Many in the modern western Church do not really understand what it means to to be under the spirit of mammon, both intellectually in their minds, and spiritually in their hearts. They do not even understand the doctrine of the spirit of mammon. This is the most shocking of all, because the Church is supposed to understand what mammon is, but of course, the modern Church does not. The unsaved have a better, albeit thoroughly flawed and corrupt understanding of what mammon is. This itself is an indictment of the modern Church in the west.
Indeed, this is disturbing that the Church does not even have knowledge which it should have. Hosea 4:6 says: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
To be under the spirit of mammon does not necessarily mean that one has a demon physically living inside oneself. Such is the tragic lack of understand of mammon that many in the modern Church in the west have, totally and absolutely misunderstanding what mammon is, while the spirit of mammon just laughs at her for thinking that he does not even exist, and that they could never be influenced by him because they are "saved by grace". It is absolutely true that a person can only be saved by grace alone, faith alone and Christ alone. However, this does in no way mean that one cannot fall into spiritual snares as a result of one's sin of anxiety for one's earthly temporal needs to be met. It is because a true follower of Christ can most definitely fall into being anxious for one's earthly needs, and not even think it is a sin that Jesus had to tell His followers:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:24-34).
As long as one is obliged to seek earthly material things, one is under the spirit of mammon. What do I mean? Firstly, this does not mean that one is not obliged to work. Working and seeking earthly material things, including legitimate temporal needs, are two entirely separate and different things. A person either works for heavenly spiritual things, or for earthly temporal things. There is no middle ground whatsoever. Matthew 6:19-21 makes this very clear:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You are either working for heavenly spiritual things, or earthly temporal things. This is in no way saying that if one has a "secular" job, that is, a job that is not ministry work or church work, that person is working for earthly temporal things, and cannot be a person who seeks heavenly and spiritual treasure. No! What matters is where one's heart truly is. The actions of the person are manifestation of the heart. However, it must be said that it is all too easy for one to deceive oneself as to where one's heart truly is for the human heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). Simply because one does ministry work or church work does not mean that one is so righteous and holy, and does not mean that one cannot fall into an earthly temporal mindset. By no means!
So, what does it mean to be under the spirit of mammon? Can it be that a person who is seeking to not be under the spirit of mammon actually be under the spirit of mammon? Absolutely. Not only does a person need to actively resist him to break free from the bondage he brings, a person needs to totally cut himself off from anything that the spirit of mammon gives people to tempt them with.
The spirit of mammon tempts people with money, and blinds people who are in bondage to him, even despite being saved, that they "need" money. That is exactly how insidious he is. He not only blinds people into thinking that they should seek their own needs, instead of fully trusting in God to provide as Jesus commanded, not suggested, or advised, but commanded in Matthew 6:31-34. He also blinds people into thinking that food, shelter and clothing are what they "need" for sustenance. To even think that one's needs such things for one's sustenance is itself to live for such things - earthly, temporal needs.
Do you know who thinks they need food, shelter and clothing? Earthly people. The unregenerate. Matthew 6:31-32 specifically point out that it is earthly people who seek these things, thinking that it is their needs: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
To think that one needs clothing, food, and shelter, what fallen evil humans call their "needs" is itself the utter lack of trust in God. It is an utter insult to God. It is to have a low view of God's providence for you, the true follower of Christ. Yes, it is possible that a true follower of Christ may hold onto a low view of God, in the sense that he finds it hard to accept some characteristics or Commands of God, and therefore not fully believe in it to be true. This manifests in the typical modern way of 'interpreting' the Bible. One tries to find what it means for oneself, and attempts to mould the Word of God into one's own mindset including one's theology, rather than let the Word of God mould one's mindset.
Debt itself makes one have to serve money, and therefore mammon. For the wicked borrow and do not repay (Psalm 37:21). Even though one may not want to be serving money, and desire to live a godly life, one may still be under the bondage of mammon, through debt for debt imposes the obligation on a person to serve mammon.
Debt is insidious. It should not be taken lightly. The issue of debt should be treated as seriously as the true follower of Christ treats sexual relations, that is, very very very seriously, in all utter seriousness. It is not that being in debt could make one under the spirit of mammon. It will and does make one under the spirit of mammon. There is no exception.
