The prosperity “gospel” teaches that God wants to bless HIS people in every way. There’s nothing very wrong with that, for it is quite true (it is HIS desire to give us the Kingdom, Luke 12:29-34Luke 12:29-34
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. neither...: or, live not in careful suspense
30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.
31 But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
WP-Bible plugin). The problem is when one type of blessing gets superimposed over another and essentially takes precedent in a believer’s life — and among the prosperity pimps, money’s the bottom line. And sadly, money is their god and they teach others (usually desperate, just-getting-by people) to worship money as well. If you call yourself a preacher and claim you’ve got the degrees to back it up… then you clearly know what you do and the price you have to pay (Matthew 23:14Matthew 23:14
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
WP-Bible plugin). You may have once truly known the Word but the deceitfulness of riches has choked the Word out of your heart.
Does GOD want you to be poor? …Perhaps. Jesus Christ said the poor will be with us always, and GOD the FATHER instructed the Hebrews (and us) to never close our hand to the poor. Does GOD want you to be rich? Yes, this wealth, however, is not measured in dollars, cars and homes. Jesus Christ said not to chase mammon, that is, worldly possessions and status, but to pray and trust the FATHER to provide our daily bread (Matthew 6:25-34Matthew 6:25-34
English: King James Version (1611) - KJV
25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
WP-Bible plugin).
Here is an 11-minute clip from ESPN’s recent program on athletes (who make too much a lot of money) and evangelists who preach prosperity like their lives depend on it. In Outside the Lines’ “Televangelists And Athletes” reporter John Barr takes a look at Creflo Dollar, T.D. Jakes, Joyce Meyer and Randy White (who used to be number one in bringing the athletes into church, according to Barr, and says he couldn’t have purchased his current church without sizable donations tithes and offerings from athletes).