Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION
Last week we learnt that aggressive faith and total immersion is what it will take to prosper in these times. Because poverty is an aggressive spirit (a curse as a result of disobedience); it will take faith – an aggressive force that aggressively takes what belongs to it to deal with the spirit of poverty.
In today’s study we shall be considering God’s Formula for Success.
Our Text in Joshua 1:8 says:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

SUCCESS DEFINED
The dictionary defines success as the favourable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavours; the attainment of wealth, position, honours, or the like. Success is often associated with accomplishments or obtaining things such as lots of money, material possessions, or high positions of power. The more you have the more successful you are viewed by the people around you. This definition of success is based on tangible things and what other people think of you.
But that’s not what true success is! True success is how God views it. I believe that true (godly) success can include the above definition and also much more. Because godly success includes eternal blessings! However, the absence of the above does not mean one isn’t successful!
Genesis 39:2 says:
“The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. He worked in the house of his Egyptian master”
To attain success, we need to understand true success. Success for the believer is based on the Word of God and not only attempts at gaining worldly popularity or material gain.
From the above verse of scripture success is tied to God being with us!
God is a just God who operates by principles! He wants us to succeed in life and has provided the formula:

THE WORD
Interestingly there’s only one formula for success; the Word!
Joshua 1:8 (AMP) says:
“This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.”
So what is important is how we interact with the Word. How we believe in the Word; how we obey the Word and if we live by the Word!

APPLYING THE FORMULA
From Joshua 1:8 we see the following steps:
Step No. 1—Speak and Confess God's Word
Keep God's Word in your mouth at all times.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (NIV): “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
The same command is re-echoed in Deuteronomy 11:18-21 with verse 21 emphasizing the result of speaking the Word: “your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, in the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers to give them, as the days of heaven upon earth.”

The Bible in Proverbs 18:21 says there’s power in the words we speak.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

• There is no lack in this earth so great and so powerful that it cannot be turned around with words of faith.
• The entire course of nature—your future and destiny, success and prosperity—are controlled by the words you speak.
That’s why Hebrews 10:23 admonishes us:
“Let us hold fast the profession [confession] of our faith without wavering….”

Step No. 2—Meditate on God's Word
“Meditation on the Word enlarges our capacity for faith; it transforms and expands our capacity to believe and receive.” —Kenneth Copeland
Meditation on God’s Word is fixing your mind and setting your heart on the desired result.
Psalm 1:1-3:
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.”
How to meditate God’s Word
a. Apply the Word personally in your life.
b. Allow the Holy Spirit to make the Word a reality in your heart.
c. Carefully ponder how this Word applies to your life.
d. Dwell on how the Word changes your situation.
e. Place yourself in agreement with what the Word says about you.
f. See yourself as God sees you
g. Realize the integrity in God's Word.

Step No. 3—Act on the Word
2. Luke 6:47-49:
“Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like. He is like a man which built an house and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”
The MSG version of verse 48 says:
“If you work the words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who dug deep and laid the foundation of his house on bedrock.”
It was the same storm that hit both houses but they experienced different results.
Decide not just to be a hearer of the Word but a doer of the Word. See James 1:22
Acting on the Word:
Matt. 6:33, Luke 6:38, Galatians 6:9, 2 Corinthians 9:6, Malachi 3:10, Proverbs 3:9-10, 2 Peter 1:3

CONCLUSION
God wants us to be successful in life. But He doesn’t want us to clamour for it like the world does. Matt. 6:32. So He put in place principles that will guide us to achieving this. We have seen them in the application of the formula. So let us put the formula together.
First, we find out what God's Word says about our financial situations. Then, we speak that Word in faith, believing for the desired result. And then we meditate upon it until the Word becomes greater on the inside then the lack on the outside. And finally, we fearlessly act on what we see in the Word, knowing that no word from God is void or without power. It is easy to act on God's Word if you have been speaking the Word and meditating on the Word. The result is that you will make your way prosperous, deal wisely in the affairs of life and have good success.

