarantee you money has just flowed towards me and it is super natural and I don't pursue money yesterday we were doing a question and answer session with Dwayne Sheriff Dean radkey Billy epart myself and Carrie and it was for our leadership deal and we were talking about different leadership and it was the same thing when it comes to leadership I have never read a book on leadership I've never been to a conference on leadership until Billy invited John Maxwell right here and four years ago I was here with John Maxwell that's the only time I've ever heard any teaching on leadership I have never pursued being a leader but what I've done is pursue God and if you pursue God and if you're really in contact with him God's the greatest leader that ever was you know Paul said follow me as I follow Christ the best leaders or the best followers and I've been following the Lord and God has taught me things and now that I look back on it uh it is phenomenal what God has done in my life but I didn't pursue leadership I haven't pursued money all I've ever done is just pursue the Lord and everything that you will ever need comes as a byproduct of relationship with the Lord if you go to a leadership conference or if you go to a Prosperity conference and if you get all of these nuggets that you know are good I'm not against those things but if you substitute those for fellowshipping with the Lord and now you start working the program and you're doing all of these things that everybody's telling you to do and you're doing that in a as a substitute for relationship with the Lord is not going to work if you are putting first the kingdom of God in his righteousness well then yes a budget is good and yes having uh some knowledge about things are good but nothing substitute substitutes for knowing god and putting first the kingdom of God and if you would do that God would take responsibility for your needs and I guarantee you God can provide for your needs better than you've ever thought about providing for yourself I've said this multiple times during this series but if God can get it through you he'll get it to you if you build a dam and if your reason for Prosperity is so that you can have more so that you can do all of these things then you actually are hindering the flow of God's finances towards you the way finances flow in God's kingdom now there's a secular Kingdom and you can go learn all kinds of things about how to make that work but in God's kingdom if you want God to be your supply and let God Supply your needs the way it works in the kingdom of God is you put first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and that you could take that in two ways talking about your righteous position find out who you are in Christ that you are the righteousness of God but also putting first God's kingdom and just doing things that God leads you to do those are righteous actions so if your heart is right with the Lord God will cause all this problem prosperity to flow through you so again Matthew 6:33 is a result of all of these other verses that are in front of it so let me go back here and read some of this in uh verse 19 Matthew chapter 6 verse 19 lay not up for yourselves Treasures upon Earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and Ste again this is counterintuitive this is opposite what most people think and let me just uh balance this by saying that the scripture says that a Godly Man will leave an inheritance to his children and his children's children so this isn't saying that you can't have anything it's just saying don't do it for yourself if you are gaining prosperity and if you've got money in the bank and a savings account that you're going to leave as an inheritance that's really not for yourself that's a Godly thing you're leaving this for your descendants if youve got money laid up because you are wanting to give and you're just waiting on God to show you where to get there's nothing wrong with this this isn't saying that you can't have any money in your pocket or a savings account it's just saying that none of this should be done for yourself there's so many people that their idea of retirement is they've got to provide and they got to have all of this money so that they won't have to trust God during retirement so that they can have it all done and that they're taking care of and they don't need God that's wrong you need to get to a place to where you're constantly depending upon God for everything regardless how much money you got in the bank uh it shouldn't be for yourself it's so that you can be equipped to do whatever God tells you so that you can leave it for other people you know we've had uh I forget the exact amount but it's over $150 million that have been pledged to our ministry through people's wills and of course they're still alive we don't have the money yet but these are people that are making uh provision that even after they go to be with the Lord they want to keep being a blessing even after they're gone that's not laying up money for yourself that's so that you can be a blessing so it says lay not up for yourselves uh Treasures upon Earth where moth and rust do corrupt and where thieves break through and still this is saying that everything that you have in the natural that you are trusting in the natural is subject to change it says that over in U 2 Corinthians CH 3: 18 or 4:18 it says that uh while we look not at things that are seen but things that are not seen things that are seen are temporal are temporary but things that cannot be seen or Eternal anything that's physical can be changed if you're looking to money as your source as you're looking to your savings account as your source that stuff