Overcoming the Past

Becoming a Millionaire God's Way: Getting Money to You, Not from You
by Dr. C. Thomas Anderson

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The Bible is filled with accounts of great men and women of God who overcame bad upbringing. In Genesis 25-27 we see something of Jacob's childhood. He grew up in a home with considerable insecurity. His father clearly and openly loved his brother, Esau, more than him and gave Esau preferential treatment. His mom and dad argued religion all the time. She wanted the blessing to go to the younger son, the one God wanted. His dad was more hung up on tradition and wanted the blessing for the oldest son. Jacob and his mother had to deceive Isaac when he was old and blind and so sick he couldn't tell the difference between a hairy arm and a goat skin.

Jacob's own brother hated him so much he wanted to kill him. Jacob had to run for his life. It is hard to imagine a more unlikely candidate to achieve wealth. He would probably have been voted least likely to succeed by his graduating class. In his lowest moment, however, he made a promise to God.

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You. (Gen. 28:20-22)

Jacob promised he would start tithing. This was the beginning of change in him but for fourteen years, he didn't make a dime. He worked seven years for a wife and it was the wrong one. He worked another seven years for the other wife. He still didn't have any money to tithe on. He finally went to his father-in-law, Laban, who was also his employer, and complained.

Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. (Gen. 31:41)

Many could make the same complaint about their employer. Your boss is ripping you off, paying you minimal wages while you make him wealthy. It is a common complaint. But somewhere along the way Jacob made a big change in his thinking. He began to work smarter.

And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you." (Gen. 30:25-26)

In other words, "I've been here all this time. I've got nothing to show for it. I haven't experienced any blessing, haven't even had enough money to tithe. I'm tired of wasting my time. I want to get out of here."

In verse 28 Laban said, "Name me your wages, and I will give it." So Jacob got smart. He said to Laban, "Let me have all of the animals with blemishes on them. You don't want them anyway. You keep all the others." Jacob was no longer just working hard and he was not thinking anymore in the way that his early life taught him to think. He was thinking like a millionaire. Instead of seeking security and just getting by, he decided to do something, take a few chances, change some things-and God finally had something to bless. Jacob peeled some bark from tree branches and put it in front of the animal's watering troughs. God blessed Jacob's obedience and his efforts, and the flocks bore speckled and spotted young. Scripture makes it clear that his life changed: "Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous" (Gen. 30:43).

Jacob overcame his past by starting to think differently. He gained a new perspective on his life. Later he attributed the change to a dream.

And it happened, at the time when the flocks conceived, that I lifted my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the flocks were streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted. Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, "Jacob." And I said, "Here I am." And He said, "Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me." (Gen. 31:10-13)

The pattern Jacob went through to become exceedingly wealthy is shown in these verses. First he committed himself to tithing and it is significant that, while this commitment did not make him wealthy overnight, it was at that moment that God took notice of his situation. God was working on him from that moment on. But he had a lot to overcome. For a while he worked hard but had nothing to show for it. Then he got hold of a new vision from God in a dream and, as a result, started thinking like a millionaire. He looked for ways to change his position and God blessed him because of it.

Many others in the Bible overcame their past in the same way. Moses was abandoned by his family, left to float away in a basket. He was driven out of Egypt as a murderer and lived for years on the back side of the wilderness. Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers. He spent years in prison because of the lies of a vindictive woman, even though he had done nothing wrong. Abraham, David and Solomon all had stuff to get over. But they all did it. Paul said it this way:

Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 3:13-14)

In other words, to achieve real success, you have to leave behind abuse, unfair treatment you have endured, the insecurity and fear. You must move on. Faith doesn't work in the past. You can't change the past. You can't even change the present. But you can change the future. However, you have to leave the past behind to get there. The biggest hindrance to wealth is our past.

Vision for the Future

Like Jacob we must get a vision of the future God wants for us. A vision is about being able to see what is possible and being unhindered by the past. It is the ability to look past the obvious and see opportunity.

Some of the richest men in the history of America started with nothing-John Rockefeller, J.C. Penney, Frank Woolworth, LeTourneau. They all share one thing in common with the wealthiest men of the Bible. They got a vision from God and left their past behind. Proverbs speaks about vision. The King James Version is most familiar to us-"Where there is no vision, the people perish" (Prov. 29:18).

In other words, without a vision for the future, without setting a purpose in your heart to pursue, you will go backwards and accomplish nothing. There are things you can do. No one is devoid of all skills or knowledge and no one is incapable of learning. Your mind is like a muscle. The more you use it the better it works. You just need a vision of where you are going so you can get started. You need to get a grip, not only on your finances but also on your thinking. Your first step to wealth is to think differently.

By this time many of you are thinking, "I don't really have a vision, other than a vague concept of becoming wealthy." You need to begin by looking at your strengths. As you seek God you will find that there are things you like to do, even love to do, because that's where your talent is. Find out what you love to do and learn to do it better than anyone else. When you do that, someone will be willing to pay you for it.

I found that I like to preach. I like to teach. I like being a pastor. Every day I set out to do it better than I did the day before. I want to be the best at it that I can be. And people pay me to do it.

Beyond that, there is a vision from the Word of God that we all need to have. It is in Proverbs 13:22. We have all heard the second part of that verse, "But the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous." We get very excited about that but we need to recognize that it is only half of a two-part statement. This verse is an example of a form of Hebrew poetry construction called antithetical parallelism. That means that it makes a statement in the first line and then contrasts it with its opposite. In simple terms, it makes a positive statement and follows it with a negative. The part we just read is the negative. The first half of Proverbs 13:22 is important for a complete understanding of the verse, which reads:

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

In other words, the goal for all of us should be to leave an inheritance. If we are "good" and "righteous," then we will strive for that. If we do not strive for it, then our wealth will be given to others. Locating a vision to help you get a grip is a good place to start.

Copyright © 2004 by Winword Publishing, Copyright © 2006 by Word for Winners.

About the Author

Dr. C. Thomas Anderson is the founder and senior pastor of The Living Word Bible Church in Mesa, Arizona. Growing up in a line shack in Loretta, Wisconsin, Dr. Anderson experienced what it was like to struggle financially. Over the years, he has learned the biblical principles that have raised him out of poverty and made him successful in every area of his life. Sharing those principles of success has become a driving force in his life and ministry.