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Ephesians 5:5-8 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (6) Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. (7) Be not ye therefore partakers with them. (8) For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (KJV)
The Bible gives warnings throughout on the dangers of coveting, which is described as a form of idolatry. This is a vital area, one that gets overlooked, and an area where many a good intentioned Christians ended up being deceived. Though in our past we were surrounded by this mindset and caught up in the things of this world, somehow there are many that think they can carry this over into the realm of God and get away with it. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Your ability to let go and trust in the Lord in the area of finances is vital if one is going to grow into a deeper knowledge and trust with our Father. Luke 16:9-11 And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. (10) He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. (11) If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? (KJV) This is what separates the men from the boys; this is the proving ground for what a man will truly trust and believe. We have a parable of a man described as an unjust steward who made his living and prospered by taking advantage of others. Then one day it occurred to him that in order to be accepted into the eternal realm he would have to change his ways and find the just and equal balance. What many don’t realize, and especially for those that are entering ministry work, is that one has to prove faithful before the Lord in the area of finances, or riches as they are described, before the Lord will open up to them and show them His spiritual riches and then entrust them with it. What verse 10 describes as least ends up being the priority with many; if they are unjust in that area then its game over and they will not be moving ahead in their walk. We have people out there that claim to be of God yet when you listen to the message being delivered they speak more of this world than the realm of God because they haven’t been enlightened to the things of God, and therefore have not been entrusted with the true spiritual riches of God’s wisdom and knowledge which are only found in Christ. Luke 16:9 Riches promise MUCH, and perform NOTHING: they excite hope and confidence, and deceive both: in making a man depend on them for happiness, they rob him of the salvation of God and of eternal glory. For these reasons, they are represented as unjust and deceitful. (from Adam Clarke Commentary) 1 Peter 5:1-3 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: (2) Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (3) Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. (KJV) What kind of hope is being given to the people; a false hope in the deception of worldly riches, or is the flock of God being fed with the truth of God’s word that will set them free and allow Him to be their source? Many lord over the flock with guilt trips and pity party messages of how much more one could do for the Lord if they would just ante up. Those that are truly looking out for the spiritual welfare of the people will be more concerned with building the people up in the Lord, rather than having the people more concerned with a building and its upkeep. John 10:11-13 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. (12) But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. (13) The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep. (KJV) The problem with hirelings, which is someone that is working for a wage, those that think ministry work is just an occupation, is that if the money runs out the hireling isn’t far behind. Our Lord set the example of how to live and walk in the Spirit, seeking more the spiritual welfare of others and not His own, thus why He was so effective. Today we see just the opposite; for many that enter the field of ministry work think it is a fun and exciting way to make a living, which is well documented by watered down messages that deal more with seeking the riches of this world than the true riches of God. Yes God does call people to full time ministry, and they get their support from the Lord and through the flock they oversee. The message the Lord is getting across is that His people need to be more concerned with the spiritual substance that will feed the flock, not the financial one that they are feeding themselves with. Isaiah 56:10-11 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. (11) Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. (KJV) There are too many hirelings, false prophets and such who are only seeking their personal gain, and not what is best for the flock of God. This stuff has been going on for a long time and has continued to manifest, getting worse and worse. No man can serve two masters because he will hold to one and ignore the other; and the Bible is quite specific to say that we cannot serve God and mammon or worldly riches, which is idol worship. Titus 1:7-11 For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (8) But a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; (9) Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. (10) For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: (11) Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. (KJV) Many vain talkers alter the message of truth to fit their lifestyle, teaching things just for the sake of filthy lucre. Messages that point to hundredfold returns, the more you give the more you get, are nothing more than self serving cheap imitations for what the Lord intended for His people; thus why the Lord’s people perish for lack of knowledge. So do your own self inventory and make sure the things you treasure are in line with the things of God so that He can open up His spiritual treasure and allow you to be a partaker of His heavenly gift. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (17) Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (KJV)
