"Grace Mentality for TrueProsperity Pt. 2" - Episode 4 This program is brought to you in part by the partners and friends of Creflo Dollar Ministries. Coming up next on Changing Your World. I was never taught that prosperity flowed from God's favor. I thought it flowed from my self-effort. I thought it flowed from my my my religion. I thought it it flowed from my religious performance. That I had to perform in order to get the prosperity to flow my way. It is it does not. Your wholeness, your prosperity flows from God's unmerited favor. In other words, your prosperity, your wholeness is a result of the favor of God. It's so great to have Dr. Dollar here, the Spirit & Grace tour and the grace gang in town. Just about everybody that gave their testimony ((music playing)) and asked them questions and getting answers, I was getting some of the answers I needed. >> It was like an atmosphere of freedom. I would ((music playing)) encourage people to come. The Spirit & Grace tour with Creflo Dollar is coming to a city near you. Only 500 seats and they are going fast. Register now at spiritandgracetour.com. This is your world. So, let us vow [singing] to make it a better place. Let every heart and me used to [singing] know. Your love is here to stay. It's time we live a new life. Let his love shine bright in you. We're saved by his grace, ((music playing)) so we embrace your love today. We are changed. If you have your Bibles, go with me to the book of Romans chapter 12 and verse 2. I'm going to read out of the message translation. Last week we began to talk about grace mentality for true prosperity. Grace mentality for true prosperity. And one of the things I want to remind you over and over and over again is that prosperity is not defined money. Finances do not define prosperity. Wholeness defines prosperity. Not just money. Remember Genesis 39, he said Joseph was a prosperous man because the Lord was with him, not because money was with him. He was prosperous because of the his nearness with God. He was prosperous because the Lord was with him. He was a slave. He didn't have any any material things and yet the Bible said he was prosperous because the Lord was with him. So, it is the presence of God that makes you prosperous. Prosperity is wholeness, not just money. And for for a long time the world defines it as money and the church has defined it as money. Now, does it include money? Put my pie up there just for a moment. I won't won't stay there long. But prosperity is wholeness. You can have money but not have peace, you're not prosperous. You can you can have peace for a little while and not have no money, it won't be prosperous. It's it's everything in the pie. Nothing missing. Nothing broken. Prosperity is this pie. It's finances, it's health, it's joy, it's security, it's purpose, it's peace, it's identity, it's relationship. But it's not just money. If you get rid of all of the other pieces in the pie, that's not prosperity. You're not whole if you just have money but don't have health, don't have peace, don't have joy. It's all of those people all those pieces that make you whole. That's prosperity. Wholeness in every area of your life. You can take away finances and say, "Well, I still have joy." You can say, "I still have health." But not for long cuz now you ain't got money to go see the doctor or you ain't got the joy, it disappears. Or you can have finances and not have peace. Who wants a bunch of stuff and you ain't got peace? Who wants a a big house and nobody wants to stay with you? Who wants to brag about having a $5,000 suit but there's nobody around saying you're sharp? WHO WANTS TO BE DYING of cancer and not have a lot of money? You just stay sick man with a lot of money. That somebody else is going to get cuz you're getting ready to die. Prosperity is defined wholeness. And in this teaching today, I will use those words interchangeably to remind you that when I say prosperity, I'm not talking just about money. Money is included, but it's not just money. It's all of everything. It's wholeness in your life. It's nothing missing and nothing broken in your life. It is your financial provision. It's your peace. It's your health. It's your fruitful for relationship. It's a sense of purpose. All of these things when Jesus said, "I came that you might have life and have it more abundantly." If there's anything missing or broken in this pie, that's not wholeness. You're whole because there's nothing missing and nothing broken and that is prosperity. You understand? Now, let's go ahead and get started with this a grace mentality. Because I'm going to show you today that wholeness or prosperity is a finished work of Jesus. That what I just showed you in that pie is not something that that you have to strive for. It's not something you have to sweat for. It's already finished. Uh Ephesians 1:20 Ephesians 1 and 