4 More Huge FAQs About the Poverty Spirit

Hey beloveds,

We’re continuing to answer questions about the poverty spirit today, in addition to the 10 FAQs we already answered. These are not all the FAQs yet, but there are some huge ones below.

Are you ready? Here goes!

1. How do you get rid of the poverty spirit?

I talked a lot about this over in my article about 7 signs of a spirit of poverty. But, it bears repeating.

First, Poverty impacts your whole life. It impacts your finances, your standard of living, your health (including your mental health), your ability to raise your children, your level of opportunity, and so much more. Poverty impacts all these things negatively.

Walking in prosperity has just as much as an impact on your entire life–but for the positive. Money simply impacts everything; that’s one of the reasons that God told us in Ecclesiastes 10:19 that money answers all things.

Because your financial situation–whether prosperity or poverty–impacts absolutely everything in your life, in order to get OUT of poverty, you need to give the situation the attention it deserves.

In other words, pay attention to your finances–and to achieving financial change–in direct proportion to your finances’ importance in your life.

That means, you might want to put some (or most) other things aside for awhile, so you and your family can work with God on your finances.

Also, remember that prosperity requires:

  • Revelation;
  • Obedience; and
  • Spiritual warfare.

So, in order to move from poverty into prosperity, you need to attack all three of these things at once. The path to financial rebirth outlined below does these things.

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Here are the steps you’ll need to take to see financial transformation:

  1. Verbally renounce the spirit of poverty and everything it teaches.
  2. Verbally confess to the Lord, and repent, for any area in which you have agreed with the spirit of poverty instead of agreeing with God’s truth. (Jesus will forgive you immediately according to 1 John 1:9.)
  3. Verbally command that spirit of poverty to leave you in Jesus’ name, and to never return.
  4. START NOW to renew your mind with the truth about how MUCH God wants to prosper you IN ALL AREAS, especially money.
  5. Win the spiritual battle over your finances by:
  6. Educate yourself aggressively about what God says regarding money. Search your life, finances, and habits to see where your life needs to align with His Word. Decide to implement His Lordship in all of those areas, even if you need to make some challenging decisions.
  7. At the same time, prioritize your spending using the technique I describe later on in this post.
  8. Then allocate the money you have available based on those priorities. When the money is gone, stop spending.
  9. Throw dynamite in your log-jam. (Explanation below.)

Related: Get my free ebook, 15 Prayers for Financial Increase, when you sign up for free email updates from our financial/wealth/health/home blog, Over Not Under.

Because the area of personal finance has SUCH a huge impact on your life, it’s not unreasonable to begin now and dedicate an entire year to changing your habits exclusively. If you will dedicate an entire year to this, then during that year you will make a lot of progress.

After that first year, you will want to keep making progress as fast as you can–but you will have started transforming your life already, so it will have become your habit (if you stick with it for a year). And, when things become habit, they flow better.

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How to educate yourself regarding money:

Read books. Listen to podcasts and talk radio shows. I recommend Dave Ramsey–both his talk radio show and all the books he has written. Get them all and do what he says.

Also, I highly recommend Crown Financial Ministries and the work of their founder, Larry Burkett. Read books about money by Larry Burkett, Ron Blue, and any number of other Christian authors. Devour all the books about money that you can.

How to prioritize your spending:

  1. Make a list of every asset you own and how much it’s worth. For example:
    • Your home;
    • Your vehicle;
    • Jewelry;
    • Collectibles;
    • Other valuable items, such as guns;
    • Your savings account;
    • Your retirement account;
    • Your checking account; etc.
  2. Make another list of everything you OWE, and how much you owe on each one. For example:
    • Mortgages;
    • Lines of credit;
    • Liens on your home or assets;
    • Credit card debts;
    • Medical debts;
    • Bankruptcy arrangements that you’re paying down;
    • Money owed to other people;
    • School or other student loans;
    • Vehicle loans;
    • Loans for toys, such as motorcycles, jet skis, or jewelry; etc.
  3. On another sheet of paper, write down how much you earn and how often you earn it (monthly, weekly, etc.).
    • Write down both your gross pay and your net pay.
    • (“Gross” is the entire amount your employer paid on your behalf, even though some of it typically gets sent to the government on your behalf for taxes. “Net” pay is what you bring home after taxes and other withholdings. Think “I bring money home in a net.”)
  4. Make a list of your monthly expenses. Your expenses could include things like:
    • Tithe;
    • Offerings;
    • Rent or mortgage payments;
    • Telephone;
    • Internet;
    • Electricity;
    • Water;
    • Public transportation expenses, such as tube or bus fares;
    • Health insurance, if your health insurance premiums are not withheld from your paycheck;
    • Life insurance;
    • Car insurance;
    • Groceries;
    • Entertainment;
    • Gasoline;
    • Medical and dental expenses;
    • Debt payments, such as for car loans or credit cards;
    • Clothing;
    • Haircuts;
    • Miscellaneous spending money;
    • Pet expenses if you have pets;
    • Savings, including retirement savings;
    • Car maintenance/repairs;
    • Home maintenance;
    • Vacation expenses;
    • Gifts; and
    • Taxes, if your taxes are not withheld from your paycheck.
  5. Write down how much each expense in #8 costs, and how often you have to pay for it. For example:
    • Rent is monthly, but haircuts may not be.
    • Your pet may only incur veterinary expenses once a year. If that’s the case, divide the estimated cost by the number of pay periods between now and when you’ll need that money.
  6. Now write down your expenses in order of importance. A few tips/reminders:
    • I have a free, easy and simple Excel worksheet here on Over Not Under that works perfectly for this. Download it instantly! It’s super-simple and it will help you!
    • Remember that essentials, like utilities, housing, and food come before vacations, clothing, and credit cards!
    • Be very objective about the importance of certain things that carry emotional ties. Spending money on gifts, for example, is NOT necessary, ever! Fun, yes, but life will go on even if you do not spend money on gifts–even when you feel pressured to give them! It’s okay to be creative with your gifts. Give labor or a card or a craft project. Or, just let people know you’re not giving gifts this year. It’s oh-KAY. You’re getting out of poverty, remember? 🙂
  7. Next to each expense, write the amount you need to allocate toward that item from THE CASH YOU HAVE AVAILABLE NOW. (Not what you anticipate getting, but what you actually have.)
    • The first time you do this, write down how much money you have to allocate at the top of your list. Then, each time you write down an amount you’ll put toward a certain thing, write down how much that leaves you remaining to allocate.
    • Work your way down your list of expenses until the money reaches zero.
    • When the money reaches zero, STOP! Spend only that and don’t spend any more.
    • Do this every time you get paid from now on, except start with your net pay and allocate the paycheck. (Don’t try to re-allocate what you already allocated from the last check, even if you haven’t spent the $5 you are saving toward clothes yet.)

That’s how to prioritize your spending and how to get your spending under control.

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You have to tell your money where to go on paper before you have the opportunity to spend anything. Do this because money answers all things; and if you don’t tell it what to answer, it will run off and answer something you don’t want it to answer.

How to throw dynamite in your log-jam:

When rivers jam up with fallen trees, it creates a “log-jam.” The log-jam keeps the water from flowing. It is also very dangerous to people, both around it and downstream.

Watch this amazing video showing a huge log-jam, and the dynamiting thereof:

When I say to “dynamite your log-jam,” I am talking about taking very purposeful, practical, aggressive steps to improve your finances QUICKLY.

Things like:

  • Getting an additional job for a few months;
  • Cancelling your cable TV, gym membership, or anything else you can cancel;
  • Saying “no” to eating out for a few months;
  • Literally eating rice and beans and beans and rice (or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches) for awhile to save on grocery money;
  • Cancelling that vacation you had planned, and applying the money toward debt;
  • Selling your expensive car that’s keeping you in payments you can’t afford, and buying an old beater to get you around;
  • Putting the word out on Facebook that you and your spouse are looking to do odd jobs, like mowing lawns, babysitting, or cleaning houses, for a few months. Let your friends help you!

