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Feb. 27, 2025
Manifested Abundance – Part 5
In this episode, Pastor Bo challenges the traditional notion that poverty is synonymous with virtue, delving into scriptural insights that present prosperity as a divine tool for fulfilling not only our own needs but also those of others. As we examine the concept of the "spirit of poverty," we uncover how societal misconceptions about wealth can stifle personal and spiritual growth. This thoughtful discussion encourages listeners to break free from poverty's grip and welcome a life of abundance.
(00:00) Manifested Abundance
(14:51) Overcoming Spirit of Poverty
(21:57) Breaking the Spirit of Poverty
(32:17) Cultivating Excellence, Avoiding Slackness
(36:17) Embracing Abundance, Rejecting Poverty
(46:38) The Power of Purposeful Living
(53:27) Connecting With City Light Church
www.citylightnyc.com
Chapters
00:00 - Manifested Abundance
14:51:00 - Overcoming Spirit of Poverty
21:57:00 - Breaking the Spirit of Poverty
32:17:00 - Cultivating Excellence, Avoiding Slackness
36:17:00 - Embracing Abundance, Rejecting Poverty
46:38:00 - The Power of Purposeful Living
53:27:00 - Connecting With City Light Church
Transcript
00:00 - Speaker 1
When Christ has met your spiritual need and you're generous and you're a giver, then you're not materialistic. But do you know what say luxury things will do for you? Then They'll actually take you up a level higher and then they'll attract more of those things into your life. I know this is sounding a little, but it does. It'll attract luxurious and beautiful and prosperous things in your life. Just don't get into debt when accumulating those things.
00:26 - Speaker 2
Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you, that he has a real hope and a future for you.
01:07 - Speaker 1
It is good to be here. I was not here last Sunday. I heard you had a great time, though, with Evangelist Nathaniel St Eloy. I took my son on a trip and we still kind of feel like we're on it, huh? We got back yesterday and the ladies are gone. They're celebrating a birthday in Pennsylvania, so it's just the boys in the house still. Yeah, yeah, we've been grunting, making sounds, fist bumping a lot. What a time we had.
01:44
Took him to Belize. It was un-Belize-able. You know. I guess every country has their thing. Like you know, we go on mission trips and then every souvenir shop has that shirt. What's up? Well, in Belize it's un-Belize-able. And we were on an island called Ambergris Key and we just had the time.
02:08
I've been wanting to just have a moment with him. You know, we prize family. We prize, emily and I, our kids. We've heard too many nightmare stories of preachers losing their families, you know. And what does it profit a minister to win? The whole world and his own children go to hell. And so we've implemented early on certain rules. We have dinner together every night. That's the exception. That's the rule. There's sometimes the exception if I'm out of town or something and we pray together and we laugh together. But I wanted to just take him for a week where it could be some father and son time and give us a week that we'll never forget. Right, buddy? It's awesome. I'm proud of him.
02:53
It's no joke over there. You know, they got the richest marine life in the world and so they got everything, and he was right in the water. And then they have a place called Shark Ray Alley. You know who lives there? Yeah, sharks, and here's the thing they're nurse sharks. So they're pretty much pretty much. There's always some odd case of them biting someone, but they're pretty much harmless. You can check out my social media. You know there's like 20 or 30 of them that gather by the boat and they don't come there by themselves. You know guys pouring chum right in the water. They're coming, 20 or 30 of them, and so, even though you're told they're harmless, you know you see this giant thing swirling about and there's 20 of them in the water. You might second guess what you're going to do next. But I was proud of my boy, not him. He just jumped right in there. He's diving underneath, he's touching them. Hallelujah, maybe the Lord will call you into ministry, who knows? But swimming with the sharks, that's a good prep, that's a good starter.
04:02
So we are on week five and I'm going to close our series on manifested abundance. But of course it's not something that we'll stop talking about, because you can't separate God from abundance, you can't separate God from prosperity, because that's who he is, amen. It's not something that he has in his pocket that he can take out, forget at home, or it's part of his nature, just like healing. He is the healer, he is abundance, he is deliverance, he is salvation. And so let's go to Ecclesiastes 10, 19.
04:40
I've opened up every one of these sermons with this verse, because it's important that we know it, because God is a God of abundance, he's a God of prosperity, he's a God of more than enough. You just look at the miracles of Jesus, the provisional miracles, you'll see that he never gave just enough. He always gave too much. He's a too much God. And for some reason, christians reject this.
05:04
Christians pull away from this Somehow. They believe that there's a holiness to poverty and that there's just an inherent sin to prosperity. Well, the devil laughs when a Christian has that mindset. Because now that Christian is locked up and they can't be influential, they can't expand the kingdom because they're too busy worrying about what they're going to eat tomorrow. Amen.
05:28
And so here's what the scripture says. It's actually in the word A feast is made for laughter and wine makes merry, but money answers everything. Amen, money answers everything. If you look at the problems that you encounter, money will answer those problems. Obviously, the sin problem, money can't answer. A loneliness problem money can't answer. But money is the anointing of the world. Just like the anointing is God's power in the spirit realm and makes the spirit realm go round, and it affects the earthly realm. Money is its counterpart and it's not inherently evil. It's a wonderful servant, a terrible master, and so a Christian can live in prosperity, is called to be blessed.
06:28
And let me just define prosperity, because when I say prosperity, people get so many different ideas what that means. But it means that you have more than enough to fulfill your divine assignment here on earth, according to Psalms 23,. You have a cup. The good shepherd makes your cup to overflow, hallelujah.
06:47
I have to say all these things and I know I've said this in the beginning of every sermon, but I'm always cautious and aware of new people, and new people come in and the pastor comes up and says we're going to talk part five about money, and they're like I knew it to the person who brought them to church, because that's like everybody's greatest fear if they come to church. Is it one of those money churches? No, we're Jesus Church and everything we do it's about Jesus and a relationship with him. But I would be doing the people of God a horrific and terrible disservice if I didn't talk about something as important as money, and Jesus talked about it all the time. You say I never saw that in the gospels. That's because you read too fast. He talked about hell twice as much as he did about heaven, but he talked about money, lands, stewardship, giving more than heaven and hell combined. Why? Because he was a televangelist that comes on channel 56 at 3 am. No, because he knew that that would affect your life here on earth and God has something to say about it. So let me read you these quick statistics if you're still not convinced why I would take up five Sundays to talk about personal finances and what God's word says about it.
08:06
Total household debt right now right now, as of Q1 2024, so a year ago it's only increased 17.987 trillion. Just call it 18 trillion total household debt. Do not confuse this with the 36 plus trillion that the country is in the national debt. Do not confuse this with the 36 plus trillion that the country is in the national debt. This is separate. This is, if you combine all of the people that live in the United States, how much they owe. It's more than ever before.
08:36
We have a huge debt problem, a debt crisis, and let me just tell you right now God hates debt, hates it. Is it a sin to be in debt? Now? God hates debt, hates it. Is it a sin to be in debt? No, it's not a sin to be in debt, because the Bible says that you will be the lender and not the borrower. So if you're a lender, then you're putting someone else in sin. It's not sin, but it's not God's best. You get it. There is a higher way.
09:01
I was once swimming eyebrows deep in debt, had 16 credit cards all maxed out. The same time I had 17 mice that's how I remember these numbers and one afternoon I caught 17 mice. At that time, I had 16 credit cards Was maxed out. A very bad way to live. It caused a lot of shame and God brought me out, because the Bible says that God is the liberator and it says the one who is in debt is in bondage. And I actually fell to my knees and first of all I apologize to the Lord. I had to be real. There was only one person to blame and it was me. So I said I'm sorry, lord, for my poor stewardship. I'm sorry, lord, for my out of control spending. I'm sorry, lord, forgive me and now help me. Help me get out of this mess. And he did Amen.
09:53
And my wife and I have been debt free since we got married. We bought a house a year and a half ago, got into debt for that. I was like, oh, my testimony's ruined and then in less than a year that was paid off. Can you shout a hallelujah, amen, thank you Jesus. So total household debt is $18 trillion. This overwhelming debt can lead to a pervasive sense of hopelessness and anxiety about financial security, particularly when individuals see no end to their personal debt in sight. Average debt per person is $104,215. That sheer amount can cause significant stress, with individuals feeling trapped by their financial obligations, leading to depression and a lowered sense of self-worth. I fought with that when I was so in debt. I could barely stand my own image in the mirror. I just thought what have I done and how will I ever get out of this? And the voice of the accuser was so loud in my mind. And right now, according to these statistics, we are, as a people, more indebted than ever before in history. So this message on biblical finances and God's abundance couldn't be more timely, because it shall not be so with us. Amen.
11:12
In 2009, right after the 2008 financial crisis, I decreed over our church. We're not going that route. Everybody was saying recession, recession. And we had a mantra at City Light. We said we are not participating in this recession. We are not going backwards, we're going forwards. And in 2009 and then in 2010, we saw the most marriages, most people get married, most businesses started and most people buy property buying condos, buying houses. We don't have to be subject to what's happening out there. Amen. Our citizenship is in heaven. So we're ambassadors. I can live here on planet earth, but as an ambassador of God, I'm receiving from heaven.
