Lesson 12 — Why God's Plan for the Needs of Man is Not Realized

1. 1 WHY GOD'S PLAN FOR THE NEEDS OF MAN IS NOT REALIZED

Why God’s Plan for the Needs of Man is Not Realized

In Lesson Ten we have studied God’s plan for the needs of man and we have seen that it is all-comprehensive as far as meeting every want and every need of man for this life here and for the life that is yet to come. The infinite and eternal promises of God we have seen are almost incredible to the natural man. Even saved, spiritual men find them hard to comprehend fully. Not because the words themselves are hard to understand, for this cannot be said of any part of God’s Word, but because it is so wonderful beyond human imagination that God, the Living God, would make such abundant provision for all known wants and needs of man for now find forever. But it is true!

No man with common sanity can deny that the plain words of the promises really say what they do. No Christian will dare deny the fact that they are true and that God will fulfill them, but the great problem with believers is in meeting the conditions of their fulfillment in the daily life. The following are some of the most common reasons why men do not fully experience the abundance of God’s supply for them:

1. 1 CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN MISLED INTO ALL KINDS OF FALLACIES BY SOME FALSE CULTS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS

   The following are some universal teachings in our modern time:

• That it is God’s will for men to be in poverty and want to keep them saved.

• That man is a subject of defeat and that he is powerless to avoid sin, sickness, and failure in life.

• That pain and physical suffering is the lot of everyone and that they are blessings of God in disguise to believers.

• That man must live in sin every day either in thought, word, or deed and that no man can live a true, holy Christian life.

• That we all must accept these and other conditions as the common lot in life for all.

• That any doctrine or aggressive attitude on the part of anyone to get victory over these conditions in life demonstrates lack of submission to the Heavenly Father and shows pride of life in trying to go against the will of God and be better than the average person.

• That the day of miracles is past.

• That healing is not in the atonement or in the will of God.

• That the baptism in the Holy Spirit and gifts of the Spirit were for the apostles only.

• That all inspiration has ceased and we do not need the signs of the gospel today to confirm the Word of God.

• That all supernatural manifestations are works of the flesh.

• That it is the height of ignorance and rebellion against truth to expect God to do everything that man wants Him to do in this life.

• That man is not a free moral agent.

• That God is responsible for his lot in life and for his salvation in the next life or for his being lost, should he be lost forever.

These and many other false doctrines are being taught in thousands of modern pulpits, so it is no wonder that there is such unbelief in God and His promises. It is no wonder that men throughout Christendom are in confusion, with bitter discord and strife over many points of doctrine that should be taught and believed in all churches that claim to believe the Bible. This condition should not exist and it would not exist if all men who profess to be Christians would lay aside church theories and personal opinions, and get back to a whole-hearted acceptance of the Bible and consecrate themselves to obey the truth as they find it.

All men can better themselves and live in health, happiness, and prosperity if they will do this. The Bible is simple and clear, and if modern ministers do not want to preach the truth, a person can still get it by reading and understanding the Bible for himself. If you have sense enough to read what it says, you have sense enough to believe what it says, so there is no excuse for any man not to know for himself the truth of God, to believe it and receive its benefits.

Not one of the above-listed fallacies is in the least scriptural, as anyone can see by reading God’s Word. The promises of Lessons Ten, Twelve, Fourteen and Sixteen are enough to disprove everyone of these theories; so if man wants to believe the lies of satanic powers instead of the truth of God, let him become satisfied with his lot in life. Let him refuse to better himself by the gospel. Let him blaspheme the character of God by such false doctrines about God. He will receive judgment from God in due time. Let him live in want, sickness and sufferings, which he does not have to endure if he will turn to God and His truth.

1. 1 MEN FAIL TO GET BENEFITS FROM GOD BECAUSE THEY DO NOT RECOGNIZE THAT THEY ARE FREE MORAL AGENTS WHO CAN CHOOSE TO SERVE EITHER OF TWO MASTERS

   THEY DO NOT KNOW THAT THEY CAN GET RID OF THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL IF THEY WILL QUIT SERVING HIM AND START SERVING GOD ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL. We have seen in Lesson Eight, Point X, that Adam was given full responsibility as ruler of the Earth and that God’s Universal Plan for Creation in the restored Earth was that he should enjoy to the full all the blessings of a perfect creation. We have also seen in Lesson Ten that God wants men under the present curse to enjoy such benefits to the full. God would not have made such provision and given such promises if He did not intend for men to attain these benefits.

