Kill The Poverty Mindset

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Transcript

Extraordinary Life Vs Poverty Mentality

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Our theme that we have laid for this year, living an extraordinary life. And Lord, this morning, I just want to look at something that if we are not careful, can make us not experience extraordinary. And that is a poverty mentality. A poverty mentality. And so this morning I pray that we shall be encouraged. It's one of those messages I've had with me here for the last almost 10 years. And I've never ever found a good opportunity to speak about it. And I pray that this morning, by the grace of God, is going to help us even as we share and we encourage one another. Because you know, if we don't overcome the poverty mindset, we may not experience the extraordinary. And I pray that this morning, the Spirit of God will help me to communicate and encourage one another to change our minds so that we can be able to overcome the poverty mentality that can hinder us from really experiencing God's extraordinary things in our lives. In Ecclesiastes chapter 10, verses 19 to 20, the Bible says, a fish is made for laughter. Wine makes life merry, and money is the answer for everything. Money is the answer for everything. These are all scripture uh that encourages, saying that money is the answer for everything. And in Romans chapter 12, verses 2, the Bible says, Do not conform uh to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is, is good, pleasing, and perfect will. It's a scripture we have been using even during last weekend's mission. We use this scripture a lot because it all comes down to us changing how we think, changing how we think, uh, because if we don't change how we think, our thinking basically determines everything. And I pray that this morning we're going to change how we think about poverty, how we think about prosperity, how we think about wealth. I pray that it's going to show it to make us we're going to have a different thinking uh this morning. Because, number one, when your thinking is right, your life will prosper. When your thinking is right, your life will prosper. Not just one part of your life, but your entire life. Not just one-sided. We just want to be one sided in the third letter of John chapter one, he writes there. Third letter of John uh He says to the elder, uh, to the elder, to my dear friend Gaius, whom I love in the truth. And he says, Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. And then he says, It gave me great joy when each one of us, and you see, it begins with us thinking right. When our thinking is right, your life will prosper. And in this, in most cases, if you evaluate the areas, many times it is because of your thinking in that specific area. And if you dig deep and pray about it and read scripture about over it, you can actually be able to hear God's voice for that area. Any area that you are struggling on, um, it is many times with the thinking of your thinking in that particular aspect. And so, because I believe when our thinking is right, you will prosper. And that's God's will for our lives. And so it's important that even as we go to our houses of worship, one of the things our prayers should always be, oh, change my thinking, transform my thinking. I want to, I don't want, I want to be very sensitive around how I think, how I think about family, how I think about work, how I think about relationships, and I think about the church, I think about friends, or I think about relationships, because your thinking in those particular areas affects your entire life. Because our when our thinking is right, we will prosper. May the Lord help us change our thinking.

Prosperity Begins Inside Your Mind

SPEAKER_01 6:00

Number two, prosperity doesn't come from outside, it all starts from your thinking, from your thinking and your soul. Prosperity does not come from outside. People think that, oh, yeah, I go, people lay hands on me, and then prosperity begins to come. No, prosperity begins from your thinking, it is inside. What you're thinking, that's where it begins. And so if you want to prosper, you must begin by changing your thinking. It begins from inside out. Um, and I pray that the Lord will be able to help us this morning to deal with this subject of you know dealing with the poverty mentality and overcoming it, that poverty mindset.