11:55
Credit card debt is 1.166 trillion, so total is 18 trillion. A lot of that is mortgages, student loans, the loan shark down the street, but a chunk of it 1.6 trillion 1.16 trillion is just credit card debt higher than it's ever been in history. High credit card balances often lead to constant reminders of financial strain through interest rates and minimum payments. This can result in emotional turmoil. This is why I'm preaching this, so that you don't live in emotional turmoil. Jeremiah said I have no peace, I forgot prosperity. Well, I'm here to remind you so you have peace. People forget the benefits package. People forget who God is. God will help you with that. God is a provider at his core, hallelujah.
12:57
Delinquency rates this is a problem. 8.9% of credit card balances and 7.9% of auto loans became seriously delinquent in Q1 2024. What does that mean? It means that people are looking at their credit card statement after trying to pay it off, being unable to pay it off and eventually look at their credit card statement and go nah and just stop paying, and that's now at its highest level. And you know why that's a problem? Because if that continues eventually, then some bank somewhere is going to fail Pay attention for that. And when that bank fails, two or some bank somewhere is going to fail Pay attention for that. And when that bank fails, two or three other banks are going to fail. And then, if that keeps going on, a major bank is going to fall, there'll be a run on the banks and then it's going to be 2008 on steroids, but it will not be so here. Amen, hallelujah. And debt growth 4.3% increase in household debt from 2023 to 2024.
14:02
So we need to hear this, we need to get this in our spirits. The word produces faith. So I want to minister to you this morning. This was just the precursor. I just basically have to do this thing where I explain to you why I'm talking about this and why it's so important.
14:19
But today I want to talk to you about the spirit of poverty, because there is a spirit of poverty. God's Holy Spirit is a spirit of abundance, the spirit of prosperity. Satan is the god of poverty. He'll offer you riches, but he's the god of poverty, and this spirit has particular characteristics, and I would say that most people, if not all people, are, to one degree or another, affected or influenced by this disgust.
14:51
I hate this thing, the spirit of poverty. Why do I hate this thing, the spirit of poverty? Why do I hate it? Because it keeps Christians bound. God is a God of growth. God is a God of advancement. He wants to take you from glory to glory. Your life shouldn't be gory to gory, glory to glory. You should always have a better year than the previous one. I believe that with all of my heart. But the spirit of poverty comes in and sabotages that and robs people and keeps them from experiencing God's best. So let's talk about some of the characteristics of the spirit so that you get identified when you see it in your own life. The temptation when going through this list is to say, oh, I know someone just like that, oh, this is for my friends or my family. But God in his infinite wisdom started good to have you here this morning. So open up your heart and see how you relate to this and let's dissect this spirit of poverty and eliminate it from our lives and see what kind of characteristics does it have. Number one the spirit of poverty. One of its characteristics is that it resents wealthy people, resents success so subtle huh. And it's been introduced into our culture, into our collective psyche, at an alarming rate, more and more in the last 10 to 15 years, for example.
16:18
I'm sure you've heard this thing, this saying, that's been said. Well, the wealthy and the elite need to pay their fair share. About half of you. I'm upsetting right now and I'm so glad Because I love you and because I say this with love in my heart, total love in my heart. You're messed up. You're messed up in the head and I pray the holy spirit come with his love and his anointing and un-mess you up.
16:47
You open your mouth and you think you're being smart, and I can tell how programmed you are from your scrolling, from the little sound bites you get and what you get angry at. You're programmed Well, the wealthy ought to pay their fair share. They do. I just got wealthy. I've never paid so much taxes. The truth is, I never pay taxes. I mean, I paid taxes. There was nothing. How are the wealthy not paying taxes? You look, dollar amount they're paying and percentage-wise they're paying. But you've just heard this saying they ought to pay their fair share. What is their fair share? I've heard people say well, elon Musk is worth like 400 billion. He could easily give 200 billion of that. Oh, that would be the fair share. Awesome America now where we punish success. I'm sure that's going to motivate other entrepreneurs and other people to take risks in business.
17:37
So quiet in here. Come on. Do you know? There's around 780 billionaires in America. If you confiscated all of their wealth all of it, not just tax. If you confiscated all of their wealth all of it, not just taxed them, confiscated all of their wealth, it wouldn't even make a dent in the national debt. So it's not a money. It's not a problem of getting more money. It's a problem of waste, excessive.
18:06
Do you know, when we were in Belize, we went to see some Mayan ruins, but only 5% of the Mayan ruins. You gonna have a talk with him about this afterwards. Please have the talk. This guy comes in like Tom Cruise in Risky Business with sunglasses on, sliding in. Look at this, some people. I'm in the middle of a point. Let me go to this side. Listen to this. We're in the Mayan ruins in Belize. They've only uncovered 5% of them. And our tour guide says and it's probably only going to be 5%. So somebody in our tour group says why. He says well, I was shocked. He said, well, no more help from the US.
18:53
The archaeologist and I was like I didn't want to start that in Belize. I'm on vacation, I'm going to chill. I just thought I didn't know my tax money was going to help uncover ruins in Belize. I didn't know that. Like someone should get to the bottom of that. There should be some organization that checks governmental efficiency. Like there should be a organization that checks governmental efficiency. There should be a department that looks into why is my tax money going to uncover ruins in Belize? Also, from my mother country of Serbia, there was this transgender teaching thing in Serbia that I was paying for what? Why?
19:28
But that spirit of poverty will cause you to hate and resent wealthy success. They're not your problem. They weren't my problem. This is not the 1880s Gilded Age. Back then it was a problem. You had several families. You had no rules, no laws concerning.
19:48
We were in the Industrial Age. All of a sudden, there's factories. People are working 70, 80 hours, no vacation time, no overtime. You get your arm cut off at work. You don't get to sue, you get sent home and fired. That was bad. We're not in that age anymore.
20:03
What did a billionaire ever do to you? Nothing, but you were brainwashed and told that they're hurting you in some way. They're not. They brainwashed and told that they're hurting you in some way. They're not. They weren't hurting me. The only person hurting me was me. I apologize, I'm robbing this great excuse for your mediocrity. I apologize that I'm robbing you. I know you love to point at this Bezos or whoever it is, and they're your, they're not your problem. Amen.
20:42
You can hear the squealing in the spirit. You know what that is, the spirit of poverty. You're like eh, how are you going to get God's prosperity if you resent and hate anyone who has prosperity? Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh, thank you, lord for the Holy Ghost. You know, when the world begins to make a lot of sense is when you realize that socialism, which is communism, has been trying to get into our country from the beginning, but especially in the last 10, 15 years, when you realize that your eyes are open to everything. Yeah, what we've been hearing the last 10, 15 years is a giant psyop, a communist, socialist psyop designed to incite class warfare, class struggle and hatred between different groups. Why? Because a disunited people are easily conquered. Yeah, I have 10 more points, so I'll get off this one. Wait one more point though.
21:57
These people, you know them, maybe you are them. You know what's funny. They want wealth. If you had, you know, keys to a fancy car, you go who wants this? They'd be climbing over chairs just to get it. They're the same person who yesterday was complaining about all those wealthy people. But secretly they want it. They want it with everything with them, but they don't feel that they can get it, so they blame someone who has it. So you know what that really is. You think you've got some kind of virtue in your head. No, you're full of envy and covetousness and that's all it is. But you feel so stripped of power and you let the devil deceive you. So you don't admit your covetousness. You just those mean, old, bad billionaires who didn't do anything to you. Amen.
22:50
We're only on one characteristic, the first characteristic. You know, I know this so well because my whole country is like this, my former country. If anyone's successful, they must have gotten it through illicit means. I was taking a boat ride from the shore in Montenegro and then you get to see all the beautiful houses and beautiful villas and I was like who does that house belong to? And the board operator's like, ah, mafia, who does that house belong to? Ah, mafia. I'm like man, the mafia controls 80% of the coastline.
23:24
Later I'm reading on the flight back home. I'm reading a magazine and it was one of those houses and it was a woman's house who had this whole cosmetics and perfume line didn't look like a mafioso at all. Nice lady, nice coiffed lady, but they are under such a spirit of poverty the moment someone has success, oh, they must be evil somehow. Oh lord, all right. Number two we're talking about characteristics of the spirit of poverty. Number two is a false call it a false generosity.
24:01
The spirit of poverty loves to tell you what to do with your money. For example, you get something nice, like you get a nice car, and the spirit of poverty will come through another person. They'll say oh, how could you do that? Don't you know there are hungry people in the world? How can you do that you could have fed so many people? You know who said something like that, judas In the Bible. When the woman came with the alabaster box and broke it and she took perfume that was an annual salary and poured it over Jesus' feet, jesus smiled and said leave her alone, she's doing a good thing. Judas said oh, this could have been sold and the proceeds given to feed the poor. And then the Bible says not that he cared about the poor, and neither do those people who tell you those things, because they've told me those things and I'll say I know what I have done for the poor? I know what I'm doing for the poor. What have you done for the poor? I gave a homeless man a dollar in 2017. Quiet with that nonsense.