What man must do if he wants these blessings is to first realize that they are for him and that God really meant for him to have them. He must believe that God will see to it that he gets them if he will cooperate with God against demon powers and the false doctrines of men. Man must recognize that he is a free moral agent and is responsible for the loss of his dominion. He must acknowledge his position of sinfulness and confess his sins to God—forsake the sin business and conform to the gospel. He must then take an aggressive attitude and a victorious stand against satanic powers by the help of the Holy Spirit and by faith in God and in the blood of Christ. He must overcome these powers and take victory that rightfully belongs to him. After all, if God had His perfect will in every man’s life, that man would automatically have all these blessings without any struggle. Man must sever his relationship with these evil forces and fight for the promises of God to be manifested in his life.

It is a fight to get the full benefits of the gospel, and there is no use keeping this fact from anyone. The devil tried to defeat Christ and the apostles. He has waged constant warfare against every man who refuses to serve him. He hates God and every person who serves Him. According to many modern false religions, all one must do is to simply ignore the Bible ideas of a devil, sin, sickness, and disease and look to God-law inside. This is sheer nonsense, and it leads one into captivity to the very devil that is ignored. It leads one to cooperate with Satan against God, and naturally if the devil can get men to deny the Bible and its truths, to deny Christ and the atonement, he knows he has that one safe on the road to Hell. He will himself cooperate with such deluded souls, and he even helps them get material benefits that are promised to all men, saints and sinners alike. He even takes away sickness and other works of his from such people in order to eventually damn the souls of his victims.

The wise thing to do is to acknowledge truth and facts and follow the ways of God even though doing so brings some opposition from satanic powers. God has made full provision to overcome sin, sickness, and all the works of the devil, and everyone can get the material benefits and all other benefits these false religions offer, and in the end one will be sure of eternal life.

Man must make his choice of which power he wants to operate in him and which master he will serve. Man can get some benefits from each master, and the more a person becomes consecrated to either master the more he becomes a special subject to the operation of that master in him. Some men sell out wholly to the devil and yield to the operation of demon spirits who possess them and help them in many activities of life. Others consecrate themselves wholly to God and become new creatures, get filled with, and baptized in the Holy Spirit, and get endued with power from on High to destroy the works of the devil. As we have seen in Lesson Six, Point X, Satan counterfeits God in every way possible to deceive men. Everyone must be careful to be perfectly free and biblical in all his religious, spiritual, and material activities of life in order to have the right Spirit in him and to have the right power working in and through him. The general rule to follow is this: Any power, any doctrine, or any spirit that reflects against the character of God, rejects Christ, the cross, and the blood atonement, or in any way teaches contrary to Bible truths is of the devil and should be rejected at once.

Man is not only responsible for his choice of masters, but he is responsible for his condition in life. He does not have to tolerate sin, sickness, poverty and want in his life. He can, by God through faith in the promises and by meeting the few simple conditions, get rid of these things in his life and enjoy the fullness of God and His goodness. Review the plan of God in Lesson Ten and then go about making this plan a personal one for your life, and things will change for you beyond your fondest dreams.

1. 1 MEN FAIL TO GET ALL THE BENEFITS PROVIDED IN GOD’S PLAN BECAUSE OF UNBELIEF AND BECAUSE OF THE MANY CONDITIONS THEY MANUFACTURE WHICH THEY THINK THEY MUST MEET BEFORE GOD WILL ANSWER PRAYER. Once in a classroom we asked many students who were training to be ministers, missionaries, and Christian workers, to state the conditions they believed one would have to meet in order to get God to answer every prayer. It was surprising to hear the scores of conditions that they thought must be met before God would answer prayer. The whole classroom seemed to be filled with nothing but conditions. When they all got through, we said, “It is no wonder that we have so few prayers answered. The great wonder is how anyone could ever get one prayer answered if he had to meet all those conditions.”

We then gave them the all-inclusive condition of answered prayer: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” John 15:7. This is really all one has to do to get answers to all his prayers. This implies that one believes from the heart all the promises of God, that in Christ one is living a life of righteousness and true holiness, and that one expects God to answer prayer when he does pray. Any one person who will do this without wavering in his faith is just as sure to receive that for which he has asked as he is sure he is alive. One must “ask in faith, nothing wavering . . . and it shall be given him” James 1:5-8. One “must believe that he [God] is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” Hebrews 11:6.

