Book club: Prosperous Soul Foundations
Breaking Poverty
Greetings Prosperous Souls,
In my journey as a financial counselor, I’ve uncovered a crucial aspect of poverty—synergies. Synergies are demonic strongholds that form when mindsets, powers, and systems interact. But what are these ingredients of poverty?
Poverty mindsets are the money lies we tell ourselves.
Poverty powers are the demonic spirits that influence our habits and conditions.
Poverty systems are the substandard economic models that keep us trapped in bondage.
An example of a poverty synergy is someone’s mindset being influenced by demonic broadcasts. In such a case, the person buys into thoughts like Things will never work or Trying is hopeless. If left unchecked, this negativity creates a poverty attitude, which must be dismantled quickly.
Understanding Synergies
In my experience, I’ve identified four poverty synergies:
Powers + Mindsets: Demonic beliefs that influence unhealthy attitudes.
Mindsets + Systems: Poverty mindsets reinforced by ineffective economic systems.
Systems + Powers: Corrupt economic systems bolstered by demonic influence.
All four parts converging into a poverty trap: A stronghold where demonic voices, destructive mindsets, and broken economic systems keep people static.
Strategies for Healing
We can combat these synergies by using tools from Paul’s teaching on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13–20):
Systems are overcome by replacing worldly economies with those of the kingdom of God.
Powers are overcome by binding and loosing (Matthew 10:8, 16:19, 17:19), godly speech (Colossians 4:6), and worship (Colossians 3:16).
Mindsets are overcome by exchanging deeply held lies with biblical truth (Hebrews 4:12).
Traps are overcome by becoming Prosperous Souls, active and effective in righteous and holy lifestyles.
Breaking Poverty Mindsets
Breaking poverty is crucial. The first step to doing so is displacing its mindset.
The poverty mindset isn’t a demon, so it can’t be cast out. But we can displace it with God’s truth.
To start this process, meditate on the verses below:
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” - Philippians 4:13
“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” - Colossians 1:13
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” - 2 Timothy 1:7
“If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” - Romans 10:9
A Prayer for Freedom
We’ll dive deeper into how to break free from poverty’s grip in today’s pre-recorded video. Here’s a prayer to get you started:
“Father God, I confess the presence of a beggary attitude in my heart, speech, and thinking. I understand this is not from You and You do not author such things. I repent for allowing this lie into my life and ask You to break it forever now, in Jesus’ name. As You bring these things to mind, however and whenever they occurred inside me, I forgive and release each person involved. I believe You are a Giver of good gifts. I ask for a Prosperous Soul and embrace that gift. I call it mine. Thank You, Father, for loving me like You loved Your Son, Jesus. I ask You to seal this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
No Live Meeting Today
Dawna and I are flying back from Argentina, so there’s no meeting this afternoon. Instead, I’ve uploaded a pre-recorded session, which you can access below. Download my free handout here. I’ll see you next week!
View Today’s Lesson
In today’s lesson, we dive into poverty synergies. To combat these strategies, we must employ the armor of God (Ephesians 6:13–20). Let’s dive into Scripture’s wisdom and break free from poverty!
God bless your Prosperous Soul,
Stephen K. De Silva
About: Stephen K. De Silva is an author, speaker, and financial mentor. From 1995 until 2017, he served as the CFO of Bethel Church, and a member of the senior leadership team. Stephen’s blend of experience, training, and gifting make him a pioneer in the subject of money. You can reach Stephen at hello@prosperoussoul.com