THE SPIRIT OF POVERTY
I WENT BY THE FIELD OF THE SLOTHFUL, AND BY THE VINEYARD OF THE MAN VOID OF UNDERSTANDING; AND LO IT WAS ALL GROWN OVER WITH THORNS, AND NETTLES HAD COVERED THE FACE THEREOF, AND THE STONE WALL THEREOF WAS BROKEN DOWN. THEN I SAW AND I CONSIDERED IT WELL: I LOOKED UPON IT, AND RECEIVED INSTRUCTION. YET A LITTLE SLEEP, A LITTLE SLUMBER, A LITTLE FOLDING OF THE HANDS TO SLEEP: SO THY POVERTY COME AS ONE THAT TRAVELLETH; AND THY WANT AS AN ARMED MAN. Proverbs, Chapter 24, Verses 30-34.
Before going any further I want to make it clear that paying tithes and offerings is an important part of our work and labor of love and worship. Without financial support churches have difficulty in fulfilling the commission to preach the gospel, feed the poor, and help the needy.
Jesus said “the poor would always be among us.” However, Jesus was not inferring that it was His will for anyone to be poor. Poverty is as much a curse as death, sickness, and disease. Poverty is mentioned in the Bible as part of the threefold curse upon mankind. The thorns and nettles (thistles) in the above-mentioned scripture represents the curse of poverty.
Poverty is a curse which is handed down from generation to generation. It is a result of slothfulness and/or a lack of understanding and knowledge of how financial principles operate. Poverty is also a mindset which is easily influenced and/or controlled by the Spirit of Poverty. This spirit controls the minds of individuals who are either lazy and/or those who do not understand they can be free from this curse. Even if some people understood that poverty is a curse, they would not know how to become free from its grip.
Many people do not realize that poverty is a curse. Fortunately, there is a cure available to free people from the curse of poverty. Many people, Christian and non-Christian alike, have learned that hard work, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding can free them from the clutches of poverty.
There are many hard-working people who have made fortunes because they understood the principles of wealth accumulation. The slothful man mentioned in the scripture above was void of understanding. His vineyard became unfruitful, and the walls protecting his vineyard had “broken down” because of his slothfulness. Those walls were once strongholds which protected his vineyard from being overrun by predators and thieves.
If we fail as watchmen of “our vineyards,” our enemy will bring curses and decay upon them. Through the poverty of Christ we have been made rich in grace and set free from the threefold curse of the law which includes the curse of poverty. (2 Corinthians 8:9).
Anyone can obtain earthly riches if they use the correct financial principles, knowledge, and understanding. Sometimes wealth is obtained just by luck--but for the most part, wealth comes from hard work and being diligent. Some people are born into wealthy families and inherit the wealth their parents accumulated through hard work. The Bible tells us that God makes it rain on the just and the unjust. Anyone using the correct financial principles can become wealthy. People who were once penniless have tapped into the principles of wealth management and become rich.
The ability to “retain wealth” is what matters most. Many have made fortunes and lost them time after time because they did not invest wisely or understand the principles of wealth management. These same principles can also apply to the riches of Christ which God has invested and planted into our hearts by His Spirit.
Most of those who win millions of dollars in the lottery or found riches in other ways for the first time have found themselves back in poverty in just a few short months or years. This is due mainly to the mindsets (strongholds) in which poverty thrives. The curse of poverty cannot be cured by worldly riches because worldly riches cannot erase the curse or the mindset of poverty.
The Spirit of Poverty works in much the same way as the Spirit of Fear. The Spirit of Poverty uses some of the same tactics which the Spirit of Fear uses. Poverty is a generational curse which can only be broken through hard work, knowledge and understanding, or by the Spirit of God.
Many people obtain wealth because they desire to be rich and have an understanding of “wealth principles.” They study the “systems and principles of wealth management and financial planning.” They work hard and determine in their minds that they will find wealth or die trying. Many desire to be rich, however they never find riches because they are not diligent in and applying the correct “wealth principles.”
As Christians God expects us to be faithful stewards of all He has entrusted to us. God cannot trust some people with riches because their attitude toward riches would bring them much sorrow if they became wealthy. Wealth can be deceiving, and the” love of money” has spiritually impoverished many well-meaning men and women of God who sought earthly riches. The Bible says the “love of money is the root of “all kinds of evil.” (actual Greek translation).
God gives some men wealth in order to establish His covenant here on Earth. (Deuteronomy 8:18). There are many reasons why men seek and find riches. However, the only reason God gives men the ability to obtain wealth is for the advancement of His Kingdom here on Earth. At times God may give a non-Christian wealth because they are more apt to share that wealth with the needy and poor than people who are believers. Many wealthy nonbelievers will tell you God made them rich, and they have shared their wealth with churches or others in need.
Some “religious” ministers take “vows of poverty.” They think if they do not seek riches they will be more effective in their ministry to Christ and to others. However, “vows of poverty” are not biblical. Poverty is a byproduct of the curse. Why would anyone desire to be bound by the curse of poverty, or any curse for that matter, if they did not have to be? Could it be that the Spirit of Poverty has blinded their minds and imposed his will upon them?
