Category Archives: Prosperity

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Why Are People Poor?

Today I am posting an article that I published a couple of years ago about poverty.  Just like then, I am sure today there will be people who will not agree with what I have to say.  So, see what you think.

I believe what I wrote two years ago is still true, even during these very uncertain economic times we are living in.

Poverty

The cause of poverty is not a lack of money.  Does that statement shock you? It’s true.  A lack of money may be an effect of poverty, but it is not the cause of poverty.

The cause of poverty is poverty thinking.  Poverty comes from poverty beliefs and poverty attitudes; it comes from a poverty mindset.

Not having Money Is Not Poverty

Here’s another statement that might shake you. Not having money does not mean you’re impoverished.  Let me explain.  Suppose your checkbook gets all the way to zero.  You are flat broke now.  But, being flat broke now does not mean that you will be flat broke permanently. It absolutely does not guarantee that you will forever stay flat broke.

There are countless millionaires who at one time or another were flat broke.  Why didn’t they stay flat broke?  Some have even confessed going broke a number of times.  A lack of money is not the issue.  What’s in your mind is the issue.

Why Are People In Poverty?

Have you ever asked someone who is indeed in poverty why they are in that state?  They will tell you exactly why. They will give you one poverty-minded statement after another.  They will point out every lack that they have.

They come from a poor family.  They lack education.  Good jobs are hard to come by these days.  The price of everything today is too high.  They never get a decent break like a lot of other people do.  The government doesn’t really care about them enough.

They have ingrained these thoughts into their minds and hearts. They have allowed that kind of thinking to actually take root in their heart, and become their belief system.

Is There A Choice?

What we choose to believe is what we will manifest in our lives.  This universal law works with accuracy and precision no matter who the person is and no matter what the circumstances are.

I have visited a number of foreign countries.  It is just amazing to me how anyone in the United States can stay in poverty.  There is so much wealth, abundance and opportunity in the United States that it staggers the mind.

Now just above the poverty line there are those who are just struggling to get by. Many are working very hard to make ends meet each month.  Some work two and three jobs.  They are labeled as the “lower middle class.”

They may put forth a great effort, but they still seem to get nowhere except just above the poverty line.  They will stay there because that’s what they choose to believe.

Life Is Not Luck Or Fate

So, is that their fate?  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Are we to believe that some people are just blessed with a better life than others?  Does the God show more favor on some but less on others? No!

Once you identify and accept that you are in a certain category in life and you really believe that in your heart, that is where you will stay. It really makes no difference where you are today. Whether you qualify as in poverty, just above poverty, lower middle class or middle class, none of those descriptions really mean anything unless you continue to accept them as true for your life.

The point is, where you are today is a result of your own belief system.  Wherever you are today in life is a direct result of what you have decided to believe.

You Can Change Your Life

If you can accept that truth, you can change your circumstances because you recognize what very few ever recognize.  The power to change your life is in your brain. The thoughts that you consistently entertain will form your own personal belief system.

Change your life and your circumstances by first changing your thoughts, hour by hour and day by day.  Fill your mind with thoughts of where you want to go, not where you are today.

You may not be in poverty, but, are you where you really desire to be in your life?  If not, why not?  Do you need to change your thoughts to form a new belief system?

Get honest with yourself and really examine your thoughts.  A good indication of your thoughts is what comes out of your mouth.

You can change your life and your circumstance by changing your belief system.  And you can change your belief system by changing your thinking, one thought at a time.

Michael A. Verdicchio
2008

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Related Posts:
Opposite Thoughts
Are you Going To A Pity Party?
What The World Really Needs Now

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What Does God Think About It?

It’s Another Podcast!

Sitting here this morning, reading some from the Gospel of Matthew, and thinking about yesterday’s Pep Letter.  This podcast talks about wealth and prosperity, and, rich people and prosperity teachers.

As always, the answers are in the Book.  In this short podcast (10:09), find out what God thinks.

