THE PRISON OF POVERTY
THE PRISON OF POVERTY
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Pastor Carolyn Sissom
We rejoice in victory this Sunday that the United States of America has a new president who is establishing his administration on the principle of the Word of God, Worship of God, the Name of Jesus Christ and prayer.
With God’s help the intent of his heart is to restore the greatness of our nation to the Kingdom principles of the promise of God:
3 Jo. 1:2: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
We returned last Monday from our Mission trip to Belize. We experienced first hand the corruption and graft of government that robs the people of jobs, self-respect, a good standard of living, wages, food, clothing, and the basic necessities of life.
Prov. 22:22: “Rob not the poor, because he is poor; neither oppress the afflicted in the gate; for the LORD will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.”
Because the Belizeans do not have factories to manufacture their dry-goods, automobiles, appliances, machinery, etc. everything has to be transported from outside the country. All products are triple the cost of what we pay in the United States. If our industries continued down the path of shipping our jobs and manufacturing out of the U.S.A., we would soon be a Third World Country.
Their economy is based primarily on export of petroleum and crude oil, with tourism and construction recently assuming importance.
Sherrel told us the United States has shown movement of being interested in making Belize a territory similar to our relationship with Puerto Rico. This is due to gold in the western part of the country; as well as the oil. I could not locate an oil refinery in my Google search in Belize. This may be our interest. Our State Department has a very large presence in Belize.
Lev. 19:13: “You shall not defraud your neighbor, neither rob him; the wages of him that is hired shall not abide with you all night until the morning.”
Jer. 7:9: “Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom you know not…”
Why would this be important two days after the inauguration of the President of the United States?
I gave a prophecy to the nation of Belize; a prophecy to Pastor Eddie and a prophecy to Brother Leonard.
Word to the nation of Belize: Donald J. Trump will be sending in a Christian ambassador. The present U.S.A. ambassador has great influence (too much) over the nation. The graft and theft by the government creates the poverty among the poor. There is no middle class. Just as God will make America great again under the covenant with Donald J. Trump that covenant will also include Central and South America.
Galatians 3:14 affirms the blessing of Abraham has come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Genesis 12:2: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”
I also prophesied that Belize is a “sheep nation” in the present separation of the Sheep nations and the Goat nations.
Prophecy to Pastor Eddie: “Great favor will be released to the Christians community in Belize through the new administration. Pastor Eddie will start three more churches. An apostolic team of pastors with whom he is in relationship will support His vision for the poor among the Belizeans. He will have favor with this movement which will be extended to Christians. I further stated to him there are only 300,700 people in Belize. Joshua crossed the Jordan (that which is impossible) with 600,000. Pastor Eddie with the Lord’s help, you should have no trouble leading 300,700 to follow the Lord.”
Prophecy to Sherrel Muckleroy: “To prepare a presentation of the feeding program, sewing and cooking school to present to the U.S. Ambassador. Pastor Eddie will go with her and they will have favor.
Brother Leonard is a business man and one of the three families who are faithful to tithe to Christian Worship Center. He graciously loaned us his truck which we needed because the roads and national infrastructure are in disrepair.
Prophecy to Brother Leonard: I asked him if he was planning to start another business. He nodded his head, Yes! I then begin to prophesy to him that “prosperity would begin to accelerate in Belize and because of his faithfulness to God and the support of that ministry, his business would increase and he would be one of the instruments of prosperity.”
The people of Belize are trapped in a prison of poverty by a spirit of poverty. The churches we attended preach a high level of the Word and their Worship brings in the Glory of God; but they have a bond slave mentality. They are beaten down because the economy/value of their money and low wages has robbed them. .
Gas is $9.30 per gallon in Belize currency and minimum wage is $3.10 per hour. There are very few automobiles. They walk and use the bus service. There are now a few bicycles in the country.
I want to express by thanks to Rev. Allen Farley for preaching in my absence and my appreciation to Eastgate for your faithfulness to support Brother Farley. I expressly want to thank Sandra and Sonya for accompanying me and honoring the Lord in every way.
Honor is due Missionary Sherrel Muckleroy for the incredible work she is doing in coordination with Pastor Eddie and Sister Edith at Christian Worship Center.
The poverty of their living conditions is staggering, and the church structure is humble; yet the attendance of the people and the Glory of the Presence of the Lord fill the meetings.
We know as Christians the only way to overcome poverty is to give out of our need. If we have a need, we know to open up our hands and give. That is one of the weapons of Kingdom warfare that breaks the spirit of poverty. The more we hold on to our money and our resources, the tighter our finances become.
Luke 6:38: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete, it shall be measured to you again
We also know the principle of hard work.
The prison of poverty for the Belizeans is partially attributed to their confinement due to lack of transportation. Belize is bordered by the beauty of the Caribbean and half of Belize is covered by dense and beautiful jungle. Eighty percent of its rainforest remains under government protection, much of it unexplored.
