I spent years quietly refusing to take any interest in Stephen De Silvas’s book Money and the Prosperous Soul. The ‘name it and claim it’ prosperity gospel, is too embarrassing, and (let’s whisper now: I like to think I am too spiritual to feel concern about money)
I’m so sorry, Jesus. I want a prosperous soul because You died to ensure that (among other wonderful things) I could have one. It is very evident that I need one, and that this is important to You. I’m sorry, Stephen, because you wrote the how-to book of the century. Dear Marys, hear the words of Jesus in Mark 4:24. “Take care what you listen to. By your standard of measure it will be measured to you; and more will be given you besides.”
Stephen quotes Bill Johnson: ‘Clearly Jesus is not referring merely to the physical act of perceiving sound. He’s talking about hearing that involves listening. When we listen, we allow what we hear to capture our attention and focus, which in turn influences our beliefs and values. These beliefs and values set a standard for our ears that ultimately determines the voices we pick up in our environment.’
Have you been listening to ‘things just happen to me’, ‘people like me don’t do those things’, ‘I’m not worth it’, and ‘there won’t be enough’? You feel like a victim, powerless and anxious, waiting to be derailed by the unexpected, enslaved and trapped in financial battles?
If this is your standard of measure, dear ones, this is what will be measured to you, and more besides.
Francis Frangipane has identified what Bill means by ‘the voices we pick up in our environment.’ He describes this as a power (Eph. 6:12), an evil energy that broadcasts lies like radio waves across a territory. When did you start hearing these lies? Did your Mum and Dad feel anxious about money, nervous about unforeseen expenses, or hoard resources? Would your friends and neighbours be envious of others who, apparently, are picked out for good fortune, while they themselves are not?
You may have heard this described as a poverty spirit, but a power cannot be cast out as though it were an evil spirit. Intergenerational and territorial evil powers, broadcasting lies across regions and nations, are displaced by truth. Or, of course, Truth, the One who was rich but became poor for our sakes, so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). The One who is at work in us to restore our souls and lead us in right paths for His name’s sake. Psalm 23
Let Him restore what Stephen calls the bent in your soul. When you have believed the lie of lack, you may still feel destitute even when you have abundance. Abundance might never be enough to unbend you. Prosperity is about the restoration of your soul, not your wallet.
Stephen K De Silva, Money and the Prosperous Soul.
Bill Johnson, Strengthen Yourself in the Lord,
Francis Frangipane, The Three Battlegrounds.