You know that feeling when you want something SO BADLY, but you just can’t seem to make it happen?
Maybe you’re working super hard, but not seeing it pay off.
Maybe you’re just not quite sure how to get there.
Or, maybe, you just can’t find the motivation to work hard at it.
Now, here’s the good news. If you are not quite satisfied with your level of success right now, specifically the balance in your bank account, I’ve broken down exactly what God says about money in the Bible.
There are two extremes that exist in the financial kingdom: poverty and wealth. And the Bible very clearly says, He shows favoritism to no one. God has not shown favoritism to the wealthy. They aren’t just “blessed like that.”
Everyone is on an equal playing field. Which means, YOUR financial success boils down to your choices. All you have to do to change your financial situation is make some new choices!
These are the 7 things God promises will lead to wealth. So, if you identify with any of these, don’t beat yourself up. Don’t get overwhelmed. Now you know what you have to work on, and you will start seeing crazy results when you make some simple tweaks to start building wealth instead!
7 Easy Steps To Poverty, In God’s Financial Kingdom
1. Laziness: Proverbs 28:19 tells us, “He who works will have abundant food…” And here’s another scripture I love: “How long will you lie there you sluggard.” That’s from Proverbs 6:9. If you’re lazy and work half-heartedly for yourself or your boss, you literally INVITE poverty into your life. There is no magic formula to make blessings fall out of the sky. Wealth requires work!
2. Lack Of Wisdom: According to Proverbs, fools, drunkards, gluttons and wasteful people will go poor: says “A man of perverse thought will not prosper” (Proverbs 17:20) and Proverbs 21:17 reinforces this, “He who loves pleasure becomes poor.” And Proverbs 17:16 gives us the real kicker – “Of what use is money in the hand of a fool since he has no desire to get wisdom.” WOW… think about that.
A man of perverse thought is one who distorts the truth. A fool. He doesn’t take God at His Word and doesn’t desire God’s wisdom. He does not seek to honor and please God with his wealth, but would rather spend every penny seeking instant pleasure.
3. Taking Pride In Prosperity: During times of prosperity, God wants the glory. He wants His people to bless Him. God lavishes His children with great prosperity to turn their hearts toward Him… and those who DON’T suffer the consequences: “Because you did not serve the Lord your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore in hunger and in thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies that the Lord sends against you.” (Deuteronomy 28:47-48) Bottom line, exalt Him rather than thinking so highly of yourself.
4. Hiding Your Sins: Going back to Proverbs, we learn “He who hides sin has poverty waiting for him.” Listen! You don’t want to keep hiding all that junk inside you. You want – and need – God to shine a light on it and bring it all out in the open. This creates an opportunity to repent and ask His forgiveness. The change He makes inside of you, leads you to prosperity.
5. Loving Money Above All Else: I Timothy 6:10 says, “For the love of money is the root of all evil.” NOT money itself, but the love of money. How do you know if you love money? If it never satisfies you. If you feel a deep gaping hole that never seems fulfilled, there’s a spirit of idolatry. You’re worshiping an idol… instead of Almighty God, Himself.
God’s NUMBER ONE commandment is to love Him – above all else. You should love Him with all your heart, mind and being. Truthfully, “No one can serve two masters, either he will hate one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matthew 6:24) If you love and desire money ABOVE your God, above your wife, above your kids, poverty WILL come knocking! Seek first HIS kingdom, then everything else will be ADDED.
6. Stinginess: “A stingy man is eager to get rich and is unaware that poverty awaits him.” (Proverbs 28:22) Don’t misunderstand this one, because there IS a difference between “stingy” and “frugal.” Stingy means you selfishly hoard your money – out of greed and fear. You worry you won’t have enough, so you never give any to those in need. Frugal means you spend your money wisely.
7. Fear: In Matthew 25, you’ll find a familiar parable about three servants who are given “talents” by their master. The first two servants invest their talents, causing them to multiply. They return to their master with more than he gave them, and he exalted them in his household.
But the third servant was afraid to lose his master’s money, so he hid it by burying it in the ground. The master called him wicked, and cast him out with “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” See, in his fear, this servant showed a lack of faith and had everything taken from him.
Proverbs 28:25 says, “A greedy man stirs up dissension, but he who trusts in the Lord will prosper.” See, if you’re stingy, greedy and hold your money in an iron grip, then you’re afraid. You lack faith. The Word says, trust in Him and He will take care of you.
At the very heart of this path to poverty is the failure of His people to walk in His truth. These seven attitudes and behaviors remove God from His rightful place in your life. Think about your own children, if you have them. Do you want to bless your children? Do you desire to give bountiful gifts to your children?
How much more does your father in Heaven – who is perfect, unfailing in His love for you – desire to prosper you? But just as you wouldn’t lavish gifts on your children, when they act like selfish, spoiled brats, God certainly won’t prosper you if you walk in disobedience.
God wants to see His people set free. He wants to see His people freed from financial bondage. God rules this far-reaching financial kingdom, and it’s designed to fulfill His purposes. Unfortunately, even a lot of churches get this stuff wrong.
And this is just one small piece of what God has to say about His people succeeding in the marketplace and building wealth. Today we looked at the steps leading to poverty in God’s financial kingdom. Next up, we guide you, step-by-step, on how to establish wealth in God’s financial kingdom.
So if you know someone who is trapped by lies they’ve been told about poverty and wealth, then PLEASE share this message with them! Connect with us on Facebook and let us know what you thought about today’s content.
And if you want to know more about what God says about money, get your copy of Conquering The Financial Kingdom.
This audio program dives deep into how you might be setting yourself up to fail in your finances, and how to change course and set yourself up to succeed wildly.