Fearless Finances:

“The spirit of poverty”

Opening . . .

Have you ever known someone or felt yourself:

“It will never change”

Constant fear or dread

Victim mindset: “It’s not my fault”

“I deserve it now.”

Inability to “get ahead” no matter how hard I try.

Lottery mentality: waiting for the big break

The spirit of poverty:

Mental torment over finances

Refusing to take responsibility for your finances

An inability to maintain self-control in finances

A sense of hopelessness and persistent sense of failure with your finances

What is the spirit of poverty?

[John 10:10 NIV] 10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

The spirit of poverty is:

A demonic spirit with the intent to “steal, kill, and destroy.”

Demonic spirit: [Proverbs 6:10-11] 10 “A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-- 11 and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.”

Intent:

“Poverty like a thief”

“Scarcity like an armed man”

Outcomes of loss, death, and destruction

Works in opposition to Christ who comes “that we may have life, and have it to the full.”

Anti-christ

Opposes the Truth of Christ

Manipulates for the sake of fear and discouragement

The spirit of poverty taps into our flesh.

[Gal 5:19-21] 19-21 NIV] 19 “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

The desired outcome is to keep a person or family in constant turmoil and conflict

Fear and frustration

Disagreement and division

Distraction from living for Jesus

How does this spirit gain entrance?

The spirit of poverty gains entrance through agreement.

[Eph 4:27-32 NIV] 27 “Do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

“Do not give the devil a foothold.”

Give: “of one’s own accord/to grant”

Foothold: “opportunity/license/power

“Anyone who has been stealing”

Stealing: “to take away”

Spirit/soul/body

“Unwholesome talk”

What we say reflects our heart

Unwholesome: “corrupt/unfit for use/worthless

“Grieving the Holy Spirit”

Grieve: “to offend/to sadden

Grieve- what we do

Quench- what we don’t do

“Forgive”

Holding unforgiveness grants the devil legal access to our souls

We are to “forgive as we have been forgiven”

The spirit of poverty gains entrance through sin.

[Mal 3:8-12 NIV] 8 "Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How are we robbing you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse--your whole nation--because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe," says the LORD Almighty. 12 "Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land," says the LORD Almighty.”

Robbing God: withholding tithes=robbing

Under a curse: a curse is the evidence of agreement with the enemy

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse: the place of “food and drink”

Test Me: the only place God invites us to put Him to the test

“I will prevent pests from devouring”: the blessing of protection

How can we receive freedom? . . .

Repent

Resist

Return

Repent . . .

[1 John 1:6-9 NIV] 6 “If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Repentance restores fellowship

Repentance brings us into the light of Christ

Repentance brings us under the “blood of Jesus”

Repentance involves confession (agreement)

Resist . . .

[2Co 10:3-5 NIV] 3 “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

We live in the world

We fight differently

Use the weapons God gives us

The authority of Christ

The blood of Christ

Strongholds

Arguments

Pretension

“That sets itself up against the knowledge of God”

Thought life

Captive to Christ

Obedience

Return . . .

Jesus: “Go and sin no more”

“I can’t afford to give . . .”

Become a first-time giver

Become a regular giver

Become a tither

1%

3%

5%

10%

Become a generous giver

Next week . . .

Pastor Alex: “Generosity”