Is Poverty Really Spiritual

SPEAKER_01 6:42

Now, there are some several wrong concepts that have been sort of in a way preached about, toyed around in the church, uh, that even sometimes they can hinder us unknowingly. And one of those wrong concepts is that prosperity is not God's will, because poverty and poverty is spiritual. There's been that feeling that prosperity is not God's will, and that poverty is spiritual. Um, in you know, the way the the word of God has been preached, uh historically, you know, it almost we are feeling that like you know, if you are if you are poor, you are very spiritual, and only the poor will see God, and only the poor, God likes the poor people. Um, there's been that that sort of thinking or that wrong, wrong teaching. But if you look at the Bible, the Bible says that poverty is a curse. You look at it, it says the Bible is poverty is a curse. And said the and if you look at the Bible, you'll see everybody that came into contact with God, he blessed him. The Lord blessed everyone he came across. Um, whether it is in in Genesis chapter 26, Genesis 26, verses 12 to 14. This is Isaac. The Bible says that um uh the Bible says that um Isaac planted crops in that land, and he came and the same year reaped a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him. And he says the man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. This is Isaac, um, you know, the Bible is telling us what God did with him. He planted, we see him planting crops and reaping a hundredfold because the Lord blessed him, and he says the man became rich, then his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. So he moved from being rich, the wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy, and he had so many flocks and hearts and servants that the Philistines envied him. I believe that this is exactly what God wants for us. He wants to bless you, he wants you to have so much, so much flocks and hearts that the Philistines that the enemies will begin to envy you. This is also um the um you know in the Bible there, Abraham becoming wealthy, owning a lot of things. And now you may say, oh, that was you know the beginning, that's Abraham, that's Isaac. You go to one chronicles, one chronicles chapter 29, verses 3 to 5. This is David, and it says, Besides in my devotion to the temple of my God, I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God. This is David giving his personal treasures, not things from the state, not money from other people, personal, personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything are provided to this holy temple. Uh, three thousand talents of gold and seven thousand talents of refined silver for the overlaying of the walls of the building, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsman. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today? This is again in the you know, you know, King David, and we see him giving his personal gold and silver to build the temple of God. He was wealthy, David. In fact, in 1 Chronicles 29, 28, the Bible says he died at a good old age, having enjoyed life. Amen. I hope I pray that that becomes you. It says he died at a good old age, having enjoyed long life, and then wealth and honor. He enjoyed long life, wealth, and honor. These are the things uh that what what what David had at the time of his death long life, wealth, and honor. How I pray in Jesus' name that this will be our portion, uh, that we'll enjoy long life, and we'll also enjoy wealth and also honor. These three are powerful: long life, wealth, and honor. And he says his son Solomon succeeded him as king. So we see Isaac, we see Abraham, we see David. These were all men that God got in contact with, and they were prosperous, and he blessed them in amazing, in amazing ways. And so um it is God's plan to really, really bless us. Prosperity is is is is is is is God's will, but poverty is not spiritual. We can see there in the Bible.

Prosperity As Blessing For Generosity

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Now, also prosperity is a blessing, not a curse. Prosperity is a blessing, not a curse. If you look at 2 Corinthians chapter 9, verses 10 to 11, the Bible says, Now he will supply seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed, I will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. It says in verse 11, you will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us, your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. Brethren, prosperity is a blessing, not a curse. Because when God blesses you, you can then be generous. And he says you can be generous on every occasion. We go somewhere and we are we are giving, you can give generously. You go to a place where there's a problem, you can step in and be generous. You can go to a place where people are struggling and you can be generous, you can be generous in every occasion. I pray in the name of Jesus that we claim we shall be a God will lift us up, He'll bless us so that we can be generous on every occasion, not just sometimes, but we can be generous in every occasion. Wherever we go, we can be a channel of God's blessings and prosperity, because prosperity is a blessing, not a curse. In where

Rethinking Jesus And Wealth

SPEAKER_01 13:37

he went. Jesus, as disciples, we are not poor. In Luke chapter 8, verses 1 to 3. The Bible says, after this, Jesus traveled from town to town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The 12th were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Mary Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out, Johanna, the wife of Cusa, the manager of Herod's household, Susanna, and many others, six women were helping to support them out of their own means. These women they stood behind Jesus' ministry, and they are supporting him out of their own means. And look at look at the women being mentioned here. One, you have Mary Magdalene, um, you have Joanna, the manager of Herod's household. These are not simple, you know, simple women, Susanna and many others. And the Bible says these women were helping to support them out of their own means. They were there standing and supporting the ministry of Jesus. So Jesus' ministry was not poor. He had a very strong uh support system of women of substance, um, managers who were ministering to them and ensuring that the ministry had everything that they needed. I pray that we shall experience the same. In Luke chapter 5, verses 27 to 29. I'm just trying to demystify that that myth that Jesus and disciples were poor. They were not. Uh if you look at the scripture, in Luke chapter 5, 27 to 29, the Bible says after this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. And he said, Follow me, Jesus said to him. And Levi got up, left everything, and followed him. Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. Now, this is just one of the men and disciples that were following Jesus. Levi, he was a tax collector who could hold Jesus' ministry. In Mark 14, 13 to 15, we see Jesus here again um showing that he was not who he's not poor. They saw he sent two of his disciples telling them, Go into the city, and the man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house, he enters, the teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? He will show you a large room upstairs, penthouse. He was not going like for some cheap house there. A pool, a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. And he says, Make preparations for us there. Uh you know, he had a large room paid for where he could come and do the Passover. It was not just a small room, he went for the best, the penthouse on the top of the apartment. And it was large, it was upstairs, it was furnished, and was ready, waiting for the Master Jesus. So this is not a poor man. Um, all going for some small things, and now he may have been born in a manger, but he was not poor, and his life was not a reflection of poverty, and so we need to demystify that. Uh that meet.