Is this too much to ask of men? Is this too much for men to do in order to get what they want in life? This is asking very little on the part of God. Why should He not be firm in His demand for unwavering faith? Why should He freely and abundantly give to men in answer to their prayers if they do not believe that He is true to His Word? Should men expect God to answer them upon any other grounds? God has not once in the history of the human race failed one person of all that He has promised. Men have no reasonable excuse for unbelief. They freely choose the way of unbelief if they do not choose the way of faith. They cannot be neutral. Men easily believe Satan when it comes to doubting God’s faithfulness to meet His obligation to answer prayer and fulfill His Word to believers. They can, it they will believe God instead of Satan. God can and does expect this belief from men before He will give what He has promised.

1. 1 MEN FAIL TO GET THE FULFILLMENT OF THE MANY PROMISES BECAUSE OF THE GREATNESS OF THEM

   It is true they are great and staggering when they are first known, but the more one meditates upon them and gets personal experience from them, the more simple and comprehensive they become to the believer. One should not stumble over the greatness of the promises, for the God that is back of them is infinitely great. He created all things and He is capable of doing anything that men can even ask or think according to the power of God that works in them. Let us learn to accept all statements of God at face value and boldly claim the full benefits of what God has provided for men in His plan. They are greatly loved of God or such provision would not be made for them.

There is nothing impossible to the believer if he will but believe. He should not tolerate the least doubt or suggestion that God will not hear and answer. If he does he is defeated. James says of the doubter, “he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord. A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” James 1:5-9.

Neither is there any limitation to the provision made in the gospel for body, soul, or spirit, concerning any and all needs and wants that are legitimate and good for the whole man. The promises are too plainly unlimited to be limited by mere man. If there had been any limitations, then God should have been the one to make them; so if He did not, then how dare any man limit them if he wants the things that are so freely given to him of God?

Because there is no limitation to the promises or to the abundance promised, let each one see to it that he does not limit himself and his faith and thus bring condemnation upon himself by lowering the gospel standard and questioning the goodness of God.

1. 1 MAN’S SUPPLY IS SOMETIMES CUT SHORT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HIS MORAL OBLIGATION AND BECAUSE HE DOES NOT PUT FORTH EVERY EFFORT TO LIVE UP TO IT. Man is a subject of moral law and moral government, and he is under moral obligation to live up to the laws of moral government.

Moral law is simply the rule of action for moral agents established by recognized authority to enforce justice and prescribe duty and obligation to them under moral government. It is the rule of free and intelligent action and liberty as opposed to the law of bondage and unintelligent action. It lies in the reason and declares that which a moral agent ought to choose, will, and intend.

The purpose of moral law is to reveal and declare the rule of moral action of free wills concerning the highest good of being and of the universe and to govern the acts and intents of free wills in their relation to God and His eternal plan in the universe.

Moral law is immutable and can never change or vary in its requirements that all free wills consecrate themselves to the same end to which God, the Moral Governor, is consecrated—the highest good of the universe and all things therein.

All free moral agents are under moral obligation to keep the moral law because it governs the best good of being. What is contrary to the best good of being and of all society in the universe is plainly illegal and unwise and must be prohibited. Free moral agents must choose to cooperate to bring about the best public good. They must be against that which brings misery and hardship to society. It is a mutual plan for the good of each person and of the universe as a whole, and all are naturally under obligation to help continue this plan according to the light received.

To have moral law there must be moral government to direct, guide, and control all moral agents. Moral government must include rewards for good deeds and punishment for evil, or no society could function in harmony for very long. There must be some standard of living to which all must conform to prove themselves worthy of being a part of that society. There must be some means of dealing with rebels who consecrate themselves to destroy such society. Law without penalties and rewards would be no law at all. It is merely advice which free wills can accept or reject as they please without fear of punishment or hope of reward. Moral Government is under obligation to execute the moral law faithfully to the letter for the good of all the governed.

Since it is necessary to have moral law and moral government it is also necessary to have a moral governor, whose will and decisions are considered infallible by all the subjects of government. He should be authoritative and not merely advisory. He must be able to maintain the respect of his subjects by faithful and unselfish execution of his duties in administering moral law. He must be able to mete out penalties and rewards in justice and holiness.

