Each year, I want to help equip our Igniting Hope family with keys for financial success. This blog is content I shared last year under the title, “7 Signs of a Poverty Spirit”. It is also a taste of what will be in our February 7th Wealth With God Masterclass that I am hosting with Jim Baker. 

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The “poverty mindset” (or poverty spirit) is rooted in the victim mindset and focuses on:

• What we don’t have
• Our apparent inability to be blessed
• Other people as the source to meet our needs
• The reasons we are at a disadvantage in life

I remember reading in the 1990’s Harold Eberle’s Developing a Prosperous Soul, I was surprised at how much of a poverty spirit was embedded in me. During that season, the Lord was taking me from a lack mentality to an abundance mentality. I realized that there was no way I could fulfill the Great Commission in Matthew 28 (of going into all the world) if I was lacking in energy, health, wisdom, finances, favor, protection, love, spiritual gifts, or power. 

Psalm 23:1 says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not lack.” In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come to give life and life abundantly.” These are strong verses to help convince us to embrace an abundance mindset, but today, I want to discuss this poverty mindset that plagues so many of God’s people. 

In 2 Kings 4:1-7, there is a story of a widow who was in debt. The creditors were coming to take her sons to pay off the debt. The prophet Elisha asked the widow, “What do you have?” She said, “Nothing, but a little oil.” As she was in Elisha’s presence, her thinking started to change.

One of the purposes of prophetic ministry is to move us from a poverty mindset to an abundance mindset. It helps us take our eyes off what we think we don’t have to see what we actually do have. It happened to the widow. God supernaturally blessed what she had. It paid off the debt and she lived off of the rest. I believe it will happen to you too. 

In order to move past the poverty spirit, it will be helpful to identify how it manifests in our lives.

Here are 7 signs of a poverty spirit:

1. Feeling unworthy to be blessed - Unworthiness is one of the symptoms of a poverty spirit. My wife, Wendy, says, “We’re only able to receive what we believe we’re worth.” When we get blessed with favor, finances, possessions, or something else, we will tend to self-sabotage our lives back down to the level we believe we are worth living at. Here’s the good news. We are worth what Jesus paid for us. We are valuable and worthy because of what He has done. 
2. A fear of success and abundance - This could be from having bad theology that God doesn’t want us to be blessed. I remember a time when people thought, “We need to keep the pastor poor so we keep him humble.” There can also be a fear of success because of the belief that if we are successful and blessed, we will no longer continue to serve the Lord wholeheartedly. It is a low-level mindset that believes we need to stay poor to make sure we are still following the Lord. Again, Jesus said to go into all the world to preach the gospel and make disciples of nations. Living in lack hinders us from what we are called to do. 
3. Passivity - In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, three servants were each given talents. Two of the servants multiplied the talents for their master, but one of the servants, because of fear and passivity, did not increase his talents. Passivity is an overemphasis on the sovereignty of God, and an under-emphasis on our finding ways to increase what we have. 
4. A debt mentality - The debt mentality sacrifices the future for temporary gain and happiness. There are times we may need to go into debt, but it should be well-thought-out and is a decision that serves our future. Debt is not just a financial issue, but we can be in debt in our time, emotions, physical health, relationships, and more. The mentality is making more withdrawals than deposits. 
5. A small vision - If our vision is to only pay our bills every month, we’ll most likely be in lack; but if our vision is to change the world, we will attract resources to us (consider the story of Nehemiah). God gets behind quality decisions. Decide to do something big and He will provide! Someone with a poverty mindset is only focused on getting needs met instead of leaving a legacy.
6. The fear of failure - Those who succeed most also seem to fail most. Winston Churchill said, “Success is moving from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” I used to say, “Wow, I had a great year, I didn’t fail in anything.” And the Lord would respond, “Well, Steve, you actually didn’t do anything.” Now, I probably “fail” more than most of you reading this because I am trying new things and seeking to live at a higher level of life. 
7. A victim mindset - “I am at a disadvantage because of _________.” We all have something we are tempted to believe causes us to be a victim (to be at a disadvantage because of it). Maybe it’s our finances, family, physical appearance, the geographical location we’re in, or something else. We don’t deny there are things that are going to potentially hinder us, but we cannot get our beliefs from them. We believe in a big God and big promises!

In closing, here are three powerful biblical keys to overcome the poverty spirit:

1. Focus on soul prosperity - “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). 
2. Dedicate what you do and have to God’s glory - “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
3. Improve what you have - “And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities’” (Luke 19:17). 

The Lord is uprooting the lies creating a poverty spirit in us. As we press into His truth, we will become increasingly a source of blessing and breakthrough to everyone around us.