People who take vows of poverty do not understand what they are saying. I have always been under the impression that the “more I have to give” the more I can give. If I do not have anything, I cannot give anything. I may be able to minister to the spiritual needs of individuals, however our heavenly commission is to minister to ALL the needs of people.
There will always be people in this world who are poor and needy. It is the responsibility of those who are able to help those who cannot help themselves. God has given us the responsibility of preaching the gospel to the poor, feeding the hungry, and helping to meet the needs of those who are less fortunate than we are. We all know it takes money to fulfill that command. The more money we have, the more people we can feed, clothe, and reach with the gospel of Christ.
My first encounter with the Spirit of Poverty occurred several years ago. At the time my wife and I were having financial difficulties. We have always been givers, but the Lord allowed things to happen in our lives to teach us something. What we learn, we always share with others.
I was driving down a country road one night praying about our finances. As I was praying, the Lord spoke to me about Naaman, the leper. In the scripture Naaman was instructed by the Prophet Elisha to go down to the Jordan River and wash in the river seven times and he would be healed of his leprosy. Naaman “reluctantly” obeyed the word of Elijah and was healed because he followed the instructions of the prophet.
The Lord then instructed me to “speak to the Spirit of Poverty” and command the spirit to wash seven times in the Blood of Christ. As I did, a demon spirit appeared before me, lifted his arms, and acted like he was washing under his arms. The demon exploded into many different pieces. After he exploded, I watched as the tiny pieces gathered back together and the spirit then ran away in fear.
I know what I just wrote regarding the Spirit of Poverty may sound unbelievable to some, however this is how the Blood of Jesus affects demon spirits at times. This was not the first time I had encountered something like this happening during times of spiritual warfare. On other occasions I have seen demons “explode” after they had been rebuked on other occasions. Some people do not believe things like these actually happen because they lack spiritual understanding concerning demons and their actions.
When I first saw the demon lift his arms and act as though he was washing under them, I thought he was mocking me. Within a few days after I had the encounter with the demon our finances took a turn in the right direction, and God started blessing us financially.
A few days later I was thinking about the Spirit of Poverty and how the spirit acted as if he was washing under his arms. The Lord then revealed to me that the demon was not mocking me when I told him to wash in the Blood of Jesus, but he was “obeying me.”
Demons quake with fear when the name of Jesus is spoken with authority. They have no defense against the Blood or the Name of Jesus. When the Blood of Jesus or Name of Jesus is applied to a situation with authority, it is very painful and agonizing for demon spirits. That is why demons will scream in terror as they are being cast out of people by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Faith in the Blood of Jesus and the Name of Jesus will cause multitudes of demons to flee in terror. All we have to do is draw near to God and resist the enemy, and the enemy will flee from us. (James 4:8).
The second Spirit of Poverty which I encountered was a much larger and more powerful demon than the first one I encountered. This time my wife and I were not having any financial problems. I believe the demon was sent because God desired to bless us in a greater way and teach us something regarding poverty. When God wants to bless us in greater ways, a more powerful demon or demons may be sent by Satan to disrupt the plan of God.
My wife and I had just went to bed when I had the second encounter with a Demon of Poverty. This demon, like the Spirit of Fear, had no facial features. He did not seem to be as powerful as the Spirit of Fear, but was just as large. In the Name of Jesus I immediately gave him the usual orders to leave in the Name of Jesus, and he quickly complied.
Unsure at first what kind of demon I had encountered, I inquired of the Lord. He told me it was a Spirit of Poverty. Remembering the size of the demon I had seen before, I realized this demon possessed more authority than the first poverty demon I had encountered. Principalities and the Rulers of Darkness control armies of demons which are smaller and less powerful than they are.
The second Spirit of Poverty I encountered was wearing a uniform. He reminded me of a “wooden soldier” which I had seen in the play “The Nutcracker.” This demon wore a tall helmet which was shaped like the Nutcracker soldier had worn in the play. His helmet came down over his head where eyes and ears would have been. The front of the helmet came down to a point covering the area where his nose would have been if he would have had a nose. Like the Spirit of Fear, the Spirit of Poverty had no facial features.
The helmet on the head of the Spirit of Poverty had indentations all over it which suggested to me it was “once garnished with precious gems.” I asked the Lord what this meant. He told me the “indentations” were places where embellishments once rested. The Lord then continued to explain to me that “poverty” is a mindset (stronghold) which is sown in the minds of individuals by the enemy.
The Spirit of Poverty operates much the like the Spirit of Fear and sometimes in conjunction with the Spirit of Fear. It deceives the minds of individuals into thinking poverty is a way of life from which they can never escape. Poverty beguiles the minds of people when the Spirit of Poverty casts a spell upon them. People who are deceived by the Spirit of Poverty do not have the ability to control their own financial destiny.
