Grace in Galatians (Part 78): Why Christians Stay POOR On Purpose

https://youtu.be/0hnONhTuLd0

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.

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 God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."

Scripture we will study today:

(Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV)

“But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today.”

(1 Timothy 6:17-19 NIV)

“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Setting the Stage:

We’ve exposed how Christians live like orphans instead of heirs, and how the doctrine of escapism has caused believers to abandon their earthly mandate. Today, I will address something that may be the most destructive lie that has infiltrated Christianity: the belief that poverty equals holiness.

This deception has deep historical roots. During the Council of Trent (1545-1563), the Catholic Church convened to address the Protestant Reformation and establish cardinal doctrines so that all Christians, of all denominations, would have things in common. I am very thankful that they did this. Between what was already established in the Nicene Creed (the Virgin Birth, Christ’s sinless life, His death, resurrection, ascension, and second coming), and what Trent addressed (justification, the sacraments, original sin, and salvation), they covered almost every major theological issue.

But here’s what was clearly absent: ANY teaching about money, prosperity, or God’s financial will for His people!

They clarified justification, defined the sacraments, and established the biblical canon, but they said NOTHING about whether God wants His children to prosper or live in lack! Not only that, but many of the religious orders, like the Franciscans and Dominicans, continued promoting the message that to be truly spiritual, you must be materially poor.

And when you add the vow of poverty that religious orders took, it made matters exponentially worse.

Why? Because Christians will always equate their spiritual leaders with righteousness, whether verbalized or not. When monks, nuns, and religious leaders took vows of poverty, the message was clear: the most holy people own nothing. This created a subconscious belief that permeates Christianity to this day: poverty equals piety, and wealth equals worldliness.

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

1. The Vow of Poverty Was Never God’s Idea.

God never asked His people to take vows of poverty. In fact, throughout Scripture, He consistently promised prosperity to those who obeyed Him! The religious vow of poverty is man’s tradition that makes the Word of God to prosper you of no effect!

How this applies to you:

— God’s first command to humanity was “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it!” That’s a command to prosper, expand, and exercise dominion! Where do you see poverty in that mandate? God’s original design was abundance, not lack!

— Every covenant God made included material blessing! God promised Abraham land, livestock, and silver. He promised Israel a land flowing with milk and honey. God doesn’t separate spiritual blessing from material blessing. This is what religion does!

— The vow of poverty actually contradicts God’s nature! He owns cattle on a thousand hills, streets of gold in Heaven, and calls Himself El Shaddai; the God of MORE than enough! Would a God of abundance want His children in poverty?

— Religious poverty creates dependence on religious systems! When monks took vows of poverty, they became completely dependent on the monastery. This may sound good for the religious system, but it was never God’s will.

— Jesus never took a vow of poverty! He had a treasurer (Judas) and wealthy supporters who financed His ministry (Luke 8:3). Many Christians have convinced themselves that Jesus was poor to justify their poverty! And to make a bad situation worse, they think it is HOLY to be poor!

— God specifically warns against making vows you can’t keep! Ecclesiastes 5:5 says it’s better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. The vow of poverty is a vow most seek to break the moment they need provision!

2. The Council of Trent Institutionalized What the Devil Had Already Weaponized.

The Council of Trent didn’t invent the poverty mindset; it formalized what the enemy had already used to keep God’s people powerless. By making poverty seem spiritual, satan ensured the church would have minimal earthly influence.

How this applies to you:

— Religious systems keep people so blind that they look past common sense. The Vatican has vast wealth, priceless art, and extensive real estate holdings, yet there are members of the Catholic church who believe poverty is holy. This is not limited to the Catholic church.

— Like I already mentioned, the Council of Trent and the Council of Nicea gave us many things we can all agree on, as Christians. But unfortunately, nothing was taught about money. If the Council of Trent had stated that God wanted us to tithe and give offerings, maybe the church would be in a much better financial position.

— The poverty gospel has done more damage than the prosperity gospel ever could! Both are extremes, but poverty theology has infected more churches!

— Satan loves poor Christians because they have no influence! You can’t fund missions, build churches, or transform communities without resources. Poverty limits your impact, and the devil knows it!

— Modern churches still operate under Trent’s influence without knowing it! When pastors avoid teaching about money, apologize for offerings, or make wealthy members feel guilty, they’re perpetuating a lie!

3. Misinterpreted Scriptures Have Become Poverty-Proof Texts

Religious spirits have twisted specific scriptures to create a theology of lack. They’ve taken verses out of context, ignored cultural background, and built entire doctrines on intentional misinterpretation.