The Love Of Money Trap

SPEAKER_01 17:11

The third one is that money is evil. We have been brought up to believe that oh, money is bad, it's evil. 1 Timothy 6 10. He says, For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. This scripture has been misused um a lot. It says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. The love of money is evil, not the use of it. You know, not the use of money. The love of money is evil and not the use of it. The love of money is doing anything in you know, in immoral, uh, you know, to get it. You know, when you love money, you'll do anything, even the immoral to get that money. You'll steal from people, you'll grab people's land, you'll take money that is not yours, and you'll know, you know, it to flush it around. You will do many things to to try to get money. That is what is called the love of money, um, where you'll stop at nothing to get money. And the Bible says the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Um, and I pray that that will never be our portion. But it's not the use of it. Money is a tool for creating and a tool for repairing. Um, when it is in the right hands, money takes the form um of the person that is having it. If money is in the in the hands of a bad person, then it will do bad things. When money is in the hands of a good person, it will do good things. And therefore, money is not evil. Uh, it is the love of money that is evil. And I think it's important for us to deal with that and and and ensure we are aligned there. Then, number four, uh, there's a been pedaling around that prosperity teaching has no sympathy for poor people. Prosperity teaching has no sympathy for poor people. That's something that's been peddled around. And it, you know, it does, you know, it does a lot because it teaches people how to get out of poverty, it teaches people how to get out of poverty, it points the future where God has for you, instead of staying with a victim mindset. Um, and so it's important for us uh not to be intimidated, to understand that poverty is in the Bible is booked as a curse, and we have every reason to get people out of that, out of that curse. Um, and you know, shortly here, the differences between poverty mentality and a prosperity mentality uh is very, very uh important.

Poverty Mindset Versus Wealth Mindset

SPEAKER_01 19:57

And I want to give you a few points there on the difference between a poverty mindset and a wealthy mindset. A poverty mentality lives for the day. Poverty mentality lives for the day. Oh, yeah, as long as I just get over today, I know I survive today, that's it. Tomorrow will take care of itself. Uh, wealth leaves a legacy. Wealth mentality leaves a legacy. People will think wealthy, they're thinking about what do I leave behind. Uh, it's not just about today, it's about also tomorrow, it's about the future. Um, you know, that's a wealthy mindset. Um, a poverty mentality, that's why we find people will get have access to resources and they will consume it and finish it in one day without thinking about tomorrow, without thinking about building for tomorrow. Um, you know, wealth mentality thinks about legacy. What do we leave behind? When we have gone and we are not here, what will people see? What are the footprints that we leave we leave behind? Um, but a poverty mentality just thinks about today. They don't think about tomorrow, uh, they just think about today, today, today, today. But you don't ask yourself, okay, what am I leaving behind? What's my legacy? Oh, what will people remember me for? I wanna when I when I'm when I'm when I'm gone. Poverty thinking finds a problem in every opportunity. Poverty thinking finds a problem in every opportunity. Wealth. Wealth mindset finds an opportunity in every problem. You know, the same thing, you're looking at the same issue. You have a you have a problem, a wealth mindset will find an opportunity. A poverty mindset will find a problem. A poverty thinking will find a problem in every opportunity. Wealthy mindset finds an opportunity in every problem. So it all depends on how you on how you think. Uh poverty thinking complains a lot. Uh, and you hear people thinking about the poor being robbed. Um, you know, um when actually the poor have got nothing to be taken. Um, but wealth mindset talks about trade and Services, you know, how to over trade and services so that everyone can benefit. And so it is important to just think to look at how we think at situations around us. Poverty thinking feels entitled to get. People with a poverty mindset, they feel I need to get something. I feel entitled. That's why you see a lot of fights, you know, with people expecting things from government, expecting people to do other things, you know, expecting your father to do something for you, expecting your relatives to do something for you, or they didn't do this. But a wealth mindset, you feel empowered to gain. You feel empowered to gain. So if you want wealthy, you cannot be cursing wealthy people or rich people and then expect you to become rich. You are thinking has to change for you to be effective and influential. In Proverbs chapter 22, verses 7, the Bible says the rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender. Um, and here we see that money can actually help change a lot of things. Money can help change a lot of things. And so, brethren, there are several things that we need to do to overcome a poverty mindset, and I want to run them quickly uh through so that we can be able to finish and maybe have a few minutes left to prayer. But it's

