#55 IDENTITY IN FINANCES:
Purpose of Money and Possessions
Have you ever worked diligently to get out of debt, just to find yourself back in debt several years later? I have - three times. Debt mentality is a dangerous place to live. God said that the natural mind cannot understand the things of God. In fact, He goes on to say that the things of God are foolish to Him. Any mind that is not reconciled unto God, either through Salvation and/or by way of walking after the Spirit, is a mind in debt. The way a man manages his finances is a direct reflection of his relationship with God - or lack of it.
"But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised" (1 Cor. 2:14).
THE NATURAL MIND: The tragedy, of a man with a natural mind, is he will NEVER be able to understand the wisdom of God. It will be easy for him to get into debt and stay there his entire life. He will resort to his own understanding and experiences to live from one master (financer) to another - constantly "borrowing from Peter to pay Paul." The man with a natural mind is unsaved; he has never asked Jesus Christ to come and live within his mortal being. His mind is easily seduced by earthly, natural, and demonic ideas.
"But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing" (James 3:14-16).
The sobering reality is that the natural man cannot understand God's purposes of spending money. Honestly, he won't even really care. If it doesn't make sense to him, why would he want to live it out? So if you are an unsaved reader, good luck; because luck is all that you have going for you. If you pray that the Spirit grants you understanding, you might just be asking for Salvation.
SPIRITUAL MAN: This is a person who has asked Jesus Christ to come into his mortal body through Salvation. Christ lives in him and he lives in Christ. Because of this truth, the indwelt Spirit gives guidance and understanding to the Word of God. If a person does not have the indwelling Spirit living and breathing IN him, he has zero capacity to understand any of the elements of God (1 Cor. 2:14-15). Not one jot or tittle. The spiritual man can hear ...read more here
Identity in Finances: Purpose of Money and Possessions. Copyright © 2015 IOM America. Permission to reproduce for educational purposes. Please keep author's name intact.
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Dr. Stephen R. Phinney PDF version: click hereFounder/Ministry Host
   
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