Covenant Wealth by Bishop David Oyedepo

Covenant Wealth and Misconceptions
It is important to know that God is interested in the comfort of His people. He is excited when they prosper. He is happy when they are comfortable. When anyone is well-to-do in the world, he is described as being comfortable. They say he has made it.
According to the Oxford Advanced Leaner's Dictionary, wealth is a "possession of a great amount of property, money, riches etc." So, wealth speaks of comfort, of fulfilment; and God desires exactly that for you. There are many things He desires for you,but He desires your comfort above everything else.
Are there any earthly parents today who desire anything less than comfort for their children? None. Everybody wants his offspring to be comfortable. He dreams of it and he plans for it. That is part of the divine instinct we have from God. He said:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth. 3 John 2
There are many things, but He said, "Above everything else, this is My supreme will for you." Above every other will, He wants you to be comfortable and healthy. You must get that into your spirit. It is neither the idea of a preacher, nor is it a prosperity movement, but God's idea. It is His idea, His intent, His purpose. He wants you to be comfortable!
He saw us in discomfort and sent Jesus Christ to come and give us life — the abundant life. We were wandering about outside the garden of Eden after the first Adam fell. The gates were shut. No one could gain access anymore into that garden, until Jesus came. He came out of the grave.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Psalm 24:7
Among the gates, I believe, was the gate that led back to Eden. That gate was flung open when Jesus rose from the dead, so we can now follow Him. He said, "If you follow Me, I will make you lie down in green pastures, I will prepare before you a table in the presence of your enemies" (Ps. 23:2-5).
Man it was who named all the animals the lion, the rhino and elephant inclusive. He knew no fear until the fall. Psalm 23 gives a picture of an Edenic life style. That is to say that God is bringing His people back into their Eden of abundance.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." When the Lord was in charge of Adam's life before the fall, he did not want for anything, everything was complete. And when Jesus, the Great shepherd came, He said, "If you follow Me, My Father will honour you". That is to say that if you follow what He says, you are going to get back to Eden, where Adam was driven away from, the city of comfort.
Gross Misconceptions About Money
Christendom has suffered much setback because of its lopsided and haphazard understanding of living from the scriptures. The devil has had a field day taking advantage of the ignorance of Christians. But thank God for the illumination of the Holy Spirit! As many as care for it can receive their freedom and walk out on the devil and be what they were always meant to be — kings and gods upon the surface of the earth!
Over the years, salvation has been preached and taught as being meant only for the future. Its relevance has been seen and limited to heaven. Evangelists have cried out: "Be saved, so you can make heaven." Teachers and preachers alike have preached the dos and don'ts of living, in order to make heaven.
Before you knew it, heaven and how to get there became the hub of gospel message. This put Christians at a disadvantaged position, as they were slowly and carefully pushed off the platform of attainment and achievement. The area most affected is the area of wealth. Let us consider some of these misconceptions and see what the scriptures say about them.
It is the Root of all Evil
The chief persecutors against the prosperity message claim that money is the root of all evil. But they are very wrong! A careful look at 1 Timothy 6:10 reveals that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil, not money itself.
In the first place, to associate God with evil is blasphemous. Everything He made in the beginning was good. He does not harbour evil; rather, He dwells in light and is light, for in Him is no darkness at all.
Note that the wealth most people boast of actually belongs to God "The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts" (Hag. 2:8). God is not a liar.
It Corrupts Holiness
The scripture that is often misused in this regard is Luke 18:24-25:
...How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!
For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
If all the rich go to hell, why is Abraham not there? According to the Bible, he is in heaven, in a place of rest (Lk. 16:19-31).
Moreover, the wealthiest God is also the thrice holy God! This clearly proves that it is possible to be rich and be holy at the same time. We are partakers of God's divine nature.
It Is Worldly
This can't be true, because from all Biblical information available to us, heaven is a symbol of affluence — its streets are paved with gold, its buildings are mansions.
Wealth, which is the epitome of man's accomplishment, is more heavenly than earthly. The Biblical definition of worldliness does not include wealth.
Those things in the world that constitute worldliness include: "the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life" (1 John 2:16). The lust of the eye is perhaps much more pronounced among the poor. The lust of the flesh has largely to do with self control, which infers that both the poor and the affluent can fall victim to it.
Both the rich and the poor are liable to
the pride of life. What is pride? It is an overestimation of self and giving it expression accordingly. There are some poor people that are more proud than even kings and princes! Wealth, as it were, does not determine worldliness, nor is it synonymous with it. Neither is poverty an expression of godliness.
It Is Materialistic (Especially in the Church)
Someone, in his pragmatic attack of the prosperity message, was quoted as saying: "The subject of prosperity is dialectically materialistic."
What is materialism? It is living unto, and for material possession. This is contrary to God's Word. His covenant of wealth works only for those who live unto Him. It is said of Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26:5: ...As long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper.
The reason for these misconceptions (including those not mentioned here) is the lack of attention given to the Word. Jesus said, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me" (John 5:39). And in Matthew 22:29, He said: "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." The remedy? Allow the Holy Spirit to take you through the pages of the Word of God, to reveal the truth in it, which alone is able to set free.