One thing I would like to touch on regarding this topic of finances is about the spirit of Mammon. So what is this Mammon? Simply put, it is the love of money. Matthew 6:24 says that ‘No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love t he other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.’ In this case, money is not evil because the root of all evil is the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10). If you use money to bless people, it is a good thing. If you use people to make money, it is evil.
I heard this sermon from Johnny Enlow, author of the Seven Mountains Mandate. One thing he mentioned was the spirit of poverty. He said this wasn’t about whether someone is rich or poor. It was about their mindset. Rich people can be in fear of losing their wealth because of how they came into it. It was sobering when Johnny said people who amassed great wealth not through the Lord will be insecure. Deuteronomy 8:18 says that it is the Lord who gives us the power to create wealth.
Any other means of gaining wealth not through the Lord is from the devil. The devil gives and he can take away. Which is why bible says riches are fleeting. But we who put our trust in the Lord to provide for us need not fear such storms or shaking in the economic realm. Because we have seen how the Lord provided for us in the last crisis. And we are not beholden to money. We serve God, not mammon.
People are beholden to mammon because many times they do not have an abundance mindset. They are too focused on their lack. They cannot see God as a loving Father who wants to take care of their needs and wants. They cannot trust God as their Provider. They are afraid that if they do not look out for themselves, they will be disadvantaged. They do not know that as children of the Most High God, all they have to do is to ask the Father.
There are some who will leverage on every opportunity, even people to make money. They want to get the best deal out of everything. Johnny said they will hide under the guise of stewardship but in fact it isn’t. When it comes to the things of God, you want to be generous. You want to be a channel, not a dam. You don’t want to hoard things and blessings. You want to give it away.
This is sobering to me because even though I don’t leverage on people to make money, I always try to get the best deal out of my purchases. I attribute this to good stewardship but at times I feel it is limiting. Like why can’t I just spend at will, not looking at the prices all the time. Why do I always need to wait till I go JB to shop and buy cheaper stuff. Hopes deferred makes the heart sick but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.
Yes I can make do with delayed purchases or delayed fulfilment but at times, God just wants me to be obedient there and then. He wants me to just spend when the desire or need comes up. He wants me to have an abundant mindset. He needs me to start visualising how it is like when abundance comes into my life. How I will handle it. This is what He has been talking to me about some months ago.
God is going to show us where the hidden treasures are. Where the pots of gold are hidden. I don’t know how but my part is to obey. And to prepare when He tells me to. The very first place I need to prepare is in my mind. Which is why it was crucial for the Lord to address my poverty mentality. Because this is a limiting belief that will keep me from receiving the abundance in the first place.
I had to remove this blockage before His supply will flow freely in my life. Which was why God took so long to address this through creating new neural pathways. Reconditioning of my mind. How can I be generous to others when I am not generous to myself in the first place. God is a practical God. Unless I really don’t have any desires for material stuff, which some people don’t, then I can freely give away my money. But I still have desires so God wants me to go fulfil them first.
I always believe the abundance that God gives to us will be an overflow. Like how He will bless your family with more than enough money that you can ever spend in our lifetime. Even after putting aside an inheritance for your children’s children, you will still have a lot more money to give away. God is so good. He will never want us to give at my expense. Then it will be self-righteousness.
Another thing Johnny pointed out was people want to give but they aren’t sure who to give to and how much. Giving is actually a lot of work because you got to do due diligence on the organisation you give to. You don’t want to be a bad steward and throw your money away. Especially when there has been much scandal about mega churches in previous years. People are more careful about giving.
