Overcoming the Spirit of Poverty by Rick Joyner

Author:Rick Joyner
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: spiritual warfare, prosperity, Bible, Christ, Jesus, Overcoming the Spirit of Poverty, Prayer, Christianity, Wealth
Published: 2011-09-29T06:18:27+00:00

When we criticize one of His people, we are actually judging Him. When we criticize one of His leaders, we are really judging His leadership.

Such grumbling and complaining is the same problem that kept the first generation of the children of Israel from possessing their promised land. Their grumbling caused them to spend their entire lives wandering in dry places, and this is the chief reason why many Christians stay in such dryness and do not walk in the promises of God. As James warned us: Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother, or judges his brother, speaks against the law, and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge of it.

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; [when we judge the law, we judge the Lawgiver]; but who are you who judge your neighbor? (James 4:11-12)

When we "point the finger" to criticize, we yoke ourselves:

Judge not, that you be not be judged.

For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Matthew 7:1-2 NKJV).

I once visited a state that was under one of the most powerful spirits of poverty that I have witnessed in this country. This was remarkable, because it is a state of great beauty and natural resources, with talented and resourceful people, but a spirit of poverty was on almost everyone. Another characteristic that stood out was that almost everyone I met there seemed to uncontrollably scorn and criticize anyone who was prosperous or powerful.

With every pastor of a small church that I met (and almost all of the churches in this state were very small), the conversation would inevitably turn to criticizing "mega-churches" and "mega-ministries,"

which these people obviously thought were the reason for many of their own problems. What made this even sadder was that many of these small-church pastors were called to walk in much more authority than the leaders of the large churches or ministries that they criticized. When I prayed for them, the Lord showed me that their judgments and criticisms of others had restrained His grace in their own lives.

Many pastors yoke themselves and their congregations to financial poverty by criticizing how other churches or ministries take up offerings, or solicit donations. Because of their judgments on others, they cannot even take up a biblical offering without feeling guilty. Again, as the text in Isaiah 58 states, the primary reason for the darkness, unanswered prayer, and lack of healing and the glory of God in our churches is not the devil, or other outside problems; it is our own critical spirit.

Of the many people I have met with exceptional spiritual giftedness but lack of spiritual fruit, this has always been a prevailing characteristic in their lives.

They had judged and criticized the ministries of others who were gaining influence, and had thereby disqualified themselves from being able to receive more.

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