Enjoy the podcast

[If you cannot see the player below, just click the title above]

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Related Posts:
How Big Is Your God?
A Lack Of Confidence
How Do You Define God?
Do You Want To Survive Or Thrive?
How Do You Define Prosperity?

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Are Weeds Growing In Your Head?

I have written before about how thoughts can be “weed seeds.” Negative or destructive thoughts in our mind are very similar to weeds in a flowerbed or garden. They will grow and flourish unless we get them out!

Can The Words That We Speak Be Weed Seeds Too?

The Bible says that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. In order to speak something it needs to be in our mind or heart; and then we say it. Many times this happens simultaneously.

Speaking something reinforces the thought or belief to ourselves. For example, you may have heard someone recently say, “If things don’t change, we are going into a deep depression in our country.”

Those Are Words. They Plant Seeds.

Words that you hear can settle in your mind and take root. Then, the next thing you know you are telling someone else about a looming depression. And as soon as you say those words, just like thinking those words, it’s like nourishing that new “weed seed” in your mind. And, we all know how fast weeds can grow!!

I have no control over tiny seeds blowing into my flowerbed. Neither do you! But I do have control over what I plant in my flowerbed! So do you! And I doubt very seriously that you have ever planted a weed. I never have. Why? Because neither of us are that dumb!

So, if I choose to not plant weeds in my flowerbed or garden, why would I want to plant weeds in my head? The things that I choose to think about and say can and do plant weeds.

You Can Choose To Think About “Lack,” But…

If you think about and dwell on your lack, you will see your lack continue to grow. You nurture that lack by speaking about it, by telling yourself and others how much lack you have. And, your focus remains on what you don’t have, your lack! But instead, you can choose to think on abundance! Abundance? How can someone possibly choose to think on abundance when they have lack? How can you dare to plant an abundance seed in your mind during these very critical times?

Well, why not? Abundance and prosperity are promised by God in the Bible! Have you ever considered nourishing abundance and prosperity seeds in your mind and allowing them to flourish?

If you wanted a beautiful flowerbed, you would certainly have no qualms about planting the seeds to grow those flowers. You wouldn’t think that because they are just seeds, they won’t make a difference.

Those who have lack and continue to think about their lack and talk about their lack, will evidence nothing but lack. Each time they do, it’s like watering and fertilizing that lack seed. We certainly would never intentionally do that with a weed in the flowerbed, would we?

Have You Ever Had A Garden Or Flowerbed?

In the flowerbed, or garden we see and recognize the weeds. They are there. We then do whatever we need to do to get them out! We remove them! “It’s time for you to go!” And in its place, we plant what we do want to grow.

Why not take the time to water and nurture the seed of abundance? Yes but, what about the economy? Regardless of whether the economy is up or down, or sideways, it is never God’s will for you to lack. He has promised to supply all that you need so that your life is fulfilled, regardless of the economy.

He has promised to give you the desires of your heart, regardless of the economy. He said that He wishes above all things that you would prosper and be in health, regardless of the economy.

Those are really good seeds to plant in your mind! Why not try those out for a while? Replace the lack seeds with abundance seeds.

Take a look and see what’s growing in the garden of your mind. Take an honest look! What kind of thoughts are you thinking? What are you talking about? In every category of your life, get rid of the weeds and plant the promises of God!

Mike Verdicchio

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The Rat Race

There are an awful lot of people who think that instead of being in the human race, they are in the rat race. What does that mean? Why do they think like that?

The life we live as human beings has often been described as a “rat race.” You have probably heard common phrases like, “Another day in this lousy rat race,” or, “Welcome to the rat race,” or similar phrases.

The term “rat race” more than likely came from the rat’s desperate struggle for survival. It very strongly implies an endless, self-defeating pursuit. There is no question in my mind that the life of a rat is a deplorable and disgusting existence to say the least.

Are You A Rat?

But, on the other hand, it is contemptible to say that human beings are like rats. More importantly, it is devastating to those that accept it as so.