Becoming A Giver Breaks Scarcity

SPEAKER_01 23:29

important for us to know that poverty is a curse, it's not a blessing. Poverty is a curse, it's not a blessing. When you're poor, don't say, Oh, I'm blessed, you know, I'm going to see heaven. You know, no, no, no. Poverty is a curse, it's not a blessing, and we must fight it uh the same way that we break every other curse that we find around. We must fight it and break it in Jesus' mighty name. Um, so several things that we need to do to overcome poverty mindset. Number one, uh, which is critical, is um you know, you need to pick you um you need to uh to to give, become a giver, not a taker. Giving starts when you have got liberal. Don't say you'll only give when you have money, when you have a lot. Giving, become a giver. If you want to overcome a forgotten mindset, you have to reset your mind and purpose to become a giver. Um, that is point number one. I'm not saying it's the most important. I feel if you can overcome that and become a giver, you'll be on the right path. Uh, it's important to realize that um to realize what God has given you and how it can help. You know, God always expects you to give what you have. Um, and uh but but you see, it's important that our thinking changes. Um, because God is a God of more than enough. Um, everything that God does, he doesn't just give you just little to survive by. No, no, no, no. He's a God of more than enough. But the starting point of killing poverty mindset is you purposing, I'm going to be a giver. Where you become a giver. Whatever God gives you, you are ready to share, you are ready to give. That's the beginning of breaking the poverty mindset. Because the poverty mindset is one of hold back. You know, old is not enough. So hold back. Um, but wealth prosperity mindset is different. Um, you give in Matthew chapter 10, you know, Matthew chapter 14, 20 to 21, the Bible says they all ate and we are satisfied. And the disciples picked up 12 baskets full of broken pieces that were left over. And the number of those who ate was about 5,000 men, besides women and children. When he did the miracle of uh bread and fish, um, they ate until they were all satisfied. Jesus, uh, whatever he did, he did not just give people to scrape by. No, no, he gave them enough until they ate more than enough. And that's that's how God is. It's a God is a God of more than enough. But the point number one is that our thinking needs to change. Um, you know, because when when when our Jesus is a our God is a God of more than enough. Um but point number one, giving starts when you have little. So don't say you'll wait until you have a lot. Become a giver as the level that you are in. Uh, point number two is don't make excuses or apologies for blessings. Don't make excuses or apologize for God's blessing on your life. God wants to bless you and give you good things. You know, we've read there he gave David good life, wealth and honor. You know, a long, long life, long life, wealth and honor. Let's believe that's what God wants for us. He wants to bless us, he wants us to give us good things. Um, you know, and let's believe that's what God wants for. Um, you know, as we say, money is a certificate of performance. Um, you know, therefore, the better you perform, the more you get. Um, so it is just important. That's how it's God's works. He wants to bless us, and we should not be making excuses or apologize for God's blessing in our lives. In Psalms 112, 1 to 3, praise the Lord, blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. That is Psalms 112, 1 to 3. He says, Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. He said, Blessed are those who fear the Lord. Is there someone here who fears the Lord? I know we are here, we fear God. He says, Who find great delight in his commands? He says, Then there's a promise here. He says, Their children be mighty in the land. I pray our children be mighty in the land. They'll not just be here, no, they'll be here, but they'll be mighty, they'll do great things, they'll do amazing things, and the generation of the upright will be blessed, that our generation will be blessed in Jesus' name. And he says, wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. I pray that will be a portion for us in Jesus' mighty name. Wealth and riches are in our houses, and God's righteousness endures forever. So, very important point: don't make excuses or apologize for God's blessings. Let us just go out there and leave. We are not apologetic about drive that car properly, put on that dress and walk nicely. Uh, put on those shoes, come out, show up in the best way you can possible. Um, not having to apologize to anyone. Um, we don't make apologies. People, you know, they I like the way uh the people in Chombi always have been talking about creme. They say, Wow, these people, you know, they come here and you can see the swarming in uh into the creme center. Uh and they were yes, we are we are not we are not apologizing for it, I'm telling you. We are not at all apologizing for it. And I pray, not even cars, you so you will also see planes landing there, you know. Choppers will also begin to land in that place. They let them get used to it. We are not going to apologize at all for God's blessings over our lives. We will be who God wants us to be, and we are not going to be apologetic at all, at all. So we're not making it, we are not going to be apologizing to anyone. You know, we just show up the way God wants us to show up. Let the enemy go and throw himself in the mountain. Amen. Hallelujah. Don't make excuses or apologize for anything.

Expect Good And Stop Complaining

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Number four, don't think luck, just think prosperity. We are talking about killing the property mindset. Don't think luck, think prosperity. You know, don't expect bad things will happen to you. You know, there's these people I say, oh yeah, you know, it's the cold season, it's no flu season. So, you know, flu is coming around. No, no, no, no, no, no. We're not sitting here waiting for flu, even if there's what pandemic, whatever. No, no, no, we are not waiting for any of those things. We don't expect bad things. We wake up every morning and we declare we the blessings of God are upon us. Good health is our portion, prosperity is our portion, blessings is our portion. We'll be in the right place at the right time. We declare those in Jesus' mighty name. So let's not think luck, let's think prosperity. We must know what is available to us, and let us not think, don't think you don't deserve it. Um, you know, sometimes you can think you don't deserve it. No, no, no. You know, we're God's children, we deserve the very best. And you can wake up every morning, expect God's goodness uh over your life. The secret of wealth is that it begins with your thoughts and feelings. Begins with your thoughts and your feelings. You must wake up every morning and think wealthy, think rich, and it begins with our thoughts and with our feelings. Number five, don't be critical of prosperous people. Don't be critical of prosperous people. If you see people that are that are prosperous, don't be critical of them. Um, you see, and I'm not talking about uh, you know, I know there's a lot of stealing going around in our nation. But you know what? If you steal when you are poor, you will steal when you are rich. The people that you see them stealing, even they're in positions of power, even when they were poor, they would have stolen. Just they never had the opportunity. They never had the opportunity. Now they have the opportunity, now they are stealing. Because if you steal when you are poor, you will steal when you are rich. Money only amplifies who you are or how you are. Money amplifies how you are, and so we just make sure we mustn't have a bias against whether the people oh, yeah, here they go again, here they go again. No, no, don't be critical of prosperous people. You cannot get that which you criticize. Number six, don't complain why others are not giving, or why others uh uh why the rich aren't giving certain things without doing it yourself. Uh don't complain why others aren't giving certain things without doing it yourself. You see, we see this in John chapter 12, verses 3 to 8, where he says, Then Mary took a pint of pure nad, an expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Eudas Isariot, uh, who was who was later to betray him, objected. Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year's wages. He did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief, as keeper of the money bag, used to help himself to what was put into it. Leave her alone, Jesus replied. It was intended that he should save his perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. Here, Mary uh takes a perfume, expensive perfume, pours it on Jesus' feet, and begins to wipe her hair, um, you know, on it on to wipe his feet with her hair. And the Bible says the house was filled with the fragrance of that perfume. They said this perfume was was expensive, it was worth a year's wages, so it was quite an expensive perfume. And then Judas, escariot, begins to complain. He says, Why are you coming to pour this perfume on somebody's legs? Yeah, you could have given this money to the poor. Um, it's worth a year's wages, and that's what sometimes happens. We we criticize the perfume was not Judas's scaryot, it was not his perfume. Now somebody takes the perfume and begins to coer on Jesus before you start seeing other people's money being given out and being misused and being abused. Um, we need to make sure that you don't complain why others aren't giving when you yourself are not giving with what you have. So, the question is what are you doing with what you have before you start seeing what others are doing with their money? Focus on yours. What are you doing with it? Don't start administrating money in other people's pockets when you have got yours, which you cannot administrate. Um, so I think it's a mindset, it's a you know, a very, very bad mindset. Judas comes out here very clearly this money is being misused. And you see, sometimes when we give to God's work, we you know, whether it's church crime, people can criticize you. Hey, why are you giving so much money to the church? Why are you giving money to this? It's not your money. You know what? Focus on yours, focus on what you are doing with your money. Don't start thinking about what other people's money is doing. Leave other people's money. Um, Mary, Mary wanted to pour it on Jesus' feet. Uh, you have a right to do what you want to do with your money, and you don't have to be worried about what people say about how you are spending your money. Let them focus on their own, not yours. Same amen in Jesus' name. Hallelujah. Number seven or number six, I don't know where we are.

