7 Currencies of the Kingdom of God
Every country around the world has a form of currency they use for the exchange of goods and services. Some currency has a higher exchange rate than others, but in the end each currency is used for the same purpose everywhere around the world. The kingdom of God is no different; the kingdom has a currency that people spend/save all the time, whether they realize it or not. Not being able to recognize the currency of the kingdom has caused many to go bankrupt, and for some without notice.
Since the early 90s the church has been preaching prosperity, using verses that have nothing to do with money, while wondering why people are not getting what the church has promised. Prosperity in God's kingdom has to do with His currency, not ours. Dollars, ringgit, euros, yen, pesos and francs are all currencies of earth, and we have spent so much time pursuing these, we have neglected kingdom currency. So, what is the currency of the kingdom?
Time : How you spend your time shows what you value. In the kingdom there is equality and we all have been given the same amount of time (24 hours in a day), but how we spend that time is determined by what you value. If you want to know what you value, evaluate that on which you spend your time.
Choices: Everyone has been given a free will, another equalizer in the kingdom; what we choose, whether to obey God or disobey God, determines our level of prosperity in the kingdom. Galatians 6:7-8 says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit, will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (NASB).
Words: Our words are our seeds that we plant and when they grow produce a harvest in our lives. What we sow, we grow; our words are our seeds. Mark 11:23-26 is speaking about our words that grow unforgiveness, unbelief, etc. Solomon said it best, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21).
People: John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world [nations, ethnic groups of the world] that He gave His one and only Son …” (NIV). People are of an extremely high value in the kingdom of God; how you treat them is of the utmost importance to God.
Faith: The more you agree with God, the more faith you get. The more you believe what you read in the Word of God, the wealthier you are in the kingdom. Faith is walking in agreement with God.
Hope: Confident expectation of good. No matter what you see, you know God is good. Romans 5:5 says, “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (NASB). Hope is expectancy that God is always good.
Love: The absence of fear! Fearless people are lovers and love wins.
I am sure there is so much more kingdom currency that others will be able to add to this list, but one thing I know for sure, God wants the content of our message to match our character; that is why 3 John 1:2 says, “I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” God delights in the prosperity of His children, so let's be good stewards of the kingdom currency!
Lisa Great co-pastored a church in Malaysia and has ministered to youth. She is author of Divine Principles of Success and a speaker.