Contending for Wealth in the Courts of Heaven

We are told clearly in God’s word that wealth is necessary to the purposes of God. Deuteronomy 8:18 is a very clear statement of this.

And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

If God’s covenant purposes are to be done in the earth and His government and kingdom are to expand, wealth is a necessity. This scripture could not be any clearer. God grants the power to get wealth so His will and purposes can be done. Without wealth the intent and desire of God will be frustrated and even forfeited.

I remember years ago hearing a preacher/teacher from a certain movement give a definition of prosperity. He said, “Prosperity is never having to tell God ‘no’ again.” He then shared that when tragedy would strike a place in the form of tornadoes, floods, earthquake, or other devastating circumstances, he and his wife had such resources that they personally would send 18-wheel trucks full of provision for the people suffering. He didn’t have to send it through agencies who took large portions of the donations for “administrative costs” or other organization expenses. They could, from their own wealth, get the needed things into the hands of the people quickly and effectively. In other words, they knew what God’s heart would be in matters such as these, and they could meet the need because of their wealth. This is what he meant by not having to tell God “No.” They were able to demonstrate the love of God to these in the Name of Jesus because of the wealth they had accumulated.

When I heard this, it brought a new perspective to me about wealth, riches, and prosperity. If we are going to manifest the love of Jesus and see God’s heart revealed in nations, it will take massive amounts of wealth. This wealth is not just about being benevolent to those in need. This wealth is about releasing influence that unveils the ways of God and His heart to a culture. We have all sorts of philosophies being espoused today. Many of them are being driven by the Anti-Christ spirit that is seeking to control and rule the cultures of nations. The problem is those who carry these ideas have the money to get these concepts embedded in societies. If we as the church and God’s people are going to contend for the culture of nations, we will also have to have the resources to compete. This means God’s promise of giving us the power to get wealth must be realized. The issue here is that it seems that the devil’s people have the money. Why is this? Why is it that God’s people are not the wealthy ones with the influence riches carry? The answer is there are judicial cases the devil has filed against us in the Courts of Heaven that are stopping us from prospering on that level.

It is no mistake that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob’s wives were all barren. Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel all could not have children. Yet the line of Ishmael grew and increased exponentially. Remember that Abraham asked God to allow Ishmael to be the promised one. However, God said no! Genesis 17:18-19 tells us that even though Sarah was barren, God chose her womb to be the one for the seed to come through.

And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”

Isaac would be the one through whom the kingdom seed would come. God’s plans to redeem the earth and mankind would come through Isaac. The principle is this. Anything that has a heart for the kingdom of God, the devil will resist with barrenness. There will be an inability to be fruitful that will harass this people. It will be necessary to figure out why the barrenness is there and how to remove it so blessing, fruitfulness, and prosperity can occur.

This is why so many people are frustrated. They have a desire, sense, word, and promise that they are to prosper. Yet it seems like it goes the other way. This is because the devil has discovered something legal against them to stop their prosperity and produce barrenness. Remember that I Peter 5:8 tells us our adversary (legal opponent) is seeking to devour us. He is endeavoring through legal means in the spirit to devour the prosperity we are to walk in. He is seeking to stop the birthing of wealth. Only when we deal with this legal issue in the Courts of Heaven will we see the fullness of the desire come. Satan’s attempts in these areas are to stop the purposes of the kingdom of God. Wealth is so God’s covenant purposes might be established. We get blessed in the process of seeing this wealth manifest.

We are told in Deuteronomy 8:18 that we can receive power to get wealth. The word get in the Hebrew is asah. It can mean several things. It is also used in Genesis 1:11.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.

In this verse the word yields is the word asah. It implies that which is produced or brought forth. It is that which comes from a seed. Everything God does starts with a seed. Even a child being conceived is the result of a seed. When a man impregnates a woman, it is done through his seed. When God impregnates us with the favor, an idea, wisdom, or concepts, it is Him putting His seed in us. We become His womb to bring forth or yield a harvest from the seed He has deposited in us. The power to get wealth is from a seed in us. It is something we conceive and carry to full term. We have to steward the seed to see it produce abundantly. Many people are waiting for God to give them wealth. God doesn’t give wealth. He gives the power to get wealth. We have to take the seed of power and produce wealth with it. This comes out of the creativity, wisdom, and discernment of God. Jeremiah 17:5-6 tells us that those who have their confidence in the flesh will not recognize the opportunities given them from God to produce wealth.

Thus says the Lord:
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.

For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.”

He will not see when good comes. When we have our confidence alone in what we can do from our own abilities, we miss moments in God. We must always look at things through God’s eyes and abilities. When we trust only in our own ability and our heart is not depending on God, we become like a shrub in the desert. We inhabit parched and dry places rather than lush, fruitful, and prosperous places. This is because we could be looking for wealth rather than the power to get wealth. Remember, God wants to deposit a seed in us. An idea, favor, creativity, or wisdom that when handled correctly can produce and yield a bountiful harvest.

This is what Peter almost missed when Jesus got into his boat in Luke 5:4-8.

When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

Peter argued and doubted that Jesus knew what He was talking about. Peter’s present experience said there were no fish out there. Yet Jesus is telling him to launch out and let down his nets. Notice Jesus told Peter to let down nets, but Peter only let down a net. This is why it broke. Peter’s lack of faith in fully obeying Jesus cost him an even bigger catch. He allowed his own natural man and his confidence and trust in the flesh (his experience as a fisherman), more than the word of God, to cause him to miss a moment. He forfeited a major part of his power to get wealth.

Don’t think of these fish as souls of men. We can tend to over-spiritualize this event and miss what God wants us to see. Peter was a fisherman. He made his living by the fish he caught. This kind of catch that would have occurred had he fully obeyed and not trusted in the flesh could have made him a wealthy man. However, Peter missed the moment and the opportunity being presented to him. Being willing to fully believe and obey is critical to operating in the power to get wealth. When God trusts us with an idea, concept, favor, or wisdom we must move in faith with it. Otherwise we can lose an opportunity from the Lord.

In the midst of any barrenness, we must contend for our harvest and for wealth. We have established that it is God’s heart and even need for us to be wealthy. What He intends to do in the earth must involve wealthy people. We have also established that the devil fights fruitfulness, prosperity, and riches in those who are of a kingdom heart and expression. He knows if we step into the realm of wealth appointed to us, he will see his desire revoked. It is to his advantage to keep us in lack, need, and poverty. This is why so many good, well-meaning, and faithful people have never been able to see prosperity.

We see this whole barrenness issue in Jacob’s wife, Rachel. Rachel was barren and unable to conceive. For the sake of our analogy, she couldn’t conceive wealth and bring it forth. We see that she then resorts to giving Jacob her handmaiden to bear children for her. This seems to be a practice in those days for barren women. The handmaiden does indeed become pregnant and brings forth a son. Rachel herself will later bear children as well. However, when this child by the handmaiden is born, Rachel declares something very powerful. Genesis 30:6 records Rachel’s declaration at the boy’s birth.

Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.

Rachel proclaims, “God has judged my case.” Rachel understood that barrenness had begun to be broken off her and what was joined to her. God had heard her voice and started to produce fruitfulness for her and through her. She was so convinced of this that she called the boy “Dan.” Dan means judge in the Hebrew. He would be an ever-present reminder that Courtroom activity had transpired on her behalf and barrenness had been removed from her situation. God had heard Rachel’s cry and had judged for her. The reproach of barrenness was being lifted. Barrenness on any level brings a reproach. When we are unable to conceive and produce it results in frustration, shame, and sorrow. However, when the sting of barrenness is lifted and blessings begin to come, there is a sense of justification, vindication, and joy. This is true on every level but especially where it relates to wealth, riches, and prosperity.

I have a friend who had a dream where he saw a lot of people pregnant but unable to give birth. He said in the dream that some had been pregnant for nine months and should be getting ready to give birth. Others had been pregnant for over a year. Still others were pregnant for five and even ten years. They were carrying something in their womb but unable to bring it forth. He knew in the dream the reason why they couldn’t give birth was legal accusations against them. As a result, they were perpetually pregnant with no hope of seeing what they carried actually come into reality. The devil will seek to stop us from birthing wealth through accusation against us. Perhaps we haven’t been able to conceive. Maybe we have conceived but can’t seem to bring forth. The accusation of the devil as our legal opponent will keep what we are carrying from actually manifesting. Maybe he stops the right people from favoring you. Perhaps he hinders money that would be necessary to get the project off the ground. He might mess with scheduling and timing. Whatever and however he does it, he hinders the birthing of wealth into the earth through God’s kingdom people. We must know how to see Satan’s legal rights revoked and wealth be born and produced in the earth. This will end barrenness in the people of God and unlock the intentions of the Lord through His people.

One more thing I would point out about contending for wealth. In Deuteronomy 8:18 the promise to get wealth was given to the fathers. This means the accumulation of wealth is a generational issue. So often we think of only what we can gather in just our own lifetime. However, to see wealth stewarded and accumulated on a massive scale can require succeeding generations and their stewardship. This will mandate that those who come after us carry good business sense and a value system that allows increase to wealth. It is a proven fact that most family businesses go bankrupt in the third generation. This is because by that time the people in charge of the money have no awareness of the process it took to produce what they now oversee. The result is a lack of a value for it and quite often a squandering of the wealth rather than an increasing of it. The solution to this is to educate those who will care for the wealth so that it is increased and not diminished.

The other issue concerning accumulating wealth over successive generations is it takes the pressure off just one generation. For instance, perhaps I do not have enough years to accumulate wealth on a significant level. I can, however, accumulate as much as I can and hand it to the next generation to steward. This gets the ball rolling so to speak. I can impregnate the coming generation with a value system and skill set that would be necessary to increase wealth and riches so the kingdom of God can be financed. This way each of us can be a part of the wealth transfer that will allow the work of God to prosper and flourish for decades and centuries to come.

We must fight and contend for wealth to be birthed. As we do, we can see the plans, desires, longings, and intentions of the Lord done. We can overcome barrenness and bring forth fruitfully. In the next chapters, we will discuss some of the issues to target to remove the legal rights of the devil. The result will be prosperity on new levels.

Lord, as I come before Your Courts, I ask that all rights of barrenness and unfruitfulness to operate against me would be revoked. I ask that prosperity would be sent into my life as a part of Your kingdom seed. Let every attempt of the devil to set reproach in my life through unfruitfulness even in the financial realm be annulled. Allow every right he is claiming to be answered by the blood of Jesus speaking on my behalf. Lord, I say that even as Sarah, Rachel, and Rebekah came out of barrenness and into fruitfulness, so do I as one set by You. I decree that I am free to prosper and increase for Your kingdom purpose and intent in Jesus’ Name, amen.