There is only one person in the universe who is best qualified to rule and to secure the highest good of all concerned, and that is God. His natural attributes, His perfect moral character, His relation to the universe as Creator and source of all, and His history of absolute justice to all qualify Him to be the Supreme Moral Governor. As His glory and our own good depend upon mutual conformity to the same end, He is also under obligation to keep moral law and to require His subjects to be holy and, consecrated to the same end, to help Him secure the best and highest good of all concerned.

Free moral agency consists of intellect, sensibility, and free will, and those form the foundation of moral obligation to moral government. The intellect includes reason and self-determination. The sensibility includes self-consciousness, all feelings, emotions, desires, passions and appetites. Free will is the power to choose concerning moral law. It is man’s faculty of choosing good or evil without compulsion or necessity. It was originally created in man, and he will have it through all eternity.

The basis of right choice is always to act and choose for the best good of all. Nothing can happen in life but what is the choice of someone. It is all-important that right choices be made that will effect the greatest public and private good. Moral obligation extends to the ultimate acts of the will or the intention. The moral agent is under moral obligation to choose holiness as the means to the best good and happiness of being. He is under moral obligation to have faith instead of unbelief, to choose God instead of the devil, to choose good instead of evil, and to live for others instead of for self.

The basis of justice is the intention to act and to choose for the best good of being. Even civil governments judge on the basis of the intent to do good or evil. The Bible respects the intention more than the results or outward actions 2 Corinthians 8:12. All vice and virtue are considered as coming from the heart Mark 7:15-23Matthew 7:19-21James 1:13-15James 3:9-14. Where the heart is right, all is considered right; where the heart is evil, all is considered evil. Even sinners do some things outwardly that are required by God, but the heart is not right. The intention is generally selfish, and the good acts do not change the heart.

As we have seen, the foundation of moral obligation is the highest good of all. Because this is true, then entire consecration of free wills to secure this end constitutes obedience to moral law. Obedience must be whole and entire. One cannot choose the best good of others and at the same time choose self-gratification. God cannot tolerate half-heartedness in choice and service Revelation 3:15-16Matthew 22:36-40. He cannot justify one who renders partial obedience according to his light. A man must walk in the light as He is in the light to be cleansed from all sin 1 John 1:7. If a person is always coming short of full obedience to known duty, then there is not a moment that he is not under the curse of the broken law James 2:10James 4:17. God cannot dispense with the execution until repentance, forgiveness, and full obedience are realized Romans 8:1-4, 13Galatians 5:16-26Romans 6:16-23John 8:341 John 3:8-10.

If obedience to moral law consists of entire consecration to secure the best good of all according to the light received, sin and disobedience consist of entire consecration by free choice and life to secure self-gratification regardless of the rights of others. It is commitment of the will to serve Satan and the senses instead of God and the moral law of intelligence. It seeks to be governed by the impulses and passions instead of intelligence and reason. Self-gratification is the root of all sin. Man’s selfishness is closely allied to the self-interest of Satan. His will is free to oppose desire and lust contrary to the law, and when it does not, sin is committed. The mind knows its obligation; so when it chooses contrary to the law, the choice is not one of ignorance. It is a free action and brings condemnation by the law. Selfishness is always unreasonable. It is the denial of true manhood and rational nature. It is contempt of the law of God in man’s reason.

No sinner chooses the way of reason and common sense, or he would turn to God and quit the sin business. He seldom consults reason for his actions. He usually obeys lust and is in stubborn rebellion against moral law and reason. He is lustful in heart whether he obeys all lusts or not. As long as he remains this way he is condemned before God and needs regeneration to bring him to obedience to the moral law. If he does abstain from certain sins it is for some selfish reason. It is for the sake of loved ones, for his reputation, or for fear of punishment or disgrace. He does not refrain because he is good at heart.

With these facts in mind about moral law, moral government, and moral obligation we can see that it is sinful not to have faith in God and not to get all the good things God has promised in His Word. If it is God’s will and Word for man to have all the good things of life, then man is under moral obligation to seek to accomplish the known will of God to get these things. When he is passive, indifferent, and faithless, he is sinning against moral law and moral government and is not living up to his moral obligation to get these benefits, so that he can be a good and perfect example to other moral agents.

