Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

The mission of Beyond Positive Thinking Ministries is to help people fulfill the will of God is their lives according to 3 John 2, they prosper in all things and live in health. The key to receiving the prosperity and health that God wants for you is found in the last part of the verse, “just as your soul prospers.”

3 John 2 (NKJV)
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.

Your soul refers to your mind, will, intellect and emotions. The soul is where your thinking takes place. You will prosper both financially and physically just as you are prospering mentally. It all starts with your thoughts and the way you think about these two areas of your life.

We are going to answer four questions in this article:
1. Who is “Beloved” referring to?
2. What does “prosper” mean?
3. What does “health” refer to?
4. What does it mean to prosper in your soul?

Who is “Beloved” referring to?
It is important to identify to whom this verse (3 John 2) is being written. At first glance, after reading verse one, it appears that John is writing this letter to Gaius only, but in verse two John uses the word “Beloved” to address the recipients of this letter. We will use the Word of God to answer this first question.

Ephesians 1:5-6 (NKJV)
v. 5 Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
v. 6 To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted IN THE BELOVED.

What is the definition of “Beloved” in verse six? We will define it with the New Living Translation of verse six.

Ephesians 1:6 (NLT)
So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son.

“Beloved” refers to any person who belongs to God’s dearly loved Son, Jesus Christ. Do you belong to Jesus Christ today? Are you a child of God? Are you in the family of God? You are if you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ.

Galatians 3:26 (NLT)
So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Any person who has placed his or her faith in Jesus Christ has been accepted in the Beloved, and is a member of the family of God, and now God is his or her very own Father.

What does “prosper” mean?
The word “prosper” is only found once in the New Testament and the word “prosperity” is not found at all in the New Testament.

What is the first thing most people think of when “prosperity” is mentioned? Money and material possessions, right? However, prosperity is really much more than that. Let’s look at the biblical definition of prosperity. The first thing we know is that it is God’s will for us to prosper in ALL THINGS (Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things).

The Greek word for prosper is “euodoo” (yoo-od-o: Strong’s #2137). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible gives this definition: “to help on the road; to succeed in reaching; to succeed in business affairs; to have a prosperous journey.” Certainly life is a journey, and God’s will is that it be a prosperous one!

Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words adds this to the definition of prosper: “in material things; the continuous tense suggests the successive circumstances of varying prosperity as week follows week; in 3 John 2 prosper also refers to the “prosperity” of physical and spritual health.”

Prosper and Prosperity are found well over 50 times in the Old Testament. One of the three Hebrew words for prosperity is “shalom” (Strong’s #7965). It means peace, prosperity and health.

Each individual must determine what prosperity means to them. Every person must find a definition that he or she can believe in. Do you know how many people do not believe that it is God’s will for them to prosper and be in health?

Many people equate prosperity with an amount on money or with material possessions. To one a prosperous person is a millionaire, to another a prosperous person is one who is financially free, and yet to another a prosperous person is one who lives in a spacious home, drives a luxury car, and wears designer clothes.

Is a person prosperous if he or she is continually challenged with a lack of physical wellness and their bodies continually filled with sickness and disease? Is a person prosperous if he or she is continually experiencing strife in their relationships? Is the prosperous person one who is continually filled with fear, worry and anxiety? According to our previous Bible definitions, a lack of peace and/or a lack of physical health would disqualify an individual from being defined as prosperous person.

My point is twofold. First, prosperity is not an amount. Second, prosperity is all encompassing, it not only includes financial well being, but it also includes physical well being and spiritual well being.

Here is my personal definition of prosperity: “Prosperity is having enough of God’s resources to fulfill my God-given dream.”

What does “health” refer to?
Prosperity does not only refer to financial and spiritual health, but it refers to physical health as well. It refers to your body keeping well. Let’s read the Amplified Translation of 3 John 2 in order to confirm our definition of the word “health.”

3 John 2 (AMP)
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way AND [THAT YOUR BODY] MAY KEEP WELL, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers.

God’s will is that your body gets well and stays healthy. After all, God called Himself Jehovah Rapha to His covenant people in Exodus 15:26, which means the Lord who heals you!

What does it mean to prosper in your soul?
What is a prosperous soul? We find the answer in 3 John 3-4.

3 John 3-4 (NKJV)
v. 3 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth.
v. 4 I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

A prosperous soul is a mind filled with the Truth. What is the Truth?

John 17:17 (NKJV)
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.

God’s Word is Truth! A prosperous soul is a mind filled with God’s Word. A prosperous soul is a renewed mind. Your soul prospering, which means your mental prosperity, is dependent on renewing your mind with the Word of God. “Just as your soul prospers” refers to the degree that your mind is renewed with the Word of God.

Your prosperity and health are dependent upon your soul prospering. Your soul prospering means renewing your mind with what the Word of God says about prosperity and health. You will prosper financially and physically just as you are prospering mentally. It all starts with your thoughts and the way you think about these two areas of your life.

God’s greatest joy is to hear that His children walk in the truth of His Word. Walking in the Truth means walking in the light of God’s Word. It means practicing the Word of God. It means living according to the success principles set forth in the Word of God.

Genesis 8:22 (NKJV)
“While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.”

God’s covenant with creation includes the law of seedtime and harvest. God operates in the earth according to the principle of seedtime and harvest. This is how things work in the earth; this is how things get done. The principle of seedtime and harvest is how results are produced in the earth.

The law of seedtime and harvest is also found in the New Testament; in the part of the Bible that contains our covenant with God:

Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Philippians 4:15 (NKJV)
Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

In Galatians, Paul refers to seedtime and harvest as sowing and reaping. In Philippians, he refers to it as giving and receiving. Therefore, God’s covenant with creation (seedtime and harvest) can also be referred to as sowing and reaping or giving and receiving.