Contributor: Leye Olayiwola

INTRODUCTION

Continuing in our series of the topic on True Prosperity, we considered the topics The Hundredfold Return and Putting Your Prosperity Angels To Work. We learnt that the hundredfold return is not literally a hundred times return on investment but the greatest possible return on seeds sown. We concluded on the four (4) things required to be done in order to receive an hundredfold returns which are;
• Asking God where you need to sow and going ahead in obedience to sow there.
• Keeping your faith active all the time.
• Confessing positively after sowing
• and finally, putting your prosperity angels to work through positive declarations.

We will continue in this series by considering the importance of Aggressive Faith and Total Immersion in God's word in the realisation of True Prosperity.

AGGRESSIVE FAITH
A. Poverty - An Aggressive Spirit [Deut.28:15-68]
It is important to note that curse is a result of disobedience. Also, poverty is a product of a curse.
1. Poverty is a part of the curse of the law.
2.  Examples of aggressive poverty are;
• You shall plant a vineyard and shall not gather the grapes [vs 30]
• You will carry much seed into the field and shall gather but little in, for the locust shall consume it [vs 38].
• The stranger shall lend to thee and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head and thou shalt be the tail [vs 44].
3. Poverty feeds on hopelessness and fear.
4. Aggressive poverty must be countered with an aggressive faith.
5. It will take a bold, aggressive faith to prosper in these times.

B. Faith Is An Aggressive Force [Heb. 11:32-34]
1. Greek Word for Faith  is PISTIS - which is An aggressive, forward-directed force. Never      
    passive, retreating, backward or shy.
2. The aggressive force of faith in action [vs 32-24]
3. David ran toward the army to meet the Philistine [1 Samuel 17:48]
4. Faith is determined, persistent and stubborn. It refuses to give up and quit—it won’t let go
     and it will not take no for an answer.

C.  Faith Aggressively Takes What Belongs to It [Mark 11:22-24]
1. Greek Translation of Verse 24 - "Believe that you receive them."
• Take with much force
•  Seize with a grip that cannot be shaken off
2. What God has so wonderfully provided through His grace, we must lay hold of, possess
    and take with our faith.
3. How long are you slack to go to possess the land which the Lord God of you fathers has
    given you? [Joshua 18:3]
• Hebrew word for Possess means to take; to claim a territory by attacking it, seizing it,
driving out the inhabitants and occupying it
• NLT: How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land that God has given you?
• MSG: How long are you going to sit around on your hands and put off  taking possession of the land that God gave you?
4. Aggressive faith makes a demand on God’s Word and takes hold on the desired
     result. Aggressive faith speaks!
a. “Spirit of poverty, get out of my way!”
b. “I will either go past you or I am going to go right through you.”
c. “Either way, I am going to aggressively take the prosperity that rightfully
     belongs to me in Christ Jesus!”

TOTAL IMMERSION

A. Do Not Be Conformed To The World [Romans 12:1-2]
1. The attack on the mind in this modern day is immense. The daily challenges and circumstances being experienced very often make people ask, “How are we going to make it during these times?”
2. To Conformed means to shape like another.
• MSG: Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it
            without even thinking.
• PHI: Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.
3. To be Transformed means to undergo a complete change.
• AMP: Be transformed—changed by the entire renewal of your mind by its
             new ideals and its new attitude.
• GW: Change the way you think.
• PHI: Let God remold your mind from within.
4. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.” [Isaiah 26:3]
• NLT: “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose
            thoughts are fixed on you!”
• Stayed means established, focused, totally immersed.

B. The Principle of Total Immersion [Psalm 1:1-3]
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth hisfruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shallprosper.”

1.  “Day and night” is total immersion in God’s Word.
2. Total transformation in your thinking comes from total immersion in God’s Word [e.g    
     Professional Qualification].
3. By constantly immersing yourself in God’s Word, you will flush out all fear of
    failure and become rooted in the truth of your prosperity.
4. This is what it will take to break the lack mentality and establish a new way of
    thinking.

