When we get born again and begin learning to trust God, money is the one area with the greatest potential to be a stumbling block. Letting go and allowing God to work in each part of our lives bring supernatural results, but for many people, their finances are the last stronghold. This is because the spirit of mammon, which directly opposes the Spirit of God, works hard to keep us from totally trusting Him. Once we overcome the wrong beliefs that mammon instills in us, God can lead us into financial abundance and prosperity.
We’re fighting a spiritual battle against the devil, who wants to control our thought processes so tightly that we trust money more than God, but the Word is stronger. “We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments” (2 Corinthians 10:3, 4, NLT). Many of us grew up thinking that we must carefully control our money, and welcoming God’s influence in this area can frighten us. The fear is that it will all disappear if we trust Him with our finances, but nothing could be further from the truth.
God wants to prosper us to such a great degree that our abundant prosperity, success, peace, and joy attract the world’s attention. A Christian who is struggling financially isn’t a good representative of the kingdom of God, but someone who has the ability to pay their bills, save, and give generously makes people wonder what it is they have that others don’t. At tax time, Peter depended on Jesus’ direction about where to find the money. “When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, ‘Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, ‘What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?’ Peter said to Him, ‘From strangers.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you’” (Matthew 17:24-27, NKJV). Jesus imparts financial wisdom that’s not our own.
Because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we can give generously out of love and gratitude without fear of lack or insufficiency. There’s no longer a curse for not giving, but when we give we open ourselves up to blessings in every area. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38, NLT). Financial advice such as living within our means and paying off debt is also enhanced when we allow God’s grace to empower our financial strategies.
It is God’s will for us to succeed in everything we do. Prosperity doesn’t just stop at money; it includes all the other blessings God wants to give us. “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 1:2). We can trust Him on this!