I know this is true because it is a fresh letter from God to you. It will change your life if you read, study and observe to do. You will become aware of things within your power you can do that will bring CHANGE to your life – FAST!
Many times people blame God for their problems when He is totally innocent of the crimes they charge Him for. At other times, people turn to the devil to accuse him for their troubles. They have forgotten that the devil is limited in time and space; that he is not omniscient, omnipotent nor omnipresent. Of course, God can cause you troubles and the devil can also make your life miserable, but most problems of man are caused by us – mankind.”
It is often a sorry sight when a man cannot feed his family let alone himself with basic food because of poverty. Poverty is an evil that tears apart the soul; it subjects the soul to mercy of hell and makes a soul crave deliverance at any cost. Sometimes, it’s like life without freedom; that is, an imprisonment!
Financial Poverty: You may be very rich in the spirit by living a holy life and may be able to perform miracles and help others, but struggle to make ends meet. John acknowledged that the believers he was addressing were prosperous in their souls. So, he was now desiring another form of prosperity for them, for if they were financially prosperous he would not be desiring it for them again. Financial poverty covers some other forms of poverty such as material poverty, escalating debt, failed or profitless business, etc.
Poverty can make a brother to betray his blood-brother and even a man to sacrifice his child with ice-cold heart in exchange for wealth; haven’t you heard of the news of when there was a famine in a country and two women agreed to kill and eat their children? One did kill her child, cooked and shared the food with her friend, but her friend refused and the matter got to the police and eventually the whole country. Poverty drove that woman to love her belly more than her child (see 2 Kings 6:26-30).
Sad, isn’t it? That is part of the evil of poverty. It wrecks untold havoc. Can you imagine God’s reaction to this level of evil? The evil was not just the woman, it was her lack – poverty was the foundation of her action. Poverty makes people to react differently in comparison to when they are full and lacking nothing.
To those who recognise God’s sad reaction and cry out, they hear Him saying, “Blessed are the poor. The kingdom God is theirs.” In essence, “they shall become rich,” because if a poor man inherits a wealthy estate (which belongs to God), he is not poor any more. The silver and the gold they are in His estate, and the cattle upon a thousand hills are also in his estate. In fact, the earth is the Lords and …. everything in it!” Ps 24:1.
“Really?” You ask. Yep! Really – literally. It is not a hyperbole. God never lies. Not believing what He says annoys Him, because that is tantamount to calling Him a liar. Can God make you financially rich? Yes, He’s done it before, still doing it and can do it for you. Look at the case of that poor widow in 2Kings 4:1-7. She received the blessing and became financially rich!
Some argue, Jesus was talking only about heaven or your spirituality there. Yes and no. That is just a small part of the big package. He meant it concerning your spirituality, finances, material gain, physical being and otherwise. He meant it for the whole you.
John, by His Spirit, said, “I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers.” That is financial, physical (health) and spiritual. So, Jesus meant a poor man’s totality.
Let’s look at the different parts of being poor and turning it around with a secret. Yes, ONE secret can turn everything around!
Physical Poverty: This seems to be the problem of a good majority in the Western world. Suffering from a disease or health problem; some even mould their lives around this poverty and the poverty becomes a controlling god over them. This type of poverty can ruin the other types of riches (spiritual & financial).
Worse still, suffering in your body as well with a disease or bodily problem, which may even take the poverty to a really bad level. That means the money may be coming in, but there is always this debilitating problem that consumes the money or resource. Creating an unending cyle.
I have nothing against professionals such as doctors, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists, etc. all doing excellent jobs, but there are cases where they are really not needed or in some others can’t do anything about. It is sad to see believers crying at every niggling headache or bellyache for his doctor or should say when life brings its stress, a shrink is the best antidote. This is disguised poverty. Period.
Have you heard about this true event before? “A woman was there who had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. Although she had spent all she had on doctors, no one could heal her.” Lk 8:43. This woman had a sorry case and suffered immeasurably. Why? Poverty. She was financially rich but physically poor.
Spiritual Poverty: By far the worst poverty that can befall a man. This is the poverty that berates billions of people all over the world. We have them clothed in various rags – atheism (no God), polytheism (many gods), pantheism (god is in all), henotheism (one God with many smaller gods), animism (life force in everything), agnosticism (maybe there is God), deism (unconcerned God), etc. That is one side of abject spiritual poverty.
The other consists of true belief in God, but unbelieving in His Word. A vast majority of Christians fall into this category. Some, while believing in His salvation and mercy, ignore His justice and benevolence. This is usually either because of ignorance or self-delusion.
The ignorance is usually by choice, especially in an environment where there is unrestricted worship and full freedom. Other environments ensue due to imposed ignorance, which prevents from gaining knowledge.
Ok, what about the remaining who believe? Why are so many still poor and miserable? Even though they are spiritually healthy and living a holy life, why is it that poverty seems to be mocking at them?
There is a secret to unlocking this promise, which many miss and live a miserable life here on earth, to which the Lord who gave the promise has nothing more to do. What is the ONE secret that can turn poverty around?
The secret is called DESIRE. Look at how God revealed it, “Therefore I say to you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.” (AKJV)
It looks and sounds simple, but there is a complexity in that simplicity as well. It is totally different from want. Want is what the average man goes after and fails time and again, then out of frustration and despair, abandons his aspirations.
There is a powerful deliverance inside Desire’s simplicity that eludes those who deride it. Why? Just because its simplicity has an in-built complexity in it.
There are 5 main elements that make up this complexity. They are the laws of desire. Once you fulfil these laws of desire, you can be as rich as you aspire in any area of life. This is part of the laws in nature God set in motion since the beginning of time. And these laws are still as powerful as when they were first enacted.
1. Recognising and accepting your poverty:
This was why it pained God so much as to sigh out loudly – “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” In fact, He said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you…” Hos 4:6 .
That poor widow in 2Kings 4 quickly recognised how poor they were in her household and quickly owned up. It is sad to note that many people are poor and remain so because they just refused to acknowledge their poverty. Just as you can admit to sin, you must admit to your poverty. You must confront it and roll up your sleeves to dig everything about the poverty out.
Ask questions. How did I become poor? Why did I become poor? What did I do (or done to me) that made me poor? Who made me poor? This is not about blaming others, but making a soul-search, to discover your contribution to this poverty.
Was it that you invested in a wrong business? Was it that you were lazy? Was it that you slept with every Dick and Harry that came your way and now you have AIDS and may die soon? Was it that you prefer to watch TV instead of study your Bible?
You must recognise that you have a problem and probably don’t know the way out of the problem. Then accept that you have a problem – you are poor. Jesus reminded the messenger at the Laodicean Church he should stop deluding himself that he was rich, but that he was poor and in need of help.”
Thanks brother John.
This is quite rich, it has blessed me and I will be back for the second part.
God bless you.
Hello ,
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It is very informative. I bookmarked and hope to be daily visitor.
Thanks and good luck.