Let’s think logically for a moment. Are we to believe that the Creator’s intention was for billions of people to be all over the earth struggling to survive due to a limited supply? That sure sounds like the life of a rat to me! Are we really supposed to believe that the Almighty would be that shortsighted? Are we all supposed to struggle for survival like rats because there is not enough to go around?

I think not!

Let’s start with the bare basics. Every morning, you and billions of others wake up breathing oxygen. There is plenty – abundance for everyone! And as you roll out of bed, it’s comforting to know that planet earth is still orbiting the sun so there is plenty of sunshine across the whole planet for another day.

In fact, when you really take a look at God’s creation it becomes very obvious that He is a God of abundance!

Let’s Add Up The Apples

I read that each apple contains about ten seeds. That means one apple has the potential to produce ten apple trees. Each apple tree can produce around two thousand apples per season. With ten seeds in each apple, one apple tree, one season, has the potential to produce twenty thousand more apple trees. And, a good apple tree can produce apples for one hundred years or more!

The signs of the Creator’s abundance are everywhere: in the plants, the trees, the flowers and everywhere you look. (Well, almost everywhere.) With all the great abundance and obvious design for abundance, why are so many people lacking in their lives?

It was never the intention of the Creator for the human race to be a rat race. It was never His plan for people to live with fear, anxiety and have no peace. It was not His design for people to spend their days worrying about the daily necessities of life, completely absorbed in trying to earn a living.

He Has Provide An Endless Supply

God is a God of abundance and He has provided an endless supply. He intended for us to enjoy our lives by enjoying all He has provided for us. But He also gave every one of us free will to choose.

Every person has to choose what they want to believe and accept. What we believe and accept is what we will attract and bring into our lives.

Doubts, worries, and fears will do nothing but cut you off from the flow of His abundance. It’s like putting your foot on a hose. The supply is there and it is flowing, but you are interfering with and impeding the flow.

Thinking negatively and talking negatively will bring negatives into your life. Thinking poverty or lack and talking poverty or lack will bring poverty and lack into your life.

The Creator is unlimited in His ability to supply and provide for every one of His children. The signs of that great abundance and supply are so obvious. How could we dare to think otherwise?

When we decide to think and talk of His abundance and His prosperity, His care and His protection, His endless supply and His endless love we attract those same things. When we focus on those things, they expand, and we will begin to see His abundance and prosperity flow into our lives.

Mike Verdicchio

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How Do You Define Prosperity?

The United States of America is often described as a “land of opportunity and prosperity.” Many businesses and companies in the USA have documented a “prosperous year.” In fact, over the centuries, many individuals from the United States of America have been called, “very prosperous.”

But the question I have for you is, “When you hear the word, ‘prosperity,’ what does that mean to you?” When you hear that word, what do you think of? Perhaps a better question might be, “Are you a prosperous person?”

Most people equate the word “prosperity” and the phrase “being prosperous” with money. In other words, the more money you have, the more prosperous you are. If you are lacking money, then you are lacking prosperity. But what is the standard?

How Do You Define It?

The dictionary definition of “prosperous” is, “having success, flourishing, well off, favorable.” And, Biblically, to prosper simply means to have success.

But what exactly is the standard? Who decides what is or isn’t prosperity? How do you know if you are a prosperous person? You are the only one who can define prosperity for you. The fact is, it really doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks about your life. What matters is what you think. It really is totally up to you to determine what being prosperous means for you.

There Are Two Major Downfalls

There are two major downfalls in defining prosperity. The first is the most common. It is called “denial.” That’s when people know that they are not prospering like they want to, but, they see no way to get there. So, they decide to just settle for what they have now, and try to convince themselves, and everyone else, that they are content.

You hear phrases like, “Oh, I don’t really need this or that. I can get by without it. I’m really happy with what we have and where we’re at.”

