The spirit of mammon is ever so subtle. He blinds people into thinking that their wants are their needs, and that easy credit is their wealth, so that they think that they can indulge themselves with such easy credit.
Indeed, many in the modern world are in debt. This should not be surprising at all for the wicked borrow but do not repay (Psalm 37:21). What should shock oneself is that there are many professing Christians who by their lives show a desire for holiness and righteous, but so many of such Christians are borrowing money to buy so many earthly things. Yes, that is right. Christians who a seeking to be holy and righteous in all areas of life - except in the area of finance.
It is all so easy to brush off such professing Christians as those who are not true Christians, and who are not seeking righteousness, but just pretending. This is how many Christians want to respond to such a claim. However, if any Christian who has been exposing the spirit of mammon for some time will know that there are many true Christians who seek to be holy in all areas of life, except for the area of finance. This explains their reaction and their desire to conveniently brush off such Christians as those who are not true Christians. The irony, of course, is that those who they dismiss to simply be false Christians, are themselves.
Many in the modern Church in the west, that is Christians in the 21st century west, are seeking to accumulate and save money for temporary, earthly pleasures, such as a large house, holidays, luxury car and higher education. They argue that these are not their wants, but their needs, or they simply claim that there is nothing wrong with having such things.
The issue is not whether it is wrong to have such things. Rather, it is where is one's heart in obtaining such thing, whether it is in God, or in mammon. This is the true dichotomy because a person either ultimately serves God or mammon (Matthew 6:24). Jesus said that no one can serve both God and mammon, not God and the devil, or God and sin. Why did Jesus not specifically state that no one can serve both God and satan, or God and sin? It is because if people do not serve God, they will serve their own flesh, their own self, out of their fleshly desires. This is exactly what God saves His children out of:
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).
The sinful actions are a mere manifestation of the desperately wicked heart which loves the flesh. The flesh itself is the source of the sins. Thus, to live for the flesh to the lusts of humans is that which is the ultimate thing which is diametrically opposed to the will of God. Without the flesh, there is no sin. This explains why a person who is truly saved can and does still fall into sin. It is because he is still living in his fleshly body.
One's heart is in God when what one does is to seek the approval of God, and not oneself in what one does. It is to do and not do something because God said so, not because you said so. God's will is never subject to yours, unlike what many insubordinate, proud, arrogant Christians think. Never!
Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18), and the Church is not His neck, who has a "right" to only obey or submit when she agrees. This is a vile, abominable, disgusting argument worthy of all condemnation. Anyone who wants to make such an argument should not proclaim Christ as his or her Lord and Master. This is exactly what the modern Church does. It is the Church of Laodicea. She thinks she is rich, needing nothing, all self-sufficient and independent of Christ, the head of the Church, yet all while wanting to proclaim Christ:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Revelation 3:15-17).
One may say that, at least the Church of Laodicea still wants to proclaim Christ, at least she is wanting to be obedient. No, she is not! In being self-sufficient and independent of Christ, she shows herself hostile against Christ, but yet has the vile abominable audacious mind to want to proclaim Christ. Such is her vile and perverse double-mindedness.
It is precisely because she wants to proclaim Christ, but yet act independently of Him, wanting the good things from Him, and yet also wanting to enjoy worldly pleasures that makes her all the more abominable. She wants to serve herself, her own pleasures, but yet is seeking Christ, who is opposed to absolutely all such abominable fleshliness.
Many in the modern Church are trying to serve both God and mammon. You may say that "at least" one is saved, unlike the unsaved who do not serve God at all. This is exactly what the problem is. If one wants to serve mammon, one might as well stop serving God because God demands that we give our whole selves to Him. That is what Jesus meant when He said: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).
That people even think that they can serve both God and mammon is itself double-mindedness. It is this double-mindedness in wanting to serve both God and mammon that such Christians cannot understand what Jesus meant when He said the no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). There are no exceptions or qualifications to this. It is clear and absolute.
It is because many Christians think they can serve God and mammon, wanting the goodness of God, and yet also wanting the comfort of the world, that they still think they can serve both God and mammon. They think that material comfort is what God gives them, and a blessing from God, out of their carnality. This is a very subtle deception that such Christians have.
Blessings from God are eternal, spiritual and stored up in Heaven. The ultimate blessing is to have one's sins forgiven by God: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Romans 4:7). It is the ultimate undeserved favour from God to receive Salvation, and thus the ultimate blessing. Blessings from God are not temporal, earthly and stored up where things rot.
Matthew 6:19-21 makes it 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.
The spirit of mammon uses easy credit to not merely tempt people into accumulating more earthly possession. He uses easy credit to seduce and blind people into thinking that they are rich and need nothing, and that they need all these earthly things and material comfort, by stirring up the flesh. He exploits the desire of the flesh to be independent from God, and self-sufficient to tempt people into obtaining earthly comfort, by means of easy credit.
