Breaking the Spirit of Unrighteous Mammon

At the very heart of the “Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus brings up a very popular but perhaps misunderstood statement regarding mammon. “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” (Matthew 6:24). Many have interpreted the word mammon to mean money. However, there’s more to this word than simply equating it as money. Some scholars believe that this word has its roots in the Hebrew word hamon, which means, many, a lot or more. Though there are other views that associate this word through Aramaic roots, the Hebrew origin seems to fit the context of Jesus’ use of the word in both Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:11. I believe that Jesus’ use of the word represents being vexed with a desire for more or a lot of (hamon) of money.

I’ve heard it said that money is the root of all evil. Yet that’s not exactly what the Scriptures teach. The following verse truly represents the case that Jesus made about mammon.

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. -1 Timothy 6:10

This verse teaches that the love of money and coveting after (mammon) will lead to the erring of faith and causes one to be pierced with sorrows. The word sorrows comes from the Greek word odin which means travail or pain. We need to pay close attention to this word for I believe that it will explain why we need to break the spirit of unrighteous mammon.

It’s important to understand that money is neither good nor bad and that God is not against our lives being enriched or abundant. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 list all the ways that God wants to multiply our lives. Deuteronomy 8:18 teaches that God gives us power to get wealth that His covenant of blessing might be established in our lives. God has a purpose for blessing us - it is to be a blessing to others!

1 Timothy 6:10 warns us of the “sorrows” that the love and coveting of money can bring upon our lives. With that in mind, notice to following verse:

The blessing of the Lord, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. -Proverbs 10:22

In comparing the two verses I’ve mentioned, you see that the love and coveting of money will bring sorrow. On the other hand, the blessing of God, that makes rich, adds no sorrow!

Again, I considered all travail [sorrows], and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit. [6] Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. -Ecclesiastes 4:4,6

In the verse quoted above we find that sorrows is defined as a man being spiritually vexed with the envy of his neighbor. This man is consumed with the spirit of unrighteous mammon - he never has enough, he wants more. His sorrow is that he faces vexation of spirit.

What does it mean to be spiritually vexed? The word has two meanings taken from both the Old and New Testaments. It means to have a sensation and it means to be eaten or fed upon. Most are familiar with the phrase “What’s eating you?” or “Something’s been eating me,” etc. That evil feeling of envy that comes over a person when another prospers represents the spirit of vexation. The following scripture defines it perfectly:

For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? [23] For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. -Ecclesiastes 2:22-23

Here the bible defines a person that has been vexed by the spirit of unrighteous mammon. He does not enjoy the fruit of his labor, all his days are sorrows and he is not able to rest at night. However, the following verse defines the man who enjoys the fruit of his labor.

There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. -Ecclesiastes 2:24

How can one break the spirit of unrighteous mammon? I truly believe that you conquer a spirit by the power of the opposing or opposite spirit. Light conquers darkness, love conquers hate, etc. So how do you conquer being vexed with the sensation of greed and gain? The answer is to give! Honoring God financially is essential to breaking the spirit of mammon.

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. [9] Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. [10] Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. -Malachi 3:8-12

  These verses teach that the consequence of not tithing was a curse. What’s interesting is that in God’s warning of not departing from His Word, the first word used in defining the curse is vexation (Deuteronomy 28:20). Could the curse that tithes and offerings break in our lives be the curse of sorrows and vexation - the very spirit of unrighteous mammon?

It’s vital that I add, Jesus has redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being made a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). Believers have been made free from the curse of death and eternal separation. What we are discussing is breaking the curse of greed and vexation. “Shall we sin that grace may abound?” God forbid (Romans 6:1-2). God has set before us “life and death, blessing and cursing” (Deuteronomy 30:19). Without Jesus, we have no right or power to a blessed life! As His disciples, we must choose to continue in His Word (John 8:31-32).                         

Jesus taught that a man could not serve God and mammon. But how do we as believers and disciples choose God over mammon? Notice a verse following God’s ordinance of returning the tithe into His house.Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. -Malachi 3:18

This verse literally shows us that when we honor God in tithes and offerings, we are able to discern between who serves God and who doesn’t. Remember, Jesus said we could not serve God and mammon. No matter what one decides to do with the tithe - it is the Lords. Leviticus 27:32 teaches us that the tithe is the Lord’s and that the tenth of our income is holy unto Him.