Be A Conduit Not A Dead Sea

SPEAKER_01 35:20

Don't think you don't need more. Don't think you don't need more. You know you are alive so that things can come through you and help others, not just you. You know, the reason why you are alive as a Christian is because you God wants you to be a conduit, He wants you to be a conduit to rich people for Christ, He wants you to use you to help other people because Christ cannot come here, He cannot come here and do it Himself. We are conduits, a conduit, we are conductors, we are a pipe that God can use. So, um, you you know, so we need to be available to be used, to be a pipe that God can pass things through. Um, so as long as you are alive, you know, God wants to pass things through you. Every day you wake up, we pray here. Say, God, I'm here, I'm available, I'm a channel. Just pass things through me, and I will make sure they reach the other side. Uh, in in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, verses 9, he said, For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that through though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, could become rich. You know, Jesus took away our poverty so that we could become rich. You know, so Jesus lived for the sake of others. He took away, he became poor so that we could become rich. He lived for the sake of others. And that's what how we are supposed to do, brethren. We need to live for others. We, you know, he had to, you know, Jesus had to give to something to give others, and even us, we need to be available to be used of God. So we need we need for us to be to be used to help other people, we need to be supplied, we need to be well supplied. We cannot go and preach when we have got nothing. So we wait on God to put a message in us, then we can go out and give that message. We wait on God, God supplies, and the same thing with resources, money. We are a part. God puts money and resources in your hands, then those must flow. They must flow into the church. Um, where you go and where you have, they must flow into the ministry, they must flow to help other people. The moment you become as a lake where you collect and you don't give, then you become a dead sea. There's a sea uh that's called Dead Sea, I think, that has got no outlet. Um, when you are receiving and you're not giving, you become the Dead Sea. And it's it's a very bad state for you to be in. We need to exist to help others. You need to become a pike. When God gives you something, it is a question of what do you want me to do with it? Well, you know, what do you want me to do? What you become a conduit uh to help people and to be used of God.

