Beloved this week will not pass without you receiving your portions of blessing in Jesus name. I want to talk about a very important issue. What was Jesus saying exactly in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Don’t get carried away by the word ‘poor’. Poor in this context simply means humility (being humble), and not being cashless and wretched as so many tend to reason. In other words, when we come to God we must realize our sins and spiritual emptiness. We must not be self-satisfied or proud in our hearts, thinking we don’t really need God. If we are, God cannot bless us. The Bible says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). On this note, I make bold to say that: POVERTY IS NOT A SIGN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”- 3 John 2 Hitherto, some Christians have been of the impression that poverty is one of the sure signs of righteousness. They have been falsely indoctrinated into believing that the rich have no place in the kingdom of God. Apparently, they have bible passages to buttress this erroneous fact. One of them being Matthew 19:24, where Jesus talks about how possible it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. When you read this same chapter from verse 16, you see how a young man came to Jesus and inquired of him how he might have eternal life. This young man appeared to be a strict observer of the commandments; and indeed he was. Then Jesus demanded he sold all his property and hand it over to the poor and afterwards follow Him so that he would have treasures in heaven. This last commandment was very difficult for the young man to swallow; he couldn’t bear the notion of parting with his wealth and substance and he also felt he didn’t need Jesus for he had all he wanted from life, so he went away sorrowful. I have come to understand that any time the bible talks about “the rich man” it simply means a man who loves and idolizes his worldly possession more than God. It also means one who has great confidence in his riches rather than God. A rich man is also that man who is surrounded by the poor and needy yet refuses to lend a helping hand. He is selfish and greedy and has no need for God because he feels he has everything he needs (Luke 12:16-21, 16:19-31). True Christianity is loving God more than worldly possessions. You will agree with me that a man can have little and still love the little he has more than God. While on the other hand, a man may have great wealth and love God more. Make sure you don’t nurture poverty mentality, for God Himself desires that we lack nothing (3 John 2). He has given to everyone of us the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Types of poverty 1. Poverty of the soul: Your soul prospers by reason of the relationship you have with Christ. In other words, your soul becomes impoverished if you continue to live in sin; disconnected from Christ. When your soul begins to prosper, your way of thinking and lifestyle enter a more glorious dimension which automatically affects the totality of your being. 2. Mental poverty: This type of poverty is characterised by unnecessary anxiety and fear (2 Timothy 1:7). A negative mind-set is also one of the products of mental poverty. A mentally poor Christian regards the bible with an air of indifference and sees it as mere letters written by ordinary men instead of the living word of God that it is. 3. Marital poverty: Marriages where there is no love lost between a man and his wife and where they are always at logger-heads is a deficient union. In other words, that marriage is poor maritally. One of the major causes of this type of marriage is a situation where the man and woman got married for selfish reasons. Also, an unplanned marriage can lead to marital poverty. Another form of marital poverty is in a situation where a young man finds it very difficult to get any woman to marry him irrespective how wealthy and good looking he might be. Even the love he showers on them remains unrequited. 4. Health poverty: When a man is in a poor state of health, life for him becomes unsavoury. He may be wealthy but lacks the capacity to enjoy his wealth. 5. Financial poverty: Honour is far from any man who is financially poor. He is despised by even his own. Things spoil in his hands. If poverty is not a sign of righteousness, what then are the signs of righteousness? 1. Assurance of salvation. 2. Evidence of answered prayers (James 5:15) 3. Living a life above doubt and unbelief. 4. Unwavering faith 5. Seeing the glory of God. 6. Sound health 7. Ability to recognise the voice of God. To be righteous the following conditions are necessary 1. Total commitment and submission to the Lord your God. 2. Live a life of continual service to God. 3. Covenant with God (Psalms 50:5). Benefits of righteousness 1. Divine security 2. Blessings and favour (Psalms 50:12). 3. Nothing is permitted to work against you. 4. You can’t go hungry (Psalm 37:25). 5. You can’t live in fear (Proverbs 28:1). Prayer points 1. Thank God for His mercies upon your life and His thoughts concerning you. 2. By the power in the name of Jesus, I arrest any situation that will make me forget God’s love for me. 3. Holy Spirit envelope my life, empower me to live a righteous life in Jesus name. 4. Powers from the pit of hell assigned to inject poverty into my life your end has come, turn back and be wasted in Jesus name.
Posted on: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 06:58:14 +0000
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