First Baptist Church of Palos Verdes

28 Moccasin Lane
Phone: 310-378-1253

Sunday
Mornings at
11:00AM

The heart of

Read
through
the Bible
this year!!

Direction can only come from an intimate relationship with God in the now; however humanity has a predilection to continue forward by
personal inclinations.
Innovation flows out of a vibrant relationship with God today; however humanity has a penchant to recycle the schedules of past actions.

When individuals and churches fail to seek God’s fresh, innovative direction by faith, they revert to past traditions, personal
inclinations and recycled repetition. As they do this, the individual or church veers farther and farther away from the heart, the will and
the activities of God in the present! The only hope for the individual or church is our turning back to God and allowing our souls to
prosper.

When we meet again, we will discuss the essentials for soul prosperity!

© 2007 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved.

Why is Transformation Necessary? (Part 2)

ESSENTIALS FOR SOUL PROSPERITY

1 Kings 8: 54-61
When individuals and churches fail to seek God’s fresh, innovative direction by faith, they revert to past traditions, personal inclinations and
recycled repetition. As they do this, the individual or church veers farther and farther away from the heart, the will and the activities of God in
the present! The only hope for the individual or church is our turning back to God and allowing our souls to prosper.

How do we return to God when such a thing is true? We must be transformed! Transformation means “Turning Back to God!”

In order to live the Christ-life, the soul of the true follower of Jesus needs constant nourishment. God wishes to fill that need by being our
sustainer. John, the beloved, speaks to this issue when he prays for his dear friends …

Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 (NKJV)

SOUL PROSPERITY

God wants you to possess true prosperity – one that fills and feeds your soul. What will that look like? One of the best definitions of soul
prosperity comes from the snapshot given to us by Paul when he speaks of possessing the fruit of the Spirit.

But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22 (NLT)

God wants to give us so much! There are several gifts in God’s fruit basket which He wants to give to us! In actuality they are a fruit basket of
spirituality! What are these fruits?

Love to fill your broken heart
Joy to lift your sagging spirits
Peace to calm your anxiety and worry
Patience to deal with the trials you are going through to perfect your character
Kindness to respond to others when they treat you badly
Goodness to meet the needs of those less fortunate around you
Faithfulness to stay the course when it seems hopeless
Gentleness to touch other shattered lives you meet along life’s journey
Self-control to avoid the perils which will destroy your testimony for Jesus Christ!

And like any gift given, we must reach out with arms wide open and accept them! Next time we will explore how to accept the gift of soul
prosperity!

© 2007 by Dr. Matthew Lee Smith. All rights reserved.

Why is Transformation Necessary? (Part 3)

ACCEPTING GOD’S GIFT OF SOUL PROSPERITY

Transformation means “Turning Back to God!” The true follower of Jesus needs constant nourishment. God wishes to fill that need by being our
sustainer. There are several gifts in God’s fruit basket which He wants to give to us! In actuality they are a fruit basket of spirituality!

And like any gift given, we must reach out with arms wide open and accept them! How do we do that? The Bible tells us there is a simple way to
possess true soul prosperity …

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalms 16:11 (NKJV)

If we are to enjoy true soul prosperity, we will need to:

Follow our Guide along His path. This gives us His leadership for our life’s decisions. This means we will need to know God’s desires,
which can only happen by both knowing God’s Word and allowing God, through the Holy Spirit, to lead us into the application of that
Word. This is the process of growing close to the Guide and seeking to please Him by fulfilling both the Spirit and letter of His heart and
will.
Enjoy our Guide along His path. This gives us His encouragement for our life’s struggles. As we grow in our desire to please our Guide,
we discover the joy of His presence. We begin to know Him, how He thinks, what He wants, what thrills Him. As we move along life’s
journey, we continue to find the joys that come from following at His side. Each day we grow more and more assured that His way and His
presence provide all that life needs – direction and fulfillment, peace and significance.
Accept the pleasures of our Guide along His path. This gives us His provision for our life’s needs. As our daily journey becomes a
monthly lifestyle, we begin to look in the rear view mirror of our lives and sense the long-term changes that are becoming ours. These
pleasures, as we extricate ourselves from the pain of self and sin, begin to push us closer to our Guide and deepen our love for Him. We
find our fulfillment and our nourishment, our direction and our meaning in the One who truly prospers our soul!This is the essence of the
life of faith – of true soul prosperity! Transformation is all about the daily infusion of God’s presence and the constant enjoyment of His
personal, intimate and sustaining direction in our lives. We have discovered that …

Soul prosperity is a never-ending conversation with our living, leading, loving, laughing Lord Jesus!
Soul prosperity is only obtained when we are constantly in God’s presence!