Your problem is not your problem. Your problem is not having a solution to your problem. The solution to your problem will render your problem powerless. Looking at your problem, complaining about your problem, and worrying about your problem does not solve your problem. Worry does not remove your problem, but in reality causes it to expand into other areas of your life.

In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, He saw that darkness was on the face of the deep. He did not fear the darkness, nor did He worry about how to deal with the darkness. Instead, He said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. He did not speak to the darkness, nor did He rebuke it. The presence of the light caused the darkness to leave. Where there is light, darkness cannot exist.

Ephesians 5:1 tells us that we are to imitate God. However, when it comes to darkness and trouble in our lives, we tend to deal with it quite differently than God dealt with darkness. While it is true that we, as New Covenant believers, have been given authority over all the power of the enemy, the enemy (or the darkness) is not really our problem. The problem is a lack of light.

Too often, we stand rebuking the enemy to get him to go, while the scripture actually tells us to submit to God and resist the enemy and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Let me explain in a little more detail.

Most people who have a financial problem feel that money is the solution to their problem. While it is true that money can solve an immediate problem (darkness), the true solution is prosperity (light) that removes the problem once and for all.

Rebuking the spirit of darkness is a good thing, but it is only profitable if the house that has been vacated is filled with the spirit of light. Otherwise, according to the Bible, the evil spirit returns and finding his house swept clean, he brings more spirits with him and the second condition is worse than the first (Matt. 12:43-45). So while we have authority to rebuke the storms of life, they must be replaced with the light of life. Otherwise, the storms come back and continue with greater intensity.

So what is the point in all this? To rebuke the spirit of debt, poverty, and lack is a good thing, but we must call forth the spirit of prosperity, abundance, and overflow.

During the early years of my ministry, an elder minister discussed with me how a Christian should not be in poverty. I remember him telling me that Christians should walk in the blessing. But later in the conversation, he made it very clear to me that he did not believe in the so-called prosperity message of the gospel.

This illustrates the unbalanced teaching that most Christians have received. While they pray for deliverance from their financial woes, they have the underlying concept taught by many leaders that it’s wrong to be rich. When in reality, the prosperity and overflow of God’s abundance would automatically remove all of their lack and shortage in life while, at the same time, giving them an abundant overflow so they could meet the needs of others. (2 Cor. 8:9.)

As Jesus traveled on a circuit going from town to town and village to village throughout the Galilee, the Bible clearly tells us that He taught the Good News to the poor. What is the Good News to the poor? Well, it was no different back then than it is today. Good news to a person in poverty is simply this: The blessing of God will take you out of poverty, and you will be prosperous in everything you put your hand to. That’s good news! To tell people that God wants them to continue to be poor is not good news. In fact, it is depressing.

Below is a list of several translations of Second Corinthians 9:8. You can use any version you want and you will come up with the same message. God wants to pour overflow into His people so that His people will be a blessing to the world. God has never had a problem getting money to people. Getting money through people, however, has been an issue. As a Christian, you are called to be a conduit where God pours into you with abundance and blessings flow from you abundantly. Those who are of faith are the seed of Abraham and heirs to the promise (Gal. 3:29). God told Abraham that through him all the nations of the world would be blessed (Gen. 12:3). 

When disasters take place, people should not have to call upon their governments for help. The Church should have storehouses so extensive that people and the government look to the Church for assistance. You can spend your life fighting the darkness, or you can call forth the light, the blessing, and the abundance of God and separate the darkness forever. (Matt. 5:16.)

2 Corinthians 9:8

• God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (NLT)

• God can give you all you need. He will give you more than enough. You will have everything you need for yourselves. And you will have enough left over to give when there is a need. (NLV)

• Moreover, God has the power to provide you with every gracious gift in abundance, so that always in every way you will have all you need yourselves and be able to provide abundantly for every good cause. (CJB)

• God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have more than enough to do all kinds of good things for others. (CEV)

• God is ready to overwhelm you with more blessings than you could ever imagine so that you'll always be taken care of in every way and you'll have more than enough to share. (VOICE)

• And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. (NKJV)

No matter how you translate it, it says the same thing: God will provide for you... so you can provide for others.