CHAPTER 4
8 Secrets of the Truly Rich
Buy your own copy at any National Bookstore OutletStop Blaming the Devil for Your Poverty
We Have met the enemy and he is us - Pogo
Ferdie, a lean man in his mid-30s, approached me after one of our prayer meetings. One look at him and I felt pity for him already. He had dark circles around his eyes and pale skin. He looked perfect for cheap zombie movies.
"Brother Bo, I've had so much bad luck in my life!" he said. "Last year, I lost my job. That's my fifth job in three years. Now, I'm buried in credit card debt... Oh what bad luck!"
"I don't believe in bad luck," I said,"I believe we create our luck."
"You don't understand. Someone told me that there was evil in my house and I need to remove them."
"Evil?" I asked, "What do you mean?" For a moment, I wondered if my zombie theory was accurate.
Ferdie said,"A Charismatic friend visited my home last month. She saw my souvenirs from my trips and saw evil behind these objects. A doll from Bali, a feng shui mirror, a Buddha figurine from China....She said, the devil is attacking me because of these poisonous objects in my home. If i removed them, she said I'll be blessed and receive financial blessings again. So I threw them all away."
I asked, "And what happened?"
"Nothing yet,"he groaned.
"You've had five jobs in three years, right?" I asked.
"Yes. I've had the bad luck of getting a string of bosses that are total egomaniacs. Totally selfish and cruel."
I decided to throw a shot in the dark.
"Ferdie, tell me about your father."
"My father? He's OK."
"Were you close?"
"No. But we're good..."
Three minutes into conversation, my guess hit pay dirt. He shared details about his relationship with his father that were the rood of his problem. His father was a self-centered person who verbally abused him almost everyday as he was growing up. The man screamed at him and cursed him from head to foot - almost daily.
I realized thatr Ferdie had a problem with all authority figures because he had a problem with his own father. He was projecting his unresolved anger towards his bosses, making him act out in rebellion, and losing his job one after another.
"Those objects that you call poison in your house are nothing compared to the poison in your heart," I said. "Unless you remove the poison in your heart, your financial life will never change."
He neither got my point nor was he even listening. He said, "Perhaps there are still other stuff in my house that's evil. Someone gave me this odd-looking mask from Thailand. Do you think that's of the devil too?"
Why was he insisting on removing these objects?
Because it's so much easier to get rid of the physical objects than resolving the conflict with his father, healing his inner wounds and getting rid of resentments in his soul.
Because bottom line, it's easier to blame the devil than acknowledging our responsibility to change our lives.
Ferdies financial life wasn't being destroyed by the devil. The devil didn't have to. Ferdie was destroying his own financial life by not facing the "demons" in his past. If only he'd deal with his anger towards his father, then he'd be able to respect his future boss and keep his job longer.
Stop blaming the devil for your poverty.
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