Is Poverty a Condition, a Crime or a Choice?
As a man thinketh in his heart so he is. Some people are
always eager to blame others for their condition instead of rising up and face
the challenge life has thrown at them. This set of people always have problems
of time management, financial management and misplaced priority. It is not
until you pass through the four walls of a school before you become a success.
Most of the successful people in the world today are people born without a
silver spoon and most attempted to get to school but ended up a drop out. e.g
Albert Einstein, Bill Gate etc.
You lifestyle is your choice.
Poverty is a choice. If someone gets sick which throws the
family into poverty, they could succumb and die. Or decide to fight the illness
and to remain alive thus choosing the financial situation that decision has put
them in. As dark as it may sound they could have forgone the impoverishment by
dying or remaining ill.
In other cases, people lack the mental strength, self
discipline, self-motivation, intelligence, or foresight to see a problem and
fix it, or plan ahead. Therefore they remain financially less than to those
whose priority it is to have good finances. Due to the fact that some lack the
mentality and foresight to reach new heights, they are also of character that
does not take responsibility for their own actions. Blaming everything and
everyone but themselves for their own problems without regard to the fact that
the problems are solely their own. And if you look closely these people would
probably take credit for someone else's hard work if they thought they could
get away with it.
The only people it may not be a choice for is the mentally
ill. They rightfully can blame their parents' terrible genetics or their
mothers' terrible habits during the pregnancy. And should be taken care of by
the healthy and able members of their families.
I know you might be asking the obvious "Do you think
people wake up thinking that they want to fail? Do you think kids choose to be
poor?" Is by far the worst question I've been asked this week. I have
never felt so inhuman before in my life.
While there are always exceptions to the rule, most people
don't want to live their lives in poverty. Just as some people are born into
money, others are born into poverty and grow up with a lack of skills to help
themselves out of it. Other people fall into poverty through life circumstances
that could not have been foreseen.
I know someone didn't choose to spend the first 3 years of
their life in a tiny one bed flat, not getting new clothes till you were 4
years old. Its circumstance not a decision... And Because of this you work hard
at school so that you’re never in that position again.
A person or a family may not have chosen to be living in
poverty but they definitely have made a mental decision to accept their
situation and have chosen to stay there, so if you want you can leave poverty
.It's still a choice you made to live your life in poverty.
Rich or poor is a choice.
I realize that some of you may feel this is controversial, but give it
some thought. You have control of yourself and you are not a victim. People who
are rich, work hard. People who are poor generally make poor choices. It starts
very young with education, role models and goals. Most rich people did not
start out that way. They made a choice
and you can too!
I sometimes ask my FRIENDS what their goals are or career
choices? They all say they want to be rich and successful. Given a choice, who
wants to be poor? Unfortunately, many of them do not know what it takes to
actually achieve success.
The level or volume of success is different for everyone,
but necessary for everyone.
For example Students who have given up. They may or may not
cut classes, but they stop trying in their classes. The usually have excuses
because it worked with someone before. Excuses such as I don’t like math,
English or science! Rather than asking for help, they just give up. Sooner or
later, they give up on their education and drop out of school. It is the first
step to a lifetime of poverty.
A person or family may not have chosen to be living in
poverty but they definitely have made a mental decision to accept their
situation and have chosen to stay there.
They may not even mentally ‘know’ they’ve chosen the lifestyle . . . but
it all hinges on choices we make.
Included in that is the decision to not change where we’re at.
A decision not to change is a decision to remain the same.
How can I be so sure that poverty is not a predetermined
destiny?
Deuteronomy 15:4-5 in the Message Bible says:
“There must be no poor people among you because God is going
to bless you lavishly in this land that God, your God, is giving you as an
inheritance, your very own land. But only if you listen obediently to the Voice
of God, your God, diligently observing every commandment that I command you
today. Oh yes—God, your God, will bless you just as he promised.”
This verse doesn’t say that God is going to bless some
people.
It doesn’t say God is going to bless those who live on the
right side of the tracks or in the right country or have a certain color of
skin.
The scripture does say that we must diligently follow His
commandments . . .His instructions but let me tell you this . . . there are unsaved successful people who
follow biblical principles . . . they
just don’t realize they came from the Bible.
First, let’s deal with the fact that if God commanded us to
be poor… we would obey. But God’s Word does not advocate poverty for anyone!
Too many Christians are operating in a poverty mentality
while the devil’s crowd lives the best life possible.