We know that one of keys to being delivered from a prison of poverty is to fill our soul with beauty. It is just not that far for them to travel to drink in this beauty; but they are in a prison due to their lack of transportation and the gas to operate their vehicles.
Another key to God’s blessing of prosperity is the Widow’s mite: “There came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. He called unto his disciples, and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow has cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury. For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.” (Mar. 12: 42-44)
When the Lord calls us to step out in faith, it will often take all we have which will bring us the blessing that our provision will never run dry.
I learned early in my Christian walk if I had $100.00 in my purse and I needed $10,000.00 to cover my financial needs, the best thing I could do would be give the $100.00 to the Lord.
Missionary Sherrel Muckleroy is giving $500.00 per month to feed 40 to 50 school children a free lunch. This free lunch keeps these children coming to school. Otherwise, they might not have a hot meal that day. The women of Christian Worship Center prepare and serve the meals daily.
In order to teach the people to give out of their need to receive the prosperity of the Lord, Sherrel has started taking the offering for the church to encourage the people to give $10.00 per week.
She and Pastor Eddie have started a second church in the area where she lives (La Democracia). We met in the Community center there. In this community, the people walk back and forth because they do not own cars. Very few of the women know how to drive. Sherrel plans to start teaching the women to drive. This, too, will help them to break out of their prison of bondage.
She has started a cooking class and a sewing class to teach the people skills to help them start their own business to earn money.
Yet, as she is living in the midst of this mind set of poverty, she struggles spiritually to stay above that spirit. She bought a car, but it has been broken down more than it has been running. The Lord promised her a new truck.
Giving and gifts are part of the nature of our God. Because giving is who He is, we will never out give Him, but step up and receive the blessing because our lives become a gift:
Zech. 8:12: “For your seed shall be prosperous; the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to possess all things.”
Sonya made the observation this was a land where everything is growing. Yes, the land is so rich that cut fence posts root and become trees. So, why would the people not be prospering and growing?
Those who are tithing are prospering. But, like the United States, there is a sin of fornication over the generation of the teenagers and young adults. There is only one movie theater in Belize and it is in the one Casino. Therefore, they can’t be too corrupted by pornographic movies.
People say of Eastgate that we have a church of rich people. I say, we have a church of “givers.” We are rich because our hand is always open and we freely give without begrudging, murmuring or complaining. We freely gave to Sherrel Muckleroy. The people of our church sent $500.00 to her and while we were there, we blessed the church and to Sherrel.
Mal 3:10: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in my house, and prove me now herewith, says the LORD OF HOSTS, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, says the Lord of hosts. All nations shall call you blessed; for you shall be a delightsome land, says the LORD OF HOSTS.”
We went to be a blessing and bless the churches in Belize. I delivered the prophetic message of “He who has an ear, let him hear” in Independence at Christ Sanctuary Church. Then at Christian Worship Center, I preached on the first chapter of Joshua because the people are in slavery to their poverty and they need the faith and courage to arise and be of good courage!
Joshua 10:25: “Joshua said unto the, Fear not, nor be dismayed, be strong and of good courage; for thus shall the LORD do to all your enemies against whom you fight.”
Matthew 10:8: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely you have received, freely give.”
Matthew 6:19: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust does corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust does corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.”
When I was preparing for the trip to Belize, I was in my closet being fussy about what I should pack ---considering the weather, culture, etc. etc.
The Spirit of the Lord spoke to me, “give no thought to what you shall wear.”
The Spirit of the Lord took Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. He overcame the devil in all areas which have to do with our physical well being. Because He overcame the devil – we are promised that we are not to take thought about what we shall eat, drink, or wear. “Is not life more than meat, and the body than raiment…? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. Even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Mt. 6: 25-33).
- Bread – which represents our physical sustenance.
- Safety and Security
- Fame, worldly glory, and worldly authority – Jesus rebuked Satan.
Jesus overcame the devil in all areas. The devil still tries to tempt us to put faith in the world system instead of the economy of God. I have discovered the key to eternal provision, give with an open hand and an open heart.
For me, there is another key which is not mentioned in the Holy Bible concerning prosperity. It is the key of the words of the mouth, the purity of hearing and seeing.
Ecc. 5:6: “Suffer not your mouth to cause your flesh to sin; neither say before the angel, that it was in error; wherefore should God be angry at your voice, and destroy the work of your hands?
Let us walk uprightly before the Lord in Word, in deed, what we watch with our eyes, and to what we hear.
Luke 12:6: “Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your heard are all numbered. Fear not therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
The Lord is promising through his civil servant, Donald J. Trump, to restore jobs, prosperity, and greatness to America. Let us align ourselves with our God in repentance, in obedience and give with no motive except the heart of love.
Lord gift us your heart of the Giver that our giving may delight you.
Luke 6:38: “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom, for with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”
Carolyn Sissom, Pastor
Eastgate Ministries Church
Scripture from K.J.V.