The Spirit of Poverty also works in some people alongside the Spirit of Slothfulness. When these two demons work together, they become an even greater threat to mankind. Some people work hard all their lives and barely get by because they have a “poverty mindset.” Others do not have any desire to work at all. They will remain in poverty unless they change their attitudes and mindsets toward work. Many think they are “entitled” to what others have earned.
Many people rely on someone else to meet their needs and will continue to do so until the “poverty mindset” is destroyed. The welfare rolls are filled with people who believe they are “entitled” to receive what others have worked for.
Some people have the ability to obtain wealth and financial blessing by utilizing certain financial principles and knowledge. This knowledge was embedded in the human psyche when God created man “in the beginning” However, when Adam and Eve were beguiled and confused in the Garden of Eden, the Spirit of Poverty was released on Earth, along with all the other evil works of Satan. The mindset of poverty encourages slothfulness and has been passed down from generation to generation as mankind multiplied upon the Earth.
As the Spirit of Poverty stood before me that night, he looked as though he was standing at attention. He looked as if he was waiting for my orders. I was happy to command him to leave in the Name of Jesus and sent him packing.
As the Spirit of Poverty stood before me, I noticed he had only one leg. I think that must be where the term “they are standing on their last leg” must have come from! That term is used today to describe someone who is physically and monetarily impoverished. A person with one leg cannot stand very long, and needs a crutch or prosthetic limb in order to walk. I hope I am not offending anyone with only one leg. I am just using this as an example to describe the Spirit of Poverty. I need to explain what each characteristic of the Spirit of Poverty represents.
After rebuking the Spirit of Poverty, I watched in amazement as he turned around and walked away on one leg. It was one of the most unusual things which I have ever seen in my life. I described what I had seen to my wife, and she started laughing. She said she could picture the “demon” as it walked away on ONE leg. The Spirit of Poverty was very humorous and unusual looking to say the least.
After rebuking the Spirit of Poverty that night the Lord again started blessing us financially in ways we never expected. We did not have to go down to the “enemy’s camp” to take back what he had stolen from us over the years. The Spirit of Poverty knew he was on his last leg and had to comply with the orders I had given him in the “Name of Jesus.”
The power to tread upon serpents, scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy is given to all believers. Demons will cross the street when they see you coming if you believe in the power of the Blood of Christ. God gives us power through faith in the Blood and Name of Jesus Christ.
Deception is Satan’s greatest weapon, but it is no match for the TRUTH which is able to set us free. Truth becomes our helmet of salvation when we trust in His Word. Like the helmet which I saw on the Spirit of Poverty, the helmet of salvation does not have empty indentations where embellishments were once richly embedded.. The helmet of salvation contains the embellishments of all the riches of God’s grace, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding which He has given to us in Christ Jesus. God has given us “all things” which pertain to life, godliness, and holiness.
The “New Jerusalem” is a prophetic picture of the Church. The twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem are garnished with all manner of precious stones. (Revelation 21:19). These precious gems represent “godly mindsets” and the mind (attitudes and motives) of Christ. The Bible tells us we “have the mind of Christ.” The helmet of salvation is garnished with precious stones which represent the “mind of Christ.”
The mindsets, attitudes, and motives of Christ are the “incorruptible riches” which establish believers in truth, righteousness, and faith. The walls of the New Jerusalem rest upon the foundations of truth, righteousness, and faith. Godly wisdom, knowledge, and understanding are found only in Christ are the spiritual foundations of the true Church. According to the Bible, the walls of the New Jerusalem are made of jasper. In the Bible jasper represents the Trinity, love, eternal life, health, hope, and PROSPERITY.
Above everything, God wishes us to prosper and be in good health so the gospel of His Kingdom may prosper on this Earth. God desires to give us the “riches of His grace” so we may abound in all good things. On the other, hand confusion, fear, and poverty work together in order to keep us from receiving ALL God has promised to us.
In repressing peace, prosperity, truth, and God’s grace toward us, the unholy trinity of fear, confusion and poverty wreak havoc in the Kingdom of God. The embellishments of love, hope, life, health, and prosperity are established within us through the Holy Trinity. If we forsake the truth which is able to transform us into the image of Christ, the unholy trinity will remain preeminent in our hearts and minds.
We must not allow the unholy trinity to establish a foothold on the battlefield of our minds. The riches of God’s grace and mercy belong to the Church and is ours for the taking. We must cast down imaginations and every high thing which exalts itself against the knowledge of God so the blessings of God will remain firmly in our possession.
The biblical key to obtaining wealth lies in our giving. However, when we do give, we must give with the “right motives” in mind. Our reason for giving must not be predicated upon what we desire to receive back.
We must give out of a joyful heart, seeking nothing in return. When we give, it must be done with a “heart of thanksgiving” and worship of the Lord. The benefits we receive from our giving cannot be measured by any earthly standards. When we give as unto the Lord with the right motives in mind, we will be blessed by God and others. “Give and it shall be given to you good measure, pressed down, and shaken together. (Luke 6:38). The “Law of Reciprocity” suggests in whatever measure we give, it will be given back to us. There is no way we can give more than God gives.