SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:

 SOUL FOOD

 SCRIPTURE:  3 John 1:2

“Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and enjoy good health, even as your soul prospers.” NIV

It is exciting to think about the fact that God loves soul—Soul Prosperity!

 

This powerful scripture was penned by the Apostle John whose testimony was:  I am the disciple that Jesus loves!

Could it be that when John wrote this to Gaius and the Church, he felt the Spirit of the Lord breathing His highest wishes for His children as He emphasized “ABOVE ALL THINGS?”

I do not think you could get much more descriptive than ABOVE ALL!  The amazing thing is, John did not just stop with enjoy good health, but in the same breath, he added: “and that they may prosper” or as the original Greek says: to be continually prospered in every way!

…. But he added: “EVEN AS your soul prospers!”

“Even as” speaks of degrees!

The beautiful thing about this Scripture is that God puts no limits on how healthy or how prosperous or successful we can be.  He just lets us know that these are his highest wishes and prayers for His children!

So, how do we get our Soul to prosper?

Jesus’ mother said:  My soul MAGNIFIES the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

We know a magnifying glass enhances the subject or item it is focusing on. 

She said to the Angel that God had sent to speak to her: “Be it done unto me according to your Word!” Luke 1:38

In light of the circumstances, that was seriously magnifying the Lord!

David told his Soul what it should be doing in Psalm 103:

Bless the Lord oh MY Soul, and ALL that is within me, bless his holy name! 

Why did he talk to his Soul and all that was within him like that?

Could it have been because he wanted to keep reminding himself of God’s goodness and His benefits to him?

He told his Soul that “it” should not forget a single one of the benefits or we would say “blessings” the Lord wanted him to experience!

-who forgives all your sins!

-who heals all your diseases

-who redeems your life from the pit

-crowns you with love and compassion

-satisfies your desires with good things

-so that your youth is renewed

David went from being a shepherd on the hillside to King of Israel by reminding himself of God’s goodness even though he also went through a lot of frustrating times in his life from being ignored by his family, to being betrayed by a beloved friend, and being misunderstood by his superior which caused years of havoc, etc.; so, he obviously knew the benefits of keeping God’s love and goodness in the forefront of his Soul!

Remember John said:  Health and Prosperity are connected to Soul prosperity which is based on the knowledge of how good God is and what his desires are for us!

To realize the fullness of God’s blessings as David did, it is important to “own” the promises!

How do we do this?

If you own a property, you are aware of the acreage, the square footage of the house, the room sizes, the amenities in the house, etc.

In fact, if asked, you probably would be able to roll those figures and details off by heart!  Why? You own the property, and you know what belongs to you!

It is the same with “owning” the promises for healing and God’s desire for success and prosperity in all areas of life!

For instance: Isaiah the prophet saw ahead to our day and spoke of all the areas Jesus would bring healing to his people:

Isaiah 53

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 

-Surely, he has born our griefs and carried our sorrows

-He was pierced for our transgressions

-He was crushed for our iniquities

-The punishment for our peace was on him

-By his stripes we are healed

Notice the question, however: Who has believed our message? 

Jesus bought us the whole health package and we receive it, which means “we take” ownership of it by faith.  That is soul prosperity for health!

As mentioned before, “even as” implies degrees.  Jesus spoke of degrees in receiving benefits from heaven.

Mark 4:28 “The earth produces by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn.”

The parable of the growing seed represents how faith grows and yields in different degrees until the full manifestation. It is the same with us, as the Soul continues to prosper with wisdom and knowledge of how much God loves us and wishes good things for us, we grow in faith to believe and receive until we or a love one experiences the “full corn” or wholeness in spirit, soul, and body!

There is even more great news! 

As believers in Christ, we have the powerful promise of being inheritors of the promises made to Abraham so that we, as well, have success in our life’s journey!

Look at the promises:

If you belong to Christ, then YOU ARE Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  Galatians 3:29

Wow-let’s look at what God promised Abraham and what continues for us today!

God told him what he could expect:  Gen. 12:2-3

I will make you a great nation.

I will bless you and make your name great.

You will be a blessing.

I will bless those that bless you.

I will curse him who curses you. (This lets us know we do not have to fight our own battles!)

Gen. 12: 2-3

As Abram continued to obey and grow in faith, he became extraordinarily rich in livestock, silver, and gold!

Gen. 13:2

Abraham was blessed to be a blessing!

So, we can see that God loves SOUL—soul prosperity because as we honor God by feeding our faith and continue to “own” his promises, we bring joy to his heart!

Let us look at it again:

3 John 1:2-4:

“Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that ALL may go well with you, EVEN AS your soul is getting along well.”

It gave me GREAT JOY when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it.  I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth!

Final Thought:

Can you hear the echo of God’s heart through the Apostle John when he said?

“I have no greater JOY than to hear that my children are walking in truth!”

Let us make it our goal to have prosperous Souls by feeding on God’s Soul Food, His Word, so that His ABOVE ALL wishes, and prayers can come to pass in our lives and those we pray for. Also, let us make it our goal to OWN the promises in Jesus’ Name! AMEN.

Diana