3 says, "You have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places." You've already been blessed. You've you've already prospered. It's just like your righteousness. You've already been made righteous. You don't have to strive or perform to become righteous because that's what God gifted you with righteousness. That's a gift from him. Well, this wholeness, this prosperity is a gift from God. And so, what we've got to do I got to I got to work through this thing of well, I've got to perform in my giving and I got to perform. See, there's a reason why you give. You're you're giving because you trust that God has already taken care of you. That's why you give. And you're giving because you know God's taking care of you and you give so you can see receive the generosity from God so you can not only be sufficient in your own material financial realm, but you're able to do it somewhere else. Your giving is your labor to maintain your alignment with what is already finished. Your your giving is what allows you to stay at rest about God has already cared for you and God has already prospered you and God has already made you whole. But I've NEVER HEARD ANYBODY TELL ME that my prosperity, my wholeness was finished. I heard that about my redemption. I heard that about my my righteousness. I heard that about my sanctification, but I've never heard it that I am already blessed. I am already prosperous. I am already whole. Now, I got to maintain that, rest in that, trust that. And anytime lack shows up, I begin to depend on his word, his promise, and my giving to align me in rest with what he has already done. So, you're already prosperous. You may not know it, but you are. I dare you when you ain't got a dime in your wallet to go to somebody and say, "I'm prosperous." You do that with righteousness. Amen. Now, let's get started. Uh Romans 12:1 and 2, I'm going to read it out of the message. He says, "So, here's what I want you to do. God helping you, take your everyday ordinary life, your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking around life, and place it before God." Wow. Place your everyday walking around life before God as an offering. So, your everyday walking around, getting up, going to wherever you're going, walking about life is now an offering. Lord, I am offering you my everyday life. He said, "Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him." Embracing what he's ALREADY DONE. I EMBRACE THAT I'M RIGHTEOUS. I EMBRACE THAT I AM REDEEMED. I am embracing my true identity in Christ that I am righteous. I am forgiven. I am complete in him. I am seated WITH HIM. I EMBRACE THAT. And in MY WALKING AROUND LIFE, I I have to say that. I have to think about that, meditate on that. Don't become so well adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Think about what you're fitting into. Think about what you might be agreeing with. Don't become so adapted to your culture and you just do that and think that way because that's what the culture, those norms and values in life. Norms and values are based on, you know, the the the popular vote. If if a whole lot of people say this is normal and this is what's valued, then they say it's right because so many people say it is right. He says, "I want you to think. Don't just get involved with or allow your culture to to bring you away from from from what God is saying. Instead," he says, "fix your attention on God." Say that. Fix your attention on God. He says, "You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you and quickly respond to do it. And unlike the uh the culture around you, unlike the culture around you, you're not going to be like the culture around you. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity. Did somebody get out and cuss you out and you want to cuss them back out? Don't let them drag you down on their level of immaturity. They hate you, so you're going to hate them back. Don't drag Don't let This is opportunity to grow when you meet that kind of company. God brings the best out of you. He develops well-formed maturity in you. Did you hear that? God develops well-formed maturity in you, and you do not mature in the comfort zone. You mature in a zone that's not comfortable. It's when your discomfort It's when you're in discomfort that you mature. Don't complain about the trials you go through. Just remind yourself, "This is an opportunity for me to mature." Cuz we have to mature, but you're not going to mature in a comfort zone. Now, let's look at this in 2 Corinthians 8 and 8 in the Mirror Translation. 