You Can Have A BIG Life!  

From the book “First Things First” by Paula White-Cain

God has a plan…

That plan is always working. And that plan includes you! God has a BIG LIFE for you. He has designed a life of wholeness, one that is blessed and successful, for you to enjoy—one that has peace and purpose, joy, goodness, completeness, wealth, health and fullness. 

I consider John 10:10 to be on of the main mission statements of Jesus’ ministry on earth. He said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” The Amplified version of the Bible reads: “…I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” 

Imagine a Big God doing big things in you and through you without worry, fear, anxiety, pressure, stress and confusion. He has for you a life of vitality, energy, stamina, clarity, love, value, purpose, fulfillment, provision and supply. He wants an intimate relationship with you and to establish His image in your heart and life. 

God has supply for you. Proverbs 3:9-10 tells us as we honor the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our increase, then there will be a filling to overflow and our presses will burst with new wine. “New wine” refers to expulsion, something squeezed out. In other words, what has been occupying that space will be driven out so that it may be filled with the blessings and provision of God for your life. 

Peter proclaimed that God has given us “everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness” (2 Peter 1:3, NIV). God is not limited by any problem … He is not limited by a government … and He is certainly not limited by the enemy. He is God. Everything you need has already been provided! As Paul said in Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.” 

The word and promises of God are for your everyday living. God intended for us, His children, to practice His habits and apply His laws. In the first chapter, I shared the amazing provisions of Deuteronomy 28. These promises cover your work, your relationships, your financial security, your victory over enemies, your future and so much more. They are without compare! And that is only beginning to “scratch the surface” of the in-depth, vast results and rewards for putting things in proper order— “first things first.” All throughout the Word of God we see what happens when there is activation and honoring of first fruits. For example: 

 Blessings will rest on your house. “. . . to cause a blessing to rest on your house” (Ezekiel 44:30, NKJV). 

 An angel will go before you to prepare the way, to tackle your adversaries for you. “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20, NKJV). 

 You will receive multiplication of provision for more than enough to meet your needs completely (John 6:5-13). 

 You will have the power to get wealth. “And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18, NKJV). 

 You will experience good health. “Behold, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2, NKJV). 

BLESSED WITH WHOLENESS 

These passages of Scripture are not just talking about God’s power to meet your physical needs. God wants to take you further than that—He wants you whole, spirit, soul and body. As I said before, prosperity is a wholeness word. Though it includes financial provision, in Deuteronomy 28 and throughout the Word, we see that it means so much more. God’s prosperity is really about everything in your life functioning and operating correctly. It is about divine completion. God wants you to have a balanced life. He wants your business affairs, your family, your emotions, your ministry and every part of your life to prosper to the same degree “as your soul prospers.” If your soul is depleted, other areas of your life will be in lack as well. 

The Bible declares in Psalm 115:14, “The Lord shall increase you more and more, you and your children.” No matter what you have been through in your life, God has much greater things in store for you. According to the Word of God, I expect increase to come into your life as you continue to seek Him and He takes you from glory, to glory, to glory. 

Psalm 5:12 reads, “For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.” God will hedge you in with favor. Do you know what favor is? Favor is the kingdom of God giving you “undeserved access.” God’s favor takes you places and puts you in positions you could possibly never go on your own. It will take an orphan girl by the name of Esther and make her a queen for “such a time as this.” Favor will raise you up out of obscurity into notoriety. Favor will cause Boaz (a “dream man” for a husband) to find you, Ruth. Favor will pull you out of the pit and put you into a palace, Joseph. Favor will turn your famine into a feast. Favor will promote you. It will put you in association with the right people. It will give you access to places that have been closed off to you. It will do for you what your résumé cannot do for you—what money, a mate, or ministry cannot do for you but the grace of God can do. 

I am not implying that there will never be difficult times or bad things that happen. Bad things do happen to good people. Challenges will arise and there may be days of disappointment and difficulties—life has ebbs and flows. It is part of the rhythm to life. Your “faith” does not prevent “life” from happening, but it will carry you through it! As a believer you have been equipped to face whatever setback, obstacle or challenge comes your way through God and His Word. What I am saying is, you can have the peace that passes all understanding even when things are rough. You can have wisdom to navigate your life. You can have a patience and long-suffering to stand firm under pressure. You can have joy that far surpasses a happiness derived from external factors. Anything that the enemy steals from you, there is restoration. Anything you willingly offer up to the Lord will always come back as a blessing. God has promises for you that cannot fail. So people may see you in a pit, but they will also see God cause you to be triumphant over your circumstances and promoted to a palace if you don’t quit during the process! God wants to be magnified and show Himself big in your life that He may be glorified. 

With that favor, God will also protect you as with a shield. Like Solomon wrote in Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” In the Amplified it reads, “The blessing of the Lord—it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it].” Not only will you be blessed, you will be protected. It is the Lord who gives you the ability to get wealth—the power to prosper and to succeed in your unique destiny.

It is part of His covenant. Taking pleasure in prospering His children has to do with fulfilling His promises. Again, God is most interested in conforming the character of Christ in you. You are then transformed into His image where you think like God, act like God, talk, walk and create like God! It’s not so much that we’ve been doing what is wrong that nullifies the provision of God. We need to understand that we’re often not doing enough of what is right. I want you to think about that a moment. Partial faith does not open up the promises of God, but fully committed acts of faith do.

-Paula White-Cain

Are you ready to honor God? Click here for more information on putting First Things First and God’s Principle of First Fruits- paulawhite.org/firstfruits