I am not talking about being grateful for the things that you have, neither am I in any way judging anyone. Being grateful for what you have is important. But, at the same time, this doesn’t mean you can’t be grateful, and still set your sights higher, too.

You Define It For Yourself

Every person really needs to determine what prosperity is for them. A lot of people who would like to see more prosperity in their life have decided to just settle for what they have now, and then call that prosperity. That’s just not honest. That is denial.

The other downfall in defining prosperity is the total opposite. It is called, “greed.” These are people who think that prosperity means acquiring everything that they can possibly get their hands on. In other words, no matter what they have, it is never enough. They have a, “whoever gets the most, wins” attitude. That is greed.

I do not pass judgment on people who have a lot of wealth. No one has the right to judge the rich or the poor. As I said, each person needs to define what prosperity means for them. But isn’t it interesting that for the most part, society hates those who have a lot, and feels sorry for those with lack?

Promises Of Abundance!

Those who have read the Bible know that there are many promises of prosperity in the Scriptures. Time and time again you can read promises of abundance. And, there are also warnings to watch out for greed. But too often, the Christian world has focused only on the warnings about greed and ignored the promises about prosperity and abundance.

Good, sincere, God loving people have been taught that to want any more than what they have right now is just being greedy. If that is true, then who are all those promises of abundance from God intended for?

When it comes to your prosperity, you are the only one who can define it. You simply decide what you want in your life. And, if along the way, you decide to change and redefine it, then go ahead and redefine it. It is your prosperity!

Since God has promised us prosperity, I really believe that it is something that is between you and God. Don’t pay attention to those who judge you. It is none of their business!

Just stay honest with God, and avoid both downfalls: greed and denial. Remember that He wants you to prosper. His supply is endless, and so is His love for you.

Mike Verdicchio

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Lottery Winners Are Broke!

I am not surprised that in this economy lottery sales are up, all over the country.  Some of the information in this article may surprise you.  it may even stun you!

Have you ever seen or heard news reports about lottery winners becoming broke? Can you imagine? They have no money left!

Many lottery winners, especially those who take a lump sum are now poor. How could that possibly be? Many people think that if they could just win the lottery, their whole life would change for the best. They think that once they win all that cash, then all their problems will disappear. Therefore, week after week they buy lottery tickets, hoping to win.

I once read about a woman who won the New Jersey lottery twice! She won in 1985, and then again in 1986. She won millions. The money has been gone for a long, long time now, and she lives in a trailer. She said, “There are a lot of people out there like me who don’t know how to deal with money. Hey, some people went broke in six months. At least I held on for a few years.”

From 16.2 Million Dollars To Living On Social Security

There was a man in Pennsylvania who took home 16.2 million dollars after taxes. He had a lump sum of 16.2 million dollars! All of that money is gone and he now lives on social security. These are not isolated incidents. Circumstances just like these continue to happen repeatedly. What is the reason?

So many lottery winners are broke because winning the lottery did not change their mental attitude about finances. Receiving a big chunk of money did not change their poverty mentality. Their poor, poverty thoughts simply continued to bring to them what those thoughts have always brought to them – poverty. A recent study of people who come into a windfall shows that they will typically prioritize buying a house as number one in a list of twelve choices, while investing is at number eleven.

Who Wants To Be Poor?

I’ve never met anyone who said, “I like being poor.” It’s just the opposite, is it not? Most poor people would readily admit that they don’t like being poor. They are tired of just getting by. They are tired of scrimping and doing without just to make ends meet. They are tired of one financial crisis after another.

Perhaps you have noticed that poor people tend to talk a lot about their lack. Therein lies the problem. Those who have great lack always talk about their great lack. They will tell you all day long how lousy things are, how they never get a break and how their boss is greedy. And, worst of all, they think that none of this plight is their fault. They see themselves as victims in this cruel life. They don’t see anything changing. They see themselves destined and shackled to a life of misery, unless of course, they win the lottery.

