There Is No Nobility in Poverty 💰

A few months ago, I had the privilege of speaking at a retreat on stewardship, influence, and the condition of the heart.

I’ve now released my first long-form YouTube video sharing that message in full.

I would be extremely grateful for your support.
Watch it. Like it. Comment what stood out to you or what you learned. And if you’re feeling generous, subscribe as well.

Now let’s get into this week’s reflection.

“I Choose Rich Every […] Time”

There’s an iconic scene in The Wolf of Wall Street where Jordan Belfort says:

“There is no nobility in poverty. I have been a rich man and I have been a poor man, and I choose rich every F****ing time.”

The delivery is extreme.
But the message underneath it is simple.

There is nothing noble about being poor.
Struggle is not a virtue.

Somewhere along the way, poverty became associated with purity.

As though having less makes you more righteous.
As though struggling financially makes you spiritually superior.
As though wealth automatically signals compromise.

So wealth stops being viewed as a resource.
It becomes a moral signal.

But money is not a measure of righteousness.

Character is.

Money magnifies.
It does not transform.

And if you subconsciously believe that wealth makes someone less pure, you will never fully pursue it with conviction.

You cannot build confidently toward something you believe diminishes you spiritually.

This isn’t about idolising money.
It’s about examining your heart. 🧭

Wealth Reveals the Heart

History shows what happens when flawed character gains access to significant capital.

Harm increases.
Damage expands.

But the money did not create the flaw.

It revealed it.

When people of integrity gain access to capital, their capacity increases.

They can build more.
Give more.
Employ more.
Influence more.

The resource is not the danger.

The heart holding it is.

Which is why the real preparation is internal before it is financial.

Your Fathers in the Faith Were Wealthy 📖

Genesis 13:2 says,
“Abraham was very wealthy in livestock, silver and gold.”

Genesis 26:12–13 says,
“Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold… and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.”

Jacob prospered even while serving under Laban. His flocks multiplied. His household expanded.

These men carried wealth and influence within their generation.

They were trusted with increase.

Your fathers in the faith were not defined by lack.

They were entrusted with wealth and responsibility.

Influence Is Always Occupied 🌍

Not everyone will accumulate large sums of wealth, and that is fine.

But influence will always exist.

Money shapes communities.
Leadership shapes culture.
Decisions shape families.
And there is a spiritual dimension woven through all of it.

Resources affect the physical world.
They also affect the spiritual atmosphere surrounding it.

If people of character step away from influence, influence does not disappear.

Someone still controls the capital.
Someone still sets the direction.
Someone still shapes the system.

So the question is not whether influence exists.

The question is whether people of integrity are willing to carry it.

The Real Issue: Your Heart Posture ❤️

The issue has never been money.

It has always been your posture toward it.

Can you handle increase without pride?
Can you carry influence without compromise?

If you desire to see change in the world you live in, you cannot resent the very tool that enables broader impact.

Money shapes systems.
Influence shapes culture.

Growth in influence must be matched by growth in character.

If this resonated, the full message on YouTube goes deeper into how stewardship not only affects your personal finances, but the world we live in and the spiritual environment we shape.

Watch it.
Like it.
Comment what you learned.
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