Part V of the teaching – Prospering in Difficult Times. Part I, Part II, Part III & Part IV
How to Prosper in Difficult Times by Pastor Emmanuel S. Olowokere. Dec. 20, 2009.
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Sermon synopsis
There’s one thing among others in this series that can’t be emphasized enough. What it is? That you can prosper in difficult times.
This understanding stands at the core of these teachings. It’s that important because what you don’t believe in can’t happen to you. You just will lack any motivation to begin let alone follow through on it.
As important as knowing you can prosper in difficult times is, it helps to also know that prosperity in difficulty is not a rarity. There’s something about seeing or knowing the proof of a possibility that makes us comfortable as humans. Reason we’ve cited some biblical and popular examples as proof of our conviction: Isaac, Joseph, Walmart and Best Buy.
It’s also been emphasized that your prosperity is important because there are families that are dependent on your prosperity for their advancement.
You also need to be mindful of the role of these three things – Timing, your location, and whose you are – on prosperity. This comes together perfectly in Isaac’s case in Genesis 26. Though it was a time of famine, it was Isaac’s time. He was asked to stay in Gerar and not relocate to perceived greener pastures. And of course this direction and instruction came because He was God’s and Abraham’s.
You may wonder what Gerar signifies: Gerar is a territory that is before Sodom and Gomorrah. It’s a place of envy and possibilities.
Add to the foregoing the knowledge that God prospers what you do and not what you are thinking about. He prospers actions and not intentions.
Psalm 1:1-3 is a great guide here:
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. [emphasis, mine]
Pastor Olowokere, Strong Tower parish, Minneapolis. Dec. 20, 2009.
You must be productive to prosper. As a slave and a prisoner Joseph was industrious and his industry was what God prospered as Genesis 39 shows.
Your hands must never be idle if you’re to be a beneficiary of God’s prosperity. Even God labored for 6 days before resting. Don’t forget He is God and could have made creation in a minute if He wanted. If God worked, tell me what excuse you’ve got.
Finally, last week we’d examined another secret to prosperity: Sowing
Another definition of Sowing is ‘to scatter’. The Book of Proverbs 11:24:
“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”
You must learn to let go in order to get something in return. Adam gave a rib and got a woman (Genesis 2).
Sowing, or scattering, also means putting effort for the good of others.
I had met a friend of mine at the RCCG convention in Texas the other day. I had her chauffeured the whole time and not many knew why. She was the daughter of a governor back in the day in Nigeria, and was very good to me and my siblings. Here we were several years later and in a different land, what she’d scattered in the past answered for her. The story of one of my sons is also worthy bearing. He spares no cost in giving to me now. He’s such a wonderful boy. Not too long ago he was in a difficult situation and we stood by him. He got out of it and got closer and closer to God. And now see how he’s become such a blessing to us. We had an option of not sticking with him back then. But we did.
Truth is, when we sow or scatter we think we’re losing but trust me it’s an investment with a great, my business friends will say, return on investment.
Saints, never miss an opportunity to scatter you will in the end be glad you did.
May God grant us wisdom and the grace to act on His word.
Merry Christmas to you and all yours!