2 Corinthians 8 and 8 in the Mirror Translation. Now, he says, "I am not laying out rules on giving to bring you back into bondage and duty-driven legalism." Wow. Your sincere love encouraged by the enthusiasm of fellow believers. Your sincere love That's That's devotion. Is what distinguishes your giving from the old written code of tithing. There's a distinction between how you give now versus the old written code of tithing. And he says, "This is something that people fuss at because they just You know, they've got to change the way they think." Your sincere love is what's motivating how how you give. You're You're You're encouraged by the enthusiasm of a fellow believers. That's what distinguishes your giving. There's a distinction between your giving in this new covenant of grace and uh from your your giving in that old covenant of written codes of law. And And you've got to recognize that. You can't mix what's true in the old covenant with what's true in the new covenant because you can't put new wine in old wine skins because of the burst and you'll lose the benefit of both. Now, let's rock and roll in this. Everybody on the bus? Okay. Grace-based prosperity according to the new covenant is a prosperity or a wholeness that flows from God's unmerited favor. Grace-based prosperity or wholeness flows from God's unmerited favor. So, it's flowing from his favor. It's flowing from his unmerited favor rather than your human effort or your religion. I was never taught that prosperity flowed from God's favor. I thought it flowed from my self-effort. I thought it flowed from my my uh my religion. I thought it re- re-flowed from my religious performance. That I had to perform in order to get the prosperity to flow my way. It is It does not. Your wholeness, your prosperity flows from God's unmerited favor. In other words, your prosperity, your wholeness is a result of the favor of God. It's not a result of your religious performance. Change your thinking. We're going to jack that thinking up today. And you're going to see stuff happen in your life you're like, "Whoa, where did that come from?" From somebody who receives the favor of God. All right. Now, here's what I want to do. I want to pick up where we left off. To continue walking in this wholeness, to continue walking in this prosperity, a devotion to a few things can help you to continue to walk in wholeness and to continue to walk in in prosperity. I want to give you a definition of devotion. I know I'm being a little a little anal here, but a devotion is love and loyalty and enthusiasm for for your for God and for for activities, for It's love. It's It's enthusiasm. It's It's loyalty. And And And so, I'm doing what I do out of love. I'm I'm doing what I do uh out of my loyalty to God, and I'm doing what I'm I'm doing enthusiastically because I am convinced of God's care for me. So, I want to give you four things. I gave you three last week. We ran out of time. In order to continue to walk, practical things, in order to continue to walk in prosperity or wholeness. Number one, believing and resting in your true identity your true identity. That's always going to be the key. Believing and resting in your true identity. Everything flows from your true identity. All of the gifts that God has flows from your true identity. Um um your wholeness flows from your true identity. Who Who are you in Christ? Do you believe that you are that person? Do you believe that you are the mirror image of Jesus Christ? That when you see him, you will be like him. You'll be like him because you'll you'll see you'll see him as he really is. Uh you are When Jesus sees you and you see Jesus, when you see Jesus, you should say, "Ooh, that looks just like me." Cuz when Jesus sees you Watch this cuz it's going to blow your mind. He's going to say, "Ooh, that looks just like me." So, you're thinking about your human side. You follow what I'm saying? That's That's how You've got to get to that point where you're like, "I am righteous. That's my true identity. I am forgiven. That's my true identity. I am complete in Jesus. That's my true identity. I am seated with him. That's my true identity. When he was When he died, I died. When he was resurrected, I resurrected. When he was sitting on high, I seated with him. When he took a seat, I took a seat with him. That's your true identity. That's your You You have to receive that RIGHT NOW. THAT'S WHO I AM. CUZ IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO you are, the devil will do you like he did Adam and Eve and have you going around hiding because of shame. But Jesus demonstrates how to maintain that true identity. He comes to Jesus. He says, "Turn these stones into bread." And Jesus was like, "Why do I need to turn stone into bread to prove to you what I already know about me?" And when temptation comes your way, the best way to overcome temptation is to remember who you are. Mhm. Remember who you are and whose you are. So now, when you rest and and and and believe and rest in your true identity. Believe and rest in your true identity. So, when fear comes, you say, "That's not me." When you got the the urge to want to do something or cause harm