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Join us on our new podcast each weekday for an interesting story, well told, from Charisma News. Listen at charismapodcastnetwork.com.
On Thursday, we covered two reasons why many Christians are broke, living a life of lack. That type of life is contrary to what Jesus wants for us, as he says in John 10:10:
"I came that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (MEV).
Here are three more reasons why many Christians are broke:
3. Christians who are lazy are broke. The Scriptures admonish us as believers to be diligent in everything that we do. The Scriptures also promise us that if we are lazy, we will suffer poverty. Here are some Scriptures from Proverbs that warn us about being lazy:
- "The sluggard will not plow because of the cold; therefore he will beg during harvest and have nothing" (Prov. 20:4).
- "He becomes poor who deals with a slack hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich" (Prov. 10:4).
- "The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing; but the soul of the diligent will be made fat" (Prov. 13:4).
- "How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep—so will your poverty come upon you like a stalker, and your need as an armed man" (Prov. 6:9-11).
- "He also who is slothful in his work is brother to him who is a great waster" (Prov. 18:9).
And in the New Testament it says this: "For when we were with you, we commanded you that if any will not work, neither shall he eat" (2 Thess. 3:10).
Remember this as well, procrastination is a first cousin to laziness because it puts off today what should be done today until tomorrow. When God gives us directions to do something, we should be immediately obedient to what He says.
4. Many Christians who are disobedient are broke. In Deuteronomy 28, God gives us a promise of wealth and prosperity when we do what He asks us to do. But when we disobey His commands, the Scriptures promise use that we will be cursed and live a life of poverty. "Now it will be, if you will diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I am commanding you today, then the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth"(Deut. 28:1).
Isaiah 1:19 states, "If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land."God has promised us blessings and prosperity when we are faithful to do what He has told us. However, we can expect poverty, lack, and insufficiency when we disobey Him.
5. Many Christians who walk in unforgiveness are broke. Unforgiveness is probably the most common transgression that people commit. This is primarily because not forgiving someone feels good to our flesh. When we do not forgive people in our flesh, we feel vindicated because that (those) person(s) hurt us. Not forgiving makes us feel that we are getting back at that person.
What's so deceptive about unforgiveness is this: Not forgiving somebody does not hurt the other person. Usually the person who hurt you has no knowledge that they hurt you. And if they do, most of the time, they do not care. Holding on to unforgiveness only hurts you because God says if you do not forgive the person who offended you, He is going to judge you—not the other person.
When Jesus asked His disciples, "How many times should you forgive somebody?" Peter replied "Seven times!" Peter thought he had really said something profound. However Jesus corrected him and said, "No. You forgive 70 times seven" (paraphrase of Matt. 18:22). In essence, Jesus was saying that we need to forgive people unto infinity. Jesus then gave a warning about people who refused to forgive others. He said that those who refuse to forgive will be delivered to the tormentors (Matt. 18:24).
This word "tormentors" may also include demonization. In 15 years of facilitating deliverances, I have seen many, many cases of people who were tormented by demons because they refused to forgive someone. In this Scripture, Jesus is very clear on this issue: People who walk in unforgiveness will not be forgiven their debts. "His master was angry and delivered him to the jailers until he should pay all his debt"(Matt. 18:34).God is saying here that He will allow us to remain in debt until we forgive. Have you been praying for supernatural debt cancellation? According to the Scriptures, it won't happen until you remove all unforgiveness.
Conclusion
These five reasons for why Christians are broke are by no means exhaustive. If you have been an offender of one, some or all of these reasons, repent. Repentance is not just saying you are sorry, but making a conscientious decision to do better. So if you were moving down and you are supposed to be going up, you move in the opposite direction. Or if God has told you to go east, and you are moving west, you turn around and go east.
God says in His Word that He wants to prosper you: "But you must remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to get wealth, so that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is today" (Deut. 8:18).
When we are prosperous, we demonstrate to the world that God is real. When we are wealthy, we establish God's covenant (promise) in the Earth. God has promised us that He wants to bless us to produce wealth. So be it! 
Kyle T. Miller has been called to the marketplace as a musician, play producer, and educator. Kyle has been prophesying and interpreting dreams for almost 15 years. Kyle is also a scholar, obtaining a Masters of Arts in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary and a PhD in Higher Education Administration from The University of Mississippi (Ole Miss). Kyle's theatre production company, Positive Images in Christ, has directed and produced over a dozen shows since it was founded in 2004. Please visit his website at prophetkyle.com.
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