#075: You Have Permission to Prosper [Podcast]

I had two conversations this week that prompted the topic of today's podcast. One had to do with weird Christian views about money, and the other had to do with a question about the business mission of my company.

This episode is going to be like one big Spiritual Foundations segment… So, if you're not into that, you might want to skip out until next week. However, if any of the following apply to you…

• You ever wonder if it's okay to want to get rich.
• Internal conflicts about money seem to slow you down.
• Your Christian brothers and sisters judge or criticize you because you're so enthusiastic about business and success.
• You wonder about how to reconcile the gospel with your desire to succeed in life.
• The question of how to integrate your spiritual life with your business life seems to come up a lot.
• You'd like an explanation of just what exactly my weird business is all about.

… Then this episode is definitely for you!

And if you're one of those people who loves it when somebody is WRONG ON THE INTERNET…  and you feel it's your job to set them straight… this is your show! You may disagree in the comments, but no name-calling, etc, Please disagree agreeably.

Announcements:

And here we go…

You Have Permission to Prosper

He sat across from me and stared me in the eye.

“It is scripturally wrong for a Christian to try to be rich.” He looked at me defiantly.

I gently tried to explain that he might not have the entire picture, but he was going to hear none of it.

This is a slightly fictionalized account of several conversations I've had over the last year or so. The other person in this story represents people who, when told what I do in my business, are quick to want to school me on why I'm wrong.

Worse, some of them told me that I'm leading people to hell.

This disturbed me somewhat.

Then I had a conversation with someone very close to me, in just the last week. This person, a member of my family, began to describe to me what they thought my business was about: “You write copy, and you teach other people how to write copy, and you sell a bunch of Internet marketing stuff.”

Well, no.

The answer to both of these misunderstandings is actually the same. So today, I'm going to revisit a post I made previously on this blog, and spell out very carefully what is the purpose of my businesses… what we do… and how it ties together with this conundrum of Christians and cash.

I really have one basic premise to offer you, and it is this: as a follower of Jesus you are entitled to prosper in every way. And that includes money. You have, straight from the pages of Scripture, permission to prosper.

My Marketplace Mission: 1,000 Millionaires.

I feel that God has prepared me for this very time to help demolish the mindsets of both poverty and greed that have a grip on so many.

I am privileged to be called to be part of the solution.

Our mission going forward, here at Ray Edwards International, Inc, is a very simple one: to mentor, foster, and lead 1,000 people to become millionaires.

Not to become millionaires for the reasons the world normally supposes people want to be rich. Not so that they can buy the biggest house, or the fastest sports car, or acquire the “most toys”.

Our aim (and my personal mission) is to develop “Kingdom millionaires”. People who seek to accumulate wealth in order to do the work of God’s kingdom. “Millionaire Missionaries”, if you will.

Leading 1,000 people to become millionaires means bringing one billion dollars into God’s Kingdom – money that will be used for His purposes.

Over the last few years, I’ve had the great privilege of working with many well-known marketers and thought-leaders.

Some of my clients are household names.

I’ve been able to contribute to their success, and my work has been responsible, in part, for bringing millions of dollars into those businesses and those personal fortunes.

Today, we continue to serve by bringing practical wisdom on how to start, run, and grow business period we do this through consulting services, coaching programs, seminars and workshops, instructional products, in writing books.

I have dedicated my work-all of it-to the building of God’s kingdom.

How? By continuing to help people and businesses create more wealth – but now with a renewed and more accurately-focused purpose. By being dedicated…

• To the destruction of the poverty and greed mindset.
• To the creation of new wealth.
• To the alleviation of suffering, sickness, and poverty.

We are in a world at war. It’s Good against evil.

While evil wants to take over, we resist the idea of giving up a single inch of ground.

This is the sound of a revolution.

If You’re Receiving This Message, You Are The Resistance

If this resonates with you, if you want to be part of this revolution, I invite you to stick with me.

As dark as some people think tomorrow looks, we have a different view.

We believe the future is pregnant with promise, and we are committed to taking back tomorrow from the “gloom and doomers”.

So how can you join in?

First, and absolutely of most importance, make sure you are following Jesus. Accept Him as your Lord (your Master) and as your Savior. It’s not complex. All that is required:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Romans 10:9

Next, if what I’ve said here seems to draw you toward it, then this is your place!

Subscribe to this blog, if you haven’t already.

Our values are reflected in the articles we publish, the podcasts we produce, the information products and books we make available.

I just got word that my new book has been accepted by the publisher, and we have an event scheduled for April 8-10. Both are called Permission to Prosper.

My teaching and materials reflect the principles of helping you build wealth from a foundation of Kingdom principles – for Kingdom purposes.

We will be together on the journey of true prosperity.

And like John, the beloved disciple of Jesus, I want you to prosper, even as your soul prospers.

I look forward to contributing to your success.

We have some exciting things in store for you.

In the meantime…

May you prosper wildly, and may you be radically blessed.

Question:    Have you struggled with any of the issues brought up in this podcast? Click here to leave your comments.