Up to the point of our conversion we were limited in our thinking and only able to discern things according to what we were able to see, hear, and touch; basically limited to our carnal senses. Once you became a new creation, which can only take place to those that are in Christ, you are now able to see things through the eyes of the Spirit and look into a whole new realm and a whole new way of thinking. Every day should be a new day. Like with a child, they continue to learn more about the things around them, the things of this realm that they recently entered into themselves. Your old way of thinking, the way you determined things and made judgments based solely by outward appearances is passed away; you are now able to discern and make judgments according to what the Lord says, who knows the thoughts and intents of the heart. 1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (22) Abstain from all appearance of evil. (23) And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (KJV) Thayer’s definition for prove: 1381 dokimazo- 1) to test, to examine, to prove, to scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals 2) to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, to deem worthy Before you put your stamp of approval on something, or I should say God’s stamp of approval on it (after all you are now a representation of Him), do you take the time to check it out to see if it lines up with the word of God before you get involved in something that He doesn’t approve of? If there isn’t peace in the situation that would be the first indication that it is not of God. Secondly, it has to line up with His word before you should proceed forward, otherwise you may find yourself like the prophet Balaam who ended up blaming the wrong ass for the ungodly situation he put himself into. Case in point, 5 months ago when many said it was Christmas time many jumped on the bandwagon and went for a worldly ride. But the truth be known, which by the way it is available to those that are willing to listen, is that it is nothing more than a cheap hoax, a worldly retailers celebration, supposedly in the name of Christianity. Not only has this abomination evolved into an ungodly mess, if you take the time to go back to its origins you will find that it began as a pagan ritual which a bunch of half baked milk toast Christians adopted and imitated; which sad to say, not much has changed over the years. So if you desire the peace of God in your life and someday plan on presenting yourself to Him wholly and blameless, spirit, soul, and body, then you need to be more watchful about the doctrine you allow into your spirit and the things you put your stamp of approval on so that you don’t allow a little leaven to leaven the whole lump. Isaiah 5:20-21 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! (21) Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! (KJV) This is exactly what takes place when someone doesn’t take the time to rightly divide the word of truth; when someone jumps into a situation just because it looked good and sounded good by the outward appearance, but inwardly was an abomination to the Lord. What you put your stamp of approval on can have dire consequences if it is not of the Lord and a misrepresentation of His word. So like the old song says, ‘look before you leap do waters run deep’ otherwise you may find that the so called pool you’re diving head first into is nothing more than a mirage. The devil painted a pretty picture to Eve back in the Garden of Eden and made it sound too good to be true if she would just partake of the fruit. The same deceiver is still out and about portraying himself as a minister of righteousness, with cheap watercolors that can be easily erased when doused with the living waters of truth. What a pretty picture he will try to paint in your mind, showing you the highlight reel of what you are missing in the flesh so that he can get you living in an imaginary realm of deception and lies. So before you enter his studio, take the time to hear the Lord’s answer and discern the truth; before you allow the devil to paint you into a corner. 2 Timothy 2:15-16 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (16) But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. (KJV) I have seen so many people try to imitate other people that they considered godly, and miss the mark because they were more concerned with mans’ approval and not the Lord’s. You have entered a whole new realm people, which is completely opposite of the one you lived in the past. So in order to walk in the Spirit you have to start thinking in the Spirit, and that will only take place as you renew your mind in the word of God on a daily basis. Otherwise you find yourself back in the realm of the flesh which should be dead, died and buried to those in Christ. Commentary: In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until it was liquid, poured into moulds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft and of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens, to stop the practice of shaving down the coins then in circulation. But some money-changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honor who put only genuine full-weighted money into circulation. Such men were called "dokimos" or "approved". --Donald Barnhouse Oh how the world keeps such a close watch over their treasures to make sure they don’t get shortchanged. How much stronger would the Christian be if they made their spiritual life as much a priority as their financial welfare or even beyond. I have seen many people who study cults, then go out and about getting in debates over their doctrines. Now with people in banking today, they don’t waste their time studying the phony bills but rather study the genuine bills; that is how they are able to spot the counterfeit ones and there is no debate, case closed. The Bible says it is the truth that will set you free so that you can be free indeed. So how much time have you spent today in the word of truth so that you can know the truth and be approved of God as genuine and the real deal? Proverbs 10:32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness. (KJV) Are you truly a Christian? Prove it. God bless and have a prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (KJV)
Strong’s definition for prove: NT:1381 dokimazo (dok-im-ad'-zo); from NT:1384; to test (literally or figuratively); by implication, to approve: KJV - allow, discern, examine, like, (ap-) prove, try. Prove all things. How? By not being conformed to this world: instead be transformed by the renewing of your mind in the Word of God so that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. Then continue to operate with the mind of Christ being approved of God. By lining those things that you see or hear up with the Word of God; are they approved of God, in line with His word? If not, then reprove them by bringing them in to captivity to the obedience of Christ, not allowing them to propagate any further in you or through you. By trying the spirits whether they be of God. Always hold God to be true and man the liar; if the Spirit does not bear witness then flee, run away, don’t follow the stranger’s voice nor his ways. Prove all things whether they be of God, and hold fast to that which is good and acceptable and is the perfect will of God. Is it good in the sight of God? If it is then you know you have the confidence to continue to hold fast and move forward in that which He has approved. God bless dearly loved, and have a very prosperous day in Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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