By Anne Anjao-Eboi

Nelson Mandela once said this about poverty: “Poverty is not an accident like slavery and apartheid. It is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

It is not the wish of God that His people remain in poverty. Many a times He has said He will bless His people. That’s why He promised the children of Israel a land flowing with milk and honey.

It, therefore, disturbs Him when he sees humanity struggling in biting poverty. When you talk of poverty the continents that come to mind are Africa and Asia.

But what went wrong in these continents? God gave us His principles on wealth creation. Some of us have tried to apply them in vain.

Well, below are some excuses for being poor:

• Colonialism. It is said that the West has continued to colonise us with hefty loans and huge interest rates.

• Inheritance. They say our grandfathers and great grandfathers were poor so it follows that the next generations will also lack.

• Lack of education. Many people are illiterate and it is said that the more degrees one has, the higher their chances of making it.

The excuses go on and on. Excuses aside, I want to declare: You are poor because you want to be poor.

I struggled with the poverty mentality until recently, after over 20 years of struggle that this truth set me free.

Today, I am on a recovery path having applied Godly principles. There was a time (and for a long time), I was never able to pull through to the next month.

But I prayed and acted on God’s principles.

First, there is the mandatory ten per cent tithe that we need to give every month. Have you been faithful in this? Test God with your finances and see how faithful He is.

Maybe you keep complaining that you can barely meet your needs. If you want to have a breakthrough, check your finances and see the excesses.

Are you spending more than you are making? The trick is to always live below your means.

Maybe you are in employment but you can do better running your own business. Talk to people who have made it and get creative ideas from them.

 You may have to risk and take a bank loan and invest it.

Apply these biblical principles and watch poverty flee from your life!