BVOV Magazine 2013 - present

Ken and I found this out when we first began to hear the truth of God’s Word about prosperity in 1967. We were in desperate financial shape back then. We had a mountain of debt, very little income and a family to feed. So, as you can imagine, we wanted to see God’s BLESSING manifested in our finances and we wanted to see it fast! But even though we were diligent about reading the Word, meditating on it and confessing it, it took a while for us to renew our minds and start thinking more like God does about prosperity. It took time for us to get His Word about that area of our lives inside us in abundance. Our bills didn’t get paid off in the first few weeks or even the first few months. But we stuck with the Word anyway. We kept it in front of our eyes and in our ears until it started coming out of our mouths. We attended to it until it was more real to us than the circumstances around us, until it was so alive in us that it was speaking to us day and night. As we did, our souls began to prosper. Almost a year later, we were out of debt. Did we want to wait a year to see that result? Of course not! But, thank God, we persevered anyway. We kept looking into God’s Word and learning what He says—not only about prosperity but about healing and everything else. We’re still persevering and learning today. We’re still endeavoring to be active doers of the Word. As a result, our souls keep prospering and we continue to be blessed. Money From Home The same can be true for you. After all, God wants to bless you just as much as He wants to bless Ken and me. “Are you sure?” you might ask. Yes, I am! The Bible leaves no doubt about it. It says clearly in black and white that God wants all of His children to prosper and be in health. It says He actually takes pleasure in prospering His people (Psalm 35:27). BLESSING and increasing you is one of God’s favorite things to do! But for Him to do it, you must cooperate with Him. You must dig into His Word and do what He said in Proverbs 2:1-9: "My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding. Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God. For the Lord grants wisdom! From his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity. He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him. Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go" (New Living Translation). To people who haven’t been born again, the idea of seeking God’s wisdom by spending time reading and studying the Bible every day might sound boring. But to those of us who are believers, the Bible is never boring. It’s always saying good things about our lives. It’s perpetually talking to us about how God will heal us, prosper us and give us every good thing. It’s constantly providing us with the wisdom we need to live an abundant life. As God’s children, we never tire of reading God’s Word because to us it’s like getting money from home every time we open it up! It’s blessing, blessing, blessing! So, stir yourself up about it. Make a fresh commitment to keep the Word in front of your eyes and in your ears. Spend time in it every day, not as a religious ritual but because you know that the more you renew your mind with the Word, the more you’ll be able to walk in the truth. The more you’ll be able to prosper even as your soul prospers, in every area of life. V ------------------------------------------- Points to Get You There: A Prosperous Soul What does it take to be truly prosperous? It takes a prosperous soul! How do you get a prosperous soul? By renewing your mind with the Word of God and walking in His truth. Here are a few points to help you: 1) Set aside time daily to seek God through His Word. Proverbs 2:1-2: “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands. Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.” (New Living Translation) 2) Let the Holy Spirit make that Word alive to you and teach you what you need to know. John 16:13: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.” (NLT) 3) Speed up your spiritual growth by listening often to Word-based teachers and preachers. Ephesians 4:11-12: “These are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work....” (NLT) 4) Commit yourself to the process of renewing your mind. Romans 12:2: “Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (NLT) 5) Even if it takes time to see results, persevere in the Word. James 1:25: “He who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience).” (The Amplified Bible) V APRIL '14 : BVOV : 31

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