There are TONS of things you can do to dynamite your log-jam. Only you and God know YOUR budget and your expenditures. But whatever you can do, when you’re getting started, DO IT. Throw some dynamite in the log-jam of your finances.

2. I am turning 60 years old. Am I too old to get a part-time job?

Answer: No. You are still useful! Don’t let the enemy tell you you aren’t!

I have worked with many people whose most productive, most fulfilling years of work happen when other people tell them to retire. Checking out of life is NOT the way to happiness!

If you’re physically able to work in any capacity, I strongly encourage you to get a job if you need one. The standard definition of retirement–checking out of everything and sitting on your porch–isn’t in the Bible. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but the concept that people outlive their usefulness when they turn 60, 62, 65, 75, or any other age is not Biblical and is very bad indeed.

I would like to encourage you to get re-fired, instead of re-tired.

Second Thessalonians 3:10 says that, if anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. It seems to me that this supports your right to work as long as you need to. If you need additional income, grab yourself a part-time job within your physical capacity.

Whether that means babysitting, answering the phone, walking dogs, working in retail, being a receptionist, or anything else that strikes your fancy, just do it. If you need the income and are physically able, getting a job is just wisdom. Getting that part-time or even full-time job will keep you engaged in your life for a long time.

Side note: I worked in the disability rehabilitation industry nearly 15 years. What I saw during that time was that there are many companies who can and do hire older workers. Don’t sell yourself short thinking that nobody will hire you. That’s self-pity and poverty-thinking, and it’s a lie from the enemy designed to keep you poor. It’s just not true.

So, if you need a job, brush up your resume; brush up your interviewing skills; brush up your confidence; and put yourself out there. Believe God, and He will lead you into a blessing!

3. What if the money I have coming in just isn’t enough to pay the bills?

That is a great, practical question and it requires a practical answer. Here’s my two-fold answer:

If the current amount of money you have coming in isn’t enough to pay the bills, then you have one of two problems:

  1. Either you have too many bills; or
  2. You simply do have a cash flow problem.

If you have too many bills:

You might have a decent income, but too many bills. If this is the case, examine your spending.

Many people are poor not because they don’t earn enough, but because they spend too much. This is just so very practical, but it’s important. In order to break out of poverty, you MUST get a handle on your spending if you haven’t already.

Ask yourself questions like this:

  • How often do you purchase clothing?
  • Do you pay for cable TV?
  • How many debts do you have, and what is the amount of each one?
  • How often do you eat out?
  • How much do you spend on gifts, including Christmas gifts?
  • How much do you spend on vacations?

People who are well-off often buy clothes only 1-3 times per year. They purchase a few classic pieces that will last, and which will coordinate with everything else they already own.

Many people also go without cable TV. It’s not unheard of to do so. My husband and I do not have cable TV. We just can’t justify the expense. You have to pay money in order to waste time. How is that good? If you need to watch the news or whatever, network TV over the air is free. Reading the news over the internet is also cheaper. If cable TV is draining your finances, I encourage you to cut it out. You’ll be okay!

Also, how many debts do you have? Many people don’t know how much they owe or to whom.

How much do you spend on gifts? I know families that spend thousands of dollars on gifts at Christmas, then have to recover from it for the rest of the year.

However, I also know people who limit their Christmas spending to a low amount, such as $50. Honestly, the low spenders are just as happy as the high spenders, and they are a lot wealthier.

How much do you spend on vacations?

I know people who spend $10,000 on a vacation, and they’re poor. I also know people who spend just a few hundred dollars on a vacation. The frugal families have just as much fun, or more, as the spendy families.

How much are you spending?

If you have too many bills, cut back. Get rid of that gym membership, your cable TV, your $600/month car payment. Do you want toys, or do you want financial freedom? If you’re broke, you can’t have both toys and freedom at the same time. BUT, you can have financial freedom now and then get the toys later.

For a little perspective, read The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley. Do some research about how millionaires live. And if you want to be like them, do what they do.

You could also simply have a cash-flow problem.

Maybe you’re not overspending in any area. Maybe you just don’t have enough cash flow coming in.

Been there, done that.