Ephesians 1:18 says:
“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye
may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of
his inheritance in the saints.”
Paul talks about “. . . the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints.”
The Greek word translated riches in this verse is ploutos.
It is a form of a base word meaning to “fill.” Its literal meaning is “money,
possessions.”
Even figuratively it refers to “abundance, riches, valuable
bestowment.”
Our inheritance as sons and daughters of the King of all
kings is a life free from want and poverty.
Read carefully what the Scripture says. Our inheritance is
“. . . the riches of the glory of his [God’s] inheritance.” Yet, most
Christians are settling for the used shells while the world eats the peanuts.
Psalm 24:1 says:
“The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof; the
world, and they that dwell therein.”
God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but He doesn’t eat
hamburgers! Have you ever wondered what
all those cows are for? They are for us, His children!
Poverty is not godly and it certainly isn’t biblical. God
wants us to open our eyes to see the invisible world—to see the blessings He
has in store for all those who love Him.
2 Peter 1:3 says:
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath
called us to glory and virtue.”
Does gasoline pertain to life? Do shoes pertain to life?
Does food pertain to life? Yes! Your Heavenly Father knows you have need of
many material things.
It is no surprise to God that your car needs tires. It is no
surprise to God that you need a coat when the temperature is cold.
God intends for you to have all your needs supplied
according to His riches in glory.
In some Christian circles, poverty may be popular, but it is
not a Bible-founded principle. Poverty goes against everything the Bible
teaches and finds its roots, causes, and effects in its author, satan.
Let me also point out that poverty will never make you happy
nor for that matter neither will prosperity.
Rich people commit suicide, take drugs, get drunk, and get
divorces and so do poor people.
There is nothing sacred, holy, or happy about being poor.
Happiness has very little to do with the presence or absence
of material things, but unhappiness can come from a lack of certain material
necessities, such as food, clothing and housing.
Happiness has to do primarily with the inner man. If you
aren’t happy on the inside, neither wealth nor poverty will make you happy.
You see, neither money nor the lack of it will change your
inner man. Being poor does not make you holy or happy.
If you are prosperous and have a Christ-controlled inner
man, the Spirit of Christ within you will influence the way you spend your
wealth.
You will meet your own basic needs and wants, and you will
support local and world mission projects, strategic television outreaches, and
special projects in your local church and other gospel outreaches.
You will be happy because you will be accomplishing God’s
purpose with your money.
Poverty or wealth will not bring happiness.
Happiness only comes from Jesus Christ. When you make Jesus
Christ Lord of your life, you will be able to bring much joy to the Body of
Christ with the money you supply for the spreading of the gospel.
Now let’s go a little further.
What does it mean to be poor?
Is a person poor if they’re unable to pay their bills? Think twice before answering.
Because the answer is; “no.”
I hear from large numbers of people every day. . .many of whom can’t pay
their bills yet they have a six-figure income!
That’s definitely not being poor but it is being broke.
How do we define “poor” in our contemporary society?
Does living on the wrong side of the tracks make you poor?
Does having your house in foreclosure make you poor?
Does losing your job make you poor?
Does being an inmate make you poor?
Does being homeless make you poor?
Does living in a bad neighborhood make you poor?
Does driving an old, beat-up car make your poor?
One of the most dangerous things that can happen to a person
is developing a poverty mentality.
Let me just tell you that the number one opponent of
prosperity is the devil. . .he is also the number proponent of poverty.
Satan is a thief. He is a deceptive, calculating plunderer.
If left unchecked, he will move in and out of your life at
his own discretion, trying to find ways to rob and defraud you of all the
promises God has planned for you.
Understand this: James 1:17 says every good and perfect gift
comes down from the Father. It also adds
that He never changes His mind on wanting to see you blessed.
Sadly, the devil has stolen finances from many of the saints
by convincing them that poverty is godly, and prosperity is evil. Not according to God!
His lies have kept many Christians crippled, ineffective,
and impotent long enough! Satan has stolen the quality of life God intends for
all His saints as much as he can.
Establish this principle clearly in your mind. God wants you
to be prosperous, and the devil wants you to be poor.
Prosperity is a mental attitude before it can become a
material state but it can only be attained through a spiritual battle!
Ephesians 6:12 says:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”
“And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you
strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of
the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to
everything the Devil throws your way. This is no afternoon athletic contest
that we'll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for
keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his
angels.”
It is time we expose the devil for the father of lies that
he is (John 8:44).
