Grace in Galatians (Part 32): How To Break Free from Poverty Thinking

https://youtu.be/NZ9zcEXkDxM

Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians. Let’s get into it.

Key scriptures for this year:

(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)

"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."

(Galatians 5:4 TPT)

"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"

(Romans 6:14 ERV)

"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."

(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”

Scripture we will study today:

(Galatians 2:10 TPT)

“They simply requested that we would be mindful to minister to the poor, which was the very thing I was already eager to do.”

(Philippians 4:19 NKJV)

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

(Proverbs 10:22 NKJV)

“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.”

(2 Corinthians 9:10 NLT)

“For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread for eating. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

(Proverbs 13:22 NLT)

“Good people leave an inheritance to their grandchildren, but the sinner’s wealth passes to the godly.”

(Prov 13:23 ERV)

The poor might have good land that produces plenty of food, but bad decisions can take it away.

Setting the Stage:

On Friday, we established that the real problem with poverty is not a lack of money—it’s a lack of proper thinking.  We learned that Jesus’ answer to poverty was the Word, not money.  We also discussed how God’s grace can break the poverty mindset by revealing your true identity and purpose, and how God’s provision is tied to His vision for your life.

Today, I want to share with you some practical steps that will help you transition from a mindset of poverty to one of prosperity.  There is no lack in God. These steps work because they align your thinking and actions with Kingdom principles.

Here’s what I want you to understand: Grace doesn’t just give you the revelation—grace also gives you the practical wisdom to apply the revelation.  The same grace that reveals who you are also reveals what to do.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Renew Your Mind with God’s Word About Money.

Romans 12:2 tells us to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” The first step to financial transformation is mental transformation.  You cannot change your life until you change your thinking, and you cannot change your thinking without changing what goes into your mind.

How this applies to you:

— Study what the Bible says about prosperity.  I may talk about this later, but a 16-hour CD series called “Prosperity Proven” (that I went through twice) exposed me to the fact that Isabella and I had a poverty mentality, and the Word of God helped us change.

— Over 2,000 verses in the Bible deal with money and possessions, and this teaching is throughout the Bible (Old and New Covenants).  Jesus taught more about money than about heaven and hell combined.  This means financial prosperity is not a side issue to God—it’s a major theme throughout His Word.

— Replace poverty thinking with Kingdom thinking. Instead of saying “I’ll never have enough,” start declaring, “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.” Instead of saying “Money is evil,” start saying “Money is a tool for Kingdom advancement.” Instead of saying “Rich people are greedy,” start saying “God wants to prosper me so I can be a greater blessing.”  

— Meditate on Proverbs 10:22 daily. Declare that “the blessing of the Lord makes me rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” This verse teaches you that God’s increase comes without the stress, guilt, and problems that accompany worldly wealth.  When God prospers you, He enriches every area of your life, not just your bank account.

— Understand that money is not your source—God is your source. Philippians 4:19 says, “my God shall supply all your need.” Your job, your business, your investments—these are just channels.  God is the source, and He has unlimited channels to get resources to you.

— Once you renew your mind, with God’s Word, about money, you will see money as a blessing, not a burden. You will see wealth as a responsibility, not a right.  You will see prosperity as a tool for Kingdom advancement, not just personal comfort.

2. Start Operating in God’s System of Sowing and Reaping.

Galatians 6:7 says, “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”  God’s financial system is not based on having and hoarding—it’s based on sowing and reaping.  2 Corinthians 9:10 tells us that God “provides seed for the farmer and then bread for eating.”

How this applies to you:

— Honor God with the tithe (the first 10% of your income). When you tithe, you involve God in your finances and put yourself in covenant with His provision.

— Give offerings beyond the tithe. The tithe is your starting point, not your finish line. The title is a pattern (10%) we see in the Bible, but the offering is what you are led to give.  There is no number tied to this.  You give this because your heart is filled with generosity. You are sowing seeds into God’s Kingdom.

— Not all seeds are financial. You can sow seeds of encouragement, prayer, and service even when you can’t plant financial seeds.  God honors any seed planted in faith.  

— Understand that your harvest depends on your seed.  2 Corinthians 9:6 says “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.”  Remember, your inheritance (of righteousness) is not your harvest. If we are in Christ, we all get an inheritance of righteousness, and we all get to go to heaven. But your harvest is based on what you sow. If you want a big harvest, you need to plant big seeds.  If you sow little, you reap little. If you sow nothing, you reap nothing.

— Remember that the earth operates on God’s system of sowing and reaping, not the world’s system of buying and selling. Genesis 8:22 says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” God’s system produces multiplication. You can sow and receive 100 times as much as what you sowed in a harvest.  Sowing and reaping is much better than buying and selling!

— You can’t wait for perfect conditions to start sowing. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.”  I remember going to Bishop Richard Peoples, who was my Pastor at the time (back in 1996), and I said to him, “Dad, I cannot afford to tithe.”  He said to me, “Son, you cannot afford NOT to!” Even when you think you can’t afford to give, that’s when you can’t afford NOT to give. The widow in Mark 12 couldn’t afford to give, so from Jesus’ perspective, she couldn’t afford NOT to give.  Bishop People knew that if I did not give, I was not going to reap!  So, he loved me enough to tell me the truth.

3. Discover and Develop Your Divine Purpose.

Ephesians 2:10 says “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” God created you with a specific purpose, and your purpose contains your provision. When you find what God created you to do, He provides what you need to do it.

How this applies to you:

— Your purpose is connected to your provision.  God never calls you to do something without providing what you need to do it. When you discover your divine assignment, you also discover God’s commitment to finance that assignment.  Your vision comes with the provision attached.

— Develop your God-given talents and abilities.  1 Peter 4:10 says to “use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”  Your talents are not just for personal fulfillment—they’re tools for Kingdom advancement and financial increase.  The better you develop your gifts, the more valuable you become in the marketplace.

— Position yourself in the right soil.  A seed can only grow in the right soil. Connect with people and places where your gifts can flourish.  If you’re planted in the wrong environment, even great gifts won’t produce great results. Grace will lead you to the right place where your gifts can thrive.

— Understand that your purpose is bigger than your paycheck. While God wants to prosper you financially, your purpose is ultimately about advancing His Kingdom and blessing others. When you focus on purpose instead of just profit, God takes care of the provision.

— Your assignment may start small, but it will grow as you’re faithful.  Luke 16:10 says, “he who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much.” Start where you are with what you have.  Faithfulness in small things leads to responsibility for bigger things.

That’s enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You for helping me to change my mindset about money.

I declare that my mind is renewed.

I renew my mind with Your Word.

I know that I have an inheritance in Christ Jesus.

That inheritance means I’ve been forgiven of sin.

I’m filled with the Holy Spirit, and I am going to heaven.

But I also know that You want me to have a harvest, and my harvest is not tied to what Jesus did.

My harvest is tied to the seeds that I sow.

So I will sow seeds from now on.

I will give tithes, I will sow offerings.

I will sow into ministry, and I will give to the poor.

I’ll do this all the time in Jesus’ name.

Living this way, I know GREATER IS COMING FOR ME.

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!