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Is Poverty a Curse?

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Author: Ben Unegbu
Posted to the web: 10/15/2005 7:40:28 AM

The world is in jeopardy as a result of a lot of confusion that has been created by devil using his hidden and open agents in their present strange prosperity preaching. There is also confusion presently because people are now being deceived to believe that all poverty is a curse, thereby trapping foolish minds into dirty and crazy money-pursuit by all means, killing souls. Truly, God prospers His people genuinely. But many preachers are now twisting things, teaching prosperity here and there without clarifying issues properly according to the word of God because of 'long throat' and love of money. This is why God is pleased to move me as His direct servant to clear the present mess by many false and dubious preachers in order to enlighten people about God’s own genuine prosperity through His power in Christ in the company of the Holy Spirit. To start with, it is clear that when people annoy God through sin and other wickedness that is involved in it, God will remove his hand and people will start suffering. Such punishment may include poverty in which your business and life will be scattered, sickness may follow, and demons will also have their way since a sinful life is a fertile ground for demonic possession. Poverty will also penetrate because you have annoyed God, lacking his fear which is the beginning of genuine wisdom and sin-free prosperity. But that is no license for preachers to dish out falsehood, preaching that 'poverty is a curse' in the way they are teaching it today in their 'long throat' maneuvers, even putting those poor people, who are spiritually holy and rich according to God’s own standards, to shame simply because they want their money. Such preachers also pressure people who are spiritually humble according to God’s standards to struggle by all means, whether fair or foul, to get money and become rich. In other words, they preach prosperity here and there, forcing people who are saved or helped to become spiritually balanced to start striving for worldly things, sinfully, shrinking back into worldliness, without minding the warning in 1st John 2:15-17 about the danger in loving the world and the things in it. This warning is very important because sin especially that of love of money, pushes people into materialism and wickedness in higher and lower places. Note that I am against people genuinely struggling to survive materially, spiritually and in other areas without corruption and other iniquities. But we should call a spade a spade, not shouting ‘prosperity-prosperity-prosperity’ without clarifying issues properly. Indeed, we are supposed to prosper according to God’s will and plan. Our God prospers His people. But the problem is that many preachers are teaching prosperity in a diversionary manner, killing souls by twisting the word of God simply because they are interested in gathering money from their victims. Prosperity is good if it is God’s own prosperity. But, according to the word of God, you should know that all poverty is not a curse. Even though sin can bring in poverty and other punishment into your life, that has nothing to do with preachers who are struggling hard to use the word of God to dupe the masses in the name of ‘prosperity’. We need to be very careful to understand that heaven is for people whose hearts are clean even if they are wretched materially, according to Matthew 5:2..3. In Matthew 5:8 also the word of God reveals more openly that 'blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God'. Therefore if you are a poor fellow whose heart is clean, you will be accepted in heaven no matter the diversionary and discouraging words from ‘money preachers’. So, I do not believe that poverty is a curse. This is because instances in the word of God show more clearly that Lazarus was a poor man but he reached paradise or heaven. In the contrary, the rich fool who relaxed on his money and materialism and disgraced poor Lazarus (as many preachers are doing today) suffered, and continues to suffer, in hell fire as exposed in Luke 16:19-31. Indeed many preachers are disgracing the poor today, teaching that poverty is a curse simply because they want the poor to join the mad world in pursuing wealth by all means so as to make monetary returns to them. That’s exactly the background or foundational motive for the deceit of 'prosperity—prosperity' preaching by false preachers who pressure their victims even into drug trafficking and other dubious businesses. That is why people go to pilgrimages and are caught on the way with illegal possessions, including cocaine and other illicit drugs. Some go there to steal in the name of God. Remember again that Lazarus was a poor man but was recognised by God above the rich man. This shows that we need to clarify things according to the word of God. If you look into the word of God, you will see that heaven is for people who are spiritually poor in Christ through genuine repentance like the Ninevites in Jonah 3 and the prodigal son in Luke 15. Whether you are materially rich or poor but you are holy through genuine repentance from your sins God will welcome you into His kingdom. God is not interested in your money. It is dubious preachers that are after your money, not God. God is interested in your soul. If you repent of your sins, God will welcome you into His kingdom, whether you are poor and wretched or rich in material things.   