By and large,
we earthlings (especially we Americans) are living a lie-stained life, having
opened wide and swallowed the devil's lie that ‘life is all about money!’
Consider the
depth and the far-reaching implications and the price of believing this
lie. Going with the cultural currents
and worshiping at the devil's money alter, we:
-Abort unborn
babies
-Beggar our
neighbors
-Rob graves of
the dead
-Steal the
tithe from God
-Cheat
governments of taxes owed
-Promote wars
for the sake of profit
-Orphan and
sell our children's bodies
-Steal and sell
body organs, even our own
-Borrow and
finagle ways to avoid repaying
-Lie, cheat,
steal and scheme our way through life
-'Shack-up' and
refuse marriage over the fear of money loss
-Distort our
paths, accepting do anything/go anywhere jobs
-Sell armaments
to the highest bidder, ignoring the intended uses
…and the list
goes on, and on, and on, with each generation finding ever more cleaver ways to
… sin for the sake of money.
This stain is
so deep and its implications so pervasive that we have practically squeezed all
the 'life' out of life. We have become
like 'dead men/women walking',
indiscriminately marching to the beat of m-o-n-e-y. Both by example and urgings, we prompt our
children early to board the money-hungry train, warping every decision of their
lives around the money pole.
Our push for
money isn’t really all about money, per se, but about things money can
obtain. Money essentially offers the potential to purchase things tangible
and intangible. World economies are largely based on the
assumption of infinite growth in production and consumption, mostly of consumer
and military goods, thus massive consumerism
and war mongering are considered
‘good for the economy’!
The taproot of
our lie-stained, money-for-things-driven life style is the spirit of
covetousness. Consider the pressures you
have personally experienced from intense (sometimes inexplicable) desire for some
things, and the pressures from the threats/fears of not having necessary
things. These pressures are the direct
manifestation of the spirit of covetousness.
The well-disguised root of covetousness easily triggers these pressures
that can and do seed a wide range of emotions (both positive and negative),
thoughts, words and actions. Given this,
it is clear the spirit of covetousness is a major ‘mover and shaker’ in our
world. No wonder satan and his crew have
worked tirelessly to convince us covetousness is only about desiring other people’s stuff! Cleaver but dead wrong!
Given the ease
with which we are deceived, would it help to have a ready gauge to determine
when this spirit is operating and when you have unknowingly fallen into its
powerful grip? Like you, I have
struggled both to recognize this spirit and to free myself from its grip. The rapidity of change in ‘the latest/greatest whatever’ (be it
fashions, cars, tech gadgets, fads, games, movies, productivity aids, etc.),
working in conjunction with the increasing income/wealth imbalances in our
world, effectively assures the roots of covetousness will be increasingly fruitful
in our world!
Thankfully,
Jesus gave us both a clear warning of,
and the escape route from the
vise-like grip of the spirit of covetousness:
Warning: And He said to them, "Take heed and
beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the
things he possesses." (Luke 12:15)
Escape route: [Recognize/know that] …your Father knows you need
…things.
Seek
first the kingdom of God, and ...things shall be added to you. Give and it will
be given to you. Let
your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as
you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake
you.” (Luke 12:32, 6:38; Hebrews 13:5)
Here’s a helpful handle to grab and
hold onto this escape route:
M-ammon [for things]
O-ught
N-ever
E-dge-out (as in replace)
Y-ahweh!
I attest this escape route really works and works well! The spirit of covetousness and the Spirit of
Giving are opposites, and they cancel out the effects of each other. Whenever you’re caught in the trap and grip
of covetousness, quick-quick, find
something worthwhile to give to somebody! Do this, and repeat as often as necessary,
and that ole spirit will high-tail it out of your life! Why does this work? Giving in the very face of your need or
desire is an absolutely great way to usher in the presence and power of God
into situations, and to demonstrate your trust in Him to meet your needs and
also to give you the desires of your heart, as you rest on His Word. This is like taking a spiritual sledge hammer
to the spirit of covetousness and its works.
Try it; have fun with it; let me know how it works for you!
Quite simply, this is faith in action -- trusting God for things
accessible and inaccessible with money.
As if to really get our attention, the admonition to live by faith is reiterated four
times in The Bible!
Faith
-- the currency of Heaven’s economic system on earth.
Study
it well. Learn to ‘LIVE by it’…really!
