Why are believers given to poverty? Why has the Christian faith become characterized with poverty? Why are Christians unable to make wealth and get rich despite all of God's promises in the scriptures about wealth and becoming rich?
Are we not studying the scriptures as we ought to? Are the scriptures not yea and amen anymore? Are we not praying as we are supposed to? Are we not applying the right principles for financial prosperity?
Well today, I would be sharing certain reasons why I believe poverty seems to have found a dweeling place in the households of believers.
Despite all that Jesus has done for us it is as though the lot of believers is poverty and a life of penury.
Please I counsel that you take seriously every reason I'd be sharing except you want to remain in poverty, living a sub-normal and an abnormal life.
#1. Substituting Spirituality For Work
The Christian faith is filled with spiritual people who are not ready to work. Believers often substitute work for spirituality.
They yield themselves so much to prayers, fasting, the study of the word and other spiritual functions but are lazy to work.
In 2 Thessalonians, Apostle Paul who was a very busy man labouring in the gospel and his walk with the Spirit of God cited that while he was in Thessalonica he did not sit idly but went to work.
In chapter three (3) and verse (4) of 2 Thessalonians we see Paul giving a command that "Whosoever refuses to work should not eat".
Apostle Paul was a very balanced man. While he laboured spiritually he set out to work also. He never sat idly expecting that the people who got converted through his ministry would feed him or his spirituality would yield him money instead he set out to work.
Spirituality or being spiritual is never a substitute for work. If you must be successful and push poverty out of your life you must work.
#2. Zero Diligence
"Seest thou a man diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men" – Proverbs 22:29
The scripture above asks a question which goes thus "Have you seen a man who applys diligence to what he does?".
The writer of Proverbs answers by saying that man who is diligent in his business would stand before kings and nobles. He would not stand before mean men and commoners.
The christian worker applys zero diligence to what he does. Diligence in what you do is what takes you up the ranks to become a sought-after authority in your field of endeavour.
Diligence makes you excellent, excellence increases your value and with an increase in value comes an increase in finances.
No one would want to work with someone who is not excellent, someone who is incompetent and extremely horrible at what he or she does. Men reward excellence and competence.
"The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute" – Proverbs 12:24
"He becometh poor who dealeth with a slack hand; but the hand of the diligent maketh rich." – Proverbs 10:4
Riches can only come on the template of a diligent approach to work. Poverty would come knocking when you treat your work or business incompetently. It is on the strength of being diligent that one can become successful and rich.
Success and wealth are the products of a diligent approach to work. Stop offering "Zero Diligence" to work except you want to roommates with poverty.
#3. Lack of Creativity
"A man's gift maketh room for him and bringeth him before great men" – Proverbs 18:16
Recently, I was speaking to someone and he was telling me of the several strings of things he had set out to do in order to earn a living. We spoke at length and he ended his discourse with the theme "creativity".
Believers are not creative. We have tilted our focus to working for the government and a particular way of doing something. We do not want to think in all edges of and outside the box. We limit our sight to only insight, neglecting foresight.
God is a creator. He is creative and since we were made in His image He has deposited creative nature into us but sadly we are not willing to harness it and make good use of it.
God has given to us all gifts and talents in hope that we would use them to make profit for ourselves and our families. It is this gifting which God has deposited in us that the writer of Proverbs speaks of having the ability to make room for us and bring us before great men.
Our lack of creativity has made us unable to resist the influence of poverty. It is like having the drugs and the correct prescription for curing malaria lying on the table yet you're dying of malaria fever.
What we need to rise above poverty is lying dormant within us. Discover your gifts and talents and begin to make use of them. That's what creativity is about.
Your gifts and talents are your access keys to unlocking the doors of wealth and financial freedom. That's why God placed them in you.
#4. Low Business Mentality
This is more or less a continuation from the previous point.
I have noticed a grievous deficiency in the Body of Christ of what I'd like to call "business mentality/sense".
Believers are blinded towards business opportunities lurking in their localities.
I was told a story of a Nigerian woman who travelled to somewhere in North America I believe to visit her daughter who just gave birth.
While overseas, this woman discovered that the residents of the neighborhood where her daughter was staying where majorly Nigerians.
Armed with this discovery, this woman from Nigeria found a business opportunity. She began to fry bean balls what Nigerians call " Akara" in North America. Imagine selling fried bean balls (akara) in North America.
Interestingly, this woman made so much money in dollars frying Akara that she began to establish certain things in her hometown in Nigeria that many working class Nigerians in her community couldn't do.
She was in North America weeks and she found out that business opportunity yet some persons have stayed in that same neighborhood for more than ten (10) years and never saw the business opening this woman saw.
There are several business opportunities lurking around us. We only need to think deeply and look keenly.
Here's something:
Think of a way to make a process easy for people. Think of something which people are in dire need of but find it hard to access.
Before long you'd see that business opportunity in your vicinity.
Even if you forget every other thing, remember this, there is always a business opportunity within your neighborhood, your institution of learning, your state e.t.c do not leave your brain dormant think our these business opportunities.
The christian faith is not of poverty. Debunk the belief that being a Christian means you've signed up for a life of poverty and penury. Poverty can be checked out and you can become successful and rich if only you decide to get to work.
See you on the profitable side of life.
EmoticonEmoticon