We will be looking at various scriptures to answer the question put forward above by saying YES poverty is a spirit from Satan. It is a spirit that comes to steal, kill and destroy.
Having worldly materials, riches and wealthy does not mean you are rich – instead all worldly materials are vanities.
You may have worldly riches but be poor – have the spirit of poverty
A person may be lacking worldly riches but be rich – not have the spirit of poverty.
Jesus lacked worldly riches when He was on earth but He was the richest on earth
Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head. (Mt 8:20)” (NLT)
The Apostles lacked worldly riches but they were rich
Apostle John in Patmos lacked worldly riches but he was rich
The rich fool in the parable (Lk 12:16-21) had worldly riches but poor and a fool. See parable of the rich fool
How do you know you have the spirit of poverty?
Poverty – How to Know You Have the Spirit of Poverty
A person with spirit of poverty is;
1. Not content and not satisfied
A person with the spirit of poverty is not content and not satisfied with what they have.
If they have a house, they want another; a car they want another; even before using money in their hands to completion, they want more; have a husband or wife but want other/more men and women, etc.
Dissatisfaction and discontentment is a spirit of Satan, a sign of spirit of poverty and a rebellious spirit against God – for Jesus Christ is a God of contentment
Heb 13:5 …be content with what you have
1Tm 6:7-9: For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing with these we shall be content. But they that desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Every person not content and not satisfied perishes if not delivered
2. Seeking more and more
Because they are not satisfied and content, these people with spirit of poverty are always looking for more and more
When they get a job, immediately they start looking for another job
When they get a house, immediately they start looking for another
When they get a car, immediately they start looking for another
When they buy a phone, immediately they start looking for another
Always running after money, money, money and worldly riches and like their forefathers, grandfathers, mothers, etc, they likewise die in poverty yet spent their life running after these vanities
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Mt 6:21)
Their treasure is in worldly materials, riches and wealth and that is where their heart is not in Jesus Christ – do not let their mouths and lips lie to you
They desire riches, a road to destruction and perdition (1 Tim 6:7-9)
No person after worldly materials and riches inherits heaven – it is either you are after Jesus Christ or after worldly materials and you cannot seek both for you will lose one for the other (Mt 6:24)
One thing Jesus told me years back is, ‘do not seek these things, seek Me and all these things will seek you. If you seek them they will keep fleeing from you’
Years later, I can testify this is the TRUTH.
3. Love storing (accumulating)
Spirit of poverty leads people to accumulating – storing.
Their treasure, their wealth is in the store, in banks, etc, and there is where their heart is – not in Jesus Christ (Mt 6:21)
A poor man accumulates and stores but a rich man’s resources get in getting out.
A rich man will have a million dollars now but the next second it is all gone but when a poor man gets a million dollars he stores to pluck little by little.
When river waters are blocked from flowing in and out a river, the waters create another route cutting feeding the river and the river dries up or becomes breeding ground for filthiness.
When waters of a lake are cut from flowing out, the lake becomes filthy and breeding ground of filthiness.
And so is a human. When worldly materials are cut from flowing out, a person becomes filthy and wicked or the resources dry up.
Please note we are not against been rich, it must be the scriptural way anything short of that you in poverty.
In 3 John 2:5 says Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth
Every person you see whose work is to accumulate, accumulate, storing and storing for him/herself is a person with a spirit of poverty
They accumulate cars, houses, lands, money in the banks, clothes, things they have no need of today. They are fools like the rich fool in the parable.
And when they have stored plenty, God calls them fools and kills them and He takes those riches and gives to His own
Eccl 2:26: For God gives to a man that is good in His sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner He gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that He may give to him that is good before God.
If you are gathering and heaping (storing) you are a sinner … to the sinner He gives travail, to gather and to heap up – be delivered when you are still alive on earth
When you die accumulating and storing like the rich fool in the parable, you perish – go to hell
Look at the things with you you do not need now or you do not use, like cloths, foods, shoes, phones, cars, etc, and give them out to the needy – stop accumulating and storing
4. Stingy – cannot minister to Jesus Christ
True Bride of Christ ministers to Jesus Christ by helping the needy (Mt 25:33-46)
People with spirit of poverty are stingy – do not minister to Jesus Christ. But how can they minister to Jesus Christ when they want more and more to themselves and accumulate storing and storing?
And if they just help the needy a little, they want the whole world to know
A wise man invests in people but a fool accumulates and stores for him/herself
These are people whose self has not died – they may claim to be in Jesus Christ but in reality they are not.
If self has not died in you, you cannot be a bride of Christ, walk in His way obeying His commandments.
5. Worry
People with spirit of poverty are always worried about tomorrow. Everything they do is because of their worry of tomorrow.
Their accumulating, seeking more and more and storing is all because of their worry of tomorrow.
