"The covenant of prosperity is not a magic wand; it's an adventure of faith."

Over the past few years, I have been in the loop on several negotiations which have the potential for releasing extraordinary amounts of wealth for the Kingdom of God. None of them has happened immediately or even as quickly as I thought reasonable. In this area, we can face a serious temptation to lose patience. However, it is important to keep in mind that there is a close relationship between patience and faith. Without faith, we cannot please God. If the enemy causes us to lose patience, he has also dented our faith.

The most notable case of expecting immediate transfer of significant wealth began for me in August 2001. Starting with 9/11, that and many subsequent factors have entered the picture. Now, over five years later, somehow or other I still have the same high level of expectation that the money will be coming real soon. One thing that helps is that I have never yielded to the temptation to "spend" the money in my mind. Why not be patient? There is everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Let me share with you two very insightful short essays on patience relating to receiving the prosperity that God desires to provide for us. One is by David Oyedepo and the other by Nate Wolf. I believe you will enjoy them.

1. David Oyedepo

I recently read a book by one of my good friends in Africa, Bishop David Oyedepo, Understanding Financial Prosperity. Unfortunately, it is not yet available in the USA. He has notable credentials for writing the book. He pastors Faith Tabernacle which boasts the largest sanctuary in the world with 50,400 seats (deck chairs). It is located on over 600 acres. The building cost $250 million (US dollars), and it was all paid, debt free, by Nigerian money. The campus also houses Covenant University which cost another $250 million (US dollars), all paid, debt free, with Nigerian money.

I attended a Wednesday night prayer meeting with 6,000 in attendance, most of the men dressed in suits and ties. These men were at one time on the streets looking for the next meal, but one of Oyedepo's discipling goals is to help his people become prosperous, and he is doing it. Not only does he teach them to save, but he has founded a bank right on the church campus, called "Canaan Land."

Having said that, I was greatly encouraged by his chapter on patience, called "Waiting." This is something I think all of us involved in wealth transfer should read.

"WAITING" from the book Understanding Financial Prosperity, by David Oyedepo:

"For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, 'Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.' And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise." Hebrews 6:13-15

This is the eagle's secret. God swore to Abraham, yet he needed patience to obtain that promise. The Bible said, "after he had patiently endured" not after he had subjected himself to rigorous senseless fasting, not after he had struggled and sweated it out; but after he had patiently endured.

Abraham needed to have endured. Indeed, every man, every "eagle Christian," requires a degree of covenant patience. The covenant of prosperity is not a magic wand; it's an adventure of faith. "After he had patiently endured...." not after he had wept aloud. We are not called to weep, but to wait.

In Habakkuk 2:3, God said that every vision is for an appointed time, so though it tarries, wait for it. Did He say weep for it? Did He say run around for it? No! Wait! "Wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry."

The reason we are wasting is because we don't like to wait. In 1981, God spoke to me, saying, "The hour has come to liberate the world from all the oppressions of the devil, through the preaching of the Word of Faith."

That was a revelation for a world-wide ministry, but the mandate to go into Africa never came until 1994! Can you see the waiting period?"But at the end it shall speak." When you run with it, it will speak at the end. Very many people miss that end, so it looks as if the vision or revelation is not true.

Please understand this: quick prosperity will always end in grievous austerity, because it lacks the required foundation for lasting results.

Why Wait? Your lifting with God is for appointed times and due seasons, and He's the only One who knows when your due season has come. If you strive to lay a hold of something before you're due, you'll be doomed.

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9

Don't be tired in covenant walk because there is a due season. If you're on your feet when that season comes, you will reap your harvest, but if you faint, you fall.

I caught the revelation that I cannot be poor in 1981, but that was not equal to automatic prosperity. But because I know what it takes, I never had occasion to beg, nor was I ever tempted to borrow.

"But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." Luke 8:15

Though the seed fell on good ground, it could only bring forth fruit with patience. In a society that's ever in a hurry as we live in today, we need an understanding of God that will keep us above the system. God said, "I know you're honest, but you need patience. The day you are due, I will not deny you. Wait! Wait! Wait! The day you are due, you will see Me at work. Wait!"

God cannot deny Himself. Haven't you heard what He said in Psalm 89:34? "My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips."

So we can count on Him in the morning, we can count on Him in the afternoon, and we can count on Him in the night. Everyone in this covenant has a future, but that future is continually being contested by the enemy. It takes covenant intelligence to beat him hollow. Waiting without staggering--that's the secret of all high flying Christians.

Excerpted from Understanding Financial Prosperity by David O. Oyedepo
Published in Nigeria by Dominion Publishing House, 2005, Pages 279-284.

2. Nate Wolf

"Patience is the power that will carry you through the painful moments of life into the pleasurable moments of life."

Nate Wolf of Everett, Washington, is the founder of The Gatekeepers Network, an organization dedicated to equipping Christian business leaders. This is excerpted from Chapter 7 in his book, The Gatekeepers.

"GATEKEEPERS KNOW PATIENCE DOUBLES OUTCOME" from the book The Gatekeepers, by Nate Wolf:

Telephone books are filled with business names that use the words "quick," "speedy," and "minute." Domino's delivers fresh, hot pizza in under an hour. Jiffy Lube offers ten-minute oil changes. The U.S. Postal service is now known as "snail mail." In today's marketplace, patience may be a virtue, but it's certainly not a commodity.

Does patience really have a place in the life of a Gatekeeper? I'll have to admit, one of my favorite words is "now," and one of my least favorite things is being stuck in the iron claw of gridlock, and even the name of my church is Today's Church. However, the story of Job has great insight for us in this fast paced world of instant gratification.

Job was a man who took his whole life to build an impressive family owned business. Then in two days it was all gone--his business, his wealth, his family, everything. The book of Job is the story of how Job regained his lost wealth and went on to enjoy it with his great grandchildren.

The real story of the book of Job is a message resulting in a victorious final outcome--how one man lost everything and then regained double what was lost.

Job's patience was the golden secret that helped him overcome the pain he faced. Patience is more than just having the ability to not become angry in a difficult situation. Patience is the power that will carry you through the painful moments of life into the pleasurable moments of life.

Patience is the power that will keep you in the proper place and mindset, during discomfort or pain, until you possess your final promise and reach your ultimate purpose.

Excerpted from The Gatekeepers: Whatever God Can Get Through You, He Will Get to You. Published by Insight Publishing, Tulsa OK, 2002, Pages 77-83.

Blessings,

C. Peter Wagner
Global Harvest Ministries
Email: info@globalharvest.org