to somebody, that's not me. When you have the urge to try to you know, be a narcissist, you're like, "That's not me." You go around and you hold unforgiveness, you're like, "That's not me." I think it's important for you to tell yourself when you you're tempted to do something, "That's not me." I am righteous. I am forgiven. I am complete in him. I am seated with him in heavenly places. See, we tried to modify our behavior before we accepted our identity. And your behavior cannot determine your identity, but your identity can determine your behavior. BUT YOU WON'T YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHO YOU ARE. YOU keep trying to work on modifying what you do instead of believing and resting in who you are. I am the righteousness of God right now. I am. And I know you don't feel like it. I I know religion tells you you're not, but your identity is not based on what somebody says, it's not based on your past, it's not based on your enemies, it's based on what Jesus said. He says you're righteous. He says you're forgiven. He says you're complete in him. He says you're seated with him. That is who I am. That's what I'm going to hold on. I don't care come hell or high water. That's who I am. I live by the faith of the Son of God. When I see him, IT'S LIKE LOOKING AT MYSELF IN A MIRROR. That's who I am. Won't change it. That's who I am when I'm up, when I'm down, when I'm feeling bad, when I'm trying to figure out what's going on, that's who I am. I had to make my mind up. There's nothing you're going to do to change who I believe and and what I rest in concerning my identity. I It is locked. It is done. It is finished. It's completed. It can't be undone. You can't touch this. I am It took all this time for me to figure out who I am. Now that I know who I am, no person, no devil in hell, no enemy, nobody going to change my mind about who I am. Now, when that becomes a reality, all of the finished works of Jesus can now flow through that. So, I'm going to say what you're saying. The gift of righteousness try to flow through you, and you're doubting your identity. It won't be long before you'll start doubting that you're the righteousness of God. If If If If healing wants to flow through you, but you're doubting You're doubting your identity. You're going back to say, "Well, I wasn't too good yesterday, but the other day was kind of hard." Then the it has a problem flowing. Because you doubt who you are. Whatever gifts that God has presented towards you, including your salvation, if you can question your identity, you will question the gifts. You will question everything that God has done for you and everything that God wants to give you. Right now, my most My My biggest thing is trying to convince people that they are who the word says that they are. And you keep trying to measure that based on human standards and not based on spiritual standards. I am who he says I am. And I tell you, if you get a hold of that, behavior starts changing. All of the sudden, you don't want that weed no more. All of the sudden, you don't want to hop in the bed with everybody no more. All of the sudden, you're not walking around mean cussing everybody out no more. Why? Cuz that's not you. You see how this works? See, here's what I know what the devil's been doing. He's been saying, "You're a hypocrite. You're going around talking about you're righteous, AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU did last night." See, that's when That's when you can really rise up in what you say you believe AND SAY, "I AM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD, EVEN THOUGH THAT DUMB DECISION I MADE LAST NIGHT, I'M THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD." CUZ YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS NOT BASED ON WHAT YOU DO. YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BASED ON WHAT JESUS has already done. Yeah, but you better get that but out the way. Ain't going to be righteous. All right. So, believing and resting in your identity in Christ, knowing that you're already blessed, knowing that you're already blessed, and that you don't have to keep striving from for something that you already are and that you already have. So, as I believe and rest in my identity, then I also will continue to walk in wholeness and walk in prosperity because through my identity, I already have. I'm not trying to strive to get. I already am, and I already have. If you understand that, you're on the bus, say amen. All right. Number two, renewing your mind to grace is number two. Renewing your mind to grace. Renewing your mind to grace. Go to Hebrews 13 nine in the King James and then in the Mirror. Renewing your mind to grace. Now, that's important. If If you're going to continue to walk in wholeness, if you're going to continue to walk in this prosperity, nothing missing, nothing broken, you