Are you poor or rich in spirit? (Part 1)
Verse of the Day: Matthew 5: 3 " Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"
Being rich or poor in spirit has been misinterpreted for decades. When missionaries arrived in Africa, one of the most relevant teachings was the poverty in spirit. Many Africans misunderstood the verse of the day (Matthew 5: 3), thinking that Jesus wanted believers to be poor. But Jesus was not talking about financial poverty but of the mind.
In this teaching, I want to help my readers to understand the true message of Jesus when he asks us to be poor in spirit. I consulted the original version of Matthew 5: 3 and the word "poor" is translated from the Greek word "Ptochos" which means "Beggar".
In other words, Jesus asks us to be beggars in spirit. Nobody wants to be seen as a beggar. We all want to be independent, but for our spiritual life, Jesus asks us to be beggars. A beggar is constantly in need and he can do nothing of himself unless he finds a rescue. In our spirit, God wants us to be TOTALLY dependent on him and in everything. This is also why God never allows that we have everything we want otherwise many would even abandon prayer.
I know that some of you say that heaven helps those who help themselves, but I must say that no one can help himself without the grace of God. You can tell me that you are smart, you have a good degree, you work hard, but you should also remember that it is God who gave you that intelligence, the degree and strength.
When you were born, you were naked and you totally depended on your parents. You were like an invalid who is totally dependent on others. It is God who allowed you to grow up using other people until you could be independent in the world’s eyes but in reality you are still dependent on God because he is still holding the breath of your life until now.
If you are proud of your success and want to impress everyone, it means that you are very rich in spirit while Jesus asks us to be poor in spirit. He who is poor in spirit is still in the position of someone expecting something from God. If you walk in town before a beggar, you will find that his eyes seek your attention. If you look at him, you will notice that his reaction is to show you how much he needs your help. You will never find a beggar busy reading a newspaper or look at his cellphone texting messages to his friend. He is always attentive to the slightest reaction of passers that can give him something. It is the same attitude that you should have in your mind; your attention should be completely oriented towards your God that has everything you need.
God wants a poor spirit and He wants you to prepare him some room so that He pours out His blessings in your life.
In the second part, we will see how the devil deceives the children of God in order to block their blessings.
Chris Ndikumana
Are you poor or rich in spirit? (Part 2)
Verse of the Day: 1 Corinthians 15:10 "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”
Today we have many doctrines that contradict this teaching of poverty in spirit. The devil wants to convince Christians that once we are saved, we have everything we need and therefore we no longer ask in prayer. Some even go further and say that we are equal to Jesus and we do not even need to pray in Jesus' name.
Yes we are joint heirs with Christ, but we are what we are through Him and without Him we can do nothing. Saying that we are at the same level with Christ is a blasphemy. Jesus himself said "WITHOUT ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING" (John 15: 5). We totally depend on him and the devil knows it but he tries to convince us that we have received the power that makes us independent of our Lord. He who believes that Jesus gave him a power that he can manage independently of Him is simply fallen into the trap of the enemy.
The verse of the day (1 Corinthians 15: 10) is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it destroys any kind of pride. Paul says that it is by God's grace that he is what he is and if he worked better than everyone else, it was not him but it was the grace that was with him.
In other words, Paul acknowledged that he was nothing without God's grace. He did not consider his intelligence, his education, his experience, his character, his ability to preach ... but he just admitted it was the grace of God that helped him to do what he did and that without that grace he could never do it.
Many Christians do not know the true definition of grace. For a long time we learned that God's grace is the unmerited favor of God but if you read Paul's letters and the second chapter of the book of Luke, you will understand that God's grace is better than the unmerited favor of God: It is the power of God that allows us to do what the Lord wants us to do.
He who is poor in spirit is the one who recognizes his total dependence on the Lord. God wants a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51: 17). He hates pride and arrogance. Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind" (John 9: 39).
If you think you see, you may be going blind (spiritually), but if you know that you do not see (without the Holy Spirit), He will open your eyes of the spirit and you will get many revelations.
To be continued in the third part
Chris Ndikumana
Are you poor or rich in spirit? (Part 3)
Verse of the day: Luke 6:38 " Give and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you”
Today I finish this teaching by leaning on the verse of the day (Luke 6: 38) which shows how God rewards those who give, but it is the end of the verse that caught my attention. Jesus said, “the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you". Why is he talking about the measure? Because your faith has a measure.
Your attitude when you pray or when you give shows the measure of your faith. When God wants to bless you, he respects the measure that you have used. If you expect the blessing of God by using a cup, the Lord will fill the cup. If you use a bottle, the bottle will be filled but if you use a large pot, God will fill the pot. It all depends on your faith and your expectations.
He who is poor in spirit is comparable to someone who is very hungry and not only will use a large pot, but may even seek a barrel to have the greatest possible amount. That is why we started this teaching by the word of Jesus when he said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs!”(Matthew 5: 3).
If someone is rich in spirit, his container is full, and God cannot find some room to pour his blessings (his wisdom, his goodness, his greatness ...). The further we humble ourselves by recognizing that nothing can be done without Him, the more He manifests in our lives but the one who believes that he is in control of everything disconnects himself from the grace of God. That is why the Scripture says that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (Jacques 4: 6).
I end this teaching by reminding that if you want to see the greatness and power of God to manifest in your life, you must be poor in spirit, which means that you have to totally rely on God and recognize that without him you can do nothing. Your weaknesses allow God to work in your life. Your strength is blocking the hand of God because He himself said: "My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12: 9).
Paul understood that his weakness is an asset and concluded by saying: "When I am weak, then I am strong" (2 Corinthians 12: 10). It is when we are poor in spirit by keeping our eyes on the Lord that He intervenes and transforms our lives.
God bless you
Chris Ndikumana