C. Pastor George's Personal Total Immersion Program
Pastor George and his wife Terri prayed and believed the Lord wanted them to sow their house debt free.  The pressure of what to do next began to consume his mind, thereby finding himself living by fear instead of faith. Thereafter, the Lord led him to do three things to totally immerse his thinking and get him back over into faith for prosperity. Pastor George had to totally immersed himself in scriptures that took his limitations off God. The following scriptures were of great benefit to him;

• Is anything too hard for the Lord? NO! [Genesis 18:14]
• Has the Lord’s hand, ability and power become short, thwarted and inadequate? NO! [Numbers 11:23 (AMP)]
• With men, this is impossible. But with God, all things are possible. YES! [Matthew 19:26].

In addition to this, He totally immersed himself in Dr. Leroy Thompson’s audio series Money Cometh,and Brother Copeland’s audio series titled The Laws of Prosperity. He listened to them all the time, at home, in the car, on the plane—everywhere! He totally immersed himself in God’s Word by locating and meditating on 21 major ways that God provides along with the total of 191scripture references. As a result of these life transforming exercise,

• His spirit was strengthened.
• His faith was fed.
• His mind was renewed.
• His life was completely transformed.
This is what it will take to prosper in these times.

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION

In last week’s study we considered the topic “Our source of supply” we learnt that the problem today was that we were looking in the wrong places as our source of supply; we learnt how to unlock the channels to our source of supply and that selfishness and our motives are the reasons we don’t enjoy the benefits of God as our source. In today’s study we will consider an interesting topic: The Hundredfold Return.
Mark 10:28-30:
“Peter said to him, See, we have given up everything, and come after you. Jesus said, Truly I say to you, There is no man who has given up house, or brothers, or sisters, or mother, or father, or children, or land, because of me and the good news, who will not get a hundred times as much now in this time, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and land—though with great troubles; and, in the world to come, eternal life.”
The whole kingdom of God operates according to the principles of planting, seedtime and harvest. The hundredfold return is God’s principle of return on your giving. What are you planting into the kingdom of God? Expect a hundredfold return on whatever you give, whether it is words, faith, money or any other seed you plant.

SO, HOW MUCH IS A HUNDREDFOLD EXACTLY?
We often think of it as 100 times the original seed sown, but in reality it can be much greater than that. More accurately, the hundredfold return is simply the greatest possible return on any particular seed sown. For example, a hundredfold return on an apple seed would be a strong, healthy tree that produces an abundance of high quality apples every year. When we believe God for the hundredfold return in our lives, we believe for the greatest possible return on every seed we sow!
We can discover what the greatest possible return on our seeds sown by spending time with God in worship and prayer. After we tithe and sow seed, our role is to let Him reveal to us what we should believe for in regard to our harvest.
The Kingdom is the greatest place of investment. Because there’s nowhere in the natural world one can be offered the return of 100 times their investment? At best they can double your money. If for some reason you receive 10 times your investment, it will be classed as a marvellous deal! But no one ever talks in terms of receiving 100 times your investment; only in the Kingdom!

RECEIVING A HUNDREDFOLD
1. Ask God where you need to sow then go ahead and sow!
Genesis 26:12 says: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.” Emphasis mine
Isaac sowed in a particular land; the bible says he sowed in “that land”. We should ask God where we need to sow; not only to make it through this tough financial time the world is facing, but to increase in it! There can never be a recession in Heaven, and God is not a respecter of persons. What He did for Isaac, He will do for you! The world tells us that can't happen! But, we, as Christians, should be rising above all of this mess in the world! Like the children of Israel when they were held captive by the Egyptians, we can boldly tell the world the answer, and show them that while it may be dark in Egypt, there is light in Goshen! We have the answer out of this mess! It’s giving! Sowing and reaping!
So let’s obediently go out like the farmer and sow our seeds on good soils and trust God for them to yield a hundredfold!

2.  Keep Your Faith Active All the Time
To receive our hundredfold return we need to keep our faith active all the time; not just some of the time. None of the blessings of God work automatically, even though they belong to us. They become manifested in our lives as we exercise our faith to receive them.” For instance, healing belongs to every believer, but that great blessing is enjoyed only by those who exercise their faith to receive it. In the same way, the hundredfold return is a powerful force in the believer’s financial blessing, but you have to release your faith to receive all that the Word offers you. The force of faith for the hundredfold return must be applied by the Word of God in your heart and by the confession of your mouth.”