25:12
Every day, city Light Church feeds 2,000 people via the Grace Center in Bahir, dar, ethiopia. If you're a tither at City Light Church, that's what you're connected to. That's how you're helping the poor. Amen, I've given I don't even want to say the amount over my career to the poor, but have you noticed that? That spirit of Judas, that spirit of poverty, don't give heed to it, don't bend the knee to it. Be a giver, be a lover of Jesus. And when you're a tither and when you're a giver, yes, you can get yourself something nice. You can get yourself lots of things that are nice. Yeah, in fact, you should get yourself nice things.
26:04
We have a saying back in the mother country I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things. It's a joke, because when you're constantly buying cheap things, they're falling apart all the time anyway. So you're renting your clothing, you're renting your car, you're renting your watch, because you always happen to buy. When you buy quality, it lasts forever. And I'll tell you something, something that even secular people like Suzy Orman, other financial gurus, what they've said, and I believe it wholeheartedly there's beautiful things, beautiful objects. By the way, you shouldn't want things.
26:39
Here's what materialism is. Most people don't know how to define materialism. It's not having things, it's wanting things to fill a spiritual need. When Christ has met your spiritual need and you're generous and you're a giver, then you're not materialistic. But do you know what say luxury things will do for you? Then They'll actually take you up a level higher and then they'll attract more of those things into your life. I know this is sounding a little, but it does. It'll attract luxurious and beautiful and prosperous things in your life. Just don't get into debt when accumulating those things.
27:18
I bought my wife a purse in 2014. You know, women love their purses and this purse was wow. I still. I just remember buying it, but do you know that was? You were six months old when we took you to Hawaii and I bought my wife that purse. I still see that purse. She used to use it every day for years. It still looks exactly the same as when we took it out of the store. The quality of it. Is this helping anybody? All right, you could let me know occasionally, just nod your head or something, amen. But you don't want to get into debt over it. You don't want to be that guy in the trailer park Brand new Ford F-150 outside the trailers, kids running around with no pants.
28:09
Number three, A characteristic of the spirit of poverty blame and excuses a victim mentality. A victim mentality that always finds blame not with themselves but someone else. And we have a saying in our house. I taught my son, I learned it in Bible school all excuses are lies. Amen. And do not let anybody ever get you to believe you're a victim in any way. It's so. It's cheap. You know why it's cheap? Because it temporarily actually makes us feel good. Oh, there's a reason why I haven't succeeded like I thought I should, but it actually it's the devil. And then it locks you up and keeps you from rising up to where God wants. You Reject victimhood in all its ways. And have you noticed in the last 10 to 15 years that's exactly. It's like the victim Olympics, with different groups trying to out-victimize each other. Oh, you think you're a victim. You don't know what I've gone through Meanwhile. They're from the suburbs they're talking about like three generations ago. You don't know what I've gone through.
29:29
I'm from Serbia. 600 years of Turkish occupation. They made half my country Muslim. That's why I'm such a bad preacher. That's why I got a pastor in a building with a 1970s chandelier dangling from the ceiling. It's because I'm a victim. Those Turks for 600 years rejected. Those excuses are lies, amen.
30:01
I had a friend. He lived above me, christians filled with the Holy Spirit. In college he was on the third floor, I was on the second floor. We went to basic brothers and sisters in Christ together. He was my friend for many years and he was pre-med. I was just taking some science classes and got very close with him.
30:17
Great guy, he was from Ghana and he was brilliant and he in biology. In those hard physics, organic chemistry, he just got straight A's. The guy never got A minus in a life and he was applying to Harvard, to their MD-PhD program, which he got accepted to and went on. Do you know what? I didn't even know what that was later I was like what is that? Md and PhD was like over a decade worth of education. They were going to condense in seven years.
30:50
He's from Ghana and we're walking out of the student union. Now I get it. He's not black American. I get it. Different set of experiences. But just listen to what he said. Because as we were coming out of the student union there was a bunch of American black, a group to my right, and they were chanting black power. And he looks to me and he says I do not understand this. What is this, what does it mean? He said I go to Harvard, I get MD, phd, then I show them black power. And I was like, ah, I like the spirit of that. And he did Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh, if you're upset with me, email Pastor Mo, please. He's been such a good friend. He takes those hits over and over again for me.
31:49
So number five, as a characteristic of the spirit of poverty laziness, slackness and love of sleep. Proverbs 6, 10-11. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 20, 13,. Do not love sleep or you will grow poor. Stay awake and you will have food to spare.
32:17
Slackness, laziness, love of what is slackness? The Bible says if you have a slack hand, you will end up in poverty. Something. My son, my daughter she's not here. They're having a girl's party in Pennsylvania with my wife and my daughter. But I want success for him, obviously number one, real success, knowing Jesus, having a relationship with him. But also I want the world to look at him and be jealous. I want them to go. Oh, he's successful. So I want to root out slackness out of his life. Like, for example, I don't like lights on in my house in rooms that aren't being occupied. Now here's the thing, though I got LED bulbs everywhere, like that light can stay on all day. It costs me about six cents. So it's not about money, it's about slackness.
33:10
I don't want you to be slack, I want you to be excellent. When you come home, what's the first thing I tell you to do? You come home, you take off your shoes and wash your hands. Didn't even prep him. Take off your shoes, wash your hands. Don't throw your bag just in the corner. Line it up straight. I want you to have a spirit of excellence. Hallelujah, tostito bag. You roll it up after you're done eating. You just put it in the corner. I see how it slowly opens up. Then I'm eating stale chips the next day. Use that chip clip. That's why I bought it. Be excellent, amen.
33:48
Say no to slackness. Listen, you look, I've hung around with enough broke people and enough successful people. You look inside a successful person's car. It's clean, it's excellent, it's organized. Hang around a broke person, check their car Every single time. It's like the Salvation Army met the Dollar General store. Shoved in one car, you got to get a shovel to shovel all the crap out of there. Yeah, love you, I really do.
34:20
Here's what Paul said have I become your enemy because I've told you the truth, jesus? This leads into number six. It's actually a characteristic of the poverty spirit Sloppiness and disorganization. Do we have Daniel 5.12? Did I give you that? If not, could you put up Daniel 5.12? Sloppiness and disorganization. Be organized, be neat, be clean, even with what little you have. The Bible says this Be diligent. As she looks it up. I'll quote it to you, not Daniel, but another verse Be diligent to know the state of your flocks. It means, let me paraphrase handle your business, know. A good shepherd knows how many goats he has, how many sheep he has, how many oxen he has. Be organized.
35:17
When it comes to credit card debt, when I help people financially, the first question I ask them is how much debt do you have? Do you know what? The most frequent, most common answer to that is I don't know. Why don't you know? Because two years ago I got afraid of that number and like an emu bird you know that emu bird it sticks its head in a hole. You know why it does that? Because it thinks if its predators can't see it, if it can't see its predators, its predators can't see it. So it's like if I can't see my credit card debt, it can't see me, but it can. So it's like if I can't see my credit card debt, it can't see me, but it can. My son is correcting me saying it's ostrich, not an emu bird, inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Balthazar Now let Daniel be called and he will give the interpretation An excellent spirit.
36:17
It starts with how we handle our life day to day. Amen, kenneth Hagin. He tells the story of a minister in a Bible school who would just randomly and spontaneously visit Bible school students' dorms, houses, whatever it was. It would just knock and just say may I come in and just look around and he said those that were sloppy, those that were disorganized, those who had the corner of the room was a hamper and he said not one of those did I ever see succeed in ministry Hallelujah. He said not one of those did I ever see succeed in ministry hallelujah. Proverbs 27, 23. I quoted it. Let them just see it so they know I'm not making scriptures up. You know, when you're in the psych ward, what never been.
37:24
One of the first signs, one of the first signs, no, one of the first signs that you're ready to go home is that you request a mirror, yeah, and you actually start caring about your appearance. Maybe you ask your beard to be trimmed and you start is this helping anybody? And now can you see why the picture of Jesus that they've painted for us is such a lie? Because it shows him as a dirty hippie Walking around, broke, wearing rags, someone's in the back. I thought he did wear rags. No, he didn't wear rags. Roman soldiers don't gamble wear rags. No, he didn't wear rags. Roman soldiers don't gamble over rags, amen. They gamble over clothes whose designer's last name ends with a vowel, number seven, characteristic of the spirit of poverty. Yeah, we're getting somewhere here.
38:33
At least you're learning, hey, by the way, this sermon it goes both ways, because maybe you're not fully convinced that God is a God of abundance and prosperity. Maybe you really believe in poverty, maybe you really like poverty. So I'm so glad I can present to you a list of what to embrace in your life, like, if you really dig poverty, then you can be like, oh awesome, I'll be more disorganized, I'll be sloppy, I'll get into debt. So this is if you believe in abundance and prosperity, then you shun these 10 characteristics and if you believe in poverty, embrace them. But whichever path you choose, do it with your whole heart. Don't halfway it, do it with your whole heart, like, really, really lean into it. Amen.
