I’ve been asked on occasion why I believe the prosperity doctrine is a cancer in the church, and I always refer those posing the question to the parable of the sower and the seed. It is not some harmless thing that we can wave off and chuckle at when we see men who would otherwise sell used cars and likely lemons at that, flying around in private jets because by distracting individuals from the purpose of the faith, shifting their focus to the deceitfulness of riches and the desire for other things is choking off the word of God that was sown in their hearts. These are not my words; they are Christ’s words. It’s not an assumption on my part. He drew this conclusion based on what He knew to be truth.
The word of God calls them thorns; they are invasive weeds
that will choke off the word of God in men’s hearts until they become
unfruitful and, in turn, become thorns and weeds themselves. Every one of
them’s got a mentor, and every single one of their mentors is a grifter who
aged out and went to drink themselves silly on a yacht after fleecing the
children of God for millions.
Jesus called riches deceitful because they offer a false
sense of security where none can be had. They’re not evil in and of themselves,
just like an inert knife isn’t evil all on its own. Riches are a tool just as a
knife is a tool and it all depends upon how the individual in question chooses
to wield them. Problems arise when we see riches as our place of safety rather
than Jesus or when we fail to mature our faith and grow our relationship with
Him because we’ve been distracted by the accumulation thereof.
Even a monumental project like reviving and expanding the
temple ran the risk of becoming a distraction, and Jesus knew this. Whatever is
attempting to shift your focus from the things above to the things of this
earth, whether the cares of this world or the deceitfulness of riches, fame,
influence, power, or prestige, its intent is purposeful and well-defined. It
desires to choke off the word in your heart, thereby making you unfruitful.
Christ first! Christ above all else, whether it’s family,
business, ministry, or the less worthwhile things like politics, golf, or
arguing with strangers online. Whatever tertiary thing is distracting you from pursuing
the fullness of Christ must be done away with because although you might deem
it needful momentarily, it will become detrimental to your spiritual man
eventually.
Yes, that includes end times prophecy or discussions on the
last days of the world. Prioritize Jesus before anything else because knowing
Him and Him knowing you are the only things that will matter in the end.
I was twelve when I started as my grandfather’s interpreter.
I spent my teenage years and a good portion of my adulthood warning about the
things we are beginning to see take shape in the world today. I must give
credit where credit is due; I learned not to be consumed by prophecy or the
prophetic from watching my grandfather and his walk with the Lord.
Spending time in God’s presence, being in prayer, and
studying the Word were the essential pursuits of his existence, and everything
else flowed from there. Whether the grace of receiving dreams and visions or
prophesying or being used by God to heal the sick, every man of God used by God
in an extraordinary fashion has being in the presence of God as their goal and
purpose. The gifts, the power, and the authority flow out from the relationship
one establishes, cements, and continues to grow with God.
Be a man or woman who yearns to be in the presence of God
first. Be a man or woman whose desire isn’t big crowds, fancy titles, speaking
gigs, or television appearances, but rather being alone with God, reading His
word, and letting it light your path. Everything else will flow from there, and
God will send you where He needs you when He needs you and imbue you with His
authority so that you might carry out His instructions.
It’s when men go without being sent that they fall flat on
their faces, and then they have the audacity to blame God for their failures.
But I was told I was going to be a prophet to the nations by the guy whose
course I bought on how to be a prophet to the nations. Just because someone
claims a title does not make it so. God doesn’t have to sign off on your
identity as an apostle or prophet, and just because He refused to co-sign our
machinations does not mean His hand is short or that He doesn’t do today what
He did two thousand years ago. I think it’s the self-importance some people
assign to themselves that gets my goad.
You are not the last apostle, the last prophet, or the only
one through whom God can speak a message. Yes, I know, being humble is for the
birds, and if you don’t promote yourself, who will? That’s the crux of the
issue, though, isn’t it? You’ve taken ministry, the work of God, and the
calling of God and made it all about you. You are dust, just as I am, and to
dust we will return, and the only thing that will remain beyond this present
life is whether or not you were faithful and obedient to God. Were you saved
through faith in Christ? Were you sanctified and washed clean by the blood of
the Lamb? Did you pursue righteousness more than an audience and intimacy with God
more than the praise of men?
If you’ve ever wondered how many bridges I can burn in one
day, now you have your answer. All of them! Am I trying to be purposefully
antagonistic? Hardly, but the noises from the voices blathering on about things
God never said and turning the hearts of sincere people toward issues that
don’t matter will only continue to grow and intensify while the tumblers on the
lock keep clicking into place and we get closer and closer to the time when
men’s hearts will fail them from fear and the expectation of those things which
are coming on the earth.
That’s another thing we tend to overlook. For information to
spread fast enough so that an individual might learn what was happening on
another continent before the information became stale and irrelevant, this age
of technology we are currently living through had to come into being.
If a guy got on a ship with breaking news, and the soonest he could deliver it was four months later, it would no longer be breaking, and the war or rumor of war he was reporting on was likely over. Just a thought for those who insist that the things Jesus spoke of as having a global impact and causing worldwide trepidation have already come to pass.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea, Jr.
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