Do you have the traits of a person God can trust with wealth? Find out the seven traits He’s looking for!
Fact: Lottery winners are more likely to declare bankruptcy within three to five years than the average American.
Fact: After only two years of retirement, 78% of NFL players are either broke or struggling financially.
Fact: Within five years of retirement, 60% of NBA players are broke.
The lesson? Financial success means a lot more than just having money. Gloria Copeland says, “One thing about wealth—it can come quickly, and it can go quickly.”
These once-rich people lost everything because they didn’t know how to handle wealth. And there’s only one right way to manage financial abundance—God’s way.
God has created a process of empowerment called THE BLESSING, and it is designed to make us prosper in all things and to make us rich. Despite what some Christians say, rich is not a curse word—it’s a BLESSING word. Poverty is under the curse, and we’ve been redeemed from the curse.
God’s will for you is prosperity in every area of your life—and that includes wealth. But knowing the great dangers of money without godly stewardship, He doesn’t give it to anyone and everyone. You have to be a candidate for increase.
Can God trust you with wealth? Here are seven traits He’s looking for.
1. You See Yourself as a Steward, Not an Owner
“Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth.” –Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV)
Most Christians sound something like this:
“It’s my money. I worked for it.”
They receive their paychecks and feel entitled—they earned them, after all. The problem with this way of thinking is that it doesn’t recognize the true Giver of wealth. Everything we have that enables us to gain wealth comes from God—our talents, abilities, opportunities and favor. When God blesses you with money—any amount of money—He is entrusting it to you, but it still belongs to Him.
The first step to becoming a candidate for increase—someone God can trust with wealth—is to see yourself as a steward, not an owner of the money you have. As you acknowledge that the Lord is the One who gives you the power to become rich, you keep yourself in a posture of humility and allow God to direct your decisions. It keeps you free from toiling, free from worry and free from temptations. It will keep you prospering!
The first step to becoming a candidate for increase—someone God can trust with wealth—is to see yourself as a steward, not an owner of the money you have. As you acknowledge that the Lord is the One who gives you the power to become rich, you keep yourself in a posture of humility and allow God to direct your decisions. It keeps you free from toiling, free from worry and free from temptations. It will keep you prospering!
Watch Kenneth Copeland and learn how the anointing will make you rich!
2. You Are Godly Rich, Not Worldly Rich
“Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value.” –Proverbs 10:2 (NIV)
Once you see yourself as a steward, you’ll need to be one who behaves in a godly way when it comes to wealth. There is a worldly way to be rich and a godly way to be rich. Do you know the difference?
Isaiah 32:7-8 defines the character traits of each.
The Worldly Rich vs. The Godly Rich
- Use fraudulent methods to gain wealth vs. Honest and generous
- Self-focused vs. God- and others-focused
- Motivated to increase for the sake of acquiring vs. Motivated to increase for the sake of distributing
- Use people to get things vs. Use things to love people
The Bible is clear—whether wealth is good or bad depends on who has the money. If not handled in a godly manner, money is dangerous. But there is nothing wrong with having enough money to live debt free, live blessed, support your church, spread the gospel and minister to the poor. That’s THE BLESSING!
Above all, Gloria Copeland shares the real difference: “There is a one-word difference between the godly rich and the worldly rich—peace.”
3. You Protect Your Wealth Through Tithing
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” –Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
If you see yourself as a steward and behave as a godly wealthy individual, tithing is a no-brainer for you. In fact, you don’t see tithing as giving away your money, you know you protect your wealth through tithing, and wouldn’t dream of withholding it.
Tithing is chock full of spiritual blessing, but when it comes to being someone God can trust with money, it accomplishes several things:
- It is an exercise that keeps your focus in the right place—on God.
- It keeps you in obedience to God and protects you from the devourer (Malachi 3:11).
- It keeps you from thinking too highly of yourself.
- It keeps you in a spirit of expectancy with God—knowing you will receive a return.
Discover your 3 Tithers’ Rights HERE.
This heart attitude is essential because, as Gloria Copeland says, “If you’re too tight to tithe, you’re too tight to let THE BLESSING in.”
Think about the aperture of a camera. Adjusted by the lens, it opens and closes to different degrees to determine how much light can reach the film or image sensor. If a photographer doesn’t open the aperture enough, the light can’t get in to take the picture. Simply put—little opening, little light, big opening, big light.
Tithing is the lens into our financial blessing. It opens the flow for blessing to come back to you. Proverbs 11:24 says it this way: “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor” (CSB).
You may have noticed that those who hang onto money the tightest seem to be the ones who always need it the most. On the other hand, learning to give freely to the Lord is the gem of tithing and a great enlightenment of mercy. It gets you out of poverty and over into God’s system of blessing.
4. You’re Known for Your Generosity
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” –2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)
Christian financial advisor Dave Ramsey says, “The wallet is a great window into the soul.” In other words, the way we use our money is a good indicator of the condition of our hearts toward God. When you’re known for your generosity, you have a critical trait God is looking for in those He can trust with wealth.