can all be affected I tell you with some of the leadership that we have in our country now they're talking about taking everything they can get from you I heard some people say that Biden State of the Union is again another tax in increase and stuff and if you're just looking in the natural realm and trusting in your resources man that could be gone in a heartbeat we could have a we could have a depression we could have something happen you just can't trust in those things that's not to say that you don't do them that you don't make provision but your trust needs to constantly be in the Lord in verse 20 but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through and are still did you know everything you invest in the kingdom of God every time you put money into the gospel and you're changing people's lives that is secure that is eternal that is never going to fluctuate all of this stuff in the natural you can't count on it but I guarantee you everything you put into the gospel it is sure it is steadfast guaranteed hundredfold return in this life with persecutions and in the Life to Come Everlasting lasting life so man we need to put first the kingdom of God and and man there's a lot I could say about that just for time sake I'm not going to go through it all but notice you can lay up treasure in heaven think about this money is temporary someday everything in this natural world it says that the whole earth is going to be destroyed with a fervent heat and God's going to create a new Heaven and a new Earth so did you know that these buildings steel diamonds whatever you want to invest in it's all going to be destroyed someday but everything you put into the kingdom you are laying it up in heaven where all of the things of this world cannot affect it you've got a Heavenly bank account and when you have a need then it's just simple to go and make a withdrawal because you've put you've laid up treasure in heaven there's a lot of people that are wanting to make a withdrawal and you've never made a deposit doesn't work that way but lay it for eles Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust do corrupt and where thieves do not break through of steal for where your treasure is there will your heart be also and this is getting to the real heart of what Jesus is saying right here the reason he wants this attitude where you seek first the kingdom of God and the reason you work isn't to supply your need but it's to supply you with finances so that you can give somebody might think that is absolutely ridiculous I basically paraphrased Ephesians 4: 28 where it says let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labor working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that needs the reason you labor with your hands isn't to meet your needs but so that you can have to give to other people somebody's thinking no I I provide for myself first and then if I have something left over I give see that's the reason you aren't prospering that's right because you aren't seeking first the kingdom of God the reason you work isn't to supply your needs the reason you work is so that you can be a blessing now the Lord told you to pay your bills and owe no man anything so if you've got rent if you got a car payment if you've got things God wants you to do that but you do that out of obedience not out of selfishness your real desire your real heart's desire is God I want to get a better job not so I can have more stuff but so I can be a bigger blessing if you gave five ,000 last year say I want to give 10,000 this year and that's going to determine what kind of job you have in order to be able to meet your desire to give see that ought to be the way you live but most people think about man I I want a bigger house I want a bigger car I want this and so what do I have to do to get my needs meant they seek first their Kingdom and the Lord here this is the key to it for where your treasure is there will your heart be also if your if your treasure if your focus is on on all of these things and you're wanting more stuff and if that's where your heart is I mean your treasure is then that's where your heart will be so the Lord is saying no you need to put your your Treasures into the kingdom your focus ought to be on seeking first the kingdom and if you do that that will drive your heart towards him where you seek first the kingdom of God and then he promises down here that if you'll do that he will supply everything that you need if you are short in any way in your life fin finally it's because God doesn't see you as seeking first the kingdom of God or you would have those needs met if you can't say Amen you can say oh me and I'm not trying to condemn anybody this is how we're all taught we're all brought up not to really acknowledge God we're brought up to think it's your responsibility I've got to provide a living I've got to do these things and we take responsibility and we feel like we've got to focus on these things that's just the way that human nature is we were all taught this way but I'm telling you you can change to where you put first the kingdom of God and if you'll do that God will take care of you you know Mike and Carri picket are a great example of this because Mike and Carrie were over in Russia and people were tell they were there for 16 years and people were telling them that man you know they were renting an apartment they had nothing laid up did you know when Carrie went over we didn't Prov provide any Financial blessing whatsoever she worked for me for 16 years ran the ministry over there put me on television uh all across Russia did all these things and we didn't give them a penny she raised all of her own finances