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.
