God wants me to be poor?

Is there a middle ground between prosperity and poverty gospel?

Some time ago, I was convinced that God wanted me to be poor. Was it not in the Scriptures? Was Jesus a ‘rich’ man? Maybe I am being greedy by wanting the good things in life.

As you already know, I was wrong.

There is a middle ground between poverty and prosperity gospel; that middle ground is 1 Timothy 6:6:

‘For godliness with contentment is great gain.’

There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be well off and not in constant need. Nothing.
So I prayed. I thought my prayers would provoke somebody to drop one Ghana-must-go full of dollars in front of my house, but it did something better.

It shifted my mind.

The Holy Spirit opened the eyes of my understanding to let me know that He understood what I was going through but that He wanted so much more for me than the bare minimum I was asking for.

Let me tell you a funny story:

During a fun work call, one of my teammates asked this question: ‘Would you rather be given $2,000 every day for one year or $2 billion at once?’ Don’t guess, I picked the first answer because I thought, ‘what would I use $2 billion to do?’ Lol, thank God it was just a question because if I had picked that option in real life, I would have shot myself in the leg. Seriously, I would hustle a Kalashnikov and really wound myself.

The truth was that at that point in my life, I was overwhelmed by many difficulties, especially financial ones. All I could think of was what I did not have and how things would be so much better if I did. But have you not heard? If you cannot do something when you do not have everything, you will not do it when you have everything you need.

God’s answer was not a bag of cash at my front door, it was the wisdom to know that my focus should be the kingdom and that every other thing would follow.

My friend, it worked.

But the voices were getting louder about my own Abba wanting me to be penniless. Do you know what I did? I sat down one day, went to Google and searched for all the Scriptures that confirmed God’s good desires for me. My favourite was 1 Timothy 6:17:

Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment.‘

He will give me everything I need for enjoyment. That does not sound like poverty to me! And since when are real riches measured only by physical wealth? If God gave me all that ‘dollars’ now, what was the guarantee that it would not disappear tomorrow? Look at Proverbs 23:4-5 –

‘Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich. Be wise enough to know when to quit. In the blink of an eye wealth disappears, for it will sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.‘

There is a reason why you hold on to the golden chicken and not the eggs it lays. Because if you have the chicken, you can have as many eggs as you want eventually. So why do we often hold on to our ‘riches’ and ‘worldly possessions’ instead of God, who gives and can take it? Remember the rich fool in Luke 12:16 – 21, he amassed wealth until he could amass no more, and that very night, his soul was demanded of him. What a pity.

I find it very alarming that mammon was one element put side by side with God when it comes to serving two masters (Matthew 6:24). I believe it is because no other worldly thing gives security as much as money does. That security that should come from God alone.

I have said all this to say, what is most important is GOD. Seek Him first. Ask what you can do for Him and see if He will not add every other thing you desire to your pocket. See if He will not elevate you just to make a statement with your life because you have sold yourself to His will.

Maybe you came to God seeking for a financial breakthrough, and you will get it by His grace – but your eyes must open to the fact that there is so much more for you to achieve in the kingdom of God. King Saul came to Samuel looking for an donkey, but he was made a king, yet, he still found that donkey on his way home (1 Samuel 9).

He will fulfil the desires of your heart, surely. Every time that I feel like, ‘alright, this is the end, I give up,’ He reminds me that He is far from done with me. He always sends me rescue.

Lack is a state of mind. One that God’s children cannot have. How? When your Father is a King? It would be ironic.

You can have it all, I promise. He created you to have dominion. But when you do, remember that it is ALL for the kingdom and for His glory. For ‘from Him, through Him and to Him are all things.’ (Romans 11:36). Praise God!

Shalom,
God’s biro,
Maranatha ✍️