How this applies to you:

— “Money is the root of all evil”—NO! 1 Timothy 6:10 says “the LOVE of money is A root of all KINDS of evil.” Money itself is neutral; it’s the worship of it that’s wrong. Stop misquoting Scripture to justify poverty!

— “It’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle”—context matters! Jesus was talking to a man who allowed money to be his master, not making a universal statement against prosperity. In that SAME conversation, He said “With God, all things are possible” and promised 100-fold return. Why would Jesus talk about getting 100 times more if having it was bad?

— “Jesus was poor because foxes have holes and birds have nests”—that’s about His traveling ministry! He was saying He didn’t have a permanent residence during His ministry travels, not that He was broke. Jesus had a treasurer and wealthy supporters!

— “Blessed are the poor in spirit”—that’s about humility, not money! Jesus wasn’t saying blessed are the poor in pocket! He was talking about spiritual dependence on God, not financial lack. Spiritual poverty and financial poverty are completely different things!

— “You cannot serve both God and money”—that’s about SERVING, not HAVING! Jesus didn’t say you can’t have both; He said you can’t serve both as master. Money should serve you as you serve God!

— Not having money is evil! I’ve had money, and I’ve been without money. Let me tell you—not having money is what’s actually evil. Poverty limits your ability to be a blessing and fulfill God’s purposes!

— The poverty spirit makes you twist Scripture to justify your condition instead of believing God for breakthrough. You become an expert at explaining why you’re supposed to be broke instead of believing for provision!

4. The Poverty Mindset Produces Religious Pride, Not True Humility

Here’s the twisted irony: You can be poor and prideful! Don’t think that because you’re poor, you can’t be full of pride. Some people wear their poverty as a badge of honor, judge those who succeed, and think that struggling is spiritual. That’s not humility—that’s religious arrogance!

How this applies to you:

— False humility is still pride! If you’re boasting about what you DON’T have, you’re just as guilty as the person boasting about what they DO have. “Look how little I have” is just as prideful as “Look how much I have!”

— Poverty often produces bitterness, not holiness! How many poor Christians are angry, resentful, and judgmental toward those who prosper? That type of boasting about lack produces bitterness that poisons your soul!

— The poverty spirit makes you suspicious of every blessing! When good things happen, you immediately think, “This can’t be God,” or “Something bad must be coming.” You’ve been programmed to reject the very blessings God sends!

— Religious poverty makes you a terrible witness! Who wants to serve a God who keeps His children in lack? Your poverty doesn’t attract sinners to God; it repels them! Unbelievers look at struggling Christians and think, “Why would I want that?”

— If you judge successful Christians as “carnal” or “compromised,” your poverty has made you a Pharisee! Instead of celebrating their success and learning from them, you criticize from your place of lack!

— It takes humility to receive abundance from the Lord without allowing the abundance to get hold of your heart! True humility says, “I’m so humble that I’m willing to accept whatever God gives me!”

— True humility receives from God without guilt! It takes more humility to receive abundance you didn’t earn than to embrace poverty you think you deserve. Grace offends the religious but blesses the humble!

I will close with this:

Deuteronomy 8:18 destroys the poverty-equals-holiness deception forever. God says HE gives you the POWER to get WEALTH! Not the power to stay poor. Not the power to barely survive. The power to get WEALTH to establish His covenant!

— Wealth creation ability is a GIFT from God, not a curse from the devil! Your business mind, creative ideas, and money-making abilities came from God! Stop demonizing what God has given!

— God gives wealth to CONFIRM His covenant, not contradict it! When you prosper, you’re demonstrating that God keeps His promises. Your success is a testimony to God’s faithfulness!

— The purpose of wealth is to establish His covenant on earth! You can’t establish anything without resources. Churches, schools, hospitals, and orphanages—all require wealth to build! Kingdom expansion requires economic resources!

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I reject the lie that poverty equals holiness!

I declare that I am obedient to You and will do whatever You tell me to do, even if that means managing resources!

I refuse to glorify struggle as if that’s spiritual!

You give me the power to get wealth, and in so doing, You establish Your covenant—so I yield myself to You!

I will manage whatever You put in my hands!

I will fund Your projects all over the world!

I declare that You can trust me to bless nations!

When You bless me, I do NOT apologize for it!

I will enjoy everything You bless me with!

I break free from every religious tradition that contradicts Your Word!

I am Living #TheGraceLife and GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

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

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!