Veteran Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu, has stirred reactions online after declaring that poverty cannot “die by fire.”
In a viral video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Agu dismissed the popular belief that poverty can be prayed away, insisting that only hard work and diligence can produce lasting prosperity.
According to the actor, while prayer is powerful, it becomes meaningless without corresponding effort. “Yes, prayer connects you to divine wisdom and favour, but work is the channel through which blessings manifest,” he explained.
The actor urged Nigerians to abandon the “manna mentality” and embrace hard work, stressing that even divine favour requires human participation.
He said, “Poverty does not die by fire. I repeat, poverty cannot die by fire, pray from now to tomorrow if you don’t work hard, poverty will deal with you.
“Yes, prayer is powerful, it connects you to divine wisdom and favor, but work is a channel through which blessings manifest. You can pray all day for success, but if you refuse to walk plan or act, you will still remain poor. God blesses effort, not idleness.
“God can open doors for you, but you must walk through them, James chapter 2: 17, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. Genesis 3:19, In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread till thou return unto the ground, meaning to eat you must till the ground, to eat you must
labour for it, to be successful, you must put in effort, do not be deceived, even the Bible teaches the importance of good faith and work, the house of God was built because effort were made, it did not fall from the sky.
“Rome was built because effort were made, success happened because people worked for it, gone are the days when manna fell from heaven, great things never came from a comfort zone, prayers alone won’t make you rich, prayers backed by hard work and grace will.Related News
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“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, but to reach your destination, you must put in effort into every step you take. if you fail, congratulations, most people don’t even try, win or lose, give it your all. Remember, God blesses efforts, not mere words.
“Proverb chapter 14:23, all work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.effort over wealth.”
Watch the video below: