Lisa’s mantra in life includes “money is the root of all evil”. She believes that to be materially rich is a disappointment to God and is convinced that material poverty is what everyone should do to honor God.

I beg to differ from Lisa. Although I believe that money is not everything and that the poor finds favor in God, I am also convinced that God does not want to see His people suffer just to make ends meet. He doesn’t want to see them without jobs nor does he want to witness them be buried in debt. Contrary to this, I believe that God desires for us to be successful and to prosper both physically and spiritually.

Here are some of God’s promises on prosperity and prosperity scriptures from the bible:

• God created man as His highest creation, giving him dominion over all the earth (Genesis 1:28)

• The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were men made wealthy by God’s blessings. (Genesis 13:12:26 – 14:33:5)

• Obedience to God is rewarded with blessings including material ones. (Deuteronomy 28:1-14)

• God promised Joshua that if he will meditate on the Word of God constantly, he will traverse a prosperous and successful way (Joshua 1:7-7)

• Solomon asked God for wisdom rather than riches. God gave him both! (1 Kings 3:13)

• The Prayer of Jabez included a plea to bless Jabez and enlarge his territory. God answered his plea. (1 Chronicles 4:10)

• To enjoy the fruit of our labor is a gift from God. (Ecclesiastes 3:13:5:19)

• Seek first the kingdom of God and everything will be added unto you. (Matthew 6:33)

• What you give to God will be multiplied back to you. (Luke 6:38)

• John’s desire was for us to be healthy and prosperous as our soul prospers. (3 John 2)

• God saved the people to enjoy His blessings for all eternity. (Revelation 21:1 – 22:5)

Did God promise us prosperity? Yes, He did. Does He promise us prosperity? Definitely! God’s blessings abound. His blessings are upon us wherever we go and will stay even for generations after us. God does not want His people to barely survive or to shoot the moon to make ends meet or to worry endlessly about paying bills. He does not want us to suffer from the lack of our basic needs in life.

However, God’s promise on prosperity is not some kind of bribe for obedience to His laws. God’s promise on prosperity is offered to those who truly love Him, those who seek to do His will and those who obey Him with pure hearts.

Prosperity is not an end in itself—the Lord Himself will ALWAYS be the end to be sought. As much as God wants us to prosper and to be successful, He also wants us to be contented with what He has given us and have faith that He will provide for us, as He has always provided for His people in the past.

The widespread corruption and injustice that exists in today’s society can certainly make one think that “money is the root of all evil.” It wouldn’t surprise me if many believe this adage. I, on the other hand, don’t. I know that money isn’t really everything in a person’s life but material wealth isn’t so bad. After all, many of the basic necessities in life can only be obtained through money. Besides, God wants man to prosper and be successful and prosperity includes material wealth. How do I know this? The following prosperity scriptures prove my point:

• Genesis 13:2, 3. In Genesis, God promised to bless man and make a great nation for him. He also vowed to curse those who curse man and to bless all families.

• Deuteronomy 8:18. In this scripture, remembrance of the God who gives man the power to get wealth is emphasized. Wealth here is considered as a means to establish God’s covenant.

• 1 Chronicles 4:10. This part of the bible tells us of Jabez’s plea for God to bless him with abundance and how God granted his request.

• Matthew 7:7-8. This scripture encourages us to knock on heaven’s door and ask for God’s blessing because God gives to those who ask.

• 3 John 1:2. In the New Testament, John tells us of how the Father wishes, above all, for man to prosper and to be in health so that his soul may also prosper.

See? The Bible says that God desires for us to prosper materially and that He wants us to succeed. These prosperity scriptures imply that God, because He is our Loving Father, would never want us, His people, to be in peril. Like any father, God only wants the best for His children. But, even if prosperity is indicated in the aforementioned prosperity scriptures, we are still warned that prosperity is not limited to what’s financially tangible. Prosperity is encompassed by many things – physical, spiritual, mental, social and of course, financial.

To relate prosperity to money alone is very narrow-minded. Moreover, these prosperity scriptures also clarify that though God wants His people to prosper, He only promises its occurrence if we obey His commandments and if we trust Him. He also reminds us that in our search for prosperity, we have to remember to not become greedy and to be contented with what is ours because we are always given what is due us.