RIVERS OF LIVING WATERS
Poverty without any doubt is a killer. Proverbs 14:20 makes it abundantly clear that poverty can produce hatred.
The poor is hated even of his own neighbour: but the rich hath many friends.
– Proverbs 14:20
In other words, a man can be hated for the simple fact that he is poor; no other offence other than that he is poor. This is why poverty must leave you and your family alone, in the name of Jesus.
As a matter of fact, in Proverbs 10:15 the Bible states clearly that the destruction of the poor is their poverty:
The rich man’s wealth is his strong city: the destruction of the poor is their poverty.
In other words, poverty can cause destruction. The poor can be destroyed simply because of their poverty. But since destruction is not your portion, poverty MUST have to get out of your life and family, in the name of Jesus.
Poverty Can Lead to Suicide
The Bible proves this understanding of poverty in 1 Kings 17:8-12:
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
When you read this text with understanding, you will find out that poverty can lead to suicidal thoughts. The widow had just one meal left. Clearly, she wanted to prepare the last meal and commit suicide. If poverty reaches a certain level, it
will cause people to say, “Death is better than shame.”
Let me share this story. One of my uncles had it rough in his life. The level of poverty became so great that he decided to commit suicide. However, he wanted to do it in style. He decided to go to church, dance and worship so much that everyone will notice him. Then he would go home and kill himself. People would then say he was unknowingly celebrating his departure. Fortunately, when he went to church, the man of God was talking about Shedrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They did not know how God was going to get them out of the fire, but they had faith, and God delivered them. When he heard this word, it struck him. He said to himself; “I don’t know how God will get me out of this kind of poverty, but I refuse to die!” As of the time he was sharing this testimony, he just bought 13 cars for his staff in one day! Your enemies may have thought that poverty will kill you, but they have failed, in the name of Jesus.
Poverty, therefore, can cause suicide. It can also cause cannibalism (the practice of eating the flesh of your own kind). 2 Kings 6:25-29 reports that when things were so tough in Samaria, two women living together held a horrible meeting to kill their sons to eat to save their lives.
And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove’s dung for five pieces of silver. And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king. And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress? And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him to day, and we will eat my son tomorrow. So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son. – 2 Kings 6:25-29
On reading this, you may think it cannot happen in our time. Some time ago in Nigeria, a woman was arrested for selling her son.
Everyone was pouring their wrath on her, but she insisted that we hear her story. She said,“At least, where the boy is going, he will find food to eat. I have nothing. From the money I made from selling him, I will survive for a while”. This is the result of poverty. May a situation that will make you sell your relative never arise in your life, in the name of Jesus.
Truncation of Destiny
Poverty can cause the truncation (the act of cutting short) of a man’s destiny. In 2 Kings 4:1, it is written that the widow of one of the sons of the prophet, reported to Elisha that her two sons were about to be sold by her husband’s creditors.
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. – 2 Kings 4:1
Her sons were about to be sold into slavery because of poverty. If they were sold, the possibility of ever becoming prophets would be very, very slim. The plan of God for your life will not be destroyed by poverty, in the name of Jesus.
On the other hand, wealth can be a river of life. Wealth can make life flow like a river. Proverbs 14:20, says that the rich has many friends. This is the opposite of enemies. There are a couple of things money can provide. Let us look at some of them one after another.
Riches Produces Dominion
Proverbs 22:7 tell us clearly that,
The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
Riches can produce dominion. The rich will always rule over the poor. When God created you, His plan for you is that you multiply and have dominion. You are to be in control.
Money Produces Defense
Ecclesiastes 7:12 says,
For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
Money can produce security. Money is a defence. Money can defend you against attackers.
Money Preserves Destiny
Money can also preserve destinies. 2 Kings 4:-7, says it all:
Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell
me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest.
When the situation of the widow changed through the intervention of God, she became rich. When the creditors came the next morning and demanded for her sons, I could see her laugh and say, “How much do I owe you again? Take your money and get out of here.” She had enough money to live on for the rest of her life. I speak into your life: Receive the breakthrough that will take you far away from poverty, in the name of Jesus!
