Prosperity Preachers
Judi
Barrett
Have you ever
heard a preacher say something like this, "GOD wants you to have that
diamond ring (BMW, new house, a million dollars, vacation house in
If it was on TV,
did you quickly change the channel, rebuking Satan from your home, praying for
the one that was spitting out that garbage and the ones that might listen to
it? OR … Did you fall in the manhole,
down into the sewer, taking it all in…believing it to the point that you sent
that person "seed" money.
Isn't it strange how those
that put out this kind of message have faith that GOD is going to multiply back to you
what you send them. They have faith for
your new car or health or whatever but they don't have faith for their own
financial situation. They imply or come
right and say that they desperately need your money. Sometimes they will say that they want you to
partner with them so that they can deliver this "gospel" around the
world. Sometimes they actually come
right out and tell you that you need to send them a certain amount as seed so
that it will be multiplied by GOD and delivered back to you. You're hurting financially, you're having
difficulty paying the light bill; they are up there in front of you wearing a
thousand-dollar suit and they want you to send them your money. Think about it.
Their motivation is all wrong
for preaching. They preach for
money. Their message is all wrong, and
they are teaching you to be wrong in your motivation for serving GOD. GOD IS NOT SANTA CLAUS!! Titus
Let's dig a little deeper:
I
Timothy chapter
One of the things that jumps
out at me when I read through this passage of scripture is "which while
some coveted after". Loving money and the things that it can buy can cause
coveting, wanting what other people have instead of being content with what God
wants us to have. This reaches back to the commandment given in Exodus
In the book of Joshua we
read how the coveting of Achan cost him his life
along with the lives of his family. I believe that today coveting is costing
many people spiritual death. Sometimes there is a love of money so strong that
it is stronger than someone's love of God. Money can become our god.
In
Matthew 6:24, Jesus said, No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate
the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the
other. Ye cannot, serve God and mammon.
Also if we back up into this
6th chapter of Timothy, it seems that Paul is speaking in several verses about
the contrast between loving and craving money AND the loving or craving of GOD
and the things of GOD.
Paraphrasing here: In verses
3-5, he says that those that teach false doctrines instead of the sound
doctrine of Jesus are conceited and do not understand anything. These false
teachers enjoy quarreling which produces envy, jealousy, quarrels, dissensions,
abuse, insults, slander, and evil suspicions. These men with corrupted minds
operate with this thought: that godliness or righteousness is a source of
profit - a moneymaking scheme.
Verse 6 speaks to godliness
being a source of great profit, but it is a spiritual profit, not a money
making scheme. It is godliness with contentment.
Verse 9 points out that when
we crave to become rich there will be many temptations that can lead to ruin.
This brings us back to verse 10.
We should make the most of
what we have and be thankful to GOD that He has provided. God knows our needs even before we ask for
their provision.
Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
(James
1:1) James wrote to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: (James 5:1 –
5) Now listen, you rich people, weep and wait because of the misery that is
coming upon you. You wealth has rotted,
and moths have eaten your clothes. You
gold and silver are corroded.
Do we moan and
groan when we lose some money in a venture even though GOD has provided plenty
without that money.
Did JESUS ever heal anyone's pocketbook while
He was here on this earth? (Quote from Don Barrett)
Their
corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last
days. Look! The wages you failed to pay the workmen who
mowed your fields are crying out against you.
The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the LORD
ALMIGHTY.
Ever failed to
pay someone what you had agreed to? Have
you ever been someone else's bad debt? Had the car repossessed because you
spent your money on something else that you wanted…just took on too many debts
on things that you wanted and could not pay for all of them?? This scripture
should speak to us concerning this!!
You
have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of
slaughter.
James called a
spade, a spade. We should too. The way that we handle our money is a witness
to the world of what is in our heart. Is
the LORD JESUS CHRIST our GOD or is money our god? Which one do we spend more
of our day thinking about? Which one
gets more of our efforts?
Matthew
6:31 – 33 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.
How many times
have you heard just part of this scripture "all these things will be given
to you" used to say that GOD has promised you things so you should claim
them!!
Please be
careful about keeping things in context!!
This scripture says that the pagans run after these things. We are not to worry about these things,
the necessities of life. We should above
all else, seek GOD'S kingdom first, and ask Him to provide for our necessary
physical resources as He's sees fit. We
should be giving
thanks to Him for our day to day existence as we seek to please Him and walk in
His ways!!
Father GOD, I
come to You
right now to thank You for the provisions that You have made for me. I know that I am not to worry about these day
to day necessities, but to do what I can to take care of them and look to You for the means to do that. I thank You for the
way that I have to make a living. I
thank You for good health for not only me but for my
household. I know that You have knowledge of my needs better than I do, that you
have made provisions even before I ask.
Father, more
important than the physical needs I ask for a great desire to seek and walk in
Your ways, I thank You for Your Word that is provided to me so that I can read
it and get to know You better. I thank You for the ability to speak so that I can praise You, pray
to You, and tell others about You. I
pray LORD that my life would bring You glory today and
each day after this, I pray that a great hunger and thirst for righteousness
would consume me. I pray Abba Father
that I would walk in communion with Your Holy Spirit constantly.
Thank You for
Your grace and mercy to me. Thank You
for the LORD JESUS
CHRIST, for Your way to salvation and eternal life.
Thank You for
hearing my prayer.
Amen and Amen.
VVV