From Lack to Abundance: It's a Mindset Before It's a Reality

The Lord has been speaking to me about lack and abundance for a long time. A looooong time.

In fact, the poverty/lack mindset is one of the most difficult strongholds He’s had to break me out of. It probably shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise, since it is extremely prevalent among people of all ages, races, careers and income levels (yes, you can be a millionaire and still have a lack mindset).

Not to mention the fact, that I grew up in an environment of “lack.” Not saying that we were poor, because we actually did quite okay for ourselves. I was never without anything I needed (or most times, even wanted) and we lived a comfortable life. But again, you can have a decent level of comfort and still be in a lack mindset.

Which brings me to what I felt God wanted me to share about today…

Without getting into all of the sorted details (that’s what my next book is for!), God had me in a wilderness season for the last three years. (If you don’t know what I mean by a “wilderness season,” it’s a time of testing that the Lord will take you through, typically to prepare you for the next season and the ministry or work He has for you to do. It’s similar to the wilderness seasons that many of the people in the Bible went through when God was equipping/preparing/testing them. Even Jesus!)

So, during this wilderness season, I had to learn to depend on God as my sole provider. It was extremely challenging - learning to trust Him at such a deep level.

Slowly, progressively over time, He stripped away every one of the “sources” I had been looking to as my provider outside of Him. He taught me to ask Him for what I needed, expect Him to provide in unexpected ways and be willing to receive blessings and help through people (which I had been taught I should feel guilty or ashamed for.)

Like I said, He did a lot of work around it.

But, although I recognized that I felt differently about possessions themselves and about resources vs. Him being the “Source,” I didn’t realize what a significant mindset change it was to go from lack to abundance until recently.

When God told me my wilderness season was over, I did the happy dance to end all happy dances. Finally! The testing and refining season was over! He told me it was time for me to come out of the lack and poverty of the last season because it was over. He also told me that all of the long-awaited promises were going to be coming to pass now…. including one that has to do with His financial provision in my life (and what we’re going to do with it together).

So, as I’m imagining most people would, I thought that meant I’d go straight from the wilderness season to the abundance season just like that! Ta-da!

And, God does work in “suddenlies,” “instantlies” and “at that very moment” all throughout the Bible. So, I know it’s in His wheelhouse to make a situation change suddenly. Not to mention, that’s what brings Him even more glory because in those scenarios, it’s obvious that there was no way we could’ve changed our situations on our own that quickly and that completely.

But, what I realized was that in between those two places on your journey, there is a little place known as transition.

And what happens here is probably even more significant than in the actual “promised land.” Because here is where your mindset and your perspective shift.

In the transition is where I had to learn to be in abundance spiritually before I was physically.

Let me give you a practical example of what I mean.

Every Tuesday, I received $72 for the dog-walking visits that I do each week. It was literally the last thing that God hadn’t stripped away during the wilderness season (He had me doing lots of other things for Him, but none of them supported me financially). So, it was what I usually used for the bare essentials like gas and food.

But, whereas before, I always thought to myself “I only have $72… how am I going to make that stretch for a week?” Now, my mindset was different.

Yes, God had told me before to only focus on what I needed for today. But, for some reason, it wasn’t until I finally understood and acknowledged that I wasn’t in the wilderness season anymore that this actually became doable for me.

Knowing that I was free from the restraints of the past and taking God at His word (if He said that season was over… then it was over!), I decided to just put my focus on what I needed for today and not worry about anything else.

So, with the $72 on Tuesday, I was able to put gas in my car, get groceries for lunch and dinner (+ a protein shake for the next morning) and buy dog food for my pups. It wasn’t nearly all the things I had to do or take care of - but, it was everything I needed for that day. And what I realized in that moment, was I actually had more than enough gas, more than enough food and more than enough dog food. My mind was completely blown…

I had gone from lack (not enough) to abundance (having more than enough) in one moment by changing my perspective, even though I had the exact same amount of money I always had.

It was amazing! And SUCH a powerful lesson. I knew immediately this is why He wanted me to focus only on the current day and what I needed for that day. Because 9 times out of 10, we have enough for that day, but we riddle ourselves with fear and worry because we’re looking ahead to tomorrow and the next day and the day after that.

And, like I mentioned earlier, I knew this was an important lesson for me to learn before I had the physical abundance because this is where so many people run into trouble. (Like all those lottery winners and celebrities that are millionaires and then somehow end up bankrupt.)

If you aren’t freed from the poverty mindset, you will always end up in lack - either spiritually, physically or both - no matter how much money or how many possessions you actually have.

It’s why you’ll see people with huge houses and large bank accounts still hoarding things for themselves because they’re always afraid they can “lose it all” at any moment. Or the opposite happens - they are so programmed to live in lack that often-times, they will sabotage themselves and blow through any wealth they may accumulate because deep down, they don’t believe they’re supposed to have it.

God did not create us to live with a poverty or lack mindset. His Word says He will meet all of our needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19) and that those who seek the Lord lack no good thing (Ps. 34:10). He is a God of more than enough - of leftovers, of overflowing vats and filled barns.

And, Jesus came so that we may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)

But, it all starts in our hearts and minds.

A few days after my revelation about the $72, I encountered another “milestone moment.”

I was invited to eat dinner out at a restaurant with some members of my family and while that seems like a fairly normal thing to happen, my “normal” response for so long had always been to respond with, “I’d love to, but I can’t afford to, sorry.”

But, this time, I knew I was not supposed to say that. And by “supposed to,” I mean God had clearly taught me that the power of life and death is in the tongue (Prov. 18:21), so I would not speak lack over my own situation. Instead, I would agree with Him and He what He said about my life.

But, even though I refused to speak lack and I knew He told me this was a new season - a time for things to be different - I didn’t know how to do it! It’s that funny (and a little sad) how some of us are so good at stewarding lack, that we don’t even know how to live in blessing??

I prayed. And prayed and prayed.

“What do I do, Lord? Help! I know I’m not supposed to tell them I can’t afford it. But, logistically, I don’t ‘see’ any money either… what do I do??”

Even though I was a little discombobulated, I managed to hear a soft whisper in my heart… “Just wait. Believe, child.”

I waited a few minutes before I answered my relative’s text.

And wouldn’t you know it… a client/friend who I had been doing a writing project for texts me right then and says she just “happened” to get paid at that moment and wanted to let me know that she was sending me a partial payment for my work.

And just like that, I had more than enough money for dinner.

Once again, I had gone from lack (not enough) to abundance (having more than enough) in one moment by just asking God for what I needed and believing Him to answer.

I know I won’t always have to ask for every little thing from the Lord. There will be a time when I have more than enough for all the needs of daily life. But, I am so thankful for this transition and the lessons hidden within it. Because it tears down the lies of poverty and lack at their very core.

There is no such thing as never enough when there is a God who loves us that is more than enough. We have all we ever need in Him and through Him.

He wants to take care of us. He wants to provide for us. And He wants us to believe that He will.

It’s time for a change in perspective.

What do you need for today?

Do you already have everything you need? Or more than you need?

If not, bring your needs before the Lord. Ask Him for what you need in faith. Believe that He will provide.

And then, watch Him blow you away with His goodness.

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