It is the height of folly to think that man is living up to his moral obligation, that he is the best example to other moral agents, that he has faith and is obedient to God, and that he is securing the best good to his being, as well as to all others, when he is weak, sickly, defeated, sinful, corrupt, depraved, helpless, unhappy, and poverty stricken. Yet Christians by the multitudes think and are being taught to be satisfied with this lot in life, to endure patiently these limitations, to accept these evils as the will of God, and to make no effort to get out of these conditions in life. They actually think that they can best glorify God and be a Christian example by being willing to endure these sufferings, as they say, “for Christ’s sake.”

If they really could see that they are enduring evils for the sake of the false doctrines of men, they would know that they are submitting to the satanic program to bring the goodness of God into disrepute and cause thousands of sinners to stumble over such Christian examples and to reject a God that would will this kind of life upon His children. If they were at all interested in acting for the “sake of Christ,” they would take the plan of God for their lives and receive the abundance of life by reason of the unlimited promises. They would see that it is wrong and contrary to the moral law for them to be satisfied with any such lot in life as they now accept.

Christians can bring up one or two isolated persons in Scripture, such as the poor beggar Lazarus, as evidence that it is the will of God for saints to endure these afflictions, but they need to realize that it is not known why these saints did not appropriate the benefits of the Old Testament. They did not have the New Testament promises as quoted in Lesson Ten. If Christians would forget these few exceptions and set their eyes on the scores of examples in both Testaments that were healthy, wealthy, and wise, it would at least show some effort on their part to glorify God.

Anyone with common intelligence knows that it would best glorify God for a person to be well and able to do the will of God in deed and in truth rather than to be sick and unable to carry out His purpose. Anyone knows that it would better glorify God to get victory over Satan than to be defeated by him. It would best glorify God to be well off materially, rather than to go begging from the ungodly world who laugh at the way God blesses His children with nothing.

These conditions certainly do not prove to anyone that God is being glorified. They only prove the lack of faith and initiative on the part of individuals who have been taught false doctrines about God and His providence. These doctrines are used mainly as excuses for unbelief and failure to attain in God that which is provided. Just as truth sets free, lies and false doctrines bind, bring into bondage and give one a false security to think that one is getting out of the gospel all that is the best will of God under the fallen state

1. 1 MEN FAIL TO PROSPER AND GET FROM GOD BECAUSE THEY DO NOT USE FOR OTHERS WHAT THEY HAVE

   They are too selfish and stingy. They have no faith that God will replenish if they should happen to give of their means to help others. They are full of worry and unbelief. They are afraid to launch out into new opportunities to make good in life. They have no vision to tackle anything. They pray and when God answers their prayer to bless them materially they will hesitate until the opportunity goes by. They are not diligent in business and are unselfish in their motive to get wealth, health and happiness. These conditions must be corrected in the personal life before anything in a definite way can be expected in life as promised in the gospel.

We shall see in Lesson Twenty that the New Testament program is for every believer to have full and absolute power over the powers of the devil and that God has made final and complete provision for each person to attain to all the known needs and wants of this life, spiritually, physically, and materially. In Lesson Twenty-two, we shall prove that every believer has the full power of attorney to act in Christ’s stead in the world and to represent God and demonstrate His power to fallen men so that they can know there is a greater power than that of the devil and sin. In Lessons Fourteen, Twenty-three and Twenty-four we shall prove that you can have bodily healing and health and freedom from sin in this life, and in Lessons Sixteen, Twenty-eight and Thirty we shall prove to your own satisfaction by the Scriptures how to attain to this place in God.

The only thing left to deal with here concerning man’s needs is the material needs of the believer. If anyone thinks that we emphasize this too much, we do so because few, if any, reveal the true teachings of the Bible on this phase of life, which, after all, is a great part of human life and interest. We simply want our students to get every phase of Bible teaching and to be well grounded in their knowledge and experience. Why should we withhold this phase of life from the ones we promise to help with these lessons? It would be a sin on our part to know the abundance of truth along this line and fail to make it clear to the multitudes that seek for truth, salvation, health, happiness, and prosperity.

No man can be at his best when he is oppressed and worried all the time about how he is going to get his next car payment, his house rent, or enough food and clothes for his own loved ones. These are great burdens to the average man, and it is a shame that all churches do not reveal to their members the abundant provision of God for such needs. It would be to their own advantage, and it would bring great glory to God when sinners see how the believers are happy and blessed with health and material things. On the other hand, when sinners see saints living far below their standard of living and know that they are being prospered and blessed with God’s goodness more than Christians, it certainly does not tend to make them desirous of giving up their life for the Christian life.

If the full truth about material help from God would be taught according to the Bible, preachers would not have to beg for money in every service or use unscriptural means to raise money for church work, as many of them do. If men in churches were taught the gospel of prosperity and if they would actually experience material help from God as they do spiritual and physical help, all the minister would have to do would be to remind his members that he has taught them and led them into prosperity and that God has been good to them and has prospered them so that they should come on now and meet all the needs of the work of God. More and more God would bless such a people of faith Malachi 3:10-12.

Members who realize that God has been good to them and that they have what they do because of His goodness would gladly give to supply others. After all, this is what money and material things are for. Note the following passages that prove this: “And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? For sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? For sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again, and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be called the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned; forgive, and ye shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” Luke 6:30-38. This passage not only gives the law of God and the moral obligation to give, but it also gives some laws of prosperity.

We continue the passages on what to do with material gain: “Distributing to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality . . . love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” Romans 12:13Romans 13:10; “If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? . . . Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” 1 Corinthians 9:7-14; “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful [hilarious] giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; “Let him that is taught in the word communicate [give of material gain] unto him that teacheth in all good things” Galatians 6:6; “That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate” (give of good things to others, 1 Tim. 6:17-19); “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35, “Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his own hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth” Ephesians 4:28.

“But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And hereby we know we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before him . . . And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight” 1 John 3:17-22.

If all Christians would have faith in God and carry out the simple laws of prosperity laid down in these passages and in the following supplement, God would bless them in abundance so that they could have more and more to help others with. The all-inclusive law of prosperity is to consecrate oneself to help others and to use what he has and God will give the increase. God will make ways and present opportunities to make success, and a person must not be afraid to launch out into new ventures as he sets to know the will of God in prayer and as possibilities present themselves. Have faith, reckless faith if need be, and God will honor it. Then as you use material gains for the good of others God will enlarge your capacity for more and make you an ever-increasing channel of supply and blessing to others.

One must start with a love to do things for others. Love is the beginning of all worthwhile achievements in life. You cannot love God and keep the first commandment without also keeping the second commandment. Jesus said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” Matthew 22:34-40. If you obey these commandments you will observe the golden rule. You will be interested in helping others to get along in life. You will work for others. You will sacrifice self-interest for the interests of others. You will then make many friends, and you cannot make friends without gaining in prosperity yourself. Your friends will help you succeed in your business.

Friends will want to help you. Do not forget to take the opportunities that will come to you in life and make the best of them, and always with the intent of doing good with what God prospers you with. You will give without thought of getting. You will serve without thought of reward. You will succeed spiritually, physically, and financially.

The law of Christ is that “whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it” Matthew 16:25. In doing things for Christ, you do things for others: “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” Matthew 18:1-10Matthew 25:34-40. Christ taught us that the law of increase is to use what we have to use. The man with five talents gained five more for his master; the one with two talents gained two more; but the one with the one talent hid it in the ground and did not use it, so gained nothing. “For unto everyone that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not [did not use what he had, because he thought it was too small to use to gain more] shall be taken away even that which he hath” Matthew 25:14-30.

The widow in Elisha’s day merely used what she had, and there was a great increase 2 Kings 4:1-7. She wanted this money to pay her debts and save her children, and God met her faith, and she had more than enough. Any legitimate desire for any good thing in life is perfectly normal and right to have, and God will not withhold it provided proper unselfishness and faith are used. The selfish man always wants to know what will be his gain, but the unselfish person wants to know how he can help others when he gets what he wants. The one who goes through life solely for getting instead of giving seldom acquires prosperity.

