For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7, KJV)
I believe we should be grateful no matter our circumstances.
Warren Buffett (think very rich) was interviewed by Charlie Rose in 2022, and during this interview, Buffett said,
The bottom 2% of income earners in the United States live better than John D. Rockefeller did.
Rockefeller was the richest man in the world when he died in 1937. It might seem odd that one of the richest men in the world today was saying that all of us have a better life than the richest man who lived a century ago.
I realize some of us don’t feel this fortunate.
Buffett went on to describe medical and technical advances that have increased the effectiveness of medicine, allowing travel to everyone, homes with air conditioning, and all of us having access to portable screens on our mobile devices.
Years ago, I came across this phrase: spirit of poverty.
Those having a spirit of poverty live in continued frustration and focus on what they seemingly don’t have. If a community has a spirit of poverty, it will react in fear and resist change.
The spirit of poverty dwells in a present without a future, complains often and focuses on cost without faith.
James 2:5 says…
Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom (James 2:5, NLT)?
The spirit of poverty is more than not having. It is a spirit that is always fearful of not having!
The Bible challenges us to be rich in faith. A spirit of poverty thinks, “I don’t have enough. I’m stuck, and I can’t get free. I’ll just resign myself to this situation. And I’m going to make sure that others stay in this cesspool of unbelief with me.”
While faith sets us free, the spirit of poverty shrinks our souls and the enthusiasm of those surrounding us.
Paul teaches three things that will defeat the spirit of poverty…
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18a).
First: Joy
Second: Pray
Third: Be thankful.
That’s the Bible’s formula for faith. Stand with Scripture and say to the spirit of poverty, “Be gone in the name of Jesus!”
In this age of defeat, as believers who know a God that does increasingly beyond what we ask or can even think, we must stand in faith! Jesus told us to disciple the nations, to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth, and then look up expectantly for His soon return.
By faith!