Dropping out of school at 16 years old to have her first child put Renee* into a tail-spin of reactionary decisions and unhealthy relationships. She didn’t mean to make unhealthy choices. She was just trying to survive one day to the next. Although she never embraced a lifestyle of drugs and alcohol, she found herself in relationships with men who did. The pain of abuse, neglect, and rejection grew more and more over time. Two marriages and four children later, she found herself feeling labeled. In her words, “It was as if there was a sign over my head that said, ‘Hurt me.’”
In her late 30’s she visited a Pentecostal church and heard an evangelist declare “Don’t let your disfunction define you!” But as she looked around the sanctuary that morning at all the pretty hair dos, seemingly perfect families, and friendly smiles, she thought to herself, “This could never be me.” However, before the altar call was over, she and three of her four children stood in the pew all speaking in other tongues as Jesus filled each of them with the Holy Ghost.
Thousands of others have similar stories. Their new walk with the Lord stands in great contrast to the reality with which they had grown accustomed. While the church preaches about living a blessed life, the past has only produced poverty. It’s one thing to hear about blessings. It’s another thing to embrace the mentality of living blessed. The blessed life that Renee was introduced to required her to change her mentality about what life was all about. It also challenged her to change the culture in her home.
Culture can be defined as “mutually accepted norms” and reaches far beyond ethnic backgrounds. Every organization, church, and family have their own internal culture. The culture in Renee’s home had never placed education high on the priority list. In fact, her first son had also quit school at 16 years old. Very few members of her family had graduated high school, much less went to college. Their culture was based on surviving today, not on building a better tomorrow through education and financial savings.
It wasn’t until Renee’s pastor challenged them to break the poverty mentality that was hindering their walk with God that they started making cultural changes in their home. It began with embracing education. Her oldest son passed the High School Equivalency Test (HiSET - formerly known as the G.E.D.) and enrolled in college. He finished the first year with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. In July of 2018, Renee also completed the HiSET with an almost perfect score and was accepted into a local college. She, too, finished her first year with a perfect 4.0 GPA! Job opportunities and pay raises have now became the norm. Living a blessed life is now their new culture!
Their poverty mentality had convinced them that they would always be poor, broken, and unacceptable in society. As a child of God, nothing could be further from the truth of God’s Word. If you are bound by a poverty mentality, let this be a challenge to you as well.
Luke 6:38 KJV declares, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” A poverty mentality says, “I don’t have anything to give so I can’t be blessed.” A blessing mentality declares, “I’m going to give what I have to make room for more blessings.”
2 Corinthians 9:8 KJV promises us that “…God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” A poverty mentality says you will never abound. A blessing mentality declares, “I will abound in blessings because God said I would!”
A Christian must choose to believe the Word of God over their own perceptions. You can’t pray for the will of God to be done in your life while denying His promises. Anyone can break the poverty mentality by embracing the promises of God while taking strategic steps to walk out of the pits of poverty. The culture of our homes and churches can change from “never enough” to “more than enough” through the application of the Word of God! With God’s help, you really can break the poverty mentality!
*Actual name. Used by permission. I am the pastor referenced in the article. – Rick Lovall
Rick Lovall
Rick Lovall is a dual-career pastor serving The Sanctuary of Sikeston. He also serves the UPCI Loan Fund as a Loan Consultant. He and his wife, Kelby, have two sons, Easton and Parker. Rick and his family enjoying having #familyfundays…days set aside for making memories together.