39:23
Number seven hating, correction and instruction. Proverbs, chapter five, verses 11 through 3 this is a a huge part of the spirit of poverty. Again, successful people and when I say successful, I have to define all this. Don't think Bentley, 56 room mansion, it could be that, but it doesn't have to be. Here's what the definition of success is A desired outcome. You're successful when your desires hit bullseye and what you actually wanted takes place amen.
40:01
And so I've seen successful people and I've found guys that have more degrees than a thermometer, very intelligent, high IQ people, very successful, yet very, very teachable, and they're the ones who actually pay money for outside consulting. They recognize the value of being teachable and being taught. And then you have broke people and you can't tell them anything, nothing. They know it all. They will not be moved, stubborn. It's like a cinder block here Thick, cannot penetrate. One of the things I've tried with my kids is to make them very easy and susceptible and open to correction, not to lies, but to good correction, the word of God. It corrects us. Your parents, who love you and are on your side, they correct you. Amen. Good friends, you need people who will bring sweet correction in your life. A pastor, you know what one of my main jobs is To correct you.
41:00
He said but you never, ever, called me up to correct me. What do you think I'm doing right now? I'm correcting you and that's actually when you get to know the real person. I'm not afraid of a lot of things, but I'm afraid of a particular person. They come in every once in a while and they tell me they love me. They come in, and first Sunday oh, pastor Bo, you're the greatest preacher I ever heard. I'm already. Oh, next week they're sitting in the second row. Tell me, I've never seen a church like City Light. I love this church.
41:35
I'm getting scared now because I know what comes next. This is how it works out. They keep coming. I love you. Too many compliments, not good. Eventually, I'm going to correct them. That's going to happen. I'm gonna correct them. That's gonna happen. I'm either gonna correct them if you have a counseling call with me or through my preaching, and when you correct them. You've never seen such a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde transformation. Could be five foot three, sweet little lady who loves me. But when you bring correction, the metamorphosis takes place. It's easy to submit and easy to agree with someone when they tell you everything they want to hear. Tell them the opposite of what they want to hear. And then you meet the real person. Amen.
42:19
Did we read the whole thing from Proverbs? Oh, how I hate it. Let's read it Proverbs 5, 11 through 13. And you mourn at last when your flesh and your body are consumed, and say how I have hated instruction and my heart despised correction. I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me.
42:45
The madman of Gadara, the demoniac known as Legion. In the first service I said he had 5,000 demons, and then I thought I was kind of to a lot of people because I didn't explain that an arbitrary number. How did I know it was 5,000? Because his name was Legion. A Legion is a Roman garrison of three to 5,000 troops. He had a lot of demons. And do you know how they knew he was delivered?
43:09
The Bible is very specific. It says that as they came, they looked at the one who was the madman of Gadara and they saw him sitting, clothed and in his right mind, he was sitting. That's the posture of a teachable disciple. And there was Jesus, rabbi rabboni standing, teaching, and now, instead of running around cutting himself in the tombs, he's sitting. Amen, I still sit. You know, there's people that I submit to. Yeah, you will never, ever be in authority until you've learned how to be under authority. You will never have God-given authority until you've embraced authority in your life. Be teachable, hallelujah. Thank you, jesus.
43:51
Number eight, as a characteristic of the spirit of poverty, excuses Proverbs 22 and verse 13. Say it with me All excuses are lies, all of them. The lazy man says don't tell me. The Bible doesn't have great comedy in it. Look at this verse. The lazy man says there is a lion outside. I shall be slain in the streets. We laugh at that.
44:20
But today the lazy man says oh, I can't get a job, the economy is bad. Oh, I can't do this. Oh, it was easier for the boomer generation. Oh, there's always some kind of excuse. By the way, there is a PSYOP right now that's just trying to hurt the young generation right now, the millennials still, and Gen Z, by just making it out like America's already been stripped of all its wealth. The boomers have just destroyed it all, sucked it all dry. Now you're just stuck and you'll never own.
44:51
Say no to that nonsense. Say no. You do not know that the media hates you. They hate you. They do not like you. They hate you, they have no respect for you. How could you live through 2020 and not realize that? And they don't care as long as they're putting out their stuff and getting paid for it. And they want to afflict your mind and rob you of hope? Through a civil war, through World War I, through World War II, through all of the messes we've gone through, there was always haves and have-nots. There was always people who busted through and there were always Christians who said I serve the God of abundance and I don't care what's happening out there. It's different for me because I am different, yes, I am special. I am unique because my heavenly Father says it. So Hallelujah.
45:48
Number nine as a characteristic of the spirit of poverty addictive behaviors and lack of temperance. What's temperance? Self-control probably at the top of my list there, I would put social media for addictive behaviors. I guess that's just me, but it's something you want to run from, stay away from. Maybe it's a necessary evil in today's society. Do it quickly and then be done with it. That'll rob you of joy, rob you of your creativity, fry your dopamine receptors up in your brain.
46:38
Let's read that verse. Proverbs 23 21 addictive behaviors and lack of self-control For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. Number 10. Following frivolous people and pursuits Proverbs 28, 19. He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough. So frivolity, that's a characteristic of the poverty spirit. Run from it, shun it. Don't let that nonsense enter your life. You don't have to be all serious, but you know there's just some people that everything about them is frivolous. They're not going to raise you up I don't know if I said this in the first service or the second service, but it all gets Since I moved to Long Island. So if you don't know, I've been a New Yorker since 1981. The last place I lived in was Brooklyn the last 15 years, and I moved to Long Island for the last year and a half and it really is different out there.
48:00
Like I knew there were wealthy people out there but I really didn't know. Like Beverly Hills, what, forget that, it's just more, just more. I guess worn in beverly hills, but I'm sorry, when I said that I immediately just thought of big lips and you know, lizard, you have some of that in long island too, but there really is. There really is great wealth. And meeting these people and hanging out with them has really changed I've. I didn't know what, I didn't know, and it's helped me and it's changed me and I'm having conversations that I never had before and it's actually helped me and pulled me up. And if I just hung out with people filled with frivolity, well then I would be frivolous, and so I'm not recommending that you hang out with people based on their net worth, but make sure that the people in your life are bringing you up and not dragging you down, and stay away from frivolity, especially, I find in your 20s the 20s, I would go out and say they're your most important decade as an adult, because that's the decade that's going to determine how you spend your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and God bless 90s. And I've noticed in that decade called the 20s. There's two groups of 20-somethings. There's those that are filled with frivolity. They think their life is like an episode of Friends or something. Everything is let's go from this bar to that bar and what are we doing tonight? And and and there there is no introspection, there's no serving of God and there's no building of self and growth. And then they suffer. I've been doing this for a while here and, by the way, city Light Church for the first 10 years was all 20 somethings. The biggest critique of the church wasn't how offensive my preaching was. It was that our church was too young. People would say, oh, your church is too young, you're a kid leading kids. It was all 20-somethings, and I saw two different kinds of people those who just thought their 20s were a giant party. They suffered in their 30s. Some were able to snap out of it, thank God. And then there were those who realized, wow, you know an archer. An Wow, you know an archer. An archer, when he pulls back the arrow. If he lifts that arrow up a millimeter, that makes a difference of about a yard or a meter in the target. That's how important your 20s are. If you're off by just a few degrees where your arrow hits can be off by yards and yards. So your 20s is a time to actually do the work. Build yourself, build your life, and then your 30s will be easier, your 40s will be better and 50s can then be a cakewalk.
50:36
Amen, worship team, come on up. Father, I thank you that you are the God of abundance. Somebody here you might be thinking how, how will I experience this? You don't know where I'm at. How, how will this happen? It comes through Jesus, and Jesus only Make him your great quest, make knowing him and your relationship with him your pursuit in life, and then trust him. You're not supposed to see the whole plan right now. That's what may be stopping you right now. Well, how will he do it? I've messed up my life. How will he do it? Outline it for me, preacher, I can. I don't know. I was surprised by how he did it in my life.
51:24
You know this is what the word says about the word in Psalms 119. Listen to this, this will help you. It says the Psalmist said your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That's very cute in English, but when you understand how they lived back, then it's way more than cute. They actually had these shoes with a wooden extension that came out from them and they would stick candles on the end that allowed them to work at night. So you know, your house is 100 feet away, 200 feet away, but you can be in the barn working and the glow what a cool pair of kicks that must have been huh, the wooden thing and the candle. The glow from the candle lit up an area and you were able to work. So you couldn't see a mile down the road, but you could see five, six feet away from you and as you walked, your way was illuminated.
