“Therefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to you, and break off your sins by righteousness and your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a lengthening of your prosperity” (Dan. 4:27).
Whether we say it outright or not, we often think of religion as an oppression, as a list of rules about what we are not allowed to do—a buzz-kill. We think of God solely as a judge looking to sentence us for crimes.
The truth is God wants the best for us. His guidelines are not to inhibit our freedoms but enhance them. He knows what works. He knows what is best. After all, He designed the system. And He wants to lead us toward what is best for us. He wants to lead us toward prosperity.
Daniel proves his value to the king by interpreting his dreams. He makes known the path to prosperity.
One of the hang-ups (for us as well as Nebuchadnezzar) is we too often equate the concept of prosperity with our material or worldly successes. We measure what is good by how we feel and what we can accumulate.
The real prosperity of the gospel is in who we are. Character is worth more than gold. It is the great prize of life, to become who God has created us to be—to break through the fake world and discover the truth. God does not care so much about our bank accounts and social media followers. This is not prosperity in His eyes.
Prosperity is found in the intimacy we develop with God Himself. The riches of His kingdom are the fruits of the spirit. Renouncing sin is not about “doing what we are supposed to” just for the sake of obedience. It is about trusting in God’s version of prosperity and participating in the riches of the kingdom of God.
For more on this powerful topic, listen to The Yellow Balloons Podcast on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
The Yellow Balloons team is committed to influencing individuals and organizations toward choosing a true perspective. Throughout all the diverse circumstances of life, we have the power to make choices and live life above our circumstances. Yellow Balloons provides free resources such as books, podcasts and devotionals at yellowballoons.net.
