God Inc.

A reader mentioned that they feel uncomfortable asking for monetary gain in prayer and asked for some guidance. I think this depends upon the person. I would caution that you be careful for what you ask. Im speaking from experience as someone who hitch-hiked into Atlanta with literally one change of clothes as my entire portfolio who over a span of three decades went from abject poverty to fairly substantial financial success. I have seen both sides of the fence. The Bible has much to say about the rich, and much of it is negative. It is difficult to handle wealth because with it comes temptation, arrogance, and distraction from your true purpose, and it can destroy your life. Many a lottery winner, sports star, rock star, movie star, and others who found overnight success have found that out, beginning with a destroyed marriage that took them through the trail of drugs, sex outside of marriage, and alcohol to a life of misery and shame far from God. Money literally cannot buy happiness. That only comes from a close relationship with God. Jesus stated that it was harder for the rich to get into heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. It is believed that He was referring to a small opening in the walls of Jerusalem, referred to as The eye of the needle, whereby heavily laden camels could barely squeeze through this small opening by getting down on their knees and inching through the opening as their trader handlers encouraged them on. It is not impossible, but very difficult. (I hope it is not lost on you that the process began by getting down on their knees.)



The bottom line is that everything we have belongs to God. Look at it as Jesus buying you and me a franchise with His blood. You are the steward, or CEO of your own personal franchise. How well you manage your business will determine many things. Jesus used an analogy whereby a land owner gave three people coins. One year later he came back and checked out their progress. Two had invested wisely and earned more with their coins. The other had not earned anything with his. The manager rewarded those who used what He had given them wisely, but took the others coins away from him and gave them to the other two. We must realize that we are here for just a very short time and we should concentrate on Gods work. If you really buy into the theory that everything belongs to God and you are just a steward or manager over it, I see nothing wrong with asking for more, because your motive is not personal. As a good steward you will want more in order that you might do bigger and better things for our Lord. For example suppose you wish to start a foundation for the needy, but you do not have the wherewithal to even get it off the ground. It would be entirely appropriate to ask God for financial help to launch this worthy project. What if the guy down the street has a new pool and a Corvette and you want to compete? You do not tithe; you do not give gifts to God over and above the tithe; you do not volunteer any time to help others; you do not even go to church. As a final insult to your Father, you do not even take care of your own body, Gods temple. What kind of CEO are you? Why would God want to grant your request?



God already knows the true motive of your request. No one can con Him. Is your request personal, or is it related to Gods kingdom? This is not to say that there is anything wrong with personal wealth and that every penny must be given to charity. Indeed God mightily blessed His faithful servants Abraham, Joseph, David, and a myriad of others. I believe the Lord wants Christians to have nice things and enjoy this time in this world too. There is nothing wrong with having or wanting nice things. I do not believe that God wants us to live in the desert wearing a camel tunic living on wild honey and water. He does want our full attention going to Him, not temporary things that will soon be gone. We should love Him with all of our heart, all of our mind, and all of our body. He should come first, everything else must be secondary. It is difficult to stay focused as CEO of your little franchise and piece of God Inc. as the blessings mount up, but it is not impossible. So like I said, be careful for what you ask, and remember God does answer prayer. When He does, THANK HIM, (even when he says no or not right now…)



1 Peter 4:10

As each one has received a gift,

minister it to one another, as good

stewards of the manifold grace of

God.