In 1988, a man named Bud Post won a $16 million pot only to lose it after a year and even fall into a million dollar debt at the end of it.
His huge loss was made even worse when he served time in jail for firing a gun over the head of a debt collector. His former girlfriend also successfully sued him to get a share of his winnings.
His own brother also tried to grab his winnings by hiring a hit man to kill him. His brother did not succeed in his scheme and was subsequently arrested.
"I wish it never happened," Post said. "It was totally a nightmare."
This is only one of dozens of stories of people who experienced overnight wealth only to lose it all and come out the same or even worse at the end.
Most people will think that poverty has something to do with the situations of our pockets.
But poverty is much deeper than that. It actually has very little to do with our pockets and more to do with our hearts.
1 Timothy 6:10 tells us, "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs."
It's not the lack of money that causes evil, but the love of it. When we love money so much that it defines, secures and controls us, we put ourselves in the hands of greed and entitlement, which will always lead to a poverty mindset.
Poverty is not determined by your net worth, but by your heart's content. That's why gaining more money is not always necessarily the alternative to poverty.
So what's the alternative to a heart led into poverty as a result of an inordinate love for money? Hebrews 13:5 says, "Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, 'I will never leave you nor forsake you.'"
Our alternative to poverty is not more money, but more contentment.
And contentment comes from understanding that God has already promised us and given us so much. Everything we now have comes simply through the grace of God, and He's never held back. He keeps us fed, provided for, and alive. He even gives us the promise of eternal life through His Son Jesus Christ, and all this when we deserve none of it.
We often lose track of what we already have in Christ simply because we want more money, more possessions and more comfort. But none of these things will ever compare to the glory of God and love of Christ which we now have.
Poverty is not a lack of money or things, but a lack of a proper perspective.
Is your heart focused on a desire for more of money and the things it offers? Or is your heart focused on what God has already given us—our life, relationships, current provision and our relationship with Him?
When we are driven by a mindset of entitlement and greed, we will be led to think that we need more and more money, only to find out that it never fulfils us.
A sense of fulfilment only comes when we are driven by an understanding of God's grace and how He has already blessed us.
