How to discern a poverty spirit
The poverty mindset can be crafty.
The other day, someone called me up and asked if we could do a session. As we dug around, we found an unhealthy belief system (a lie) deep inside his heart that was creating what appeared to be unrelated behaviors.
That’s something we need to understand about a poverty mindset: the behaviors it produces aren’t always obvious. They don’t come with big signs that say, “I’m a poverty mindset!”
It’s possible for a money lie to emerge as a seemingly unrelated behavior.
Here’s an example: I’ve seen people give money away because of poverty. On the surface, it can seem like generosity. “This person is giving. That’s great!” But they’re actually reacting out of poverty, not out of a generous spirit.
The wrong lens can distort what we see and how we think just enough that we begin to walk out some really unhealthy patterns. In our hearts, we want to be generous, good, godly people—but if we believe lies, we can find ourselves walking out our poverty in unexpected ways. The lies can produce some unlikely behaviors.
How can we tell when a certain behavior is actually a poverty spirit at work?
The key is the Holy Spirit.
We need Him to probe down inside us and show us what’s going on. That is the Holy Spirit’s job. It isn’t my job, not even when someone comes to me for a Financial Sozo—we need the Holy Spirit.
If you have noticed an odd behavior in your life, and you’re not sure where it’s coming from, here are 3 things you can do:
1. Ask the Holy Spirit what is going on “under your hood.”
2. If He identifies something inside you that does not agree with the gospel of peace, take care of it right away. Do not tolerate the poverty mindset. Go after it like a hunter.
3. Learn to see the world through the lens of adoption, not orphanhood. This is the gospel.
The truth is, we have a Father and He is helping us. As we assault the poverty spirit with the gospel of peace, many things inside us are healed, and we realize at a new level what it means to be a child of this gracious, generous, loving God who has no lack.