Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. —James 1:17 (NIV)
Having established in the first part of this article that poverty is not from God, you might wonder why many Christians are still poor. If poverty does not come from God, why do faithful, committed believers still struggle financially? There are many reasons for this, but I will share just six of them so you can gain a better understanding.
The first reason believers experience poverty is a lack of knowledge. Ignorance of God’s Word regarding financial matters is a major reason many believers end up broke today. Sadly, many Christians do not educate themselves on finances, choosing instead to hold on to outdated ideas. It is not supposed to be this way. God wants us to read books and equip ourselves with financial knowledge, because the more you know about finances, the more financial liberty you will enjoy.
The second reason believers go through poverty is disobedience to the financial principles and commands of the kingdom. Beloved, the Bible is replete with principles for financial dominion, but many believers choose not to follow them. They prefer to do their own thing and follow their own opinions, and the devil takes advantage of this disobedience to strike. If you truly want to prosper financially, you must pay attention to the principles revealed in Scripture and apply them to your life. For example, one of these principles is given to us in the book of Deuteronomy:
Remember that it is the LORD your God who gives you the power to become rich. He does this because he is still faithful today to the covenant that he made with your ancestors. —Deuteronomy 8:18 (GNB)
This scripture encourages us to remember the Lord because He gives us the power, intelligence, wisdom, and strength to build wealth. How do we remember the Lord in our finances? First, we must acknowledge that He gave us the privilege to earn. Second, we honor Him by tithing from the blessings He provides. Sadly, many believers ignore this principle, refusing to give to the poor or support the work of the ministry. They only think about themselves yet still expect riches, but it simply does not work that way.
Money is like a seed; what you do with it determines the kind of harvest you receive. If you plant it in God’s vineyard, you will reap a harvest orchestrated by Him. When you plant it solely in your own selfish desires, you will not gain much because you are making expenses rather than investments. These are just a few reasons why believers end up struggling financially. We will explore more reasons in the next part of this study, but until then, look for areas to improve because God truly wants you to prosper!
Today’s Rhema
There are many reasons why people struggle financially, but God is not one of them!
Prayer
Thank you, Father, for revealing the deep reasons why people struggle financially. I receive the grace and wisdom to do things right so that poverty has no room to thrive in my life, in Jesus’ name. Amen!
