An Uphill Battle

When you’re in a wilderness, the most natural mindset to adopt is one of survival. I talked about having a ‘survival mindset’ in my last blog, and today, we’re going to take that one step further. There is another way of thinking that is just as detrimental as a survival mentality, and which often goes hand in hand with it: a poverty mentality.

These two negative ways of thinking are similar in that they both have an engrained mindset of helplessness. The survival mentality revolves around being a victim who is not in control of his life, whereas a poverty mentality is based on the belief that they will never have enough.

It’s not just about not having enough money or possessions, it’s also about not having enough time, enough friends, enough energy, enough happiness. Although money is usually a big part of it, it’s also about how you view yourself and other people and, ultimately, how you see your heavenly Father.

A poverty mentality is driven by fear.

Someone with a poverty mentality makes decisions based on fear, not on faith or wisdom. Their decision-making process is motivated by self-preservation and the avoidance of risk at all costs. Living with a poverty mentality makes everything seem difficult; life becomes a struggle and an uphill battle, even when things aren't so bad.

For most people, having a poverty mentality also involves the belief that you don’t deserve to have good things. You feel guilty when you buy something new because you believe that you should only have clothes or items that are second-hand. I’d just like to mention here that I love the charity shops we have here in the UK, and have bought lots of great clothes from them over the years. Buying clothes from charity shops is not wrong; it’s great if you are buying items that you really like. However, if you’re buying things from charity shops purely because you don’t feel you deserve to have something new, that is a sure indicator of a poverty mindset.

People with poverty thinking pat themselves on the back for saving money by buying cheap items or getting a bargain. They ignore the fact that inferior quality products wear out quickly; they will often struggle to invest in a product that is of a better quality, and which will last much longer.

Poverty thinking is very short-sighted. It cannot see into the future and doesn’t understand the principle of investment, not only financially, but also in investing in other people’s lives.

People with a poverty mentality often resent those who are blessed or prosperous, although, in reality, they often want to be like them.

Poverty thinking is small and limiting; people with this mindset struggle to see the ‘big picture’ and will often not be able to envision or plan for their future. It’s as if they have blinkers on, which stop them from seeing anything other than what is immediately in front of them.

The children of Israel must have struggled to see the big picture. after they escaped Egypt. I doubt they could imagine what life would look like after that; the memories of the oppression they had lived under must have been fresh in their mind, the scars on their backs from the whippings and beatings they endured still healing.

When we moved from Africa to England years ago, I was so full of dreams and plans. Along the way, because of the tough times we endured and the steady stream of disappointments that we faced, I had stopped myself from dreaming about the future or hoping for anything better. It was my defence mechanism. It was easier to be happy with what I had than face the disappointment that might come if I hoped for something more. I didn’t even like window shopping because, to me, it was torture looking at window displays or items online when I knew I couldn’t afford to buy them. I even struggled to think of something when people asked me what I would like for my birthday or for Christmas.

I convinced myself that I was fine, I didn’t need anything. I was content. Only I wasn’t, because that thin ‘veil’ of contentment was masking a full-on survival mentality, mixed with an ingrained poverty mentality.

I must be honest, many a time I got so angry when I heard people complain about how they could “only have 2 holidays abroad this year”, or because they would “have to wait until next year to get a new upgrade” for their already immaculate, modern kitchen. I had to bite my tongue or walk away to stop myself from challenging their bad attitude or lack of thankfulness.

Entitlement is an ugly thing; it is the flip side of the ‘survival mode’ coin. A survival mode will tell you that you have no right to expect anything, whereas entitlement tells you that it’s your right to have whatever you want or do whatever you want to. Both are a lie, a perversion of the truth.

However, just like God led the Israelites out of Egypt and into a beautiful, fertile land named Canaan, after their time in the wilderness, He led me out of my poverty and survival thinking, into a wonderful place called freedom and abundance.

He can do the same for you.

We’ll talk more about that next time!

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Until next time ….

Ask yourself these questions, and answer them as honestly as you can:

·       Do I feel like I never have enough – enough money, enough time, enough friends..?

·       Do I make decisions based on fear (fear of not having enough, fear of not being enough)?

·       Can I buy myself and my family new clothes or items without feeling guilty, or do I feel I should only buy things second-hand?

·       Am I more comfortable buying something of inferior quality because it’s cheap, rather than something of good quality that may cost more?

·       Do I resent people who are well off financially and seem to prosper?

If you answered yes to some of these questions, you may be living with a poverty mentality. Ask the Lord to show you specific examples and make a note of these when He brings things to mind.

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Nicky Heymans is a published author of The Wilderness Series, a trilogy about Joshua son of Nun’s story of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt, their forty years of sojourning in the wilderness, and their entry into the land of Canaan. For more details, see Nicky’s website,

https://www.nickyheymansauthor.com/ , or her Facebook page, Nicky Heymans Author.