52:17
And that's what his word does, and so it is with you. You cannot know what's a mile or a hundred miles down the road. The Lord does, and he asks you to take his hand and trust him and take one step after another and his word and the holy spirit within you will illuminate you for a few feet and then another few feet, and you just keep trusting. And won't he do it in your life? Come on, yes, he will. Hallelujah, let's all stand. Let's all stand. Say this, lift your hands. Lord Jesus, I love you, I trust you and I believe that my sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus. I am a new creature because of the cross of Christ, and I believe that I receive all of the benefits of the cross, and one of those benefits is provision, abundance and prosperity. In Jesus' name, amen, this is the City Light Church Podcast.
53:24 - Speaker 2
Amen. This is the City Light Church Podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
When Christ has met your spiritual need and you're generous and you're a giver, then you're not materialistic. But do you know what say luxury things will do for you? Then They'll actually take you up a level higher and then they'll attract more of those things into your life. I know this is sounding a little, but it does. It'll attract luxurious and beautiful and prosperous things in your life. Just don't get into debt when accumulating those things.
00:26 - Speaker 2
Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Pastor Boyan Jancic and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by His grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you, that he has a real hope and a future for you.
01:07 - Speaker 1
It is good to be here. I was not here last Sunday. I heard you had a great time, though, with Evangelist Nathaniel St Eloy. I took my son on a trip and we still kind of feel like we're on it, huh? We got back yesterday and the ladies are gone. They're celebrating a birthday in Pennsylvania, so it's just the boys in the house still. Yeah, yeah, we've been grunting, making sounds, fist bumping a lot. What a time we had.
01:44
Took him to Belize. It was un-Belize-able. You know. I guess every country has their thing. Like you know, we go on mission trips and then every souvenir shop has that shirt. What's up? Well, in Belize it's un-Belize-able. And we were on an island called Ambergris Key and we just had the time.
02:08
I've been wanting to just have a moment with him. You know, we prize family. We prize, emily and I, our kids. We've heard too many nightmare stories of preachers losing their families, you know. And what does it profit a minister to win? The whole world and his own children go to hell. And so we've implemented early on certain rules. We have dinner together every night. That's the exception. That's the rule. There's sometimes the exception if I'm out of town or something and we pray together and we laugh together. But I wanted to just take him for a week where it could be some father and son time and give us a week that we'll never forget. Right, buddy? It's awesome. I'm proud of him.
02:53
It's no joke over there. You know, they got the richest marine life in the world and so they got everything, and he was right in the water. And then they have a place called Shark Ray Alley. You know who lives there? Yeah, sharks, and here's the thing they're nurse sharks. So they're pretty much pretty much. There's always some odd case of them biting someone, but they're pretty much harmless. You can check out my social media. You know there's like 20 or 30 of them that gather by the boat and they don't come there by themselves. You know guys pouring chum right in the water. They're coming, 20 or 30 of them, and so, even though you're told they're harmless, you know you see this giant thing swirling about and there's 20 of them in the water. You might second guess what you're going to do next. But I was proud of my boy, not him. He just jumped right in there. He's diving underneath, he's touching them. Hallelujah, maybe the Lord will call you into ministry, who knows? But swimming with the sharks, that's a good prep, that's a good starter.
04:02
So we are on week five and I'm going to close our series on manifested abundance. But of course it's not something that we'll stop talking about, because you can't separate God from abundance, you can't separate God from prosperity, because that's who he is, amen. It's not something that he has in his pocket that he can take out, forget at home, or it's part of his nature, just like healing. He is the healer, he is abundance, he is deliverance, he is salvation. And so let's go to Ecclesiastes 10, 19.
04:40
I've opened up every one of these sermons with this verse, because it's important that we know it, because God is a God of abundance, he's a God of prosperity, he's a God of more than enough. You just look at the miracles of Jesus, the provisional miracles, you'll see that he never gave just enough. He always gave too much. He's a too much God. And for some reason, christians reject this.
05:04
Christians pull away from this Somehow. They believe that there's a holiness to poverty and that there's just an inherent sin to prosperity. Well, the devil laughs when a Christian has that mindset. Because now that Christian is locked up and they can't be influential, they can't expand the kingdom because they're too busy worrying about what they're going to eat tomorrow. Amen.
05:28
And so here's what the scripture says. It's actually in the word A feast is made for laughter and wine makes merry, but money answers everything. Amen, money answers everything. If you look at the problems that you encounter, money will answer those problems. Obviously, the sin problem, money can't answer. A loneliness problem money can't answer. But money is the anointing of the world. Just like the anointing is God's power in the spirit realm and makes the spirit realm go round, and it affects the earthly realm. Money is its counterpart and it's not inherently evil. It's a wonderful servant, a terrible master, and so a Christian can live in prosperity, is called to be blessed.
06:28
And let me just define prosperity, because when I say prosperity, people get so many different ideas what that means. But it means that you have more than enough to fulfill your divine assignment here on earth, according to Psalms 23,. You have a cup. The good shepherd makes your cup to overflow, hallelujah.
06:47
I have to say all these things and I know I've said this in the beginning of every sermon, but I'm always cautious and aware of new people, and new people come in and the pastor comes up and says we're going to talk part five about money, and they're like I knew it to the person who brought them to church, because that's like everybody's greatest fear if they come to church. Is it one of those money churches? No, we're Jesus Church and everything we do it's about Jesus and a relationship with him. But I would be doing the people of God a horrific and terrible disservice if I didn't talk about something as important as money, and Jesus talked about it all the time. You say I never saw that in the gospels. That's because you read too fast. He talked about hell twice as much as he did about heaven, but he talked about money, lands, stewardship, giving more than heaven and hell combined. Why? Because he was a televangelist that comes on channel 56 at 3 am. No, because he knew that that would affect your life here on earth and God has something to say about it. So let me read you these quick statistics if you're still not convinced why I would take up five Sundays to talk about personal finances and what God's word says about it.
08:06
Total household debt right now right now, as of Q1 2024, so a year ago it's only increased 17.987 trillion. Just call it 18 trillion total household debt. Do not confuse this with the 36 plus trillion that the country is in the national debt. Do not confuse this with the 36 plus trillion that the country is in the national debt. This is separate. This is, if you combine all of the people that live in the United States, how much they owe. It's more than ever before.
08:36
We have a huge debt problem, a debt crisis, and let me just tell you right now God hates debt, hates it. Is it a sin to be in debt? Now? God hates debt, hates it. Is it a sin to be in debt? No, it's not a sin to be in debt, because the Bible says that you will be the lender and not the borrower. So if you're a lender, then you're putting someone else in sin. It's not sin, but it's not God's best. You get it. There is a higher way.
09:01
I was once swimming eyebrows deep in debt, had 16 credit cards all maxed out. The same time I had 17 mice that's how I remember these numbers and one afternoon I caught 17 mice. At that time, I had 16 credit cards Was maxed out. A very bad way to live. It caused a lot of shame and God brought me out, because the Bible says that God is the liberator and it says the one who is in debt is in bondage. And I actually fell to my knees and first of all I apologize to the Lord. I had to be real. There was only one person to blame and it was me. So I said I'm sorry, lord, for my poor stewardship. I'm sorry, lord, for my out of control spending. I'm sorry, lord, forgive me and now help me. Help me get out of this mess. And he did Amen.
09:53
And my wife and I have been debt free since we got married. We bought a house a year and a half ago, got into debt for that. I was like, oh, my testimony's ruined and then in less than a year that was paid off. Can you shout a hallelujah, amen, thank you Jesus. So total household debt is $18 trillion. This overwhelming debt can lead to a pervasive sense of hopelessness and anxiety about financial security, particularly when individuals see no end to their personal debt in sight. Average debt per person is $104,215. That sheer amount can cause significant stress, with individuals feeling trapped by their financial obligations, leading to depression and a lowered sense of self-worth. I fought with that when I was so in debt. I could barely stand my own image in the mirror. I just thought what have I done and how will I ever get out of this? And the voice of the accuser was so loud in my mind. And right now, according to these statistics, we are, as a people, more indebted than ever before in history. So this message on biblical finances and God's abundance couldn't be more timely, because it shall not be so with us. Amen.
11:12
In 2009, right after the 2008 financial crisis, I decreed over our church. We're not going that route. Everybody was saying recession, recession. And we had a mantra at City Light. We said we are not participating in this recession. We are not going backwards, we're going forwards. And in 2009 and then in 2010, we saw the most marriages, most people get married, most businesses started and most people buy property buying condos, buying houses. We don't have to be subject to what's happening out there. Amen. Our citizenship is in heaven. So we're ambassadors. I can live here on planet earth, but as an ambassador of God, I'm receiving from heaven.
11:55
Credit card debt is 1.166 trillion, so total is 18 trillion. A lot of that is mortgages, student loans, the loan shark down the street, but a chunk of it 1.6 trillion 1.16 trillion is just credit card debt higher than it's ever been in history. High credit card balances often lead to constant reminders of financial strain through interest rates and minimum payments. This can result in emotional turmoil. This is why I'm preaching this, so that you don't live in emotional turmoil. Jeremiah said I have no peace, I forgot prosperity. Well, I'm here to remind you so you have peace. People forget the benefits package. People forget who God is. God will help you with that. God is a provider at his core, hallelujah.