So, what happens if they do defy the almost impossible odds? Winning the lottery may give them some cash, but it doesn’t change their mind set. They may be distracted for a while, but they still carry the same mentality wherever they go, and whatever they do. Deep down inside, they see themselves as poor and having nothing. Even though they acquire a great increase, they end up throwing it away, spending it away, or giving it away.

Where Is Your Attitude?

It is our habitual mental attitudes that do shape our lives. Our lives can and will change as we change our thoughts, and change what we dwell on. This is true for positive and negative thinking. The Bible says, “As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” That is absolutely true for positive thinking as well as negative thinking.

Negative thoughts are destructive thoughts that neutralize all your efforts and hard work. Positive thoughts are constructive thoughts that lead you to positive results.

Change your mind by focusing on the things you do desire, instead of thinking, focusing on and complaining about the way things are right now. Continue to think about where you desire to go and what you desire to accomplish.

Change always starts with thoughts first. When those thoughts get into your heart there will be change.

Mike Verdicchio

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How Much Money Do You Make?

“Excuse me?  That’s none of your lousy business how much money I make!”  Actually, the title of this article is just the title.  I’m not asking you to leave a comment at the end and tell me what you make!  It really is none of my business, but this makes for an interesting topic.

Often When I hear young people discussing their jobs with one another, one of the first questions is usually, “How much an hour does it pay?” I know for a number of years that is what I looked at in finding a new job; how much an hour would I earn?

Then, somewhere along the line I got into the annual salary question, so instead of how much an hour, it became, “How much a year?” There was a time in my life where my goal, my dream, and my vision, was to make $40,000 a year. I thought, at that time, if I could hit that mark I would be very well off, having everything I could ever need.

But, married with two children and taking a full time job in the early 90’s for a salary of $24,000 a year was a considerable distance from my goal. Yet, somehow that figure of $40,000 a year seemed to be etched into my mind. And I indeed attracted what I focused on. I soon hit my major plateau, my pinnacle of earning.

Now here’s the funny part. Not too long after reaching that milestone in my life, I began to see that that figure wasn’t quite as abundant as I thought it was. Can you relate? Have you ever been there before?

When you reach this juncture, there are two major considerations that can either help you along your way or hinder you.

Ask Yourself Honestly

First, you have to ask yourself honestly if you are greedy and unthankful for what you have. And by the way, it is not for anyone else to judge or decide if you are greedy and unthankful for what God has blessed you with. Only you know that.

I have seen it over the years, and you probably have too, that those who make less money than you are sometimes too quick to judge others. It is none of their business.  It should be between you and God.

But there are those who think that if you have a desire to increase your earnings, and thus increase your quality of life, you are being greedy.  Please, don’t get me started on that topic!

The second consideration that can either help you along your way or hinder you is to ask yourself honestly if you really can earn more than you are earning now. Your answer to this question is the key!

What Do You Have To Do To Get There?

You see, I knew what it took for me to go from 24 to 40. But now I had my sites set on 60, maybe even 80? But the question I had to answer was, “Do I have what it takes to get to that amount?”

Be very careful with this question. Do not put yourself into a boxed category, but rather, set your annual salary in your mind first. The picture you carry of yourself is what you will see happen in your life. That is the reason some people never move any higher than 10 or 12 dollars an hour. They would love to get an increase, but inside, they see themselves as a 12 dollar an hour earner.

Where Do You See Yourself?

With this second consideration, get truly honest. Anyone can simply state, “My goal is to make $95,000 a year!” It’s easy to say that, and there is nothing wrong with having an annual salary goal. In fact, it is an excellent idea!

But then you have to honestly figure out where you see yourself right now. Do you really believe that you can earn 95,000 a year? If not, then that is the part of the consideration that you need to work on. I’ve said it so many times that it sounds like a broken record: first change what’s on the inside and you will see the change on the outside.

If you desire to see an increase in your earnings, then put your focus on that amount, not the amount you are currently earning. Then, set out to do whatever you need to do to get there. It may be more education. It may be more experience. It may be meeting certain people.

