Friday Fight 135: Rich or Poor?

Every Friday, when I wake and pray, God places something on my heart to help me fight darkness beginning in our minds. Today is FF135.

How many times throughout our lives have we wished we were rich? Perhaps various things come to mind when we hear someone talk about whatever it means to fill this category. Does this statement include images of a tropical island or a luxurious house? Or does it mean we are free from debt, have endless closet space, or drive an expensive car? If we consider our definition of being wealthy, we must also consider our perception of being poor.

Rich or Poor?

What are our guidelines when defining being rich or poor? These terms cover many large areas, but what are we wishing for when we dream of being rich? Speaking along those lines, how do we define being poor? Is it when debt is high, health is challenged, or the house is empty? We could accurately describe these words regarding our financial stability, but how we apply them can also hurt us in ways we do not realize. Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it” which references our wealth being of God and from God as opposed to other things.

Let's look at different scenarios and how the answer to this question can impact God's purpose in our lives. Suppose our credit card has reached an amount that leaves us unable to pay the balance. How do we feel about ourselves? Some of us are slightly bothered, and others suddenly insist we are too broke to join friends for dinner. Our mindset begins to change if we envision our lives as deficient because of something we lack or cannot do.

What happens when our version of poor changes the adjective poor into the adverb poorly, and we attach this word to ourselves? These thoughts can take a toll on our spiritual lives. Without being aware, we suddenly feel God cannot use us. We contribute this to areas of our lives we have defined, and suddenly, we cannot be used by God because we can't envision our lives as anything but poor. But being poor can quickly become looking poorly at ourselves.

What if we looked at being rich or wealthy in terms of having a relationship with Christ, being restored, physically healed, or feeling the fullness of God each day? Maybe being rich is better applied to the spiritual inheritance we leave to our children, allowing them to see us pray and seek God first in every situation. If we change our mindset to focus only on the spiritual side, our meaning of being poor can never transcend what we are doing poorly. Instead, we are focused on what we can do because of our relationship with God, changing our mindset from self advertisement to self reflection. Finding our wealth in the gift of eternal life means focusing on something other than luxuries or lack of these things in this life. It also means that any perceived failure we have labeled ourselves with does not diminish our faith.

Let's redefine our idea of being rich or poor and not apply it to situations we are experiencing now or things with no eternal value. Our character is revealed when we count our blessings instead of relying upon material things. Let's be excited about the spiritual wealth we leave to future generations through our decisions about what we value. We can all look at our lives and see things we are grateful for, wealth we have yet to define.

Pastor Shannon