12:57
Delinquency rates this is a problem. 8.9% of credit card balances and 7.9% of auto loans became seriously delinquent in Q1 2024. What does that mean? It means that people are looking at their credit card statement after trying to pay it off, being unable to pay it off and eventually look at their credit card statement and go nah and just stop paying, and that's now at its highest level. And you know why that's a problem? Because if that continues eventually, then some bank somewhere is going to fail Pay attention for that. And when that bank fails, two or some bank somewhere is going to fail Pay attention for that. And when that bank fails, two or three other banks are going to fail. And then, if that keeps going on, a major bank is going to fall, there'll be a run on the banks and then it's going to be 2008 on steroids, but it will not be so here. Amen, hallelujah. And debt growth 4.3% increase in household debt from 2023 to 2024.
14:02
So we need to hear this, we need to get this in our spirits. The word produces faith. So I want to minister to you this morning. This was just the precursor. I just basically have to do this thing where I explain to you why I'm talking about this and why it's so important.
14:19
But today I want to talk to you about the spirit of poverty, because there is a spirit of poverty. God's Holy Spirit is a spirit of abundance, the spirit of prosperity. Satan is the god of poverty. He'll offer you riches, but he's the god of poverty, and this spirit has particular characteristics, and I would say that most people, if not all people, are, to one degree or another, affected or influenced by this disgust.
14:51
I hate this thing, the spirit of poverty. Why do I hate this thing, the spirit of poverty? Why do I hate it? Because it keeps Christians bound. God is a God of growth. God is a God of advancement. He wants to take you from glory to glory. Your life shouldn't be gory to gory, glory to glory. You should always have a better year than the previous one. I believe that with all of my heart. But the spirit of poverty comes in and sabotages that and robs people and keeps them from experiencing God's best. So let's talk about some of the characteristics of the spirit so that you get identified when you see it in your own life. The temptation when going through this list is to say, oh, I know someone just like that, oh, this is for my friends or my family. But God in his infinite wisdom started good to have you here this morning. So open up your heart and see how you relate to this and let's dissect this spirit of poverty and eliminate it from our lives and see what kind of characteristics does it have. Number one the spirit of poverty. One of its characteristics is that it resents wealthy people, resents success so subtle huh. And it's been introduced into our culture, into our collective psyche, at an alarming rate, more and more in the last 10 to 15 years, for example.
16:18
I'm sure you've heard this thing, this saying, that's been said. Well, the wealthy and the elite need to pay their fair share. About half of you. I'm upsetting right now and I'm so glad Because I love you and because I say this with love in my heart, total love in my heart. You're messed up. You're messed up in the head and I pray the holy spirit come with his love and his anointing and un-mess you up.
16:47
You open your mouth and you think you're being smart, and I can tell how programmed you are from your scrolling, from the little sound bites you get and what you get angry at. You're programmed Well, the wealthy ought to pay their fair share. They do. I just got wealthy. I've never paid so much taxes. The truth is, I never pay taxes. I mean, I paid taxes. There was nothing. How are the wealthy not paying taxes? You look, dollar amount they're paying and percentage-wise they're paying. But you've just heard this saying they ought to pay their fair share. What is their fair share? I've heard people say well, elon Musk is worth like 400 billion. He could easily give 200 billion of that. Oh, that would be the fair share. Awesome America now where we punish success. I'm sure that's going to motivate other entrepreneurs and other people to take risks in business.
17:37
So quiet in here. Come on. Do you know? There's around 780 billionaires in America. If you confiscated all of their wealth all of it, not just tax. If you confiscated all of their wealth all of it, not just taxed them, confiscated all of their wealth, it wouldn't even make a dent in the national debt. So it's not a money. It's not a problem of getting more money. It's a problem of waste, excessive.
18:06
Do you know, when we were in Belize, we went to see some Mayan ruins, but only 5% of the Mayan ruins. You gonna have a talk with him about this afterwards. Please have the talk. This guy comes in like Tom Cruise in Risky Business with sunglasses on, sliding in. Look at this, some people. I'm in the middle of a point. Let me go to this side. Listen to this. We're in the Mayan ruins in Belize. They've only uncovered 5% of them. And our tour guide says and it's probably only going to be 5%. So somebody in our tour group says why. He says well, I was shocked. He said, well, no more help from the US.
18:53
The archaeologist and I was like I didn't want to start that in Belize. I'm on vacation, I'm going to chill. I just thought I didn't know my tax money was going to help uncover ruins in Belize. I didn't know that. Like someone should get to the bottom of that. There should be some organization that checks governmental efficiency. Like there should be a organization that checks governmental efficiency. There should be a department that looks into why is my tax money going to uncover ruins in Belize? Also, from my mother country of Serbia, there was this transgender teaching thing in Serbia that I was paying for what? Why?
19:28
But that spirit of poverty will cause you to hate and resent wealthy success. They're not your problem. They weren't my problem. This is not the 1880s Gilded Age. Back then it was a problem. You had several families. You had no rules, no laws concerning.
19:48
We were in the Industrial Age. All of a sudden, there's factories. People are working 70, 80 hours, no vacation time, no overtime. You get your arm cut off at work. You don't get to sue, you get sent home and fired. That was bad. We're not in that age anymore.
20:03
What did a billionaire ever do to you? Nothing, but you were brainwashed and told that they're hurting you in some way. They're not. They brainwashed and told that they're hurting you in some way. They're not. They weren't hurting me. The only person hurting me was me. I apologize, I'm robbing this great excuse for your mediocrity. I apologize that I'm robbing you. I know you love to point at this Bezos or whoever it is, and they're your, they're not your problem. Amen.
20:42
You can hear the squealing in the spirit. You know what that is, the spirit of poverty. You're like eh, how are you going to get God's prosperity if you resent and hate anyone who has prosperity? Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh, thank you, lord for the Holy Ghost. You know, when the world begins to make a lot of sense is when you realize that socialism, which is communism, has been trying to get into our country from the beginning, but especially in the last 10, 15 years, when you realize that your eyes are open to everything. Yeah, what we've been hearing the last 10, 15 years is a giant psyop, a communist, socialist psyop designed to incite class warfare, class struggle and hatred between different groups. Why? Because a disunited people are easily conquered. Yeah, I have 10 more points, so I'll get off this one. Wait one more point though.
21:57
These people, you know them, maybe you are them. You know what's funny. They want wealth. If you had, you know, keys to a fancy car, you go who wants this? They'd be climbing over chairs just to get it. They're the same person who yesterday was complaining about all those wealthy people. But secretly they want it. They want it with everything with them, but they don't feel that they can get it, so they blame someone who has it. So you know what that really is. You think you've got some kind of virtue in your head. No, you're full of envy and covetousness and that's all it is. But you feel so stripped of power and you let the devil deceive you. So you don't admit your covetousness. You just those mean, old, bad billionaires who didn't do anything to you. Amen.
22:50
We're only on one characteristic, the first characteristic. You know, I know this so well because my whole country is like this, my former country. If anyone's successful, they must have gotten it through illicit means. I was taking a boat ride from the shore in Montenegro and then you get to see all the beautiful houses and beautiful villas and I was like who does that house belong to? And the board operator's like, ah, mafia, who does that house belong to? Ah, mafia. I'm like man, the mafia controls 80% of the coastline.
23:24
Later I'm reading on the flight back home. I'm reading a magazine and it was one of those houses and it was a woman's house who had this whole cosmetics and perfume line didn't look like a mafioso at all. Nice lady, nice coiffed lady, but they are under such a spirit of poverty the moment someone has success, oh, they must be evil somehow. Oh lord, all right. Number two we're talking about characteristics of the spirit of poverty. Number two is a false call it a false generosity.
24:01
The spirit of poverty loves to tell you what to do with your money. For example, you get something nice, like you get a nice car, and the spirit of poverty will come through another person. They'll say oh, how could you do that? Don't you know there are hungry people in the world? How can you do that you could have fed so many people? You know who said something like that, judas In the Bible. When the woman came with the alabaster box and broke it and she took perfume that was an annual salary and poured it over Jesus' feet, jesus smiled and said leave her alone, she's doing a good thing. Judas said oh, this could have been sold and the proceeds given to feed the poor. And then the Bible says not that he cared about the poor, and neither do those people who tell you those things, because they've told me those things and I'll say I know what I have done for the poor? I know what I'm doing for the poor. What have you done for the poor? I gave a homeless man a dollar in 2017. Quiet with that nonsense.
25:12
Every day, city Light Church feeds 2,000 people via the Grace Center in Bahir, dar, ethiopia. If you're a tither at City Light Church, that's what you're connected to. That's how you're helping the poor. Amen, I've given I don't even want to say the amount over my career to the poor, but have you noticed that? That spirit of Judas, that spirit of poverty, don't give heed to it, don't bend the knee to it. Be a giver, be a lover of Jesus. And when you're a tither and when you're a giver, yes, you can get yourself something nice. You can get yourself lots of things that are nice. Yeah, in fact, you should get yourself nice things.