and they did everything on their own and people were telling them you're absolutely crazy what are you going to do for retirement but you know what they were putting first the kingdom of God they were doing what God told them to do and when they came back here it turned out a guy that Carrie used to uh pick rocks out of his field when she was a little girl uh when they came back he asked them what they were going to do and she's she talked about working here but you know they weren't making very much money when they first came back they were just doing menial jobs and anyway this guy that she knew from being a child he just gave her I forget the exact amount but it was like 700 $800,000 to be able to go buy a house and he said now you can pay me back if you want to you can pay me back when you want to if you never pay me back it won't be a problem they couldn't have saved that money much money in 16 years over in Russia if they had been doing things but they came back they bought a house out here in divide and uh then they sold it they flipped it in a couple of years paid back this guy everything that he had give and they used the profit they still made6 or 700,000 profit bought a house now they're thinking of buying a second house as an investment and they are prospering hand over f because they put first the kingdom of God instead of their own kingdom and on and on and on we could go saying that boy Jamie and I we've lived in a 60 um ,000 house for 38 years that and when we did that that was that was stretching my faith as far as it would go we built that house and we lived in that and I mean just in the land last couple of years God just blessed us and gave us a house we don't own a house now but we live in a house that is I don't know many many times greater than that and God just blessed us it's just perfect and we have been putting first the kingdom of God I haven't been building my kingdom and right now do you know we were able to give away two and a half times our yearly income last year and the year before we gave away one and a half times our yearly income God is just blessing us hand over fist I haven't sought Prosperity but I've sought God and because of it God has blessed me and so I could just keep giving testimony after testimony this is the reason that the Lord wants you to put first his kingdom because wherever your focus is that's where your heart's going to be and you need to put your focus on God and on his kingdom and then he says for the light of the body is the eye if therefore thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light but if thine eye be be evil thy whole body shall be full of Darkness if therefore the light that is in thee be Darkness how great is that Darkness you know there's a scripture I think in Lamentations I'd have to look it up I'm sorry I don't remember where this is but it says he that hastens to be rich has an evil eye and this says if your eye is evil your whole body shall be full of Darkness if you are hastening to be rich if you are seeking to be rich if that's where your focus is you have an evil eye and it causes your whole body to be full of darkness and then just for time sake I'm going to have to run through this quickly but the rest of these verses talk about look at the lies of the field man they don't toil they don't do anything and yet Solomon was never as beautiful as one little lily look at the birds of the air how they don't gather into Barns and they don't do this and yet God feeds them aren't you much better than a lily than a sparrow did you hear that report about a thousand birds that died down in Colorado Springs of starvation you never will God takes care of all those [Applause] birds and if God will do that for Birds well then don't you think he'd take care of you if you just put first the kingdom of God Amen so this is what he's saying we just need to put first the kingdom of God and I tell you if you will exalt God God will take over your finances God will provide for you better than you have ever thought about providing matter of fact I had one guy he gave me a a brand new uh oh van extended van that was tripped out Lighting on the inside all of this stuff and I had people all the time say what do you do and when I I'd tell them I was a preacher they'd say I didn't think a preacher was supposed to have something as nice as it it was given to me I didn't buy it it was given to me what am I going to do turn it down and go buy a piece of junk so that I'd look humble in your eyes and anyway I went back to the guy that gave this to me and I said you know what I'm embarrassed I said it's embarrassing I have people all the time that tell me that you know what is a preacher doing driving something fancy like this and this guy spoke to me and he says if you aren't embarrassed at your level of prosperity God's Not Your Source he says God paves his streets with pure gold he makes his Gates out of one Pearl God is extravagant and if you can look at everything you've got and if it never embarrasses you at the level of prosperity then you haven't made God your Source that's quite a statement you don't seek finances you don't seek Prosperity but I guarantee you it will come if you'll put first the kingdom of God and his righteousness I've I've shared this thousands of times and there's very few people that ever embrac this they I don't know they just for whatever reason it's so contrary to the way we think naturally that they just can't get it but I'm telling you it works if you would put God first and you it's one thing to say well I'm putting God first prove it in your finances give at least a tithe I think that's a starting place but if you can't even give give a