The world’s economy operates through buying and selling; God’s economy operates through sowing and reaping; giving and receiving; seedtime and harvest.

Our responsibility is to learn how to cooperate with God’s covenant with creation; how to cooperate with God’s laws of sowing and reaping, giving and receiving, and seedtime and harvest. We cooperate by adopting a Kingdom mindset, and we enjoy the benefits by maintaining a Kingdom attitude. Adopting the following 3 Kingdom mindsets and maintaining the following 7 Kingdom attitudes will enable and empower you to live above economic challenges.

There are 3 Kingdom mindsets you must adopt if you want to live above economic challenges.

First, the Lordship of Jesus: Is Jesus really Lord of my time, my talent, and my treasure? In other words, am I using my time, talent, and treasure for Kingdom purposes? Am I investing a portion of my time, talent, and treasure into the Kingdom of God?

Second, the love of God: Have I received the love of God personally and am I living it? Am I giving to God’s Kingdom because I love God’s people? Have I received the love of God personally and am I practicing it? Am I walking in love and do I really have a forgiving heart?

Third, the Holy Spirit: God is in the earth today in the person of the Holy Spirit, and He lives within every believer – God lives in you in the person of the Holy Spirit. If you’ll let Him, the Holy Spirit will lead you and guide you concerning the use of your time, talent, and treasure.

Next, there are 7 Kingdom attitudes you must maintain if you want to live above economic challenges, and they come from 2 Corinthians 9:6-11.

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NKJV)
But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

Attitude #1:
I am willing to give generously to God’s Kingdom.

Being a generous giver includes the willingness to review your finances in order to re-appropriate additional monies into the Kingdom of God so that more people would be blessed.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV)
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

Attitude #2:
What I have in my heart, not in my bank account, matters more to God and will endure for eternity.

The most important thing to Jesus is the attitude of a person’s heart. The condition of your heart matters more to God than how much you sow, how much you reap, how much you give, or how much you receive.

According to 2 Corinthians 9:7 you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. Notice Paul doesn’t name a particular amount. There’s no hint of pressure or bondage to a percentage. New covenant giving goes like this: We give because we love, and we love because we are new creations filled with the divine nature.

You shouldn’t give grudgingly (NKJV) or reluctantly (NIV). God knows that someone who gives reluctantly is still thinking like a fearful owner, not a generous steward. When it comes to money and giving, fear and selfishness go hand in hand: “If I give too much, I’m afraid I won’t have enough for myself.” God wants us to be motivated to give from a stewardship mindset – He is the owner and we are the managers.

You should not give out of necessity (NKJV) or under compulsion (NIV). This refers to being pressured to give, giving because you feel forced to give, giving in response to pressure.
Finally, God wants us to give out of a cheerful heart. The crowning moment when it comes to your giving is the moment you begin to experience the joy of giving. God designed us to find joy in giving, not having. We are givers, not takers, because the Giver lives in us and now He wants to live through us. True Kingdom citizens are cheerful generous givers!

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NKJV)
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Attitude #3:
I am willing to receive God’s abundant harvest.

God’s response to seed sown is called the harvest. This verse is God’s guarantee that you will receive His provision when you give cheerfully and generously. God’s abundant provision is the outcome of giving from a cheerful and generous heart.

2 Corinthians 9:9 (NKJV)
As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

Attitude #4:
I am willing to give to the poor through the administration of my local church.

God expected the church to take care of the poor, not the government. If this is true, then the church also has a responsibility to teach the poor about God’s covenant with creation – seedtime and harvest, sowing and reaping, giving and receiving.

2 Corinthians 9:10 (NKJV)
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.

Attitude #5:
I expect God to supply and multiply the seed that I have sown.

Question: Who does God give seed to? Answer: The sower – the person who will give. Next question: What does God do with the seed you sow? Answer: He multiplies it. God always multiplies what is given to Him. God not only supplies you with seed to sow, but He multiplies the seed you sow so you can give more and more, again and again.

Multiplication and increase are basic principles in the Kingdom of God. The reason you cannot out-give God is because He will always bless you with more than you gave. Every time you give, expect God to multiply your seed. Why? So you can give more and more, again, again. God is love and the greatest expression of love is giving; therefore, God always gives more than He gets. Our responsibility is found in Attitude #6:

Attitude #6:
I expect an abundant harvest.

Your responsibility is to expect an abundant harvest. Faith expects God to multiply your seed and return to you an abundant harvest. Faith is expecting a harvest from your giving. Your expectation of a harvest pleases God because without faith it is impossible to please God. (See Hebrews 11:6)

2 Corinthians 9:11 (NKJV)
While you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.

Notice what God promises to do for the cheerful generous giver: “While you are enriched in everything for all liberality…” That means that God is going to keep you abundantly supplied so that you can continue to be a generous giver.

The last phrase in verse 11 shows us the ultimate purpose and motivation for our giving. Our giving causes thanksgiving (through us) to God. The ultimate purpose and motivation for our giving is so that God will be glorified.

Attitude #7:
I am willing to give generously because I am grateful for what God did for me through Jesus Christ.

The degree to which a believer is truly grateful for what Christ did for them is revealed in the amount of their time, talent, and treasure they sow into the Kingdom of God. Giving is meant to be an expression of your love and commitment toward advancing the Kingdom of God.

Adopting Kingdom mindsets and maintaining Kingdom attitudes are how believers can live above economic challenges. As a Kingdom citizen, you can live above economic challenges!