26:04
We have a saying back in the mother country I'm not rich enough to buy cheap things. It's a joke, because when you're constantly buying cheap things, they're falling apart all the time anyway. So you're renting your clothing, you're renting your car, you're renting your watch, because you always happen to buy. When you buy quality, it lasts forever. And I'll tell you something, something that even secular people like Suzy Orman, other financial gurus, what they've said, and I believe it wholeheartedly there's beautiful things, beautiful objects. By the way, you shouldn't want things.
26:39
Here's what materialism is. Most people don't know how to define materialism. It's not having things, it's wanting things to fill a spiritual need. When Christ has met your spiritual need and you're generous and you're a giver, then you're not materialistic. But do you know what say luxury things will do for you? Then They'll actually take you up a level higher and then they'll attract more of those things into your life. I know this is sounding a little, but it does. It'll attract luxurious and beautiful and prosperous things in your life. Just don't get into debt when accumulating those things.
27:18
I bought my wife a purse in 2014. You know, women love their purses and this purse was wow. I still. I just remember buying it, but do you know that was? You were six months old when we took you to Hawaii and I bought my wife that purse. I still see that purse. She used to use it every day for years. It still looks exactly the same as when we took it out of the store. The quality of it. Is this helping anybody? All right, you could let me know occasionally, just nod your head or something, amen. But you don't want to get into debt over it. You don't want to be that guy in the trailer park Brand new Ford F-150 outside the trailers, kids running around with no pants.
28:09
Number three, A characteristic of the spirit of poverty blame and excuses a victim mentality. A victim mentality that always finds blame not with themselves but someone else. And we have a saying in our house. I taught my son, I learned it in Bible school all excuses are lies. Amen. And do not let anybody ever get you to believe you're a victim in any way. It's so. It's cheap. You know why it's cheap? Because it temporarily actually makes us feel good. Oh, there's a reason why I haven't succeeded like I thought I should, but it actually it's the devil. And then it locks you up and keeps you from rising up to where God wants. You Reject victimhood in all its ways. And have you noticed in the last 10 to 15 years that's exactly. It's like the victim Olympics, with different groups trying to out-victimize each other. Oh, you think you're a victim. You don't know what I've gone through Meanwhile. They're from the suburbs they're talking about like three generations ago. You don't know what I've gone through.
29:29
I'm from Serbia. 600 years of Turkish occupation. They made half my country Muslim. That's why I'm such a bad preacher. That's why I got a pastor in a building with a 1970s chandelier dangling from the ceiling. It's because I'm a victim. Those Turks for 600 years rejected. Those excuses are lies, amen.
30:01
I had a friend. He lived above me, christians filled with the Holy Spirit. In college he was on the third floor, I was on the second floor. We went to basic brothers and sisters in Christ together. He was my friend for many years and he was pre-med. I was just taking some science classes and got very close with him.
30:17
Great guy, he was from Ghana and he was brilliant and he in biology. In those hard physics, organic chemistry, he just got straight A's. The guy never got A minus in a life and he was applying to Harvard, to their MD-PhD program, which he got accepted to and went on. Do you know what? I didn't even know what that was later I was like what is that? Md and PhD was like over a decade worth of education. They were going to condense in seven years.
30:50
He's from Ghana and we're walking out of the student union. Now I get it. He's not black American. I get it. Different set of experiences. But just listen to what he said. Because as we were coming out of the student union there was a bunch of American black, a group to my right, and they were chanting black power. And he looks to me and he says I do not understand this. What is this, what does it mean? He said I go to Harvard, I get MD, phd, then I show them black power. And I was like, ah, I like the spirit of that. And he did Hallelujah, hallelujah. Oh, if you're upset with me, email Pastor Mo, please. He's been such a good friend. He takes those hits over and over again for me.
31:49
So number five, as a characteristic of the spirit of poverty laziness, slackness and love of sleep. Proverbs 6, 10-11. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come on you like a bandit, and scarcity like an armed man. Proverbs 20, 13,. Do not love sleep or you will grow poor. Stay awake and you will have food to spare.
32:17
Slackness, laziness, love of what is slackness? The Bible says if you have a slack hand, you will end up in poverty. Something. My son, my daughter she's not here. They're having a girl's party in Pennsylvania with my wife and my daughter. But I want success for him, obviously number one, real success, knowing Jesus, having a relationship with him. But also I want the world to look at him and be jealous. I want them to go. Oh, he's successful. So I want to root out slackness out of his life. Like, for example, I don't like lights on in my house in rooms that aren't being occupied. Now here's the thing, though I got LED bulbs everywhere, like that light can stay on all day. It costs me about six cents. So it's not about money, it's about slackness.
33:10
I don't want you to be slack, I want you to be excellent. When you come home, what's the first thing I tell you to do? You come home, you take off your shoes and wash your hands. Didn't even prep him. Take off your shoes, wash your hands. Don't throw your bag just in the corner. Line it up straight. I want you to have a spirit of excellence. Hallelujah, tostito bag. You roll it up after you're done eating. You just put it in the corner. I see how it slowly opens up. Then I'm eating stale chips the next day. Use that chip clip. That's why I bought it. Be excellent, amen.
33:48
Say no to slackness. Listen, you look, I've hung around with enough broke people and enough successful people. You look inside a successful person's car. It's clean, it's excellent, it's organized. Hang around a broke person, check their car Every single time. It's like the Salvation Army met the Dollar General store. Shoved in one car, you got to get a shovel to shovel all the crap out of there. Yeah, love you, I really do.
34:20
Here's what Paul said have I become your enemy because I've told you the truth, jesus? This leads into number six. It's actually a characteristic of the poverty spirit Sloppiness and disorganization. Do we have Daniel 5.12? Did I give you that? If not, could you put up Daniel 5.12? Sloppiness and disorganization. Be organized, be neat, be clean, even with what little you have. The Bible says this Be diligent. As she looks it up. I'll quote it to you, not Daniel, but another verse Be diligent to know the state of your flocks. It means, let me paraphrase handle your business, know. A good shepherd knows how many goats he has, how many sheep he has, how many oxen he has. Be organized.
35:17
When it comes to credit card debt, when I help people financially, the first question I ask them is how much debt do you have? Do you know what? The most frequent, most common answer to that is I don't know. Why don't you know? Because two years ago I got afraid of that number and like an emu bird you know that emu bird it sticks its head in a hole. You know why it does that? Because it thinks if its predators can't see it, if it can't see its predators, its predators can't see it. So it's like if I can't see my credit card debt, it can't see me, but it can. So it's like if I can't see my credit card debt, it can't see me, but it can. My son is correcting me saying it's ostrich, not an emu bird, inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Balthazar Now let Daniel be called and he will give the interpretation An excellent spirit.
36:17
It starts with how we handle our life day to day. Amen, kenneth Hagin. He tells the story of a minister in a Bible school who would just randomly and spontaneously visit Bible school students' dorms, houses, whatever it was. It would just knock and just say may I come in and just look around and he said those that were sloppy, those that were disorganized, those who had the corner of the room was a hamper and he said not one of those did I ever see succeed in ministry Hallelujah. He said not one of those did I ever see succeed in ministry hallelujah. Proverbs 27, 23. I quoted it. Let them just see it so they know I'm not making scriptures up. You know, when you're in the psych ward, what never been.
37:24
One of the first signs, one of the first signs, no, one of the first signs that you're ready to go home is that you request a mirror, yeah, and you actually start caring about your appearance. Maybe you ask your beard to be trimmed and you start is this helping anybody? And now can you see why the picture of Jesus that they've painted for us is such a lie? Because it shows him as a dirty hippie Walking around, broke, wearing rags, someone's in the back. I thought he did wear rags. No, he didn't wear rags. Roman soldiers don't gamble wear rags. No, he didn't wear rags. Roman soldiers don't gamble over rags, amen. They gamble over clothes whose designer's last name ends with a vowel, number seven, characteristic of the spirit of poverty. Yeah, we're getting somewhere here.
38:33
At least you're learning, hey, by the way, this sermon it goes both ways, because maybe you're not fully convinced that God is a God of abundance and prosperity. Maybe you really believe in poverty, maybe you really like poverty. So I'm so glad I can present to you a list of what to embrace in your life, like, if you really dig poverty, then you can be like, oh awesome, I'll be more disorganized, I'll be sloppy, I'll get into debt. So this is if you believe in abundance and prosperity, then you shun these 10 characteristics and if you believe in poverty, embrace them. But whichever path you choose, do it with your whole heart. Don't halfway it, do it with your whole heart, like, really, really lean into it. Amen.
39:23
Number seven hating, correction and instruction. Proverbs, chapter five, verses 11 through 3 this is a a huge part of the spirit of poverty. Again, successful people and when I say successful, I have to define all this. Don't think Bentley, 56 room mansion, it could be that, but it doesn't have to be. Here's what the definition of success is A desired outcome. You're successful when your desires hit bullseye and what you actually wanted takes place amen.
