I am deeply concerned about the financial problems faced and still faced by faithful ministers of the gospel in the body of Christ. If there is a powerful weapon of frustration in the hands of the devil against faithful ministers, it is, “lack of finance”, and this is the truth: most of us experience lack of finance or insufficient finance at different levels.
Don’t underestimate your finances. Don’t say it’s not important. The devil lured pastors into occultism and into various corrupt financial practices using various financial crises as weapons. Again, lack of finance is like lack of oxygen. It’s devastating. Now, we have lost a beloved servant of God in the hands of Satan because of many years of poverty. Being poor is not an excuse to resign. A faithful servant of Christ must be able to live or die for the truth, with or without resources. However, we all work at different levels of strength, and it is very possible for people – regardless of how spiritual – to break down under the protracted weight of the financial crisis. Let me remind you – two main weapons used by the devil to destroy and distract faithful ministers – adultery and financial crisis.
It is easier to overcome sexual temptation than financial crisis. As a result, we must always extend our hands to one another, especially to those we find in the midst of severe financial challenges. I cannot tell you what I know and what I have heard about the activities of occult priests who force faithful ministers who cannot join the group. Financial challenges are not unique to pastors, but to all people on earth. However, the consequences are more harmful for the pastors, because of their work that is humiliating and lonely.
Consequences of Lack of Finance for Ministers
- It weakens the prayer life of the minister
- It exposes the servant of God to tempt the error of preaching and embellishing the message to please people.
- This accelerates the spread of the gospel, a development that can ultimately hinder ministers from performing their ministry optimally.
- It exposes the servant of God to the supernatural decoration and stronghold to the supernatural power to deceive people for money
- It strips the man of God of the boldness and confidence needed to face evil, sin and wickedness in human life.
- This puts a heavy burden on the marriage of God’s servant to the extent that it destroys the intimate relationship between God’s servant and his wife, so he can be sexually tempted.
- It creates a large scale and scope of interference for the minister to the extent that in an effort to find money to solve the problem, the servant of God can finally be derailed from the main call.
The list of consequences is endless. What is the drug? Not a quick fix. I do not have a magic wand to solve this problem nor do I have a one-size-fits-all strategy, given the uniqueness of each minister and the differences in assignments and callings. However, there are certain things that I must mention here that can be of great help to us. First of all, don’t make the mistake of thinking that financial provisions in ministry will always be magical, that is, someone will tell you, “God told you to give this car or this house or this ten million”. The supernatural is real and tangible. Yes, God meets our needs. Yes, God is the giver of fortune. But this is the truth that most people don’t like to hear, principles are superior to miracles.
Did you hear that? I am talking about the principles of God’s word. Miracles are needed when principles fail. If you build financial provisions on the supernatural, you will regret it. Magically, here is what I mean, “God always sends me money when I need it, and I don’t have to do anything”. That’s what I’m talking about. If you live like this, you are preparing for poverty and destitution. This medium will not be enough for me to explain clearly and clearly some of the strategies that have helped thousands of faithful pastors build a lasting financial provision. But to conclude, sustainable finance comes with principles or by setting up a system. Yes, we walk by faith. Yes, we must trust God. What happens when we walk by faith and trust God? The Holy Spirit will open our minds and put unique ideas to set up a system to generate long-lasting financial supply. Here’s my point: Trust God to help you set a system. Today, there are some ministers with specific and undeniable instructions from God not to engage in secular business or work. If you are in that category, please keep obeying God. He will take care of you. However, for those without such instructions, there are few systems that produce legitimate and reliable financial supplies for faithful pastors that I know of.
- Investing in real estate (Rentals, Small-scale student hostels, Airbnb, land banking and land flipping)—Using money or savings or money obtained from other legal means to invest in real estate)
- Donate (Set up a system of loyal donors and providers who will commit to support you every month)
- Set up Crèches, Daycare, schools, and other educational facilities with your own money (not with tithes and church offerings)
- If your ministry work is still in its infancy, take a job once you have studied and also bless your wife to work and earn a decent income.
- Identify reliable and trusted stock, forex and Crypto trading platforms; get trained and invest wisely
- Build a strong online ministry platform on YouTube and other content monetization platforms
- Empower your husband to start selling on amazon. Go and learn about it. With little money, you can earn unbelievable income from amazon
- Trust God to open international doors for you – not illegal doors. If you can get a US, UK, EU or Canadian residency or work permit, you can secure remote jobs and do remote business with foreign communities while in Africa. Also, as you minister around the world, God is sure to use people to bless you financially.
Now, I’m not saying that you don’t believe in God and live by faith. All of us. But you have to remember that Paul was one of the greatest believers in the Bible. However, he still built a tent ( Acts 18:3 ) and some other activities to generate income to support his global ministry. Listen to what Paul said to the brothers in Acts 20:33.
“I don’t have silver or gold or anyone’s clothes. You yourself know that my hands have met my needs and the needs of my friends. In everything I do, I show you that we must help the weak, remembering the teachings of Jesus himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. “
If you don’t want to live in regret and expose your family and ministry to crisis, believe in God, walk in faith, walk in truth and integrity, but you must also use God’s wisdom to take practical steps along the above line and even others are led by God. Remember, Satan does not want resources in the hands of faithful ministers for obvious reasons, they will be a threat to his kingdom. I pray for you that in this New Year, doors of unique opportunities for continuous resources will find you in Jesus name.
Ayo Akerele, a development and system development strategist, and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.
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