My childhood was a very challenging time for me. I was one of nine children in my family living in the Southside of Chicago, and it wasn’t uncommon for me to see a dead body on my way to school. I was a smart kid, but I grew up suffering from the learning disability dyslexia which made it difficult for me to read in school. As a result, I would clown around in class in order to get out of reading in front of my classmates. It wasn’t long before I was labeled a troubled youth, destined least likely to succeed. However, despite those humble beginnings, I grew up to own several businesses, including a music management company, a speakers bureau and a fragrance line. How did I do it? I studied and applied several basic principles from the Bible into my life and the result was increased wealth. I share this advice in my new book, The Power to Get Wealth: No Money Required. If I can overcome the challenges of my youth to be successful, so can you! Here are five tips to get you started:
Understand the true meaning of wealth. Wealth has nothing to do with money. The definition of wealth is all needs met. It doesn’t matter if you live in a mansion or a one-bedroom apartment, if you have goals and visions inside of you and you know who you are and whose you are, then you are wealthy!
Understand the difference between natural and supernatural and operate in faith. Most of us are praying to God to make things happen in our lives and then doing our “own thing” to make it come to fruition. Where is your faith when you do that? Natural is within your ability and supernatural is outside your ability. Man operates in the natural but God operates in the supernatural. You have to have faith to operate in the supernatural. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says “the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers it foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” Therefore, when you are praying and operating in the supernatural, you don’t have to “make things happen” it will come to you. Faith in the natural will have you focus on how many people just applied for the job you want. Faith in the supernatural will have you envisioning yourself on the job, decorating your new office and planning for the future!
Have a vision. What are your goals for your life? Do you aspire to run your own business or work your way up the corporate ladder to become a senior vice president or CEO? Do you want to have a family and be able to leave something behind for your children? In the Bible, Proverbs 29:18 says “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Isn’t it interesting that it says vision and not prayer or fasting or healing? That’s because having a vision for your life is so important! Having a vision and working to accomplish that vision allows you to live in purpose. Now understand that visions are different from dreams. Visions are a conscious state and dreams are an unconscious state. Most dreams remain figments of people’s imaginations, while visions are obtainable goals that we actively work towards accomplishing. Have you incorrectly identified your vision as a dream? That may be why it seems so unobtainable. Additionally, when you receive a vision, write it down (Habakkuk 2:2) and don’t share it with just any and everyone. People will either steal your ideas or not understand the vision, which can be frustrating. Keep a journal with your visions in it so you may refer back to it and review your progress.
Your vision is your provision. Have you ever had an idea for an invention or a new way to improve an old process and thought to yourself, “I wish I could make that happen?” Well, you can! The visions you receive from God are indeed goals that you can accomplish. You just have to begin to work them out and don’t allow them to stay in “dream” form.
Self-worth equals wealth. The more we love, give, and help others, the more we build our self-worth. These steps will lead to overflow in our lives. You’ll begin to notice as you give of your time, talent, finances and other resources that somehow you always will have more than enough and will be able to share with others. Now you are operating in the mind over matter principle! Romans 4:17 says to “calleth those things which be not as though they are.” In other words, you are not too poor to share. You are a lender and not a borrower!
Additionally, develop a mindset of expecting good things all the time and good things will be drawn to you. Be sure to surround yourself with positive thinkers. Have you ever noticed how you can be in a good mood and then after speaking to someone who is depressed and always complaining, you find yourself depressed and down as well? Avoid those people at all costs and develop a circle of friends who motivate you to be a better person. If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room!
In conclusion, we are all wealthy! Everyone has gifts and goals inside of us, and once you identify the gifts that are inside of you and bring them to the forefront, your gift will make room for you and bring you before mighty men. Stop looking at the material things of life as the definition of wealth and instead look at the wealth waiting to be tapped within you!
Keith Douglas is the author of The Power to Get Wealth: No Money Required. He is CEO and chairman of the internationally-known RKD Music and Talent Management and founder of the Speakers Bureau Institute. Keith is executive producer of The Book of David: Vol.1 Transition CD by Dave Hollister, which was nominated for the 2007 BET Gospel Album of the Year. In 2009, he was honored with the Stop the Violence “Think Education First” Award by Bishop Noel Jones and the City of Refuge Church. Regardless of his abundance of accolades, Douglas is a man of God and serves his family and community. He believes strongly in the power of God’s word, prayer and worship.
For more information about The Power to Get Wealth: No Money Required or to read an excerpt, please visit www.keithdouglas.org
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