But, keep in mind that there are a lot of people who just do a lot of activities, hoping it will lead to them to success, but they still don’t see any increase. That’s why, regardless of any action that you take, be sure that you can see yourself earning the amount that you desire. If you don’t, then you will sabotage what you are doing on the outside.

God’s Promises Have Nothing To Do With The Economy.

And, anytime you ponder these matters, keep in mind that there are numerous verses in the Bible where God has promised you prosperity. He truly wishes above all things that you would prosper and be in health. It is His will that you prosper. He is the Source, and the Supply of our abundance. So talk to Him openly and honestly. Acknowledge Him in your finances and He will direct your paths.

Mike Verdicchio

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How Much Money Is Out There?

I think it was last year I heard that a man purchased a mansion in North London for seventy million dollars.  One of the “features” was a one-ton bathroom sink carved from a single piece of onyx!  There were some other details about this mansion, but for some reason it was the sink that stuck out to me.  Oh, and course, the price.

Seventy Million Dollars

When you hear the figure, “Seventy million dollars,” what do you think?  When I was twelve years old, I had a paper route and made a whopping thirty dollars a month. Candy bars were a nickel. At that time, one hundred dollars seemed like a whole lot of money to me.

Later, at age seventeen, I worked part time at a grocery store for a dollar and sixty-five cents an hour. I now made around thirty dollars a week. At that time, one hundred dollars didn’t seem as big as it did to me a few years back, but a thousand dollars sure did.

A couple of years later, I worked at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago loading airplanes and I made around one hundred dollars a week. At this point in my life, a thousand dollars didn’t seem quite as big as it did just a couple of years before. Meanwhile, I heard that there were people who were actually making fifty thousand dollars a year. That was ten times what I was making.

It’s All Just Numbers

The point that I am trying to make is that all of this is just numbers. Whether it is 30, or 100, or 50,000, they are all just numbers. I can remember when the richest people in the world were millionaires. That seemed like something so far and distant and only available for a small few.

In the summer of 2006 when Forbes did a piece on the richest people in America, they noted that there were plenty of billionaires. Plenty of billionaires. Meanwhile, the national debt at that time was in the trillions! What is a trillion dollars? How much is that?

Some of us have heard our parents or grandparents talk about the old days and how much a nickel would buy back then. Maybe when I mentioned my paper route, it brought back some of those memories. And of course, the price and value for things continues to go up year after year. But again, it’s all just numbers.

My parents bought their house for fourteen thousand dollars. My first house cost one hundred and twenty thousand dollars. Again, those are just numbers. However, it is how we perceive those numbers that will greatly affect what we will acquire and attain.

It is what we think when we hear certain numbers that is very important. People who think that to have a six figure income is just way out of reach will never have a six figure income because of the way that they perceive one hundred thousand dollars.

So How Much Is Out There?

Well then, just how much money is out there? There is plenty. Have you heard how much professional athletes make every year? Does that bother you? It shouldn’t. It should indicate to you very clearly that there is a lot of money out there.

In addition, have we uncovered all the treasures on this planet? Has every invention already been invented? Are there no new avenues to pursue?

When the Creator put this world together, He knew that there were going to be a lot of people living here! He planned very well for great growth and expansion. He planned it with a supply far beyond what any of us could imagine.

So, here’s the bottom line. We live on a planet filled with an abundance of resources as well as many things not yet discovered. There is enough money floating around all over the world that some people can spend seventy million dollars on a house!

Is It Out Of Range For You?

Maybe we need to check our brains to see if we think something is out of range for us. If we truly believe a six-figure income is not attainable, we will not attain it. But just remember that the supply is not lacking. And, God promised to supply all that we need.

So in pursuing your dreams and your goals, keep in mind that when it comes to amounts of money it’s all just numbers. Don’t let an extra zero shake you up. And don’t forget that there is plenty to go around and plenty for all you need!

Mike Verdicchio