What? Your Mind Doesn't Like Money?

Kris Vallotton, in the introduction of his book, "Poverty, Riches and Wealth: Moving from a life of Lack into True Kingdom Abundance", made an astounding statement.  His statement reinforced something I've seen and heard for years, from my Christian brothers and sisters. 

He stated, to which I agree, that as much as many poor people despise the wealthy, that "God's noble people also despised wealth....  Despite the fact that we all (the people and family he grew up with) yearned for a heavenly Kingdom with gold streets and pearl gates, and that we knew our heavenly Father was rich beyond comprehension, we still gravitated toward poverty like a tick on a dog's behind!"

We actually created doctrines to enshrine poverty, as if it were the pinnacle of spiritual enlightenment, the Mount Rushmore of Christianity."

I have found this to be so disturbingly true regarding most of my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

This is a shame, because in order to walk out your calling to fulfill your destiny, it takes finances.  Billy Graham once said, in talking about ministry, if you don't find a way to fund your ministry, you won't have a ministry for long. 

Even today, in spite of large cathedrals, much of the church is immersed in a mindset of poverty. 

How did the body of Christ get to this point?  This poverty mindset began with St. Francis of Assisi.  In answering his call of God to the poor, he took a vow of poverty.  St. Francis established the "Franciscan Order". This Order seeks to follow Jesus by believing in fraternal love, poverty, and a life of living like the poor. 

Over time, as a result of these "vows of poverty" poverty became entrenched in the mindset of many in the church.  To this day, the "poverty mindset" is entrenched in much of the church.  

To fulfill your destiny and the call of God on your life, no matter how that call takes shape, finances will play an important part in your destiny. So that means having a healthy financial life.

In order to make progress regarding our financial health, we must break off the spirit of poverty.  The spirit of poverty can have its roots deep in your past.  Even things that don't appear on the surface, to have anything to do with finances or poverty at all can affect you. 

For example, for me, my last name has played a part the poverty mindset had on me.  My last name of "Powers" came from a nickname for one who was poor or a pauper.  So, in my case, being poor or a pauper had actually become part of my identity.  

I had to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, break the power of being poor over me.  I only share this to give an example of how the poverty mindset can sink into your life.  

I don't want to dwell on me, but just to give an example, I want to share with you how that spirit of poverty can make inroads in your life from family history.

Remember, my surname is "Powers" which means "poor" or "pauper".  There was an interesting experience my Dad had regarding finances.  My sister and Dad verified this was a true story.  

Though I currently live in North Carolina, I was born and raised in Virginia.  As I understand the story my great grandfather, when he died, owned land in Hanover and Henrico counties Virginia.  The size of the land he owned was roughly equal to that of Mecklenburg County here in North Carolina.  Mecklenburg's square mileage is 546.

My great grandmother didn't understand business or dealings with real estate.  At that time, wives weren't really involved in that kind of thing.  

The lawyers dealing with my great grandfather's estate, through legal maneuvering, cost my grandmother the land she thought she had inherited from my great grandfather. This maneuvering led her from being a rich widow, to close to poor widow. 

During his life, my father talked in a negative tone toward lawyers, due to the above actions.  What did this do?

First, it was establishing disempowering beliefs regarding the law.  Second, disempowering beliefs were being developed regarding how little control one has regarding the income of money.  It established the disempowering belief that control over money is in the hands of someone else. 

How were these disempowering beliefs established?  By listening to comments and statements, which are actually declarations, about one's perceptions.  What happens, is that statements we hear or are told to us over and over, will eventually filter down to our heart from our subconscious and become a disempowering belief, if we agree with them. This is why I've written about unholy agreements. Thus in Proverbs, we're warned to guard our heart, because everything we do flows from it (Proverbs 4:23).

Once those disempowering beliefs get ingrained in your heart, they'll affect everything you do, say and how you react.  I've written on how the power of belief impacts you.

So, between the identity of the "Powers" name and the disempowered beliefs, subconsciously held about money, money, if the beliefs and identity aren't corrected, will be repelled from you, instead of being attracted to you. 

Why did I share this illustration?  You need to know, understand and believe that losses and setbacks in your generational past can affect you.  It's imperative you don't overlook and underestimate them.

There are some things you can do.  Make a list of things you have seen repeated in your life and in past generations of your family. Pay particular attention to negative things. 

For my family, much had to do with poverty and money was very hard to come by.  Any money that came in, was the result of hard work at a job.  There were no business owners in my family. Alcoholism and murder was also in my family, along with suicide and drug use. 

Next, make a list and repent of things in your life or your family's life that aren't from God.  Then call forward, in the name of Jesus, the opposite of those negative things you listed. 

Then make a list of the opposite virtues and strengths. For example, the opposite of murder is life, or giving life. The opposite of poverty is wealth and giving wealth to the Kingdom of God.  The opposite of alcohilism and other forms of drunkenness, is the infilling of the Holy Spirit.  "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).  

Ask God to bring forth in your life all the blessings and good things. 

Blessings.