3. After Sowing, Confess Positively
Make this confession: “Thank you, Father, for the hundredfold return offered in Your Word. It is such a generous return and it belongs to me.”
Thanking God keeps our faith active and operative to receive.

4. Put Your Prosperity Angels to Work
Hebrews 1:14 [AMP] says: “Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation?”
Galatians 3:29 says: “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.”
We are heirs of salvation—deliverance, preservation, soundness and prosperity. The angels of God have been sent to perform whatever is necessary to establish God’s covenant in the earth.
1 Kings 19:5-6: “As [Elijah] lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baked on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink….”

CONCLUSION
The Hundred Fold return is still working today if we believe. We should not be afraid to sow in difficult times when the Lord asks us to. Isaac sowed in a time of famine, and received the same year a hundredfold! We must act in faith because it is the currency of heaven, speak and stay positive and put your prosperity angels to work. The God we serve can do exceedingly abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagine!
 

Contributor: Isekhua Evborokhai

INTRODUCTION: In our last study in the series of True Prosperity we looked at how we can be Free from Financial Fear and Making Our Faith for Provision Work every time. We looked at the contrast between faith and fear and concluded that God was our source of provision. In today’s study we shall continue from there as we look at the topic “Our source of Supply”
Genesis 22:14: “Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-Jireh, the LORD is my provider. As it is said to this day, “In the LORD’s mountain it will be provided.”
Philippians 4:19: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

THE PROBLEM TODAY - LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACES AS OUR SOURCE OF SUPPLY
There are a number of places we tend to look to for our supply
1. The Government
2. People (family, friends, pastors, congregants, etc.)
3. Our jobs, businesses, salaries, savings, etc.

GOD IS OUR SOURCE!
1. Source—Point of origin. It is a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained. The beginning place; where something can be traced back to
2. Supply—Provision, inventory, stock
3. Our source of supply is the point of origin for the fulfilment of all our needs. That is why Philippians 4:19 says: “My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
4. James 1:17 – “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.”
5. 2 Peter 1:2, 3 – “Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, seeing that his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…”
The truth that God is our source must be ingrained in our thinking. Especially during economic times like these

UNLOCKING THE CHANNELS TO OUR SOURCE OF SUPPLY
a) Obedience to the Word of God
Psalms 1:1-3: “Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers; But his delight is in the law of the LORD; On his law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also does not wither. Whatever he does shall prosper.”
b) Confession and Submission
Psalms 23:1 – “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall lack nothing.” This implies that we are sheep; a sheep is completely submissive to the will of the Shepherd.
c) Reverent Fear
Psalms 34:9, 10 – “Oh fear the LORD, you his saints, for there is no lack with those who fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but those who seek the LORD shall not lack any good thing.”
d) Waiting on Him
 Psalms 104:27, 28 – “These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season. You give to them; they gather. You open your hand; they are satisfied with good.”
Psalms 107:9 – “For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry soul with good.”
e) Seeking the Kingdom of God
Matthew 6:31-33 "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
f) Trusting in God
Jeremiah 17:7-8:  “Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose trust the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, who spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.”
g) Giving
Philippians 4:14-16: “Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction. You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone; for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.”
h) Abiding
John 15:5-7: “I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If a man doesn’t remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.”

WHY WE DON’T ENJOY THIS PROMISE MORE
In general, we don’t enjoy the benefits of God as our source because we don’t completely follow the principles of unlocking the channels to our source of supply listed above. Here are two other reasons:
1. Our motives. James 4: 3: “When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”
2. Selfishness. Proverbs 11:24: “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.”

CONCLUSION
Our source of supply is unlimited. It is from the Almighty God. His word says in Psalms 50:12b says: “the world is mine, and the fullness thereof.” He challenged us to prove Him to see if He will not open the windows of heaven, and pour us out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it! To enjoy this great promise we need to be completely obedient to Him.