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It has been determined worldwide that the politics of a nation controls the economy of that nation. Since human nature is naturally greedy, in most parts of the world, a small group of people hold on to political power and control the economy in their favour. The most prosperous societies are those which are structured in such a way that although the leaders have the power to make policies and decisions, the citizens have the power to control the leaders who control the economy – that is true democracy. Even though it is not going to be easy, our responsibility is to restructure the society in a way that those who hold public office are accountable to the citizenry. This is because those currently in power are very unwilling to let go of the comfort, wealth and influence they enjoy. For there to be change, we should be willing to confront the system, sacrifice and lay our lives down to bring about the necessary change, just like Jesus did (Mark 10:45).
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For you to have influence, you need to be financially empowered or capable; if not, survival becomes your main preoccupation (Ecclesiastes 9:16). Wealth is created, that is, to bring into existence something that has not existed before (Deuteronomy 8:18). The good news is that you have creative capabilities just like God (Genesis 1: 26). The process of creating and adding value to other people’s lives is the essence of work. Some people think that work is a result of Adam’s fall but the truth is that God gave him work even before his fall. Even God worked for six days and rested on the seventh. There is mental work and physical work and both require effort. The quality of your mental work is what gives value to your physical work, but the mental work comes first (Hebrews 11:3). Make your mind work (Proverbs 21:5 KJV). The poorest nations in the world are the ones in which the citizens do not exert themselves mentally. Anyone who avoids mental rigour cannot be rich. Hard work is much more than sweating and exerting yourself physically.
Esau was a hunter who exerted himself while Jacob, “a mild man who dwelt in tents”, should not be considered a lazy man. Jacob did more thinking since he reared cattle and ultimately, became greater than Esau. The day came when Jacob bought an intangible resource (the birthright) from Esau with a tangible resource (food). He bought the future (Proverbs 4:23). Realise that what God has given you capacity to do, He will never do on your behalf. Meeting needs and solving problems for other people with products and services is our means of generating income. To solve problems, you need skills; you need to know how to do something properly (Proverbs 22:29; Ecclesiastes 10:10). Get education, get training, serve as an apprentice and conquer laziness. Taking value from others without giving value back or without their permission is stealing and that is a bad strategy for creating wealth (Ephesians 4:28). Stealing attracts a curse (Zechariah 5: 1-4; Jeremiah 17: 11). As a believer, beyond technical skills, you have the supernatural ability to solve problems for people and to add value to their lives (Matthew 10: 8-10; Luke 22:25).
Message from Pastor Sam from Daystar