So what do you do if you have a cash-flow problem? Well, here’s what I recommend:

  1. Throw some dynamite in that logjam. For a short period of time, put forth massive effort and tremendous sacrifice to earn as much extra money as you can, quickly. Get an extra job or even two extra jobs. Sell your stuff. whatever.
  2. Identify HOW MUCH money you’re missing each month. How much additional cash flow do you need in order to meet your bills each month?
  3. Figure out how you can increase your earnings on an ongoing basis. Do you need a better-paying job? Find one. Make finding a better job your second occupation until you have the job you need in hand. BE AGGRESSIVE about applying and interviewing for jobs.
  4. Start a side hustle business … and hustle it!

Beloveds, Jesus said that the violent take God’s Kingdom by force.

If you want something God has for you, you have to go after it. If you have a cash-flow problem, and you simply can’t pay the bills every month, break it down into little steps and go after the solution like crazy.

Too many of us are sitting at home on our blessed assurance, hoping more money will come in. Can it happen? Yes, but God’s Word says you need a storehouse to put it in. If you have no business, no job applications, no nothing that would help you bring in wealth, how exactly is God supposed to get that wealth to you? Sure, He could just have it show up on your doorstep, but that’s usually not how He works.

God values process more than He values instantaneous results. The PROCESS helps you grow. The process forces you to flex your spiritual, physical, and mental muscles. The process teaches you His ways, and the process builds your character.

He’s always about PROCESS. So, if you have too much month left at the end of the money, throw yourself into the process. You can do it. Increase your cash flow and decrease your spending. It will work when you work IT.

4. How can I get out of the poverty mindset?

By renewing your mind in God’s Word. Sit down with the Bible and Holy Spirit, and let Him teach you all things:

  • Let Him teach you things like how Jesus multiplied five barley loaves and two small fishes to feed 5,000 people (John 6).
  • Let Him teach you how He gives you power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).
  • Let Him teach you how people who make more money for Him get more reward (Matthew 25:14-30).
  • Let Him teach you about the end-times wealth transfer (Proverbs 13:22).
  • Let Him teach you about the physical provision He promises when you fast and pray (Joel 2:18-32).

That’ll blow the religious mindset, right there.

The simple fact is that, in the Bible, wealth is always a blessing and poverty is always a curse.

There is no middle ground. There is never a time, ever, when we should walk in lack. We should always have enough and to spare.

However, people will try to tell you otherwise. People who are in lack will usually want you to be in lack with them. Misery really does love company. So if you listen to people, and not to Holy Spirit, you’ll think the same poverty thoughts today that you thought yesterday.

So we have to wash our minds in what God’s Word really says, not in what people tell you it says or want you to believe.

Are we 100% there yet? Have we attained the level of provision that God has promised? Maybe not. But, we’re on the journey!

If we’re following Holy Spirit, He’s taking us each from glory to glory, faith to faith, and strength to strength. Day by day, He’s taking us higher and conforming us to the image of Christ. He’s transforming our lives and bringing us into the manifestation of everything He promises we can have.

So we travel. We progress:

  • We owe less tomorrow than we did today.
  • We save another dollar, another pound, another yen, another peso tomorrow–one more than we had today.
  • We give more tomorrow than we did today.
  • We do business better tomorrow than we do today.

We travel the journey. We obey, step by step, with all the strength we have in any given moment. We seek Him, and we pursue His Lordship in every area of life–including in our finances, wealth, and prosperity.

And it is a process. Remember that:

An inheritance gained hastily at the beginning will not be blessed at the end” (Proverbs 20:21).

and

“He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough! A faithful man will abound with blessings, but he who hastens to be rich will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 28:19-20).

The journey to prosperity IS a journey, not a sprint.

It’s not instant, and God made it that way on purpose. He knows that wealth gained slowly will stick around, and He’s doing an enduring work in each one of us. We have to be patient with the process.

I will address more FAQs about breaking the poverty spirit in the next post. Stay tuned!

Is the Holy Spirit speaking to your heart about the things we discussed in today’s FAQs? If so, leave a comment below! I’d love to hear from you!

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