The “lottery” mindset leads Christians to believe that all they have to do is pray or claim the Word (e.g., “I WILL get rich”), and then one day they will wake up with a million dollars in their bank account. This is not the way of the Lord concerning finances. Proverbs 20:21 says, “An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end.” It is very tempting for believers who hear a prophetic word concerning a stock to go and dump all of their savings into it hoping to strike it rich in one fell swoop. That is actually greed, and it doesn’t work.
Proverbs 13:11 gives us more insight into the Lord’s ways, saying, “Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow .” As you pursue the Lord and engage in the stock market, realize that growing wealth is a process that takes time and effort. I also believe that in order to have great wealth we need a heart check up. Money always reveals a man’s heart or real intention. If as recipients of wealth we simply become consumers, then we have wrong motives.
Gene Strite is CEO of L&S Stone and a pioneer founder of World Harvest Outreach. Visit his website at www.whoc.org