The repeated promise given to those who tithe and give offerings is the blessing. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). With all these things in mind, notice what Jesus said in the following verses:

If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches. -Luke 16:11

I believe that an aspect of the true riches is the blessing. Jesus has given every believer the right to live the abundant life free of the sorrow and vexation of greed, covetousness and envy. Notice what Jesus  goes onto say in the following verses:

And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? [13] No servant 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. -Luke 16:12-13

Make a decision today to break the spirit of unrighteous mammon through the opposing spirit of generosity! Jesus said to “beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). Yet sadly, many equate being blessed by what they possess. However, I believe the blessed life can be defined by contentment, not covetousness! 

And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. -1 Timothy 6:8-9

The power of contentment is truly missing in our society. Study Hebrews 13:5. It is a lack of contentment that leads to greed, stinginess, envy and covetousness! 

Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate. -1 Timothy 6:17-18

Think of all the ways that lives, marriages and families have been wrecked by the sensation for more. It’s time for believers to break the spirit of unrighteous mammon and live blessed in Jesus’ Name!

Proclamation of Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving! I think it is so vital that we know our Christian heritage. Therefore, I am posting a proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on setting aside "the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens." As you gather with friends and family around this holiday, don't forget to direct your thanks and praise to God for all that He has done! As Psalm 26:7 declares, "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works."

Washington, D.C.
October 3, 1863
Secretary of State

This is the proclamation which set the precedent for America's national day of Thanksgiving. During his administration, President Lincoln issued many orders similar to this. For example, on November 28, 1861, he ordered government departments closed for a local day of thanksgiving.Sarah Josepha Hale, a 74-year-old magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln on September 28, 1863, urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She explained, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution."Prior to this, each state scheduled its own Thanksgiving holiday at different times, mainly in New England and other Northern states. President Lincoln responded to Mrs. Hale's request immediately, unlike several of his predecessors, who ignored her petitions altogether. In her letter to Lincoln she mentioned that she had been advocating a national thanksgiving date for 15 years as the editor of Godey's Lady's Book.The document below sets apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." According to an April 1, 1864, letter from John Nicolay, one of President Lincoln's secretaries, this document was written by Secretary of State William Seward, and the original was in his handwriting. On October 3, 1863, fellow Cabinet member Gideon Welles recorded in his diary how he complimented Seward on his work. A year later the manuscript was sold to benefit Union troops.

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

William H. Seward,
Secretary of State

The Common Denominator

common denominator
n
1. (Mathematics) an integer exactly divisible by each denominator of a group of fractions: 1/3, 1/4, and 1/6 have a common denominator of 12
2. a belief, attribute, etc., held in common by members of a class or group

For the better part of my life I have sought to bring people together. I am so graciously blessed to pastor a church that is made up of such a diverse group of believers. I am asked quite often how we manage to draw such a diverse body of people. For years I have given the same answer, "It's the common denominator." Of course, many ask what that "common denominator" is. It is Jesus, the Word of God!

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. - Revelation 5:9-10

A Common Denominator, in a non-mathematical definition, is a belief held in common by members of a class or group. The Kingdom of God is made up of people from every kindred, tongue and nation. Citizens of the Kingdom are a very diverse group. However, as different as we may all appear to be, we are still Christians. Christ is our common-denomitor. He makes us one in Him!

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind. -Matthew 13:47

Jesus said that the Kingdom was like a net that gathered some of "every kind." But what is held in common by the citizens of the Kingdom? The answer is the Kingdom itself. I often think of how preposterous it is for the Body of Christ to be divided by skin color, denomination or tradition. We have something that unifies us. And that which unifies us is far stronger than anything that could divide us! Our common denominator is not our skin color, it's not our traditions nor social status or class. Yet the enemy has worked feverishly to keep us separated by that which we are no longer to be identified with.

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. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. -2 Corinthians 5:16-18

We see that in 2 Corinthians 5:16, we are not supposed to be known or identified by our flesh. We are not even supposed to identify Jesus today after His flesh (viewing Him only as a Jew). Secondly, we see in verse 17 that we are a new creation in Christ with old things being passed away and ALL things becoming new! Thirdly, we see that we have been reconciled to God through Jesus. And the last thing I want to point out in these verses is found in verse 18, we have been given the ministry of reconciliation.

reconcile - to change mutually, i.e. (figuratively) to compound a difference
[Strongs Dictionary]

The ministry of reconciliation cannot begin until we recognize who we are in Christ. If we are still viewing our lives in our old nature (the old man) and not entering into the newness of Christ we will be unsuccessful in our ability to reconcile. For an example: Ephesians 2:15-19 speaks of how Jesus literally made one new man out of two! He made both Jews and Gentiles to be one in Him! Wow! What a statement. Jesus is saying that He became the Common Denominator!

