Prosperity teaching has become one of Christianity’s most controversial topics. Some preachers promise that faith guarantees financial wealth, health, and success, treating God like a cosmic vending machine where the right prayers produce material blessings. Others swing completely opposite, suggesting that godliness and poverty go hand in hand, viewing any financial success with suspicion. Both extremes distort what Scripture actually teaches about prosperity and miss the nuanced picture the Bible presents.
The tension isn’t new. Job’s friends insisted that his suffering proved hidden sin, assuming prosperity always follows righteousness. Jesus warned that wealth creates spiritual dangers, yet He accepted support from wealthy followers. Paul knew both plenty and poverty, finding contentment in each. Abraham, David, and Solomon experienced tremendous material blessings. Meanwhile, other faithful servants of God faced persecution, poverty, and martyrdom. Clearly, the relationship between faith and prosperity is more complex than simplistic formulas suggest.
These verses address God’s desire to bless His people while acknowledging that biblical prosperity encompasses far more than bank accounts and possessions. True abundance includes peace, purpose, relationships, spiritual growth, and contentment that transcends circumstances. Understanding this fuller picture helps us receive God’s blessings with gratitude while avoiding the idolatry of making material success our measure of faith or God’s favor.
Bible Verses About Prosperity and Abundance
1. 3 John 1:2 – I Pray That You May Enjoy Good Health
Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
New International Version (NIV)
2. Deuteronomy 28:11 – The Lord Will Grant You Abundant Prosperity
And the Lord will make you abound in prosperity, in the fruit of your womb and in the fruit of your cattle and in the fruit of your ground, within the land that the Lord swore to your fathers to give you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
3. Psalm 1:3 – That Person Is Like a Tree Planted by Streams of Water
He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.
New King James Version (NKJV)
4. Proverbs 10:22 – The Blessing of the Lord Brings Wealth
The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.
New Living Translation (NLT)
5. Joshua 1:8 – Keep This Book of the Law Always on Your Lips
This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6. Proverbs 13:21 – Prosperity Is the Reward of the Righteous
Adversity pursues sinners, But the righteous will be rewarded with prosperity.
New American Standard Bible (NASB)
7. Psalm 35:27 – Let Them Shout for Joy and Be Glad
Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
King James Version (KJV)
8. Isaiah 48:17 – I Am the Lord Your God, Who Teaches You What Is Best
Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you for your own good, who leads you in the way you should go.
New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)
9. John 10:10 – I Have Come That They May Have Life
A thief is only there to steal and kill and destroy. I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.
The Message (MSG)
10. Genesis 39:2-3 – The Lord Was with Joseph
But the Lord was with Joseph, and he [though a slave] was a successful and 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 flourish and succeed in his hand.
Amplified Bible (AMP)
11. Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with Your Wealth
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops. Then your barns will be filled to the brim, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
New English Translation (NET)
12. 2 Corinthians 9:8 – And God Is Able to Bless You Abundantly
And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
13. Malachi 3:10 – Bring the Whole Tithe into the Storehouse
Bring the full tenth to the temple treasury so there may be food in my temple. Test me in this way, says the Lord who rules over all. See if I won’t open the windows of heaven for you and flood you with a blessing.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
14. Philippians 4:19 – And My God Will Meet All Your Needs
My God will supply all your needs according to his wonderful riches in Christ Jesus.
Good News Translation (GNT)
15. Proverbs 22:4 – Humility Is the Fear of the Lord
Respecting the Lord and not being proud will bring you wealth, honor, and life.
New Century Version (NCV)
16. Jeremiah 29:11 – For I Know the Plans I Have for You
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
International Standard Version (ISV)
17. Psalm 128:1-2 – Blessed Are All Who Fear the Lord
How blessed is everyone who fears Adonai, who walks in His ways! You will surely eat the fruit of your labor; you will be happy, and it will be well with you.
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
18. Proverbs 11:25 – A Generous Person Will Prosper
A generous person will be made rich, and the one who provides water for others will himself be satisfied.
Lexham English Bible (LEB)
19. Romans 8:32 – He Who Did Not Spare His Own Son
He who didn’t spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things?
World English Bible (WEB)
20. 2 Chronicles 31:21 – In Everything That He Undertook
And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, and in the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart, and prospered.
American Standard Version (ASV)
21. Psalm 84:11 – For the Lord God Is a Sun and Shield
For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.
Revised Standard Version (RSV)
22. Proverbs 28:25 – The Greedy Stir Up Conflict
The greedy person stirs up strife, but the one who trusts in the Lord will prosper.
