The Poverty Mindset

THE POVERTY MIND-SET

Simply put, being poor is not having enough food, clothing, and shelter for your family. It is an urgent unmet need for more money and material possessions.

Being poor can also be described as being without a dream that will take you out of poverty.

One false concept is that poverty has some mysterious refining qualities. Some believe that it is spiritual to be poor. That is not the way God lives and neither does He want us to live that way. Just look how He blessed Abraham. The Bible teaches us that we are to emulate and exceed the blessings of Abraham.

There are some things you should know about poverty from the Word of God. Take a bit of advice from one of the richest men who ever lived. That person is none other than King Solomon.

1. Poverty will attack you

Proverbs 6:11 - Then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

2. Poverty will destroy you

Proverbs 10:15 - The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their destruction.

3. Poverty thrives on ignorance

Proverbs 13:18 - Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuses instruction: but he that regards reproof shall be honored.

Unemployment leads to poverty

Proverbs 14:23 - Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty.

4. Too much sleep leads to poverty

Proverbs 20:13 - If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat.

5. Poverty will limit your circle of friends

Proverbs 19:4 - Wealth makes many friends; poverty drives them all away.

6. Get-rich-quick schemes lead to poverty

Proverbs 21:5 - The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.

7. Fantasizing about wealth leads to poverty

Proverbs 28:19 - A hard worker has plenty of food, but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

8. Failure to give will lead to poverty

Proverbs 11:24 - There is that scatters and yet increases; and there is one that withholds more than is meet, but it tends to poverty.

LACK OF VISION

Poverty is a mind-set. If you can understand poverty as a mind-set that is created by lots of experiences, you’ll have a better chance of making an impact on your situation. The problem is not money and you must understand that more money will not solve the problem.

Over time, poverty creates a mind-set, and certain beliefs about self and the world that limits our

The cause of poverty is not a lack of money.

Many think that the cause of poverty is a lack of money. The lack of money can actually be a result of an action that causes poverty. The real cause of one living in poverty is a person's attitude and belief system. If an individual is brought up around poverty beliefs and poverty behavior, their mind-set can become the same.

Many people will use the excuse that they are in a negative situation because of the environment where they were born or raised. They are convinced that they are where they are today because of where they were yesterday.

That in many ways is true, but that does not have to be your future if you begin to make the right choices today. It starts with dealing with a poverty mentality.

Your poverty mind-set keeps you stuck where you are. You must become so desperate for change that you will change. That will start with your mind-set.

A poverty mind-set can manifest itself in a lack of vision for the future. You may end up stuck in a financial rut, perhaps working a job that barely meets the financial needs of your household. When you lack vision, it’s hard for you to break out and venture into new things or to believe that God would give you an idea to take your household to prosperity.

Wealth or poverty is something that resides within. Poverty is a state of mind and about perspective and not always about money. It is a fear of never having enough. To break that state of mind we have to make different choices and unlock the shackles that have been placed on our minds by our parents and the society around us. Our beliefs about how the world works is passed down from generation to generation.

People may say that they want to be wealthy, however a mind-set that is set for poverty cannot handle a sudden increase in wealth. God is the source of all wealth, blessings and riches, but these things can only be accessed by the mind.

Have you ever wondered why so many of those who win the lottery quickly end up poorer than they started? It’s because they have a poverty mind-set instead of a wealth mind-set. Being wealthy is not just about earning more money and similarly being poor is not just about having a low income or being unlucky. It has its root in the mind.