1 Tim 6:17 Command those who are rich in this present
age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God,
who gives us richly all things to enjoy.
God tells us
clearly that money is uncertain riches and it cannot be trusted for it can bite
us back.
James 4:3 You ask and
do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Many times, when
our prayers for riches are not answered, it is a sign for us to check
ourselves. Do I need the money more than my neighbours? What will I do when I
am richer? Many will not be happy when their neighbours are richer and they
will seek all avenues to achieve success. Many will use the worldly method and
wisdom of unrighteous means such as bribery, deception which God abhors.
The Holy Spirit
within us will convict us of sins. If we plan to use sinful means, He will
admonish us using His word, but He cannot go against our will to forcibly stop
us from sinning. Successes from sinful means will slowly and silently erode our
faith in God.
Mat 4:8-9 Again, the
devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the
kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I
will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”
Beware brethren,
since God will not condone any unrighteousness then any sinful success will
definitely be from the Devil who wants to become our lord and master for he is
the ruler of this world.
1 Tim 4:1-2 Now the
Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith,
giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in
hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
When sinful
methods bring us success, it will slowly dull our conscience and slowly make us
accept that there is nothing wrong with bribery since everyone is doing it. We
justify ourselves for our sinful covetousness.
When our success
is out of sinful means (bribery) and yet we dare to testify at the pulpit or to
brethren that God has bless us for the success then we are speaking lies in
hypocrisy and without any conscience left.
Eze 28:5-7 By your
great wisdom in trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted
up because of your riches,” ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you
have set your heart as the heart of a god, Behold, therefore, I will bring
strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations; and they shall draw
their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and defile your splendor.
Brethren, this is
the greatest danger of all for there is no longer the fear of God in him. With
his great successes, He is filled with pride and boasts of his great wisdom and
abilities. In his heart he is god, and he is his own boss and does not consider
himself as the servant of God, for he is god. He will consider the money as his own for he made it
without the help of God, but he will not be able to enjoy it for long when God
is against him. The simplest test for these rich and powerful, have you paid
your tithes?
Note: - If Jews (without the Holy Spirit) could pay tithes, so how
much more for Christians who are the temple of God (also the store house of
God), give all to His ministries.