God versus Mammon

Yesterday, a young couple stopped by the house for a short visit on their way to an overnight getaway. As we caught up the husband explained he had shutdown his construction business to concentrate on taking care of their 2 daughters and leading worship at 2 local churches. He had taken on a project last fall that appeared it would be an easy and quick financial windfall for his family.

While he certainly made some profit, it was not an easy or simple task with numerous setbacks and problems along the way. He explained he had not ‘prayed through it’ before taking on the project. Had he, he believes the Lord would have told him not to take the job. It was a lesson in who his provider is. While his motives were right, his heart was not led by the Father.

As the 2014 season start to come to a conclusion, we set our eyes on 2015 and the future of our small company. We already know we will be involved in helping one of the series we work with produce a TV show and during a 24 hour period this week, we had 2 major contracts renewed along with a one off race we streamed in the spring. We already have standing orders for another 13-15 races depending on our schedule. All through His hand, not ours.

We all need money, in one form or another, to live in todays society. The only question you need answered is how you go about gather that resource. For a Christ follower, that answer can only come from one place, our Father. Have a need? Go to Him today to see how He would have you handle it.

Blessings

God versus Mammon
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 2 by Os Hillman

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matt 6:24 NKJV)

The New Testament contains 2,084 verses dealing with money and finance. Sixteen of Jesus’ thirty-eight parables deal with money. The reason Jesus spoke so much about money was because He was always trying to see where a person’s loyalty resided. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21 NKJV). He said a person could not serve two masters. Instead, he will love one but hate the other.

Many people believe money is synonymous with mammon. This is incorrect. Mammon is an Aramaic demonic spirit that was worshipped as a false god by the Philistines. Mammon desires to be worshipped, have influence, and control of peoples’ lives to require love and devotion through the use of money. Money is simply the instrument by which mammon seeks to have power.

Any spirit that opposes God seeks to influence people through deception. It wants to gain loyalty and love without you knowing it has done so. The primary lie behind the spirit of mammon is that money contains power. It encourages people to place disproportionate value on money because of the power it has to influence and control others.

The symptoms of being controlled by the spirit of mammon are revealed when we allow our activities to be governed by the amount of money we have instead of God alone. It makes us believe one’s provision is his/her employer, spouse, investments, or other money source. So, when we allow money to rule the choices in our lives we have yielded to the spirit of mammon. This leads to other problems as Paul writes to Timothy:

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” (1 Tim 6:10)

Today, ask God if you have been influenced by the spirit of mammon. If so, renounce it and place your total trust in Christ as your source for all provision.