Fullness of Joy
Money can surely produce fullness of joy. In 2 Kings 4, the Bible talks about the great woman of Shunem. She was wealthy but had no son. It was her wealth that made her build a house for the prophet. This brought the prophet close to her family. She got a son as a result, and even when the son died, he was brought back to life by God through Prophet Elisha. If there is anything in your life that death has swallowed, it will vomit it now, in the name of Jesus.
This woman had wealth, but her joy was not full. But through her wealth, her joy became full. Some time ago I travelled to the USA for a program. When I got there, there was a car brought to carry me around. A lady bought the car specially to be used to convey me wherever I needed to go. When I left, she parked the car in her garage. Every morning and night, she would sit where I sat in the car and cry to the Lo“rdL:ord, I am getting old. Give me a husband!” After three months, she got married. Then she continued to speak to the Lord:“Lord, I am now married; I need childre”n.
The day I heard the testimony was the day she gave birth to a child in the hospital.
I pray for you: What will make your joy full, receive it, in the name of Jesus!
Your life is set up for greatness because the rivers of Living Water is about to flow into your life right now.
Seeking Wealth
As we have discussed, poverty is not an option. But the question is; how can we get wealth? Therefore, the how, when, and where you seek wealth is very important. If you seek wealth the wrong way, what is supposed to be a river of living water can become a river of killing water.
Jeremiah 17:11 says,
As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his days, and at his end shall be a fool.
If you get wealth the wrong way, you will get it. But you will not be able to spend it. If you get it by stealing, falsifying records, defrauding, etc., you will leave it in the midst of your days. May the wealth that will kill you never see you, in the name of Jesus.
Joshua 7:16-26 records the story of Achan. He stole what belonged to God. This man secretly hid some gold. God brought him out and he was killed with his family. Be careful if you are stealing God’s money. Do not die in the middle of your days.
Remember the story of Judas Iscariot in Mathew 27:3-8. He covenanted with those who were to arrest Jesus for twenty five pieces of silver. He made money but could not spend it. The same was the story of Gehazi. He received double portion of leprosy.
If you do not get money the right way, you will get sorrow with it. Job 20:4-15 says that the triumph of the wicked is short. Even though he swallowed riches, he will vomit it.
Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth, That the triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment? Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he? He shall fly away as a dream, and shall not be found: yea, he shall be chased away as a vision of the night. The eye also which saw him shall see him no more; neither shall his place any more behold him. His children shall seek to please the poor, and his hands shall restore their goods. His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie
down with him in the dust. Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue; Though he spare it, and forsake it not; but keep it still within his mouth: Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him. He hath swallowed down riches, and he shall vomit them up again: God shall cast them out of his belly. – Job 20:4-15
I have always told my pastors that if they steal God’s money, it is like sandpaper. When you vomit it, it will come out with blood. When you steal what does not belong to you, the day you are shitting (the elimination of fecal waste through the anus) the money, it will come out with blood.
In 2 Chronicles 1:6-15, Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings to the Lord. The Lord paid him a visit, and gave him a blank cheque: “Ask whatever you wan”t! Solomon demanded only for wisdom to rule. God decided to give Solomon what he asked and what he did not ask. In Solomon’s reign, silver was like ordinary stone.
When God pronounced his blessings on Abraham, it reads:
Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. – Genesis 12:1-3
Abraham became very rich. Many people think they are rich, but you need to ask God to bless you. When you meet wealthy people, you will understand what it means to be wealthy.
Do You Want God To Prosper You?
Psalm 112:1-3 says, Praise ye the LORD. Blessed is the man that feareth the LORD, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
Fear the Lord, depart from evil, and riches and honour will be in your house forever, in the name of Jesus. Be wise! Wisdom is the correct application of knowledge. Wisdom will teach you to copy what Solomon did and became the richest man in his time. The choice is yours.
Prayer Points
- Father, I am tired of suffering. Open the door of exceeding financial breakthrough unto me, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, open the heavens upon me, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, that treasure house of yours that makes all your streets tiled with gold; open it unto me, in the name of Jesus.
- Oh Lord, before this month is over, let me shout victory at last, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, prosper me. I am tired of poverty. Prosper me, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, I will use my wealth to further the cause of your kingdom. Prosper me speedily in the name of Jesus.
- Father, give me an unlimited financial breakthrough in the name of Jesus.
