After watching the recent events play out in the press, for stars like Mel Gibson, Britney Spears, and Jessica Simpson, I want to challenge this belief. Although these people claim to be Christians, what they're really doing is living in a way that Wallace Wattles, in "The Science of Getting Rich", called swinishly.



Now, we can argue over whether or not these people really are Christians. That's not the point. The truth is, only God really knows the answer to that one, and it's between Him and these individuals.

My point is this: is true prosperity for Christians really all about money?

For these three, I would say no.

Does this mean Christians shouldn't have money? Again, no.

Christians should have money, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with getting financially prosperous and having a lot of money.

Joel Osteen certainly has a financially prosperous church and marketing experts and Christians like Lisa Diane and Jimmy D. Brown have certainly demonstrated that you can have a lot of money and be happy. And none of these three shy away from living their faith.

Money has its place. As T. Harv Eker says, "You can't pay your bills with love".

There are several keys to prosperity that Christians need to put first:

1. Make God number one in your life. Put Him first. "Do what you do for the glory of God." As Christians, there's a lot of things we can do with money to spread the gospel. We can be a blessing to others.

In the words of Wallace Wattles, "You owe it to God, to yourself, and to humanity to make the most of yourself."

Understand that God has a purpose for blessing you with a lot of money. It's not just about being able to ride around in limos, eat in fancy restaurants, and buy whatever you want. There's a purpose.

2. Prosperity is about balance. In order to achieve true prosperity, you need to do a lot more than just make a lot of money.

The three areas Wallace Wattles says to concentrate on are mind, body, and spirit.

This means we need a strong focus on God. We need to build strong relationships with those we love. We need to achieve health, and we need to strengthen ourselves mentally and spiritually.

Get rid of your baggage, grudges, hatreds, and anything that's holding you back. There's tremendous power in forgiveness because you're releasing something you shouldn't hold onto anyway.

I truly believe that many people have died well before their time because they held onto painful events.

Let go of this garbage and replace it with positive belief.

God thinks you're someone special, extraordinary, and unique. He deeply loves you so much that He made you in His image, and He sent his son, Jesus, to die for you on the cross so you could have a relationship with Him forever.

Talk about an offer you can't refuse!

3. God put those desires in your heart. Remember, God is a creator, and He created us to have a relationship with Him. He also created each of us for a purpose.

Unless those desires in your heart are sinful, God put them there. So it's time to go for it!

True prosperity isn't just about money. True prosperity is about becoming everything you are meant to be, to do all you are meant to do, and to have all you are meant to have.

God has big plans and big dreams for you.

We were never meant to aspire to be God, we are to aspire to be like God. That makes us creators, and we can choose to create something great, or something that's junk.

Stop living small. Stop dreaming small, and ask God to reign down His blessings on you. Ask for everything He wants you to have. If He didn't believe you deserved it, He wouldn't want to give it to you. He just can't give you what you won't accept.

Now dream big, live big, and open yourself up to having everything God wants you to have. When you do, what you will get will be far larger, far richer, and far better than just a big bank account.