Poverty is not the will of God for any Believer. However, there are Christians who have taken a “vow of poverty” because they believe that poverty is a part of being holy and righteous. This is far from the truth. Poverty has nothing to do with godliness, or God—likeness. To be poor, or impoverished, means, “to be without; in lack; deprived.” You and I don’t serve a God of lack and insufficiency. He is the God of the exceeding and the abundant. In fact, He wants to lavish you with His goodness (Ephesians 3:20).

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible proves that poverty goes against everything God desires for Believers. Poverty is a spirit designed to keep Believers in financial bondage. The devil uses this spirit to hinder Christians from prospering and ultimately fulfilling their destiny of being a blessing to the entire world (Genesis 12:2, 3).

God favors prosperity. According to Psalm 35:27 and 3 John 2, He is pleased when you prosper in your spirit, soul and body. His desire is that you prosper economically, socially, emotionally, mentally and physically. That’s total—life prosperity. If you truly want to live a life that is set apart for God (holy) and represents your right—standing in Him (righteous), renew your mind by studying God’s Word concerning true prosperity.

Although God’s perfect will is for you to succeed in all aspects of life, let’s concentrate on your financial prosperity. Finances are a major dilemma for most people. Debt and insufficiency are common causes for divorce, depression, suicide, and murder. For this reason, I feel it is my duty to deal with this subject head—on.

As a Believer, you are a member of God’s family and have a royal, spiritual birthright (John 1:12; Galatians 4:4—6; 1 Peter 2:9). Romans 8:17 in the Amplified Bible says, “… If we are

[His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ
.” Not only does the Earth and everything in it belong to Jesus, it also belongs to you and me as part of our divine inheritance (Psalm 24:1; Psalm 115:16)!

You were made wealthy and rich before you came into existence. You’ve been predestined to prosper financially. According to Ephesians 1:4—5, God chose to bless you before the foundation of the world as evidence of your right—standing with God, which was made available to you through Jesus’ death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:21).

As the righteousness of God, your inheritance of wealth and riches is included in the “spiritual blessings” (or spiritual things) the apostle Paul spoke of in Ephesians 1:5. Based on Psalm 112:3, righteousness, wealth and riches go hand—in—hand. You have every right to possess material wealth—clothes, jewelry, houses, cars and money—in abundance. It is that wealth that not only meets your needs, but also spreads the Gospel message and meets the needs of others.

The Bible says that wealth is stored up for the righteous (Proverbs 13:22, New American Standard). However, it will remain stored up until you claim it. Therefore, claim it now! You possess the ability to seize and command wealth and riches to come to you (Deuteronomy 8:18). Exercise that power by speaking faith—filled words daily and taking practical steps to eradicate debt. Like God, you can speak spiritual blessings into existence (Romans 4:17). Remember, doubt keeps silent, but faith speaks!

Scripture References:

Ephesians 3:20

Genesis 12:2, 3

Psalm 35:27

3 John 2

Psalm 24:1

Psalm 125:16

Ephesians 1:4, 5

Psalm 112:3

Proverbs 13:22

Deuteronomy 8:18

Romans 4:17