They are always worried about their stores, bank accounts, lands, cars, houses, clothes, shoes, phones, etc, because their treasure is there and thus their hearts
Worry of tomorrow is a spirit contrary to Jesus Christ
Mt 6:34: Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Worry steals peace – takes away the Holy Spirit. A person who lives in worry of tomorrow cannot meditate the Word of God.
6. Their happiness and joy is depended on worldly materials
People with spirit of poverty, their happiness and joy is depended on material things – the material things control their happiness and joy
Bride of Christ happiness and joy is in the Holy Spirit (fruits of the Holy Spirit) not depended on material things and worldly riches.
7. Love bragging and showing-off
Spirit of poverty loves bragging and showing-off – it is pride
The rich never show-off but a poor person brags and shows-off his/her poverty
Bride of Christ are humble with no pride – they do not brag and show-off
8. Love begging and borrowing
Spirit of poverty leads people to begging and borrowing – makes people beggars and borrowers.
A beggar is an unrighteous person for David said,
Psalms 37:25: I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his children begging bread
Seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all will be added to you (Mt 6:33) thus you will stop begging
Majority of today people preaching and so-called men and women of God are beggars; begging using the name of Jesus – they are unrighteous
Bride of Christ does not borrow but spirit of poverty is a borrowing spirit
Deut 15:6: For the LORD your God blesses thee, as He promised thee: and you shall lend unto many nations, but you shall not borrow
Loans are for beggars and borrowers not Bride of Christ
For a borrower is a slave to the lender (Prov 7:22) but we in Jesus Christ are slaves of righteousness bought with a price
1 Cor 7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men
If you have a loan or love taking loans, your ways are far from Jesus Christ – repent.
Living through loans is living a lie, is being a liar and liars will all perish.
Borrowing, begging, loans is a bondage and captivity which many need deliverance from for them to become lenders and minister to Jesus Christ. A beggar and borrower cannot minister to Jesus by helping the needy.
And the most foolish thing I have seeing is people taking loans and tithing loans.
9. Envy and covetous
People with spirit of poverty are envious and covetous loving competition.
If they see you with a new car, they want like yours or better than yours
If they see with a new phone, they go to buy like yours or better than yours
They want everything they see and better than others – it is a spirit of poverty
10. Controlled by material possessions
People with spirit of poverty are controlled by material possessions and riches.
They work hard to be rich and possess material wealth – hard work makes no man rich, it is God who blesses making a person rich. Everything they do be it being married or marrying is for money, material gain, etc.
When in one job they hear of another job paying more, they run to seek that other job – they do not even seek Jesus Christ to hear from Him about it
When they are in one business and they hear selling this and that is profitable, they run to sell that without even seeking to hear from Jesus Christ
They are controlled by material possessions.
Bride of Christ on earth is controlled by Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit not by material possession.
11. Mindful of worldly things not things of God
Spirit of poverty is a spirit mindful of things of the world not of God for it is a spirit of Satan and so are people with this spirit (Mt 16:23)
12. Their value is in their worldly material possessions
A poor person’s wealthiness or value is in the worldly material possession s/he has – reason they are stingy and love accumulating and storing
These are the people with material wealth but diseases and sicknesses eating them away slowly to death spending every wealth they have in hospitals – it is poverty
They have material wealth but do not sleep, lack happiness, joy – it is poverty
You have material wealth but marriage has fled from you, you are lonely – you are poor
You have material wealth but in addictions, having sex with demons at night, etc, – you are poor.
A rich person is a person who is free from sicknesses and diseases, torments and afflictions, storing his/her treasures in heaven, ministering to Jesus Christ by helping the needy, content and satisfied (with food, clothing and shelter for that is contentment …and having food and clothing with these we shall be content), and having Jesus Christ dwelling in him/her
Having material possessions does not mean you are rich neither lacking them mean you are poor but having Jesus Christ the creator dwelling in you is richness for everything you need in His Will He creates.
These are just some examples which reveal a person with the spirit of poverty. Evaluate yourself if you have the spirit of poverty or not.
Everything of the spirit of poverty is against God – it rebels God, His ways and commands and no one with spirit of poverty inherits heaven. When it comes to choosing between material wealth and Jesus Christ, a person with spirit of poverty chooses material possessions. Reason many women today are choosing careers, jobs, employment, money not marriage. Spiritual husband and wife comes with the spirit of poverty. See how to know you have a spiritual husband and wife
You need deliverance from the spirit of poverty. Ask Jesus Christ for your deliverance for if you die in that spirit, you will perish.
Your forefathers, grandfathers, grandmothers, even your own parents, siblings died seeking material things and riches and they are in hell – do you want also to perish like them?
Jesus is coming soon.
Remain bless.
