A poverty spirit is a victim mindset that presumes scarcity. It’s a powerless viewpoint that believes:
- Money, promotion, and wealth is limited.
- Opportunities are hard to come by.
- Rich people are greedy.
- You’ll never be financially free.
The poverty spirit affects the rich and the poor. It focuses on what you don’t have.
When a victim mindset like this gains influence in your life, it forces you to act in unhealthy ways.
This is why Financial Healing is so crucial.
You can work with the Holy Spirit to identify and remove the destructive behaviors.
To aid your journey toward prosperous living, here’s a list of 17 signs of the poverty spirit.
Familiarize yourself with these habits, so you can reject them from your life:
- Resentful when others succeed – A poverty spirit makes you feel jealous of others’ success, even in areas you’re not pursuing.
- Quitting in the face of trials – Those influenced by a poverty mindset believe they can’t get ahead, no matter what. But Scripture states, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” – Philippians 4:13 ESV
- Quickly surrendering when confronted – Those who struggle with a victim mindset can’t handle feedback, even if it’s presented in a kind manner.
- Always blaming yourself – A poverty spirit convinces you that every obstacle or challenge is your fault, even when it’s not your responsibility.
- Hoarding – My wife and I used to hoard so many trinkets and toys. Our backyard started to resemble a junkyard! Eventually, we loaded our stuff into a trailer and hauled it off. Today, our property is beautiful and has plenty of room for our grandchildren to play.
- Impulse buying, with remorse – A victim mindset presumes there is never enough, so impulse buying, mixed with regret, is common.
- Giving away money you shouldn’t – Over-generosity is a sign of the poverty spirit. Don’t believe me? Read this post on the subject.
- Presuming failure before beginning – People with a victim mindset claim they’re just being “realistic.” But Prosperous Souls recognize challenges ahead and meet them with ferocity.
- Running away from creative ideas – Those who partner with lack shy away from creative solutions. But Kingdom thinking is innovative! We must seize God’s ideas and abandon those that no longer work.
- Awkward side hugs, where you cower low – Years ago, one of my clients greeted me with an awkward side hug. In that moment, I realized: This person believes they have no value. I confronted them on this action and they confessed to having a lack of confidence.
- Procrastinating important tasks – A poverty spirit cripples your ability to move forward with responsibility.
- Always talking about things but never starting them – Kingdom thinking requires you to back up your ideas with solutions. Anyone can sprinkle out ideas. It takes courage to execute them.
- Having trouble sleeping because of worry – Stress is not God’s will for your life. If you struggle with sleep, partner with the Holy Spirit’s peace. Say, “Holy Spirit, I give you worry and ask for Your rest in exchange.”
- Complaining about rich people – Those influenced by a poverty spirit despise those who rise from the grime. As Prosperous Souls, we honor everyone who is blessed by God.
- Inability to say “no” or keep boundaries – People who struggle with a victim mindset lack self-value. They can’t honor themselves, so they refuse to protect their own needs.
- Hiding from the amounts you owe (debt) – Hiding from your numbers is a key sign of a poverty spirit. Prosperous Souls know their financial figures, and aren’t afraid to improve them.
- Self-pity parties – Powerless thinking tricks you into wallowing in self-pity, instead of choosing to grow.
- Inability to imagine a better tomorrow – Those who partner with a victim mindset kill their ability to dream. But God calls us to hope and imagine. Scripture says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.” – Proverbs 13:12 ESV
If you recognize any of these behaviors, congratulations! You’ve identified the presence of a poverty spirit.
The next step is to remove its influence through partnership with Jesus. We’ll go over this in a future post.
In conclusion, here’s a Financial Healing prayer:
“Holy Spirit, thank You for revealing the signs of the poverty spirit. Please remove its influence from my life and equip me to embrace the identity of a Prosperous Soul. I reject anxiety, hopelessness, and lack, in Jesus’ Name. I receive peace, hope, and abundance in exchange. Amen.”
P.S. For an even deeper look at the signs of the poverty spirit, check out Appendix C of my manual, Prosperous Soul Online: Foundations.