"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. "
~Jesus Christ; John 10:10
Why should anyone on this planet ever have to live in squalor? Why should any human being ever have to worry about where the next meal will come from? Poverty, lack, and all forms of sufferings and deprivations are unjustifiable. And I’m not saying this because I was born with a golden spoon, or brought up in affluence. I wasn’t.
As a matter of fact, I was brought up in poverty. As a little village boy, I often had to scavenge thick bushes for firewood — a kerosene stove was a huge luxury, and my only idea of a refrigerator was an ancient kerosene-powered refrigerator that wasn’t functional anyway. Grasshoppers, caterpillars, and crickets were delicacies that frequently supplied my protein needs. Yes, I grew up poor, and I’m extremely grateful to God that I did; my rural-poor background provides an invaluable platform of experience from which I teach, write, and minister with profound insight into the true nature of poverty and abundance.
I understand poverty. I know what it is. But, I also understand abundance; and, trust me on this, no one, I mean absolutely no one has to spend a second in poverty. In one of my earliest blog posts, and which garnered lots of attention, I wrote about the cure for poverty. There, I stated categorically that the cure for poverty is not cash. The cure for poverty is awareness; the awareness of who you are. It is very important that you discover yourself. That’s why I set up this blog in the first place: to inspire you to discover yourself. And that’s why I’ve been posting here now for nearly 4 years.
Who you are…
Whenever I challenge them with the possibilities of better realities, most people who live in squalor, or who exhibit mediocre behaviors, usually become defensive. I hear and read things like, "You know, Pastor Favour, I really don’t have much choice. If I had more money, I wouldn’t be living this way."
Someone recently said to me, "the reason you can preach so much against materialism in the pulpit is because you are very comfortable."
Now, I thought that was ridiculous.
In response I said, "you are wrong. I don’t have more or less money than any of these religious charlatans. It’s not that I’m comfortable; it’s simply that I’m contented. Godliness with contentment is great gain."
What they fail to realize is that abundance has nothing to do with what you have or not — that is, in monetary terms. Instead, abundance is who you are. Abundance is a nature, out of which streams the choices and decisions that ultimately determine outcome.
Think of it this way: Would you eat faeces just because you were famished?
I seriously doubt you would.
But, wait a minute. Some village dog may find it pleasurable. Right?
Sure!
You, however, would never eat faeces no matter how hungry you get, even if it’s your only option. You are a decent human being; thus the absence of finances or food notwithstanding, you just would never eat faeces! Out of desperation, some other person probably might contemplate eating it; but I’m not just talking of any other person. I’m talking about YOU.
And that’s exactly my point.
Who you are — your very nature and essence — would never permit you to eat faeces. Instead, your mind would generate solutions that are compatible with who you are. This is the way it is with abundance. It’s who you are. You just can’t help being you. Your nature decides the limits; there are certain things you would never do.
When you think of abundance in terms of who you are, it changes everything.
Abundant people speak in certain ways, dress in certain ways, eat certain kinds of food, travel in certain ways, not because they have more or less money than others; but because of who they are.
The not-so-obvious secret of the phenomenal life of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ concluded a phenomenal ministry in less than 4 years. The movement He started over 2000 years ago has continued to dominate and shape the course of human history in ways that no other movement can ever attain.
What was His secret?
Was it because He spent 40 days fasting in the wilderness?
Was it because he spent many nights on the mountain praying?
Was it because He had so much faith?
That is, was it because of anything He did?
It is so easy to succumb to the thinking that Jesus Christ had phenomenal results because of what He did — for instance, that He miraculously fed the multitude because he prayed.
Such thinking misses the point.
Jesus did all He did, not because of what He did, but because of who He is. In other words, His nature, rather than His actions, mattered more. His miracles were inevitable manifestations of His nature. He never claimed to be a prayer warrior.
He never defined Himself in terms of His earthly actions. Instead, He revealed Himself in terms of His nature –His relationship with the Father. Listen to Him:
"I am the Good shepherd."
"I am the Light of the world."
"I am the Bread of Life."
"I am the son of the Living God."
I am. I am. I am.
It was always in terms of His nature; who He is.
Your nature is more fundamental to your results, than your actions. Who you are is more important than what you do. This is why Jesus Christ came to do more than change our behaviors. He came to radically transform our nature. He was more interested in radically transforming lives, than in merely getting them to stop certain actions.
To manifest God’s abundance on earth, you need to do more than do things. You need a revelation of who you are. When you understand who you are and become absolutely certain that it is your unchanging reality, you can manifest the acts of that nature without much ado.
…Abundance Series | Next: The Key to Awareness …
In the next installment on this series next week, I will elaborate on the key to awareness. Don’t miss it. Better still, subscribe here so you get the entire series automatically by email.