New American Bible (NAB)
23. Luke 6:38 – Give, and It Will Be Given to You
Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.
Douay-Rheims Bible (DRB)
24. Psalm 23:1 – The Lord Is My Shepherd, I Lack Nothing
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
English Revised Version (ERV)
25. Proverbs 8:18 – With Me Are Riches and Honor
Wealth and honour are with me, Lasting substance and righteousness.
Young’s Literal Translation (YLT)
26. Isaiah 1:19 – If You Are Willing and Obedient
If ye be willing and hearken, ye shall eat the good of the land.
Darby Translation (DARBY)
27. Psalm 37:4 – Take Delight in the Lord
So then, take delight in the Lord, and He will give you what your heart desires.
Weymouth New Testament (WNT)
28. Deuteronomy 30:9 – Then the Lord Your God Will Make You Prosperous
And thi Lord God schal make thee to be plenteuouse, in alle the werkis of thin hondis, in the children of thi wombe, and in the fruyt of thi beestis, in abundaunce of thi lond, and in largenesse of alle thingis.
Wycliffe Bible (WYC)
29. Psalm 112:3 – Wealth and Riches Are in Their Houses
Riches and treasures shall be in his house, and his righteousnes endureth for euer.
Geneva Bible (GNV)
30. 1 Timothy 6:17 – Command Those Who Are Rich
Charge them that are ryche in this worlde, that they be not hyghe mynded, and that they trust not in the vncertayne ryches, but in the lyuynge god, which geueth vs aboundantly all thynges to enioye.
The Living Bible (TLB)
31. Ephesians 3:20 – Now to Him Who Is Able to Do Immeasurably More
Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.
The Passion Translation (TPT)
32. Psalm 34:10 – The Lions May Grow Weak and Hungry
Even young lions go without and get hungry, but those who seek the Eternal lack nothing they truly need.
The Voice Bible (VOICE)
33. Matthew 6:33 – But Seek First His Kingdom
But put God’s kingdom first. Do what he wants you to do. Then all those things will also be given to you.
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
34. Psalm 145:16 – You Open Your Hand
You open your hand and satisfy the needs of every living thing.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
35. Zechariah 8:12 – The Seed Will Grow Well
The seed will thrive in the peace and prosperity of those times. Vines will produce grapes, the land will yield crops, and there will be plenty of rain.
God’s Word Translation (GWT)
Our Thoughts On What the Bible Says About True Prosperity
Prosperity gospel preachers often cherry-pick verses about blessing while ignoring the broader biblical narrative. Scripture shows righteous people experiencing both wealth and poverty, health and sickness, comfort and persecution. Abraham had great wealth; John the Baptist ate locusts in the wilderness. Solomon enjoyed unimaginable riches; Paul wrote some letters from prison. God’s favor isn’t measured by material circumstances, and suggesting otherwise makes God’s love conditional on economic success.
Biblical prosperity includes material provision but emphasizes relational, spiritual, and emotional abundance far more than wealth. Proverbs declares that “better a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil.” Jesus promised an abundant life, but He also warned that His followers would face persecution. The ultimate prosperity Scripture offers is reconciliation with God, peace that transcends circumstances, purpose that gives meaning to suffering, and hope of eternal life that makes temporary hardship bearable.
When material blessings do come, Scripture consistently teaches that they carry responsibility. God prospers people not so they can hoard wealth but so they can be generous toward others. Abraham was blessed to be a blessing. Those who receive much are expected to give much. Biblical abundance flows through you to others rather than stopping with you. This perspective protects against both the pride that prosperity can create and the bitterness that comes from envying others’ blessings.
Say This Prayer
Father, I need wisdom about prosperity and what it actually means from Your perspective. Culture tells me success is measured by wealth, possessions, and status, but I know that’s not how You see things. Help me desire the kind of prosperity You offer rather than just the material blessings the world celebrates.
Teach me to be content with what You provide while still working diligently and trusting You for provision. Protect me from greed that always wants more and from the lie that Your love is measured by my bank account. When You do bless me with material abundance, help me hold it loosely and use it generously rather than hoarding it out of fear.
If prosperity means having everything I need plus enough to share with others, then help me recognize when I’ve already achieved it. Give me gratitude for blessings I take for granted: health, relationships, peace, purpose, and the ability to work and provide. Keep me from comparing my situation to others and measuring Your favor by what I have versus what they have.
Show me what true abundance looks like in Your kingdom. Help me invest in the kind of prosperity that lasts beyond this life and impacts eternity. Whether You choose to bless me with much or little materially, help me find my security in You rather than in my circumstances.
In Jesus’ abundant name, Amen.