Money is a basic necessity for all of us. Having enough of it to pay our bills and have some left over to save makes life a little smoother. However, the world gives the message that godliness and material possessions are incompatible. The truth is that not only is it okay for believers to be wealthy and successful, it’s actually God’s will for us.

Many Christians are afraid to talk about wealth and financial matters because they think they aren’t supposed to be prosperous. There’s nothing wrong with having money. However, too often the money that’s supposed to go to righteous people ends up in the hands of the unrighteous. If we want financial blessings, we need to know what God says about how money works in the life of a believer who seeks godly wisdom. “Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment: That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures” (Proverbs 8:18-21).

It’s wrong to equate poverty with godliness, but the world perpetuates this way of thinking. We must be careful not to buy into it. Christians are to stand out from the world as beacons of lights in a dark room. There are few better ways to do this than prospering financially. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Real wealth doesn’t come from self-effort; it comes as a by-product of a relationship with God. In the Old Testament, Joseph had such a relationship. Regardless of the circumstances or how bad things got, he prospered because of God’s presence in his life. “And the LORD was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the LORD was with him, and that the LORD made all that he did to prosper in his hand” (Genesis 39:2, 3). Success comes only from God.

Financial giving is an integral part of godly money management. The world says to hang on to every penny we get, but the world is governed by the spirit of mammon. Living according to those standards puts us in bondage to debt and insufficiency, because it makes us afraid to give. God wants much more for us. “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

We’re righteous because God says we are, not because of anything we do. Righteous people give for the right reasons—out of love and gratitude, not out of guilt or compulsion. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). Trusting God enough to give of our substance puts us in a position to receive from Him.

God wants to bless us with every good thing; money is one of those blessings. When the wealth comes from Him, there’s no downside to it. “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it” (Proverbs 10:22). Putting our relationship with God above our relationship with money blesses us on every level.

For more on how wealth and prosperity are God’s will for the believer, click on the link below for the book, You’re Supposed to Be Wealthy.