With God there is no partiality. Therefore, it is a deceit for preachers to go about harassing the masses with diversionary 'prosperity- prosperity'. For the avoidance of doubt, I do believe that our God is rich and can prosper His people, especially those who have repented. He did it in the life of Solomon, not minding that at a stage he turned away to materialism and the gifts, blessings and prosperity from God were misused by him because of strange women, just as many are doing today. Solomon married many wives but was not satisfied. He gathered more harlots around him and they ruined his life. Solomon was tutored by experience and he became the first person to tell us about the fruitlessness in vanities. This was because vanities disorgani~ed his life and brought his service to God into ruins. He then began preaching and praying against the dangers of being dubiously rich, as well as being helplessly and hopelessly poor, as it is clear in Proverbs 30:7-9, balancing or clarifying things. I believe that God will not allow His children to beg for food. But that is no reason for people to go about preaching 'prosperity-prosperity' so that riches will come by all means. In order to be like ‘them’ (that is like others who corruptly enrich themselves), you will jump into dirty business deals — including bribery and corruption. Since you have been diverted or made to believe that poverty is a curse, you will begin to pursue money by all means, duping and cheating Deople so that you will become rich. That is how many of the preachers now encourage illicit drug trade. A number of such preachers themselves have been caught in different places using the name of God to do evil. They preach prosperity so that you will jump into useless things that bring people into sinful riches. They do so in order that you. get money by all means to pay the useless levies and other things they impose on you, charging money for prayers without minding the clear instruction of God through Christ in Matthew 10:7-8 that genuine preachers received power free and should give free of charge too. They preach 'prosperity' but their eyes are focused on your pocket, yourcar, your bank note, landed property and other things. I warn you to be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing warned seriously about in Matthew 7:15-16 and Micah 3:5-6, 11-12. Yes, God prospers His people. But genuine prosperity must be achieved according to the will of God. God is not against prosperity, but if you mess up because you want to prosper you will end up disastrously like Gehazi in 2nd Kings 5:20-27. You may have known about one of them who was preaching money everywhere in this country and how he ended up shamefully and disastrously in Benin City. He died a shameful death. Before then if you offered him twenty naira he would start abusing and cursing you. 'Poor-poor people', he would say. You may have heard how he eventually ended up disastrously and shamefully because there is no peace for the wicked. Yet others are still following his footsteps, messing up here and there, claiming to be anointed men of God while duping and cheating the masses, as shamefully exposed more openly in the recent ‘money crusade’ in Lagos claimed to be ‘healing crusade’ by an American diversionary preacher in co-operation with his blindfolded victims called ‘Pastors’ within the country. According to the word of God, our Lofd Jesus Christ even made himself poor for us to be rich. But the preachers of today are making themselves rich, using poor’ people’s little things to enlarge their own pockets. If people are preaching genuine prosperity, I will encourage that. But where people are preaching 'prosperity-prosperity' regarding you as a useless man or woman because you cannot pursue money by all means to prosper like ‘thene’, it is diversionary and even suicidal because they are pushing you to hell. God’s own prosperity must be achieved according to the will of God. If you want to prosper according to the will of God, you must leave sin. The word of God clearly and authoritatively instructs us in Matthew 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, that genuine prosperity shall be added unto us, including salvation. Yes, salvation is also one of the prosperities that God will provide. Seek first the kingdom of God by denouncing sin and Satan, God will prosper you spiritually and also supply your other needs as He did to Solomon (before he got into trouble because of strange women and perished as many are doing today). The instruction is clear: seek ye first the kingdom of God, every other thing will be added unto you — including deliverance, good health, material things and so on. God will give you if He likes. The word of God also reveals again that Jesus made himself poor for us to be genuinely rich even when He came from a place where the streets are paved with gold (Rev. 21:22). He said 'in my father’s house are many mansions'. But Jesus abandoned such a place and came down into this world, made himself poor so that we will become rich as you will discover in 2nd Cor. 8:9. But many preachers who claim to be representatives of God and Christ are now liquidating the pockets of the poor in order to b~come rich. If God gives you money, train, aeroplane and so on in a right way, have them. But the recklessness in preaching 'prosperity', disgracing the poor, saying that 'poverty is a curse' in such a generalized manner, is deceitful. If such preachers’ claims are true, what about that poor Lazarus again in the book of Luke chapter 16:19-31? If you want to know what those who want to go to heaven must do through Christ, please read again Jonah chapter 3 and Luke chapter 15 with action and without delay as you surrender to God through Christ. There, you will see the saved helpless Ninevites and the forgiven’~and savedApoor Lazarus who was disgraced by the sinful rich man but at last God welcomed him into heaven and pushed the rich fool into hell. The rich man was suffering there, calling upon Lazarus to offer him a drop of water from the tip of his finger. Go and read that Luke 16:19-31. You will see that all poverty is not a curse, if you are poor but holy and with God on your side. Yes, if you are poor but are with God in genuine repentance like the prodigal son, you will see the kingdom of God. If you want to prosper genuinely, according to the will of God, please look into Proverbs 28:13. It says 'He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whose confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy'. Therefore, if you want genuine prosperity, you have to repent fully now and surrender to God through Christ. That is the meaning of seeking the kingdom of God first. Other things will then be added unto you according to the will and plan of God. The word of God is the food of life. If you want to succeed, you must surrender to the truth (Christ, John 14:6), and you will be set free from the bondage and shackles of the devil as confirmed in John 8:32, 36. Joshua 1:8-9 also reveals how to prosper genuinely. 2nd Timothy 3:15-16 tells you also what the word of God can do in your life. As demanded in 2nd Timothy 2:21, when you take in the word of God (the truth) you will be purged. And when you are purged according to that 2nd Timothy 2:21 through Christ you will become a good vessel. Then, genuine prosperity, if God wants to give you, will follow, including genuine money, good healthy. genuine or sin-free car, genuine life and so on. So, beware of those who are going about today preaching prosperity in a diversionary way for the sake of money and materialism. Who tells you that God is only for the rich? God is God of the poor — the poor in the heart. Real poor people. Not people who have no money to feed themselves, but they have money to poison others. Not people who have no money to solve their genuine problem but they have money to spend on harlots, cigarettes, Indian hemp and in other reckless and wicked activities. I am talking about those who are poor according to the will of God. They will never miss the kingdom of God. God will bless them. God will welcome them into His kingdom just like He did to Lazarus. Who tells you that all poverty is a curse? What about Lazarus again? He is a clear example. Remember again that Jesus was genuinely poor. He made himself poor for our sake. There is nothing attractive where He is according to Isaiah 53:1-8 especially verses I — 2 and yet He is whom He is. Prosperity preachers claim that people quarreled over Jesus’ dress because it was costly. That is a lie! That lie of theirs makes them to proudly go on gorgeous and very costly .dresses, carrying ‘big-big’ titles that kill the dog such as ‘General Superintendent’ (while they are not police) forgetting that Paul called himself a prisoner and labourer for the sake of humbleness. They quarreled over Jesus’ dress because God wanted them to fulfill the prophesy in the word of God which proclaimed that they would do so and not for any proud diversionary move in the past, now or in the future. Our God is rich but our God is not the type they preach by using His name to commit fraud or '419'. So, if you want to repent, God will welcome you. Then you’ll lay good and unshakable foundation through the power of God in Christ like the wise man in Matthew 7:24-27. If you repent, God will add other things unto you according to His will and purpose, not the present recklessness of preaching ‘prosperity’ on top of sin. In all these, we fully recognize that there is poverty caused by ‘laziness’ which is equally dangerous as it is also sinful. That is why God moved me to deliver that important Lecture No. 76 (dealing on 'Laziness and How to cure the Disease') which will help all to understand the danger in the poison called ‘laziness. The lecture will be sent to you free ~ charge on request for more clearance, knowing full well that the word of God says that if one will not work one should not eat. I hope to expatiate on that in my subsequent lectures as God moves and empowers. This is your chance to allow God to do something in your life. If you repent and leave sin, God will do great things in your life. This is your chance and may be your last chance. Therefore, pray now and give God chance to save you spiritually, so that you will become rich more spiritually in order to be qualified for heaven. God bless you as you react favourably without reservation and without wasting time in Jesus’ name.

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