The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty Part 1

January 19, 2023

The Spiritual Laws of God-Poverty-Part 1

Who does the spiritual laws of poverty affect?

God’s law in regards to poverty is going to affect every human being whether you are a believer of a non-believer. We all want to live a comfortable life where we have food on the table, clothes on our back, and the bills paid. Unfortunately, that is not always the case for a lot of people in the world including many of God’s people. The will of God is for us to live a life in abundance not struggling to make ends meet, John 10:10.

One of the things that tend to get us in trouble is that we strive to live above our means. That saying “keeping up with the Joneses,” is something that you live by in your everyday life because material wealth is how you display your worth. You don’t realize the repercussions of your superficiality until you’ve maxed out your credit cards and have debt piling up, but that’s ok because your hair and nails are done and your clothes is on point!

That is one of the easiest ways to invite poverty into your life because you are trying to live a life that you cannot afford. True happiness should come from within your heart; how you love the Lord, yourself, and others. Not, what you look like on the outside. God does not care about your outward appearance because His primary concern is your heart, 1 Samuel 16:7.

A verse of Scripture that describes how a child of God should view material things on earth is in Matthew 6:19-21. He states, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Here we can see that Matthew through the leading of the Holy Spirit is letting us know that we are not to overly concern ourselves with tangible things that you won’t take with you when you pass away. Instead we are to strive to build treasure in heaven that will be there even when we leave this earth and go to be with the Lord.

Another verse of Scripture that describes a lot of people living in the world today is 1 Timothy 6:10. It states, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”

Here we can see that Paul is pointing out that the “love” of money and not the money itself is the root of “all kinds of evil.” Notice how he is stating that it will lead to several different kinds of evil and not just one kind. Money will make people do some really crazy and wicked things because their hearts are not in the right place.

This is how we can get ourselves into trouble when it comes to the spiritual laws of poverty that is outlined in God’s Word. One of the main things that He calls us to do is to help the poor, the widow, and the less fortunate. You can’t genuinely do that if your love of money outweighs the love that you have for people.

As Christians in the Kingdom of God we are the salt of the world (Matthew 5:13) and the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). What that means is that we have to set an example for others that don’t know Jesus Christ what it looks like to be the salt or savor and the light in the midst of darkness. We are to be His vessels here on Earth radiating love for all human beings as He commands us to.

You don’t want to be the person who calls themselves a Christian but doesn’t tip the waitress, never helps a person that you see in need, and is always greedy with everything that you have. That will definitely ruin your witness as a believer of Jesus Christ.

The simple guide to use is to treat others as you would want to be treated. We have all been down on our luck when it comes to our finances, wouldn’t you want someone to give you a helping hand when you genuinely needed it? This goes back to the Spiritual law of reaping and sowing in my article: The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles.

Below I am going to go over two of God’s spiritual laws when it comes to poverty. When we learn to follow God’s ways of doing things He will provide you with a better life.

Proverbs 11:24-25

“There is one who scatters, yet increases more; And there is one who withholds more than is right, But it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, And he who waters will also be watered himself.”

The book of Proverbs written by King Solomon, a wise man, is saturated with amazing insight and revelation when it comes to the Lord’s spiritual rules and regulations. God is revealing to us in these verses of Scripture how to refrain from living a life of poverty. He is basically saying that one who “scatters” which is the Hebrew word pâzar which means to disperse or give out, will receive an increase.

In other words if you are one that is not stingy with your money and you are more than willing to help those around you the Lord will make sure that you see a surge in your finances. Even though you are giving out what you have it will seem as if you are getting a double portion from what you had to begin with.

Your natural mind will not be able to comprehend how this is happening because it has to do with the spiritual law that the Lord has put into place when it comes to poverty. He will replenish every bit of what you give in such a great way you won’t be able to deny that it is coming from Him.

A lot of us don’t have any extra money to give whatsoever; I mean our budgets are so tight that we can barely pay our own bills. People that have a lack of money are not excluded from helping others. He expects us to be willing to help our brothers and sisters with whatever they may need if we can.

In Deuteronomy 15:7-8 Moses writes, “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”

That last part of verse of Scripture is stating “whatever he needs,” meaning if they need some advice, a ride to work if you can provide them with one, or even some encouragement when they seem down, if they need you to pray for them and with them, etc. The bottom line is whatever you are doing to help; you want to make sure that it is coming straight from your heart. The Lord will reward you because He searches the condition of your heart, 1 Samuel 16:7.