God can trust a generous heart with wealth. He knows those who freely give can have money without money having them. But a hoarder will not receive a blessing because there is no seed to bless—no crop to reap.
If you’re not one who gives generously, it’s not too late! As the steward of God’s money, ask Him regularly, “God, what do You want me to do with Your money?” Then, let Him lead you.
Be generous with people who work for you. Be generous in your giving to your church, ministries or charities. Be a generous tipper! Christians should be the biggest tippers out there. Bless people. Don’t hold so tightly to your money. Be one whom God can trust to give more and more wealth.
David Green, founder and CEO of retail giant Hobby Lobby, tells a story in his book, Giving It All Away…And Getting It Back Again, about the power of living generously.
There’s a phrase common in some Christian circles that goes, “You can’t out-give God.” I tossed that phrase around myself more than once. Then…God seemed to say to me, “Well, you haven’t really tried, have you?”
David Green decided to increase his giving dramatically. His company significantly increased right after that. That pattern continued over and over until he reached a point that he was giving far beyond anything he could ever imagine. The more the company has grown, the more they’ve given, and then they keep increasing. “We truly cannot seem to get ahead of Him,” David says.
God can trust those who have generous hearts with great wealth. Can He trust you?
5. You Put God First, Even in Abundance
“Seek first the kingdom of God.” –Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)
People with deep needs will often pursue God fervently; but oftentimes when Christians grow in wealth, their hearts grow cold and they forget God. They’ll pass the poverty test, but fail the prosperity test.
That happens when people fail to keep God’s Word first place in their lives. To be a person God can trust with wealth, you will be a person who puts God first place, even in abundance.
Watch Gloria Copeland and George Pearsons teach you how staying steady on the Word will open the door to supernatural wealth.
If you’re believing God for wealth, or already have it, Gloria Copeland has some advice for you: “When all your needs are met, remember where you got it. Remember that it was God who gave you the power to get wealth. One thing about wealth—it can come quickly, and it can go quickly.”
If you’re believing God for wealth, or already have it, Gloria Copeland has some advice for you: “When all your needs are met, remember where you got it. Remember that it was God who gave you the power to get wealth. One thing about wealth—it can come quickly, and it can go quickly.”
6. You Don’t Put Your Trust in Your Wealth
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to…put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” –1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV)
When you put God first, you’re also putting your trust in Him. When you’re trusting God, you don’t put your trust in your wealth. You don’t worry about how you’ll pay your bills or if you’ll have enough to pay for your child’s college tuition. You don’t feel pressure to claw your way to the top at your workplace, and you certainly don’t save twisty ties in a big jar “just in case.”
Matthew 19:24 says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (ESV). Notice this verse says it is difficult, but not impossible. In response to the disciples’ concern over this, Jesus assures them, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (verse 26, ESV).
Why is it impossible with man alone?
One reason is that it is so tempting to trust in money. It seems to have the answer to everything we need and want. Yet, some of the most unhappy people on earth are the wealthiest. True happiness, peace, joy and love come from God alone.
Abundance is the cherry on top, not the foundation of real security.
When you’re following God—obeying Him in all your ways, seeking Him with all your heart, and trusting Him with your life—money will just be an added bonus, but you’ll hold it loosely.
When you trust in riches, you’ll be up all night wondering what you’re going to do about one financial situation or another. You’ll be worried about paying bills. When you trust in God, Gloria Copeland sums it up well when she says, “Faith sleeps at night.”
Are you really making God your Source? Find out HERE.
7. You Are Not Even the Slightest Bit Prideful About Your Wealth
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant.” –1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV)
As much as trusting in riches is a threat to your spiritual well-being and financial security, pride is an even greater threat. And…you don’t have to be rolling in money for pride about it to set in. You can be proud of a small purchase, a house, a car or a gift you’ve given.
Pride in any area of life is a BIG DANGER to your spiritual health. It not only blocks healing and puts you in a position to experience a fall, it keeps you from being a candidate for wealth or even from keeping the wealth you have.
With wealth comes the temptation to think you are superior to others. When pride creeps in, those with wealth can use their money to control others. There have even been wealthy church congregants who have tried to control a pastor’s decision with their money! That’s pride, and it’s not God’s system.
If you are one God can trust with wealth, you are not even the slightest bit prideful about your wealth. You walk in humility—setting yourself aside to meet the needs of others.
When money comes into a person’s life, if they don’t maintain a place of humility, then that money will start to control them, and they will not be led by the Spirit.
Can God trust you with wealth? These seven traits He’s looking for will help you know. If you’re not quite there, don’t be discouraged! Not one person on the earth does not have to work continually at each of these. You can become a candidate for increase. YOU can be the one God can trust with wealth!
[i] https://www.cnbc.com/2017/08/25/heres-why-lottery-winners-go-broke.html
[ii] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-athletes-go-broke-and_b_6812864
Related Articles:
3 Ways to Activate the Spirit of Increase
© 1997 – 2024 Eagle Mountain International Church Inc. Aka Kenneth Copeland Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
