Exodus 3:8 The Land of Milk and Honey (Sunday Sermon)

““I have come down to bring them up from that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…”

I’ve had a couple of people challenge me recently, leading me to believe they think I believe in some “blab it and grab it” God makes you rich “just because you want him to” type of doctrine.

In fact, the exact words from both were “I don’t believe in the prosperity doctrine.” I’m going to start with one of my favorite passages of scripture: Psalm 1:3 “”He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.”

I want to be clear about what I believe. John 1:2 also says, we will prosper as our soul prospers. Abundant life, a state of well-being, and thriving are key words here to define what God meant.

Can God’s blessing make one rich? Certainly! But the overall picture he wants to paint is “Thriving” “More than enough” “Cups Overflowing.” He is not calling everyone to be Joseph. He isn’t saying everyone is going to be a millionaire, or billionaire.

I honestly don’t see how we can believe in prosperity, without first being thankful for what God has given us already.

The stark contrast here, is he wanted to take them from being slaves in Egypt, to being able to plant vineyards, own the land, and be healthy enough to do it.

When I first asked God “if it was true” he wanted to prosper me, he started giving me cheese blessings, out of the blue. I prayed for cheese with my young son, the next time I went to church, a woman walked up to me and said, “This is going to sound crazy, but do you want some cheese?” I started to cry…………

Tears running down my face, “I prayed for that” I said. It was God’s proof to me he wanted MORE for me than what I was experiencing at that time. Desperate poverty, feeling like I had to beg for help.

Not only that, I felt like a complete slave to the welfare system. So yes, I prayed for prosperity, A home of my own, to be able to work and stay in one place, and have butter, and cheese, and good things to eat.

Not the pot of soybean stew I got from the food bank in my survival days. Not the moldy twinkies I also got from the food bank (another time). I trust God to provide, to heal me, to help us get our vehicle fixed, and when I give (when I can’t afford it by human standards) Yes, I believe for a harvest.

This does not put me in a category with those who stand on a platform, promising if you give a seed of 1000.00 to THEM today you are going to prosper. I listen to the Holy Spirit, and sometimes he tells me to give more than I think I can afford.

If I do what he says, his promise says, “He who gives to the poor lends to the Lord” (Proverbs 19:17) and he WILL return it! If you want to translate that into “giving to get” then go right ahead, but I am standing on the Promises of God.

My Point is: Don’t throw away the promises of God in your life, just because someone mishandled it in the way it was presented. Are there those who use scripture to extort from others, who even convince people everyone will be rich (as in excessive wealth) just because you “claim it?”

Yes. And we all know it’s not true. If everyone were a Joseph, we wouldn’t need a Joseph to take care of the poor. What I see, is God doesn’t give people excessive wealth to roll around in and let others starve and go without (especially in the Body of Christ!!).

I can prove that too: 2 Corn 8:14 “Your abundance supplies someone else’s lack.” I believe in the FULL Gospel of Jesus Christ. Not picking and choosing the parts you like. Being over the top about prosperity is as bad as being “Fire and Brimstone” and thinking the whole gospel is about suffering and dying to self.

God is not a God of extremes. He wants us complete, mature, lacking nothing (especially not lacking in understanding of his word!) I hope this clarifies “What Laura Believes” at least a little.

Milk — A staple food in ancient times, often from goats, sheep, or cows. It symbolized nourishment, vitality, and agricultural richness. Fertile pastures supporting healthy livestock meant the land could sustain life

Honey — In biblical times, this often-meant date honey or fruit syrups, not bee honey. It represented sweetness, pleasure, and cultural prosperity, indicating abundant fruit trees and stable conditions. Be grateful today if you have butter, honey & Milk!

-Laura Grace, minister of the Lord, and his servant