The topic today is one of extreme importance. The poverty mindset or poverty mentality is one of the most widespread and also one of the most insidious devices of the enemy, not just in this generation, but all throughout history as well. It has affected a great number of believers and robbed many of receiving the full-measure of blessings from Christ, and they don’t even realize that it is happening.
What we will be studying today is exactly what this poverty mindset is, recognizing the forms it takes, and how through Christ Jesus we can break this bondage and receive all of what Christ has given us. If you have been struggling to receive in a particular area of your life and just can’t seem to understand why the provision isn’t coming, then this study will benefit you today.
There is a seemingly strange and often misunderstood saying of Jesus… we can read it in Matthew 13:12:
“For whoever has, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whoever has not, from him shall be taken away even that he has.”
This saying of Jesus is repeated several times in scripture (Matthew 25:29, Mark 4:25, Luke 8:18), and each time the context is a slightly different one, although the underlying principle is the same. For our verse here in Matthew chapter 13, the context is the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven as we read in verse 11. In Matthew 25:29, the context is talents. In Mark 4:25 and Luke 8:18, the context is seeds sown, hearing the Word.
Now we need to examine what Jesus is saying here very closely, because this is a wonderful truth and a foundational principle that we can and should stand on. If we fail to see what Jesus is saying here we will miss the truth that will set us free in this area. So turn with me now to Matthew 25:29:
“For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has.”
The context here is talents, and as the parable of the talents goes, A master gave three of his servants talents. To one, he gave five talents, to another he gave two talents, and to the third he gave one talent. The servant who had five talents, doubled them to ten talents, and when the master returned, he rewarded the servant by making him ruler over cities. The servant who was given two talents also doubled them to four talents and was rewarded by the master and made to rule over cities. However the third servant who was given one talent, did not double it or even increase it at all, but instead buried it in the ground and simply dug it up and return it to his master when he returned. He was called wicked and slothful for his inaction, and his talent was removed and given to the other servant which had ten.
Now we often hear and read these famous parables of Jesus, but we fail to see the details of them and as a result, we miss Jesus and the Grace of God. This story of Jesus has long been expounded on in a way which brings fear and condemnation rather than showing us the picture of the generosity, mercy and Grace that Jesus intended when He first shared it. When I was a child, I heard this parable taught like this:
“When God gives you a gift, no matter how small, make sure you make good use of it, or you will be punished, lose everything and eventually wind up in hell.”
This manner of preaching absolutely did breed fear and confusion into me when I was younger, because I was afraid that if I wasn’t making good use of something God gave me, even if I didn’t know what it was or how to use it, I was setting myself up for punishment. However this type of preaching misses the wonderful details of this parable told by our LORD.
You see, a talent is a unit of measurement for Gold or Silver as mentioned in Exodus 38:24. It is equivalent to about 6,000 Roman denarii. One denarius is equal to a days’ wage for a laborer; so upon doing the calculations, one talent (which is 6,000 denarii) is equal to roughly 15 years wages! So we can see that this is actually an enormous sum of money that was given to each of the three servants, even the third servant who only received one! The servant who received 5 talents, received 75 years wages; the servant who received 2 talents received 30 years wages; and the servant who received one talent that we generally think was short-changed, actually received 15 years wages. So this parable begins by actually showing us the extravagance and generosity of God.
Now let’s take a look at Matthew 25:24-29, because this is where the poverty mindset starts coming into play:
“Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew you that you are an hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not strewed:
And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the earth: see, there you have that is yours.
His lord answered and said to him, You wicked and slothful servant, you knew that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strewed:
You ought therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received my own with usury.
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it to him which has ten talents.
For to every one that has shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that has not shall be taken away even that which he has.”
Knowing what we have just learned regarding the large amount of money (15 years wages) that this servant actually received, and the trust which the Master placed in his servant with this money, the servants’ claims of the Master being a “hard man” and an unscrupulous business person seem unlikely; even more-so since Jesus likens this Master to the Kingdom of Heaven in verse 14. So what then is going on here? This third servant has a poverty mindset. He doesn’t see his master as generous and trusting, nor does he even truly see the riches which he has been entrusted with. The third servant has a corrupted perception of his master as a demanding and harsh taskmaster who deals with people unfairly and is oppressive in business. We see in verse 25 that this wrong belief creates a paralyzing fear so that instead of going out into the world and sharing and growing what he was given, he was in such fear of doing something wrong that he instead buried his talent and cowered in fear.
In verse 26, we must understand that the Master here (which remember, Jesus likened to the Kingdom of Heaven) is not actually harsh or oppressive. The Master in this verse is responding to the servants’ claims in irony and sarcasm. He is basically saying: “If you really believed that I was harsh and oppressive, you would’ve at-least put my money into the money-brokers so that I could collect it with interest!”.
Now keep in-mind that the context of this parable told by Jesus is the Kingdom of Heaven, and that a talent is a large measure of Gold or Silver. In the Bible, Gold is a type for the righteousness and holiness of God (Exodus 28:36), and Silver is a type for redemption (Leviticus 5:15-16). So with this parable, Jesus is communicating the immense value of the truths of Grace in the Gospel that He has given to us, along with the utter contempt and disdain that someone shows when they receive the gift of God and then proceed to bury it out of fear. Think of it this way… when a person is still more concerned about rule-keeping and “not doing anything wrong” even after receiving the truth of God’s Grace, righteousness and redemption, he has actually totally missed the point of the truth. A person that would rather play-it-safe and bury the truth rather than take steps in faith is actually ignoring the will of God in sharing the truth of God’s extravagant Grace and Mercy… and this is why we have entire denominations today who are too fearful to preach Grace, Healing, or Tongues or Financial Provision, or really any miracles at all. The entire body of Christ is stuck in a poverty mindset because of fear and wrong beliefs about the character of God and His goodness.