When we start with the idea of what we shall be able to do for others, there is every chance for success. Look forward to real services to others, and soon your hands will be full of good deeds and loving memories of good done here and there, and others will be giving back to you Luke 6:30-38. Look for work that will help others; sell goods and services which will help people in their problems; give sound, godly, and biblical advice to all men as you make contact with them, be honest in the smallest business details; thank God for blessings you need and want; have faith that they are yours; make plans for the proper and unselfish use of blessings; be pleasant and happy before men; be thankful for your work; don’t try to reach the top in one day; be diligent in business; cheerful in giving; merciful in dealings; kind and sympathetic and understanding to all men; put your faith in God and His promises and claim their benefits; trust God in adversity; let any failure become a steppingstone to something greater; use your influence for good and for God and lost souls, help those in sickness and need; pray earnestly to succeed and be blessed with all the good things of life; and above all get right with God and consecrate yourself to the best good of being and of the universe and you will prosper in all things along with God.

Believe that God wants you to have prosperity and health and the good things of life. Believe they are the will of God for you. Live in the faith of the things you want, for after all, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” Hebrews 11:1. It is the principle of life that “calleth those things which be not as though they were” Romans 4:12-24. Faith is making a blueprint of what you want and working toward that end. Before you get what you want act as though you already had it. Visualize it as yours. See it with your mind and heart and put forth every effort to bring it about. Turn over to God the things you cannot do, and He will bring them to pass. Just relax and have faith in God in such matters that you are helpless to bring about. When you worry and are fearful that events will not work out, you hinder God from working the matter out for you.

1. 1 MEN FAIL TO GET WHAT THEY WANT FROM GOD BECAUSE THEY DO NOT FAITHFULLY FOLLOW THE LAWS OF ANSWERED PRAYER, AS PLAINLY STATED IN SCRIPTURE. If a person wants answers to prayer he must faithfully observe the following laws:

(1) Study the Bible promises until you are convinced that your need is covered by them and that it is God’s will for you to have what you desire 1 John 5:14-15.

(2) Concentrate on getting rid of all selfishness in life concerning the thing you want; desire it for the good of being and of others 1 John 3:17-24.

(3) Be sure that you are right with God and that you are in Christ and His Words are in you, according to Jn. 15:7; 2 Cor. 5:17.

(4) Be sure that you want it bad enough to firmly resist doubt and the devil James 4:71 Peter 5:8-9.

(5) Ask in faith, nothing wavering Hebrews 10:19-23Hebrews 11:6James 1:4-8.

(6) Do not for one time be fearful of the outcome. Simply cast all your anxiety and worry upon God 1 Peter 5:7Hebrews 10:35-39. Remember that your request is in the hands of God and that all things are possible with him and with you if you believe Mark 9:23Mark 11:22-24. Look for the things you want instead of looking at your difficulties.

(7) If you are tempted to think of the past and of past failures to get what you want, forget the past Philippians 3:13-14. The past has nothing to do with the present request in the hands of God. God is for you, and who can be against you? God has promised freely all things, and He will keep His Word Romans 8:31-322 Corinthians 1:20Hebrews 10:19-23, 35Psalms 84:11.

(8) Be thankful to God for the fulfillment of His promises even before they are fulfilled Philippians 4:6-7. Believe that you already have what you asked for Mark 11:22-24. Call those things that be not, as though they were Romans 4:16-22. Wait patiently for the complete fulfillment of them and the answer to your prayer Romans 8:24-25Hebrews 11:36.

(9) Do not lose heart if answers are delayed, but be dogged and persistent for the answer until it comes Luke 18:1-8. Be bold as a friend of God Luke 11:1-13. Be definite in what you want Matthew 18:19. Exercise the faith that takes Mark 11:22-24Hebrews 11:6James 1:5-8. Use the all-prevailing name of Jesus John 14:12-15John 15:16John 16:23-26. Yield to the Holy Spirit Romans 8:26Ephesians 6:18.

(10) Utter faith and absolute dependence on God is the secret of getting things from Him, the intense passion and longing for the supernatural, the cry for an answer or nothing else, the desire to bear fruit or perish. The intense desire to do something, to make a success in life, to help others, to be the best for God that is possible, and to prove to the world that the gospel and God are the all-sufficient help one needs in life should be the burning passion of every Christian. If we can all awake to this ideal and attain in life what is planned and promised by God, we can demonstrate a new type of Christianity to the world—dynamic, living, and creative Christianity that the world is dying for today. You have to sow before you can reap, so let us all together seek God to attain to His fullness and blessing. Let us start practicing these laws of answered prayer for anything and everything in life we want and see that God is faithful and will fulfill His Word.