Several posts ago I opined on the concept of prosperity and rightly understood, yes, I am a prosperity preacher. I can clearly see that the Bible carefully outlines the appropriate place of wealth and it’s usage. It also highlights the economic status of several high profile characters in which we would affirm their righteous standing before God. So, prosperity is not in and of itself evil. Money is not the problem, but rather as Paul would write it is the “love of money” which is the root of all kinds of evil (I Timothy 6:10). That scriptural precept indicates that one can actually be materially impoverished and still in love with material stuff and their wealth. Please hear that carefully. A person can be poor and gripped by greed and covetousness. In the same vein, a person can be rich, and be consumed by their lack of wealth. Both are equally an affront to God.
The whole tension we find in many Christians’ hearts concerning prosperity v. poverty really boils down to something more elusive than just your net worth. It boils down to a mentality that is allowed to reside in an unrenewed mind. This mentality generated the question of this blog, “Are you living in poverty and don’t know it”; even if you have a comfortable bank account?
A poverty mentality is not simply the recognition of a lack of money, basic necessities or material things. It is the FEAR of a lack of money, basic necessities, and material things. The key word here is FEAR. Fear is an indicator that you have not settled the trust issues of your life as to who and what is really in control of your journey. Fear is when your eyes float away from the One Who is in charge of the well-being of your life and your focus turns to earthly sources of trust and confidence. A poverty mentality is when you are convinced that other people or circumstances control your future well-being rather than God.
I have had a front row seat for over 35 years of pastoral ministry to watch people from both sides of the whole spectrum of net worth. I have seen the generosity of people who did not have 2 nickels to rub together. I have seen the fears of the rich lose sleep over their stock portfolios. In 1999, I distinctly remember a number of phone calls to my office from wealthier friends and congregants seeking my wisdom with regards to the Y2K concerns and the predictions of global financial meltdown and the loss of their finances. Most of those calls were laced with deep fear and consternation over “what to do”. I can certainly understand the need for wisdom and caution with regards to personal investment during tumultuous seasons. That is called prudence. However, the spirit which permeated almost all of the phone calls was clearly birthed in fear. It wasn’t that any of these people lacked anything in life, but rather they FEARED the prospect of loss despite the promise of the Psalmist who declares, “…I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor their children begging for bread”. I want to suggest that this is one symptom of a poverty mentality.
Recently, I have been challenged by the Holy Spirit to evaluate my own perspective of prosperity and poverty. As you may have read in previous blogs, my wife and I are on our own new faith journey as we transitioned from decades of pastoral ministry into the seemingly tenuous world of traveling, speaking, and teaching (adjunct status) at a Christian University. We are most assuredly excited, but truth be told there are moments of fear. There are moments of “what if”? There are speculations concerning the future. There are thoughts that instantly turn to expectations upon others to help do something or provide something to give us confidence for the future. The mind is a tricky thing my friends. We live in a very real world with natural needs and concerns, yet because of our relationship with the Lord we are called to walk it by “faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). There is this line of confident waiting on God for open doors and opportunities juxtaposed with the appropriate networking of man to find those doors and opportunities. When are you functioning in fear and when are you moving in faith? When is your total confidence on God and His ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18) rather than your personal acumen to “make things happen” by your own hand? And perhaps more than that, when are you gripped by a fear that is actually a symptom of a poverty mentality?
I have been fascinated for years with the account of The Rich Young Ruler (Luke 18:18-30). I have listened to teaching and preaching concerning this event from every conceivable angle imaginable. The quick summary of the interaction is that this wealthy young ruler wanted to follow Jesus based on his own self-righteousness and inherit eternal life. Jesus asks him to give away all that he has and he may follow Him. The wealthy ruler cannot comply because he has lots of riches, so he departs with head hanging low. Numerous sermons have jumped to the conclusion that somehow Jesus was against the young man’s wealth. I have come to the conclusion that it wasn’t the wealth per se which Jesus was focusing upon, but rather the young man’s trust system. Would he trust the Lord completely or would he trust his bank account? After all, Jesus wasn’t asking the young ruler to do anything more than He had asked the rest of His disciples to do by dropping their nets and leaving their businesses. The young ruler had a poverty mentality despite his significant riches. He was more convinced of the temporal power of his net worth to meet his needs rather than the unimaginable, eternal riches of Jesus. It seems like a no-brainier of a decision as we read the account in the Bible, but somehow we all at one moment or another find ourselves in front of the Lord having our boundaries tested as to where our true confidence actually resides.
I am still processing all that a poverty mentality entails and how it manifests in people’s lives, especially mine. The following list is not necessarily all the symptoms in my own life, but I have concluded these may be general symptoms which seem to spring forth in those who are bound by this way of thinking. The list is not directed towards the ministry exclusively (although God knows there is an abundance of poverty mentality in the Church) but hopefully generic enough to apply to numerous areas of life.
You MAY have a poverty mentality…
…If you see a boss, an authority, a supervisor as your source to your destiny. God may and often does use people in position over us for promotion, but they are not your source.
…If you hold grudges, bitterness or unforgiveness towards those whom you believe held you back from a divine purpose. It exposes where your trust was located.
…If you feel entitled (key word) to certain compensations, monies or benefits from man.
…If in an adverse time, especially if those times were financially tight, your generosity and benevolence shrinks through the fear of “not having” yourself.
…If you believe your circle of influence, your company or network is the only pool from which you can receive input or resource.
…If you have fears of releasing people around you into greater positions of responsibility or visibility because it might eclipse you.
…If you are reluctant to share ideas, skills or thoughts with others for fear of those ideas being disseminated and another getting credit.
…If you hide resources or opportunities away from those you have influence because of fear they may no longer look to you.
…If you believe that there is only a finite amount of money, opportunity, and resources which might come to you so you hoard and are tight-fisted.
I am sure that there must be more symptoms, but these are just a few which have been highlighted to my mind.
As I conclude, I remember years ago when I was a part of a denominational system (which by the way, I have no animus towards) there was always this unspoken perspective that the denomination was this gigantic pool of influence and resource which I needed to fear and embrace. Why? Because in my mind it was the ONLY conduit through which God might move. (I know some are snickering and shaking their head as they read this.) This isn’t a criticism of the denomination, but rather an acknowledgement of my mentality. I was able to eclipse that impoverished thinking by leaping into the murky, nebulous world of non-denominational, full-gospel ministry and found out there was an amazing world of believers I would have never met had I not overcame that initial poverty mentality. Then, lo and behold, it crept in again by fooling me into believing that the circle I was a part of was somehow the center of God’s kingdom and I “feared” losing what I had accumulated by way of influence, resources, and even friendships. In my mind it was the ONLY conduit through which God might move. Again, through faith and prayer, I was able to eclipse that moment and mentality. In recent weeks, I have transitioned from decades of pastoral ministry to this new place of waiting on God to open doors for this next season of preaching, teaching and ministry. The same “fears” start to knock at the door of the mind. Is this the right move? Is this the right time? What expectations should I demand upon people? What will be my mentality going into this next season? Fool me once or even twice, but now I understand the promise of prosperity and the blight of poverty…especially in my mind.
I want to encourage the reader with this final thought…
God is your source. His resources are infinite. He directs your path. He opens and closes doors. He can be counted on if your sole desire is the expansion of His Kingdom and the glory of His name. The Lord has never…and…will never fail.
No more poverty thinking in the Baird household. The best really is yet to come.
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