got to renew your mind to ((music playing)) grace. Renewing the mind is not a one-time event. Renewing the mind is a lifetime process. Okay? Renewing the mind is exchanging your thoughts, your traditional way of thinking, your religion, uh your opinion, and line up with God's thoughts and and ((music playing)) God's opinion and what God has to say about you. Are you striving for success, but still lacking? In Creflo Dollar's six-message CD series, Grace Mentality for True Prosperity, you'll discover how true prosperity flows. Nothing missing and nothing broken in spirit, soul, ((music playing)) and body. Grace-based prosperity is rooted in your identity in Christ. My relationship with the God of grace has already given me wholeness through his son, Jesus Christ. He gave us everything he has for everything we didn't have. ((music playing)) I was unrighteous, he gave me righteousness. I was in bondage, he gave me redemption. I didn't have my material needs met, my God ((music playing)) supplied my needs. That's wholeness in every area. Get all of these life-changing messages for a love gift of $35 ((music playing)) US or more today. Call the number on your screen, scan the QR code, or visit creflodollar.org and click ((music playing)) e-store. Step into true prosperity today. Hopefully, you're going to choose to let heaven determine your thinking because whatever choice you make, then that's going to be your mentality for today. CAN YOU SAY THAT HE'S A WAY MAKER? YES. CAN YOU SAY THAT HE'S A GOD THAT SITS HIGH AND LOOKS [screaming] LOW? YEAH. GET THE MESSAGE of grace any way you want. Stream service live 10:00 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday with re-airs at 2:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., and 10:00 p.m. Eastern time. If you feel like you need to perform to be accepted, or like you're always falling short, that's not grace. Grace doesn't apply pressure. Grace gives power. That's why Creflo Dollar wants to place something in your hands that makes grace practical right where life is happening. Today's offer is the Practical Living Bundle, Creflo Dollar's brand-new book, The Practical Side of Grace, together with the six-message ((music playing)) series, Understanding Your True Identity. Resources designed to help you see yourself the way God sees you. Loved, righteous, and already approved. As a special ((music playing)) thank you, you'll also receive an exclusive Grace Gang T-shirt, a reminder that you're part of a community walking in grace together. This exclusive bundle is yours today for your love gift of $80 or more. Order now by visiting creflodollarministries.org and clicking e-store, scanning the QR code, or calling the number on your screen, and start living grace practically every day. By the grace of God, we ((music playing)) feed and clothe people, provide houses, visit hospitals and prisons, ((music playing)) and do so so much more. Every time you make a financial donation to support ((music playing)) us, you do these things as well. The tangible relief we provide to God's precious ((music playing)) people is only possible because of your faithful support. Thank you for supporting us as we strive ((music playing)) to reach a lost and dying world for the Lord Jesus Christ. If God has placed it on your heart to support the vision of this ministry to reach the world with the gospel of grace, you may call in to make your financial donations, or log on to creflodollarministries.org. God bless you. I don't ever want to take for granted that you've received ((music playing)) Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. And there's no better way to embark upon a new stage in your ((music playing)) life than to enter into a personal relationship with Jesus. So, if you want to become born again and begin an exciting, ((music playing)) intimate relationship with Jesus, I want you to pray this prayer with me, and I'll I'll say it so you can repeat after me. Repeat after me. Heavenly Father, I believe that Jesus is the son ((music playing)) of God, and that he died and was raised from the dead, and has forgiven ((music playing)) all of my sins, and I receive him into my life right now as my Lord and personal savior. So, by faith, I declare that I am saved. Praise God. Now, >> ((music playing)) >> that simple prayer changed your entire internal destination. And we want to welcome you to the family ((music playing)) of God. Because of you, Creflo Dollar Ministries is providing a new understanding of grace and empowering change in the lives of millions of people every day. Thank you, partners and friends. Your love and financial support makes it possible to bring this ((music playing)) message into millions of homes all across the globe. The preceding program was brought to you in part by the partners and friends of Creflo Dollar Ministries. ((music playing))