Selfless Leadership And Uplifting Others

SPEAKER_01 37:53

Number eight, don't think selfishly. Think selflessly, don't think selfishly, think selflessly. In 1 Timothy chapter 5, 18, the Bible says, for scripture says, do not muzzle um an ox while it's treading out the grain, and the worker deserves his wages. You see, if you don't pay for something, you don't value it. If you don't pay for something, you don't value, you don't value it. Um, and so if you don't put your house, don't say don't put your house before God's house. Um, because if you value something, you will, if you if you if you value something, you'll pay for it. So if we value God's house, we value the ministry, we value the kingdom, we'll find that we are actually heavily involved in that. And it takes selfless thinking. You can't think about you and think about myself, only myself and myself. No, you must think selfless. Uh, we should we should all share together. You we need to be selfless, not thinking about ourselves, but thinking about everybody, the kingdom of God, think about your family, think about how you can be used, how you can help the nation. We need to be selfless in our thinking. And that's one of our prayers this morning as we pray for our country, as for our nation, we really, really need to pray that God will give us selfless leaders. There's nothing bad than you get selfish people in leadership. People that think about themselves. And when they finish thinking about themselves, they think about their own family, then finish thinking about their own family, think about their own tribe. When they finish thinking about their own tribe, they think about their own region. Then by the time they feel thinking about their region, they will by the time they think about other people, it is just too late down the food. We need to pray that God will give us selfless leaders, um, selfless leaders who don't think about themselves, but who think about the nation, who think about the country. It's pointless. It's absolutely pointless to have a kind of 10% or 5% who are millionaires, surrounded by poverty, surrounded by poor people who are struggling, um, they can't afford anything. You put up a big hotel, they can't afford to come there uh and and you and eat it, eat it there. You put up um a big uh you know, factory they can't afford what you are producing. It is absolutely madness. People that have gone, communities that have gone and advanced, they uplift everybody so that people are buying power. We kill poverty. It's good, it's okay for all of us to have. Um, you know, that is progress. Um, not um uh but it takes selfless, it takes selfless leaders to think about uplifting everybody, not about themselves. So anyway, I pray that the Lord will help us uh as we as we journey as a nation. And then number nine, don't think receiving, think giving. Don't think receiving, think giving. You talk about killing the poverty mindset here. Don't think receiving, think giving. Uh receiving doesn't help you, giving is the answer. In Luke chapter 15, verses 16 to 17, the Bible says he longed to fill his stomach with pods. The pods of the pigs we are eating. This is the prodigal son, but no one gave him anything. When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare? And here I am starving to death. You know, when people are giving you things, you don't come to your senses. When people, when you're you're receiving, when you're giving, you're giving, they never come to their senses. But the Bible says, when he came to his senses, when no one gave him anything, he longed to fill his stomach with even what the pigs were eating, and even that what the pigs were eating, no one was willing to give him. No one gave him anything. Then the Bible says when he came to his senses. So sometimes um our giving things uh to people makes them not come to their senses. So when people don't give you, when the people are giving you stuff, you don't come to your senses. That's a very important point that I'm putting across here. Um, because money will never be enough until you change your thinking. This boy came back to his senses when nobody could give him anything, and sometimes that's what we need to do with some people. You know, give them nothing, they'll come to their senses. Uh same amen. Everything starts with uh with thinking, and then number 10 or number nine, don't think stingy, be generous. Proverbs 28, 22. The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them. The stingy, they are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them. Stinginess. Stiness is that thing of all. Um, you know, another, you know, in my place, there's a time when there's a story that was told. I don't know how true it was. This woman was cooking sweet potatoes in the evening. I know sweet potatoes was a delicacy uh those days um in our place. And then it's in the evening, they're cooking sweet potatoes, and everybody's looking forward to them being removed for them asked to even eat. Then somebody knocks to enter the house. And then when he knocks to enter the house, oh, he came and he sat down. And there are these people who, you know, these unannounced visitors who just come visiting when nobody has invited them. And this guy comes, he sits, and they're hoping that the guy is going to go. So they keep adding water on these uh sweet potatoes, hoping that this guy will go. They kept adding water, adding water, but the guy is not going. He's just sitting, and the potatoes are they just keep adding water. They were hoping that the man will go, and the guy was like no going nowhere. By the time the man left, they up, you know, they checked in the pot, the entire sweet potatoes were all now uh, of course, watery, they could not eat them. You know, stintiness, stinginess will force you to do foolish things. Um stinginess will make you hide things when visitors come. Stinginess will make you run away. And you know, uh when people enter in a in a matato, you are like, oh my god, I'm gonna pay for him. Or I'm gonna pay for his face. Stinginess is a bad is a bad thing. Don't be stingy. Be uh generous. Stingy are eager to take the rich and they are unaware that poverty awaits them. So don't hold on to stuff you won't prosper. Number 11, don't think survival, think risk and dreams.

Dream Big And Think River

SPEAKER_01 44:33

Don't think survival. Think risk and dreams. Start thinking, dreaming big about what you want to be one day. If you're whatever you are and you want to get out of that place every morning, start thinking, dreaming, thinking big. I know we talked about it in our 30-day challenge. Uh very powerful because we don't want to think survival, we want to think risk and dreams. And finally, number 12, or number 11, or number 10. Don't think pie. Think a river mindset. You know, people think that wealth is a pie, so it needs to be shared. So you can't cut pieces, you know, pieces and everyone got a piece and a piece. No, don't think don't have a pie mindset. Think of a river mindset. A river means um, you know, don't think someone else has got your peace. Or you know, you think that oh, somebody's all in my peace, and so I need to fight to get that peace. But a river means you know, dip yourself in the river. In river is a what is flowing, there's water flowing. Just dip yourself there, go as deep as you want. Um, you know, dip yourself there with your idea. There's enough for everybody, it's like a sea. Also, dip yourself in the sea. You can take as much as you want. Um, it's there, it's available. Um, because if you think it's a child, then you think someone has got your share. You think you have to take for you to become wealthy, you have to take from somebody. No, no, no. Think like a river or a sea, just dip yourself there. There's enough for everybody.