40:01
And so I've seen successful people and I've found guys that have more degrees than a thermometer, very intelligent, high IQ people, very successful, yet very, very teachable, and they're the ones who actually pay money for outside consulting. They recognize the value of being teachable and being taught. And then you have broke people and you can't tell them anything, nothing. They know it all. They will not be moved, stubborn. It's like a cinder block here Thick, cannot penetrate. One of the things I've tried with my kids is to make them very easy and susceptible and open to correction, not to lies, but to good correction, the word of God. It corrects us. Your parents, who love you and are on your side, they correct you. Amen. Good friends, you need people who will bring sweet correction in your life. A pastor, you know what one of my main jobs is To correct you.
41:00
He said but you never, ever, called me up to correct me. What do you think I'm doing right now? I'm correcting you and that's actually when you get to know the real person. I'm not afraid of a lot of things, but I'm afraid of a particular person. They come in every once in a while and they tell me they love me. They come in, and first Sunday oh, pastor Bo, you're the greatest preacher I ever heard. I'm already. Oh, next week they're sitting in the second row. Tell me, I've never seen a church like City Light. I love this church.
41:35
I'm getting scared now because I know what comes next. This is how it works out. They keep coming. I love you. Too many compliments, not good. Eventually, I'm going to correct them. That's going to happen. I'm gonna correct them. That's gonna happen. I'm either gonna correct them if you have a counseling call with me or through my preaching, and when you correct them. You've never seen such a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde transformation. Could be five foot three, sweet little lady who loves me. But when you bring correction, the metamorphosis takes place. It's easy to submit and easy to agree with someone when they tell you everything they want to hear. Tell them the opposite of what they want to hear. And then you meet the real person. Amen.
42:19
Did we read the whole thing from Proverbs? Oh, how I hate it. Let's read it Proverbs 5, 11 through 13. And you mourn at last when your flesh and your body are consumed, and say how I have hated instruction and my heart despised correction. I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me.
42:45
The madman of Gadara, the demoniac known as Legion. In the first service I said he had 5,000 demons, and then I thought I was kind of to a lot of people because I didn't explain that an arbitrary number. How did I know it was 5,000? Because his name was Legion. A Legion is a Roman garrison of three to 5,000 troops. He had a lot of demons. And do you know how they knew he was delivered?
43:09
The Bible is very specific. It says that as they came, they looked at the one who was the madman of Gadara and they saw him sitting, clothed and in his right mind, he was sitting. That's the posture of a teachable disciple. And there was Jesus, rabbi rabboni standing, teaching, and now, instead of running around cutting himself in the tombs, he's sitting. Amen, I still sit. You know, there's people that I submit to. Yeah, you will never, ever be in authority until you've learned how to be under authority. You will never have God-given authority until you've embraced authority in your life. Be teachable, hallelujah. Thank you, jesus.
43:51
Number eight, as a characteristic of the spirit of poverty, excuses Proverbs 22 and verse 13. Say it with me All excuses are lies, all of them. The lazy man says don't tell me. The Bible doesn't have great comedy in it. Look at this verse. The lazy man says there is a lion outside. I shall be slain in the streets. We laugh at that.
44:20
But today the lazy man says oh, I can't get a job, the economy is bad. Oh, I can't do this. Oh, it was easier for the boomer generation. Oh, there's always some kind of excuse. By the way, there is a PSYOP right now that's just trying to hurt the young generation right now, the millennials still, and Gen Z, by just making it out like America's already been stripped of all its wealth. The boomers have just destroyed it all, sucked it all dry. Now you're just stuck and you'll never own.
44:51
Say no to that nonsense. Say no. You do not know that the media hates you. They hate you. They do not like you. They hate you, they have no respect for you. How could you live through 2020 and not realize that? And they don't care as long as they're putting out their stuff and getting paid for it. And they want to afflict your mind and rob you of hope? Through a civil war, through World War I, through World War II, through all of the messes we've gone through, there was always haves and have-nots. There was always people who busted through and there were always Christians who said I serve the God of abundance and I don't care what's happening out there. It's different for me because I am different, yes, I am special. I am unique because my heavenly Father says it. So Hallelujah.
45:48
Number nine as a characteristic of the spirit of poverty addictive behaviors and lack of temperance. What's temperance? Self-control probably at the top of my list there, I would put social media for addictive behaviors. I guess that's just me, but it's something you want to run from, stay away from. Maybe it's a necessary evil in today's society. Do it quickly and then be done with it. That'll rob you of joy, rob you of your creativity, fry your dopamine receptors up in your brain.
46:38
Let's read that verse. Proverbs 23 21 addictive behaviors and lack of self-control For the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and drowsiness will clothe a man with rags. Number 10. Following frivolous people and pursuits Proverbs 28, 19. He who tills his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough. So frivolity, that's a characteristic of the poverty spirit. Run from it, shun it. Don't let that nonsense enter your life. You don't have to be all serious, but you know there's just some people that everything about them is frivolous. They're not going to raise you up I don't know if I said this in the first service or the second service, but it all gets Since I moved to Long Island. So if you don't know, I've been a New Yorker since 1981. The last place I lived in was Brooklyn the last 15 years, and I moved to Long Island for the last year and a half and it really is different out there.
48:00
Like I knew there were wealthy people out there but I really didn't know. Like Beverly Hills, what, forget that, it's just more, just more. I guess worn in beverly hills, but I'm sorry, when I said that I immediately just thought of big lips and you know, lizard, you have some of that in long island too, but there really is. There really is great wealth. And meeting these people and hanging out with them has really changed I've. I didn't know what, I didn't know, and it's helped me and it's changed me and I'm having conversations that I never had before and it's actually helped me and pulled me up. And if I just hung out with people filled with frivolity, well then I would be frivolous, and so I'm not recommending that you hang out with people based on their net worth, but make sure that the people in your life are bringing you up and not dragging you down, and stay away from frivolity, especially, I find in your 20s the 20s, I would go out and say they're your most important decade as an adult, because that's the decade that's going to determine how you spend your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and God bless 90s. And I've noticed in that decade called the 20s. There's two groups of 20-somethings. There's those that are filled with frivolity. They think their life is like an episode of Friends or something. Everything is let's go from this bar to that bar and what are we doing tonight? And and and there there is no introspection, there's no serving of God and there's no building of self and growth. And then they suffer. I've been doing this for a while here and, by the way, city Light Church for the first 10 years was all 20 somethings. The biggest critique of the church wasn't how offensive my preaching was. It was that our church was too young. People would say, oh, your church is too young, you're a kid leading kids. It was all 20-somethings, and I saw two different kinds of people those who just thought their 20s were a giant party. They suffered in their 30s. Some were able to snap out of it, thank God. And then there were those who realized, wow, you know an archer. An Wow, you know an archer. An archer, when he pulls back the arrow. If he lifts that arrow up a millimeter, that makes a difference of about a yard or a meter in the target. That's how important your 20s are. If you're off by just a few degrees where your arrow hits can be off by yards and yards. So your 20s is a time to actually do the work. Build yourself, build your life, and then your 30s will be easier, your 40s will be better and 50s can then be a cakewalk.
50:36
Amen, worship team, come on up. Father, I thank you that you are the God of abundance. Somebody here you might be thinking how, how will I experience this? You don't know where I'm at. How, how will this happen? It comes through Jesus, and Jesus only Make him your great quest, make knowing him and your relationship with him your pursuit in life, and then trust him. You're not supposed to see the whole plan right now. That's what may be stopping you right now. Well, how will he do it? I've messed up my life. How will he do it? Outline it for me, preacher, I can. I don't know. I was surprised by how he did it in my life.
51:24
You know this is what the word says about the word in Psalms 119. Listen to this, this will help you. It says the Psalmist said your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. That's very cute in English, but when you understand how they lived back, then it's way more than cute. They actually had these shoes with a wooden extension that came out from them and they would stick candles on the end that allowed them to work at night. So you know, your house is 100 feet away, 200 feet away, but you can be in the barn working and the glow what a cool pair of kicks that must have been huh, the wooden thing and the candle. The glow from the candle lit up an area and you were able to work. So you couldn't see a mile down the road, but you could see five, six feet away from you and as you walked, your way was illuminated.
52:17
And that's what his word does, and so it is with you. You cannot know what's a mile or a hundred miles down the road. The Lord does, and he asks you to take his hand and trust him and take one step after another and his word and the holy spirit within you will illuminate you for a few feet and then another few feet, and you just keep trusting. And won't he do it in your life? Come on, yes, he will. Hallelujah, let's all stand. Let's all stand. Say this, lift your hands. Lord Jesus, I love you, I trust you and I believe that my sins are forgiven through the blood of Jesus. I am a new creature because of the cross of Christ, and I believe that I receive all of the benefits of the cross, and one of those benefits is provision, abundance and prosperity. In Jesus' name, amen, this is the City Light Church Podcast.
53:24 - Speaker 2
Amen. This is the City Light Church Podcast. If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jancic and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. That's citylightnyccom. Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. We would love to connect with you. We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. Thank you for listening. Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church Podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.
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