Indeed, many in the modern world are in debt. This should not be surprising at all for the wicked borrow but do not repay (Psalm 37:21). What should shock oneself is that there are many professing Christians who by their lives show a desire for holiness and righteous, but so many of such Christians are borrowing money to buy so many earthly things. Yes, that is right. Christians who a seeking to be holy and righteous in all areas of life - except in the area of finance.
It is all so easy to brush off such professing Christians as those who are not true Christians, and who are not seeking righteousness, but just pretending. This is how many Christians want to respond to such a claim. However, if any Christian who has been exposing the spirit of mammon for some time will know that there are many true Christians who seek to be holy in all areas of life, except for the area of finance. This explains their reaction and their desire to conveniently brush off such Christians as those who are not true Christians. The irony, of course, is that those who they dismiss to simply be false Christians, are themselves.
Many in the modern Church in the west, that is Christians in the 21st century west, are seeking to accumulate and save money for temporary, earthly pleasures, such as a large house, holidays, luxury car and higher education. They argue that these are not their wants, but their needs, or they simply claim that there is nothing wrong with having such things.
The issue is not whether it is wrong to have such things. Rather, it is where is one's heart in obtaining such thing, whether it is in God, or in mammon. This is the true dichotomy because a person either ultimately serves God or mammon (Matthew 6:24). Jesus said that no one can serve both God and mammon, not God and the devil, or God and sin. Why did Jesus not specifically state that no one can serve both God and satan, or God and sin? It is because if people do not serve God, they will serve their own flesh, their own self, out of their fleshly desires. This is exactly what God saves His children out of:
Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God (1 Peter 4:1-2).
The sinful actions are a mere manifestation of the desperately wicked heart which loves the flesh. The flesh itself is the source of the sins. Thus, to live for the flesh to the lusts of humans is that which is the ultimate thing which is diametrically opposed to the will of God. Without the flesh, there is no sin. This explains why a person who is truly saved can and does still fall into sin. It is because he is still living in his fleshly body.
One's heart is in God when what one does is to seek the approval of God, and not oneself in what one does. It is to do and not do something because God said so, not because you said so. God's will is never subject to yours, unlike what many insubordinate, proud, arrogant Christians think. Never!
Christ is the Head of the Church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18), and the Church is not His neck, who has a "right" to only obey or submit when she agrees. This is a vile, abominable, disgusting argument worthy of all condemnation. Anyone who wants to make such an argument should not proclaim Christ as his or her Lord and Master. This is exactly what the modern Church does. It is the Church of Laodicea. She thinks she is rich, needing nothing, all self-sufficient and independent of Christ, the head of the Church, yet all while wanting to proclaim Christ:
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Revelation 3:15-17).
One may say that, at least the Church of Laodicea still wants to proclaim Christ, at least she is wanting to be obedient. No, she is not! In being self-sufficient and independent of Christ, she shows herself hostile against Christ, but yet has the vile abominable audacious mind to want to proclaim Christ. Such is her vile and perverse double-mindedness.
It is precisely because she wants to proclaim Christ, but yet act independently of Him, wanting the good things from Him, and yet also wanting to enjoy worldly pleasures that makes her all the more abominable. She wants to serve herself, her own pleasures, but yet is seeking Christ, who is opposed to absolutely all such abominable fleshliness.
Many in the modern Church are trying to serve both God and mammon. You may say that "at least" one is saved, unlike the unsaved who do not serve God at all. This is exactly what the problem is. If one wants to serve mammon, one might as well stop serving God because God demands that we give our whole selves to Him. That is what Jesus meant when He said: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24).
That people even think that they can serve both God and mammon is itself double-mindedness. It is this double-mindedness in wanting to serve both God and mammon that such Christians cannot understand what Jesus meant when He said the no one can serve both God and mammon (Matthew 6:24). There are no exceptions or qualifications to this. It is clear and absolute.
It is because many Christians think they can serve God and mammon, wanting the goodness of God, and yet also wanting the comfort of the world, that they still think they can serve both God and mammon. They think that material comfort is what God gives them, and a blessing from God, out of their carnality. This is a very subtle deception that such Christians have.
Blessings from God are eternal, spiritual and stored up in Heaven. The ultimate blessing is to have one's sins forgiven by God: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered (Romans 4:7). It is the ultimate undeserved favour from God to receive Salvation, and thus the ultimate blessing. Blessings from God are not temporal, earthly and stored up where things rot.
Matthew 6:19-21 makes it 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.
The spirit of mammon uses easy credit to not merely tempt people into accumulating more earthly possession. He uses easy credit to seduce and blind people into thinking that they are rich and need nothing, and that they need all these earthly things and material comfort, by stirring up the flesh. He exploits the desire of the flesh to be independent from God, and self-sufficient to tempt people into obtaining earthly comfort, by means of easy credit.
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