Since no one, whether one be a pastor, missionary or evangelist, or one who is active in church, can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), and debt makes one have to serve mammon, one must shun all debt in order to truly serve God and love God.
Indeed, this is disturbing that the Church does not even have knowledge which it should have. Hosea 4:6 says: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children."
To be under the spirit of mammon does not necessarily mean that one has a demon physically living inside oneself. Such is the tragic lack of understand of mammon that many in the modern Church in the west have, totally and absolutely misunderstanding what mammon is, while the spirit of mammon just laughs at her for thinking that he does not even exist, and that they could never be influenced by him because they are "saved by grace". It is absolutely true that a person can only be saved by grace alone, faith alone and Christ alone. However, this does in no way mean that one cannot fall into spiritual snares as a result of one's sin of anxiety for one's earthly temporal needs to be met. It is because a true follower of Christ can most definitely fall into being anxious for one's earthly needs, and not even think it is a sin that Jesus had to tell His followers:
“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:24-34).
As long as one is obliged to seek earthly material things, one is under the spirit of mammon. What do I mean? Firstly, this does not mean that one is not obliged to work. Working and seeking earthly material things, including legitimate temporal needs, are two entirely separate and different things. A person either works for heavenly spiritual things, or for earthly temporal things. There is no middle ground whatsoever. Matthew 6:19-21 makes this very clear:
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You are either working for heavenly spiritual things, or earthly temporal things. This is in no way saying that if one has a "secular" job, that is, a job that is not ministry work or church work, that person is working for earthly temporal things, and cannot be a person who seeks heavenly and spiritual treasure. No! What matters is where one's heart truly is. The actions of the person are manifestation of the heart. However, it must be said that it is all too easy for one to deceive oneself as to where one's heart truly is for the human heart is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9). Simply because one does ministry work or church work does not mean that one is so righteous and holy, and does not mean that one cannot fall into an earthly temporal mindset. By no means!
So, what does it mean to be under the spirit of mammon? Can it be that a person who is seeking to not be under the spirit of mammon actually be under the spirit of mammon? Absolutely. Not only does a person need to actively resist him to break free from the bondage he brings, a person needs to totally cut himself off from anything that the spirit of mammon gives people to tempt them with.
The spirit of mammon tempts people with money, and blinds people who are in bondage to him, even despite being saved, that they "need" money. That is exactly how insidious he is. He not only blinds people into thinking that they should seek their own needs, instead of fully trusting in God to provide as Jesus commanded, not suggested, or advised, but commanded in Matthew 6:31-34. He also blinds people into thinking that food, shelter and clothing are what they "need" for sustenance. To even think that one's needs such things for one's sustenance is itself to live for such things - earthly, temporal needs.
Do you know who thinks they need food, shelter and clothing? Earthly people. The unregenerate. Matthew 6:31-32 specifically point out that it is earthly people who seek these things, thinking that it is their needs: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."
To think that one needs clothing, food, and shelter, what fallen evil humans call their "needs" is itself the utter lack of trust in God. It is an utter insult to God. It is to have a low view of God's providence for you, the true follower of Christ. Yes, it is possible that a true follower of Christ may hold onto a low view of God, in the sense that he finds it hard to accept some characteristics or Commands of God, and therefore not fully believe in it to be true. This manifests in the typical modern way of 'interpreting' the Bible. One tries to find what it means for oneself, and attempts to mould the Word of God into one's own mindset including one's theology, rather than let the Word of God mould one's mindset.
Debt itself makes one have to serve money, and therefore mammon. For the wicked borrow and do not repay (Psalm 37:21). Even though one may not want to be serving money, and desire to live a godly life, one may still be under the bondage of mammon, through debt for debt imposes the obligation on a person to serve mammon.
Debt is insidious. It should not be taken lightly. The issue of debt should be treated as seriously as the true follower of Christ treats sexual relations, that is, very very very seriously, in all utter seriousness. It is not that being in debt could make one under the spirit of mammon. It will and does make one under the spirit of mammon. There is no exception.
Since no one, whether one be a pastor, missionary or evangelist, or one who is active in church, can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24), and debt makes one have to serve mammon, one must shun all debt in order to truly serve God and love God.
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