On this blessed Sunday, I would like to share something the Lord placed on my heart that has been a tremendous blessing to our church, as well as my jurisdiction.

A lot of emphasis is being given to healthy lifestyles through proper eating and exercise.

In the same manner, the body of Christ has to be just as concerned with balancing the fundamentals of faith. It’s important that we, as Christians, balance our priorities and the requirements of healthy Christian living. In our church, we have declared this as the year of "salvation, wealth and all grace." (2 Corinthians 9:8)

In balancing salvation and wealth, we’ve incorporated in our teachings and programs ways to show members how to get out of debt and manage their finances.

Several members just finished a nine-week course called Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey. We have focused on paying off debt and in those nine weeks, the cumulative total is more than $100,000 of debt demolished.

The subject of salvation from our earlier teachings has always been a priority, more so than how to make money work. Our leaders could not teach us what they did not know themselves. They instilled good morals, told us how to live. However, there is so much more that God wants for us as his children. He desires that we prosper even as our soul prospers.

We understand the plan of salvation because it has been drilled into us. But the plan of prosperity has gotten little emphasis. So many struggled, especially the preacher.

Now we are giving attention now to how to prosper, but in too many instances it’s not authentic revelation, it’s manipulation by lying ministers reaching for pocketbooks without a genuine concern for souls.

That was Saul’s problem as a leader. The Lord told him to destroy all the Amelakites, but Saul’s focus was on the spoils. The Bible records that he flew upon the spoils. He left the calling of God and went after the booty.

Because of this our revivals have turned into fundraisers. Instead of balancing and teaching the people principles of wealth the biblical way, many use gifted people to rape the people, making promises and issuing false prophecies, causing the scales to be tipped in the wrong direction.

According Leviticus 19:35, "Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment, in meteyard, in weight or measure."

Let’s make an effort to live a well balanced Christian life.

Murray is the pastor of Fellowship of Love COGIC and a member of the United Ministerial Alliance.