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God. -Ephesians 2:14-19

Therefore, the only way the enemy can keep the Body of Christ divided is to keep us identifying with our flesh, traditions, ethnicity, race, political party, etc. Once we identify ourselves with the Kingdom of God and begin to pledge our allegiance to God, His Word and His Kingdom; we will discover the power of reconciliation! At that point we can begin to walk together based on the common agreement we have with the authority of our God and King and live no longer divided by the power of what once had us separated.

We are facing challenging times and I feel as though it is only going to grow worse. The citizens of the Kingdom must come together like never before! We don't have to be divided. Even on the most sensitive issues we can agree. Why? Because we have a common denominator! What does the Word of God say? What's God's position on this issue? We as believers must unite under the tenants of the faith. The only thing that will prevent that is if we would rather remain identified with our old nature.

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. -John 17:21

Jesus taught that a kingdom divided against itself would not stand (Matthew12:25). It's time for the Body of Christ to lay aside our old nature and start walking in our new nature. Amos 3:3 declares, "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" For too long we've stood on opposite sides trying to view our position as the right one and the other wrong. Let's look at the Kingdom as a triangle with our lives separated at the bottom. The further we advance towards the top of the triangle (God), the closer we come together. It's not a matter of us convincing the other to agree with our positions. It's a matter of us all agreeing with God's positions clearly laid out in the Kingdom Mandate of His Word! To usher in the power of agreement all we have to do is to all agree with Him. He is the Common Denominator!

Thy Kingdom Come

Advancing the Kingdom. What does that mean? In my opinion, the Kingdom of God may be one of the most overlooked and misunderstood topics amongst believers. The word "kingdom" is taken from two words, king and domain or dominion. It is the King's domain. It was the first gift given to man (Genesis 1:26). It is the first thing we are taught to call on in Jesus' instruction on prayer (Matthew 6:10). It is the first thing we are to seek in this life (Matthew 6:33). It was the first message that both Jesus and John the Baptist preached (Matthew 4:17) and it is the most mentioned topic by Jesus in the Gospels! Yet today, many believers have very little understanding of it. It was because of the Kingdom, that Jesus said He was born and the reason He was crucified (John 18:37).

In Matthew 16:19, Jesus gave the church the keys to the Kingdom and declared that what we would bind on earth would be bound in heaven and what we loosed on earth would be loosed in heaven. This conveys a kingdom principal that Jesus alluded to in His teaching on prayer in Matthew 6:10, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."It is in this instruction that we really begin to see our role in advancing the Kingdom. Our role as believers should be to implement, usher in, endorse and advance God's will in the earth as it is in heaven!

In seems that everybody has an agenda these days. Our nation and the world are as divided as ever over various policies, beliefs and ideologies. However, as Christians, we should be united in one effort; to advance the culture of the Kingdom of God in earth! Our's should be a Kingdom agenda and its time we offer our allegiance and surrender to our King, the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ!

Just as God ordered Samuel to write the order of the Kingdom in a book and give it to Saul, Israel's king (1 Samuel 10:25). We have been given His Word that we might know His will, plan and order. Our purpose as believers is the advocate, support and advance the will of God as recorded in His Word. This is no new concept but sadly it may have become a forgotten one. Our nation's first president, George Washington, said, "It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible."

We should all be less concerned with taking sides in the various world views that face us and more concerned with alligning with the One who isn't returning to take sides, but to take over! We shouldn't view our world and see how we can change the Kingdom mandate to fit into it. But rather, we should live and advance the Kingdom mandate in order to change the world! In the coming weeks, I will be sharing thoughts on how we can biblically advance the culture of the Kingdom and change our lives, family, communities, nation and the world for the glory of His Kingdom!

Blogging Debut!

As a minister of the Word, I am always looking to reach more people, in more places and in more ways that ever before. Therefore, I have decided to begin blogging. I hope you are blessed by the forthcoming content. It is my vision to advance the culture of the Kingdom of God! ~Pastor James