It is time we depose him from his position as the ruler who
keeps people in the darkness of this world.
The devil has used his lies about money to destroy good
relationships, break up families, and even split churches.
But, that doesn’t make money evil. It was Satan’s lies about
money that were evil!
It is time to serve notice on the devil! He has deceived
long enough.
For too long he has “ripped off” our possessions and
indiscriminately robbed the saints of God, literally diminishing our quality of
life.
The spirit of poverty can affect everyone. Poverty can be defined as “the fear of ‘not
getting’ that causes you to hold on more tightly to what you do have.”
It’s important for you to understand that poverty will not
keep you out of heaven but it might keep somebody else out!
It’s also important to understand that poverty happens
inside you before it ever happens around you.
Poverty first manifests in the spirit and then the natural.
And yes, there is something worse than being poor . . .it’s
having a poverty mentality.
Being poor is not being without money . . .it’s being
without a dream that will take you out of “poor.”
It is time to take a stand.
But first we need to have a scriptural understanding of why poverty is
evil.
In fact, I’m going to share with you twelve things you
should know about poverty based on the Word of God.
1. Poverty
will attack you like a thief in the night.
Proverbs 6:11in the New Living Translation says:
“Then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity
will attack you like an armed robber.”
God must really want us to understand this point because the
same words are used in Proverbs 24:34.
However, the Message Bible of that verse offers a different perspective.
“You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, with poverty as
your permanent houseguest!"
2. Poverty
will bring destruction into your life.
Proverbs 10:15in the New Living Translation says:
“The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of
the poor is their destruction.”
3. Refusing to
learn will also bring poverty into your life.
Proverbs 13:18says:
“Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth
instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.”
4. Failing to
address criticism will lead you into poverty.
Proverbs 13:18in the New Living Translation says:
“If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and
disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.”
5. Failure to
work will keep you in poverty.
Proverbs 14:23in the New Living Translation says:
“Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!”
6. Sleeping
too much leads to poverty.
Proverbs 20:13in the New Living Translation says:
“If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes
open, and there will be plenty to eat!”
7. Poverty
will limit your circle of friends.
Proverbs 19:4in the New Living Translation says:
“Wealth makes many “friends;” poverty drives them all away.”
8. Get
rich-quick schemes can lead to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5in the New Living Translation says:
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty
shortcuts lead to poverty.”
By the way, Proverbs 21:5 the only verse in the only version
of the Bible where poverty and prosperity appear in the same verse.
9. Fantasizing
about wealth only leads to poverty.
Proverbs 28:19in the New Living Translation says:
“A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases
fantasies ends up in poverty.”
10. Poverty will
keep you from the good life.
Job 21:25 in the New Living Translation says:
“Another person dies in bitter poverty, never having tasted
the good life.”
11. Failing to
display a generous heart will lead you to poverty.
Proverbs 28:27 in the New Living Translation says:
“Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who
close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.”
12. Failure to give
will lead to poverty.
Proverbs 11:24in the King James Version says:
“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is
that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.”
This teaching is not about prosperity . . .but you must
understand your godly heritage.
Prosperity is a part of our heavenly heritage. It comes with
being a child of the King!
You have the ability to take back what the devil has stolen.
You can claim a significant portion of the riches of this world and use them to
finance the final, end-time harvest before the return of Jesus!
This passage of Scripture puts into proper perspective our
position in this spiritual battle and highlights our spiritual heritage better
than any other.
Luke 10:19 says:
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and
scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means
hurt you.”
God has given us power over the enemy, and by now you know
that poverty is clearly one of the tools the enemy has used to keep us weak and
ineffective for the Kingdom.
But we have the power to overcome poverty. It is part of our
prosperity heritage as sons and daughters of the Most High God.
Hebrews 2:14 says:
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
Look at that carefully: the devil had the power, but today
he is defeated.
Jesus wiped out the devil’s power. He can no longer keep you
poor. Now God is calling you to be a great giver and to participate in every
aspect of the end-time harvest.
You are now beginning to see that this wonderful truth about
abundance is not just an impossible dream; it is a reality that is happening to
you.
You are possessing a
new prosperity mentality.
You are walking out of the door of financial impossibilities
and crossing the threshold of unlimited financial possibilities through the
power of God!
God has given you authority over the enemy and that includes
poverty and especially the poverty mentality. Your Heavenly Father wants you to
abound in all good things.
And that’s a fact….