Turn now to Luke 8:15-18, and we are going to see how Jesus Christ can deliver us from our own personal poverty mindset:
“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
No man, when he has lighted a candle, covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed; but sets it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
Take heed therefore how you hear: for whoever has, to him shall be given; and whoever has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have.”
In verse 15, Jesus is concluding His parable on the Seed and the Ground. And take notice of what He says about the good ground… The good ground has an honest and good heart (which is your mind and emotions) meaning that this person has no ulterior motives or preconceived ideas about God. They heard the word and keep it. That word “keep” means to hang on to, guard retain and take. In other words, never let it go! They hang onto the Words of Life, the truth of Righteousness in Christ and of the Grace of God and never let anyone rob them of it!
Verse 16 continues this idea by stating that no man, after having lit a candle will hide it under a bowl. This is actually a wonderful promise to us once we understand what is being said here. Every time that you receive a promise of God into your life as good ground, you shine that much brighter for Christ. The more you allow Jesus to free you, the brighter you shine. Christ has lit the candle of His truth in you, and as you shine brightly, He will not leave you hidden in obscurity, but He will put you on a candlestick, and you will give light to everyone. You will be a shining beacon for the light of Jesus Christ.
Verse 17 is connected with this. Most of the truths that we receive about Jesus are personal and secret. While we are studying alone, or even in a sermon, each person receives privately. Although a sermon may be preached in-front of a crowd, the Holy Spirit waters seeds individually for each person. Even so we have this promise: nothing which is secret will not be made manifest. Nothing hidden will not be made known. That truth about healing that you received in private, will be manifested for all to see! That truth which you received about God’s provision, will be made known publicly as you become an ambassador for God’s provision for many to see and be blessed by! This is the promise right here in scripture for it!
Does this seem too good to be true? I encourage you, do not let the poverty mindset rob you of these wonderful promises! Look at verse 18, which is our familiar phrase from Jesus again:
“Take heed therefore how you hear: for whoever has, to him shall be given; and whoever has not, from him shall be taken even that which he seems to have.”
The context here is clearly about hearing and receiving the truth of God, but notice the addition at the beginning of the verse: Take heed therefore how you hear. Pay attention to the manner of, or the attitude of how you hear the Word of God. Some people hear great messages of God’s healing, and then walk away saying “That will never happen for me!” or spend the rest of the night complaining to others about their ailments as if it’s just a regular part of their life. That, my friends, is a poverty mindset. Those people do not see the goodness and richness and grace of God – even after being given the riches of His Grace, they bury it, to fearful to make a move in faith.
Some people hear great messages of God’s provision, and then in the next moment worry about next month’s expenses as if God were a miser that will never bless them with anything God, much like the third servant which we saw earlier. This is also a poverty mindset. These people never even give, because they are too afraid to.
Some people hear wonderful truths and testimonies about God’s miraculous protection, and then turn on the news later that night and worry about the latest virus epidemic or terror threat, as if God were somehow caught off-guard, or His arms were too short to cover them from it. This is another form of poverty mindset.
This is how the poverty mindset robs people from the blessings of God, just as it robbed the third servant. God id not weak, poor or harsh – but if the enemy can make us believe that He is, then we will always be too afraid to receive in faith what God has already blessed us with.
So what is the solution? Take heed therefore how you hear! When you hear of the extravagance of God and His vast mercy and riches, Receive it! Keep it! Guard it! Don’t let anyone or anything rob you of it. Don’t let any religious preachers preach you out of it saying that you need to follow some 10-step program before you can get it. Jesus Christ has paid for it and given it to you as a gift, simply receive!
I want to show you one more thing today as we close our study time; turn to John 12:32:
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all [men] to me.”
Jesus spake these words about Himself. And this verse is quoted a lot and has gone around the world even in some songs, but I want you to notice and incredibly important detail that is often missed. Most newer translations of the Bible get this wrong I am sorry to say, but if you are reading from the King James Version, you will notice that the word “men” in this verse is either in italics or in [brackets], indicating that it is not in the original text. The word “men” is actually not there. Now the context of this verse is actually judgment. It is judgment that Jesus draws to Himself as He is lifted up on the cross. The judgment that was due to you and me was laid upon Him in our place as our substitute.
The truth my friends, is this: Jesus drew all of the judgment of God upon Himself so that we can receive all of the righteousness of God upon us today. Jesus received all of the curses of sin and all of the punishment, so that today we could receive all of the blessing and acceptance of Jesus’ righteousness. And just as He did nothing to earn that wrath, judgment and cursing, neither must we do anything to earth that acceptance, righteousness and blessing into our lives, just freely receive.
You might that that these things are out of your reach because you come from a poor family, filled with lack, or health problems run in your family history, or whatever it may be. But that is your past. The scriptures are very clear that who you were in the past is not you anymore. The “old you” is dead (Romans 7:6), and when you received Jesus, you were “born again” (2nd Corinthians 5:17). You are now part of God’s eternal divine royal family. The most affluent, and richest family in existence – He owns everything (Psalms 24:1, 1st Corinthians 10:26).
God is not weak, nor is He too feeble to save. He loves you beyond compare and you are His. (Zephaniah 3:17). This is your new life in Christ. And now that you see the truth, Receive it, keep it and guard it! This is your nature and reality in Christ Jesus. You are no longer poor! Poverty of any kind is no longer your reality. You are in Christ, with all the fullness of what that means. Carry this truth with you every day. He has broken your chains, forever.
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[…] us to understand our place and position of authority over the enemy in Christ today. Because the poverty mindset that so many believers have today towards God has robbed them of stepping into their inheritance in […]