Proverbs 28:27

“He who gives to the poor will not lack, But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.”

Here is another powerful Scripture out of the book of Proverbs describing another one of the Lord’s spiritual laws when it comes to poverty. King Solomon is describing the outcome of those that are willing to give to the poor, they will not lack. Of course you also want to have some discernment regarding who you are giving your money and time to. There are a lot of people that try to get over on others by begging continually but never attempting to better themselves.

Unfortunately none of us have a radar detector that goes off when someone is lying or taking advantage of us but we do have the Spirit of God living on the inside of us. You need the Holy Spirit to be your guide and as you listen to the voice of the Lord He will put an urge in your spirit when He wants you to help someone out. It is then up to you whether or not you are obedient to what He is asking you to go.

The way that I know when the Holy Spirit wants me to help a person that is down on their luck is I will feel a strong urge to do so that doesn’t easily go away. That is a clear indicator that the Lord is nudging me to assist that person. You also have to be cautious that you are helping them and not enabling them to stay in that adverse condition.

The main thing is just to be led by the Lord because He will let you know what you need to do in every circumstance. He will also send opportunities your way so that you can bless another person and in turn get blessed in the process. For instance: A friend sends you a message out of the blue letting you know that they’ve hit a hard time in their life and just need some cash to help them get through. If you know you have it and it is just extra funds that you can afford to spare, do it! The Lord will reward you tremendously for your obedience to His Word.

When we analyze the second part of this Scripture in Proverbs it states, “…But he who hides his eyes will have many curses.” In other words is you see a person that authentically needs help and you know that you can assist but you completely look the other way, the outcome will not go well for you. The Lord takes His Word very seriously.

You won’t understand what is happening, every time you get money stacked in your bank account, without fail something happens like car trouble, a water leak, unforeseen bills, and it puts you right back where you started. Not only are you engaging in the spiritual law of poverty but you are also engaging in the spiritual law of sowing and reaping.

I say it almost every time in every one of my articles, it is critical to get into the Word of God and study it, learn it, and apply it to your life. It would prevent so many adverse situations from happening in your life had you just studied to understand the Lord’s principles on how we should live. The good news is that you have a Helper, the Holy Spirit who will lead you and guide you. He will never steer you down the wrong path.

We have to remember that we are vessels to be used by God for God. Galatians 2:20 breaks it down perfectly when the Apostle Paul writes, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

When people see us they need to see Christ living on the inside of us. You want to ask yourself “what would Jesus do?” I know it sounds so cliché but it is so true. That is literally how you need to view situations, as a believer of Jesus Christ. You might be the only one that another person will ever come in contact with that can share His amazing love. That includes helping those that truly need it!

Conclusion

There are so many spiritual laws scattered throughout the entire Bible pertaining to poverty. If the Lord didn’t feel like it was of significance He wouldn’t have mentioned it so many times in so many different places. Human beings in general matter to God and He wants to make sure that the ones that don’t know Him can still feel His amazing love.

As Christians we are the ones that can make that happen by having the heart and mind of Christ. I try my very best to try to help others as often as I can when I can. One of the things that I do when I’m helping another person financially, in prayer, or even just being a listening ear is I tell them how much God loves them.

When people are really going through it, they often feel distant from the Lord or they don’t think that He cares for them because of their circumstance. That is far from the truth, God is absolute love. We need to be the ones as the light and the salt of the world to be there for the ones that are overlooked, the ones that are ignored, and the ones that just need a helping hand.

The fact of the matter is that every single of us has needed assistance at one time or another and the Lord sent someone your way to help you in your time of need. All He is asking us to do is to treat others as you would want to be treated and nothing but good things will be given back to you!

Other blogs pertaining to this topic are:

The Spiritual Laws of God-Restoration

The Spiritual Laws of God-The General Principles

The Spiritual Laws of God-The Power of Your Tongue!

The Spiritual Laws of God-Having an Understanding

The Power of Your To ngue

Proverb Scriptures that will Help You Tame Your Tongue!

Proverbs Scriptures Designed for a Queen!

Proverbs Scriptures that you need in your life Right Now!

3 Powerful Reminders that you need in your Life Now!

How to Build Your Confidence!

5 Words That Will Help Keep You Positive!