tithe if you can't trust God on 10% well then I can guarantee you you're just blowing smoke when you say that you're putting God first in your life your finances prove where your heart is where your treasure is there will your heart be if your heart is really putting first the kingdom of God it'll manifest itself in your finances and if it's not well then you can say what you want but you aren't truly putting God first so I just want to encourage you with that we're going to pass out these envelopes for your you're giving and we're going to give you an opportunity to give today and this goes into your future into your second year where it'll bless and multiply and come back to you praise God you know let me just share one other thing while they're passing this out if you go down here in uh verse 31 it says therefore take no thought saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewith All Shall we be clothed for after all these things do the Gentiles seek for your heavenly father knoweth that you have need of these things God knows your needs better than you know your needs and then it says seek first the kingdom of God but in that 31st verse it says take no thought saying I'm I'm taking this and kind of expanding on it a little bit but I don't believe it's inaccurate to do this that you know Satan can bring thoughts to you but how do you keep those thoughts from taking root on the inside of you Kenneth Hagen said it's like a bird flies over your head you can't keep a bird from flying over your head but you can keep it from uh nesting in your hair and making a nest and you can't necessarily keep all thoughts from coming but how do you keep those thoughts from dominating you it says take no thought saying the way you take a thought is when you begin to repeat it don't say it don't sit here and speak forth your doubts that's really really important if you want to keep your heart stayed on the Lord you've got to start controlling your mouth and speak things that are consistent with what you're wanting not always with what you feel amen that is a really powerful truth right there so father we love you and we thank you Father for these truths thank you that you care for us more than we care for ourself and father you want to bless us more than we want to be blessed I truly believe that and father thank you for the way that you provide all of our need that father you make grace abound towards us so that we can always have all sufficiency in all things and abound unto every good work so father I just speak these things to my brothers and my sisters I'm asking that the Holy Spirit would make this real that people would put first your kingdom and believe that father you will provide for our needs better than we can provide for ourself so we give with that attitude today and we believe that this is coming back unto us 100 fold in this life with persecution and in the world to come everlasting life father we agree and receive that in the name of Jesus Amen you can receive the offering you know we had our men's Advance uh last week and for those of you that didn't hear uh Jeremy Pearson's was one of our speakers last year and this year and I showed a video last year of what we're doing here building out the campus and Jeremy just really felt impressed to give and uh I don't think he'll mind me telling what they did but his church gave $100,000 towards our building program and they had they had um $1.4 Million worth of indebtedness on their building down in Green Mountain Falls and so he gave specifically so that they could get that paid off and he shared at the ministers conference that one year and two days before he shared last week they got that building paid off in one year's time that $100,000 gift turned into $1.4 million and of course that's on top of their normal expenses that was just paying off their debt and so guess what Todd White got really touched and so he's bringing a large offering today and bringing his leadership and they're coming and having me pray over he's got $8 million worth of edness and he's coming and and we're going to pray over that and bless him and I believe in a year's time he's going to get his $8 million worth of indebted PID off hey man I tell you money is not a big deal people think well there's there's a shortage of money there is no shortage of money you don't need to think that way man there there is more than enough there God has no limits most people see finances like a pie and if you take a slice out with them that means there's less for everybody else it's not that way at all man there is no shortage of finances in the kingdom of God God could turn uh you know a into gold if he wants to he could go and have you catch a fish and take the coin out of the mouth of the fish and pay anything that you need there is no shortage of finances in God's kingdom there's just a shortage of people that are believing God so there's no shortage people are spending money on all kinds of stuff man anyway I'm out of time but that's awesome you are blessed and go I believe that when you leave this place that you're you're going to be refocused on the Lord in a way that you never have and as a result you're going to be a money magnet you will just attract money and you will be able to abound to every good work you're not going to miss out on a single thing that God has for you so I think that these prosperity teachings are important because it whatever God's calling you to do is going to take money and if you don't have an abundance of finances you're going to be limited in what you can do so this is really really important I encourage you to please receive it and benefit from all right you're [Applause] dismissed
