Money is the great power in this world. That's why Jesus said that there were only two masters seeking for our devotion - God and Mammon.
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon" (Luke 16:13).
The world believes in the power of money and says, "Money can do anything." We, as believers say, "God can do anything." But in most cases, those unbelievers have more faith in their god (money) than we have in the true and living God.
Since we are dealing with money matters everyday in this world, we need to get the victory in this area too.
The world believes that money can do wonders. What about us? Can't our God do greater wonders than money can? But God can't work on our behalf if we don't have faith. Jesus said that there were two persons in the universe to whom nothing was impossible. One is God. The other is the believer who has faith.
All things are possible with God....All things are possible to him who believes (Mark 10:27; 9:23).
Nothing is impossible - for God and for the person with faith.
This is fantastic. But such is the power of faith - it connects us to the almighty power of God. With such faith, we are to demonstrate to the world around us that our God is greater than money.
I remember the time when we had to get a permit from the Government for purchasing cement for the construction of our meeting-hall in Bangalore. I went and saw the concerned clerk in the government-office and he told me to come back the next week. I went back the next week and he told me to come back later. This went on for sometime, until someone who was wiser to the ways of government-offices told me that what the clerk was asking for, indirectly, was a bribe!
There was no question of giving a bribe. We prayed instead. I kept going back again and again to the office and acquired a lot of patience thereby! Finally, after some months, we got our permit. I had applied only for cement. But I got patience as well! God always give us more than we ask for!! Hallelujah!!
How wonderful that God could use a corrupt official to enable me to partake of the Divine nature - patience! If I had given that man a bribe, I would have got the cement earlier. But I wouldn't have got any patience. Such is God's way. If we honour Him, He will honour us.
Those who honour Me I will honour", says the Lord (1 Samuel 2:30).
If we have no ambitions in our life outside of the will of God, we will never have any problems.
As far as we were concerned in the church at Bangalore, at that time, we wanted the cement, only if God wanted us to have it. We didn't want a meeting-hall if God didn't want us to have one. Neither did we want the hall before God's time. And so, if the permit for cement took four years to come, we were quite prepared to wait. God's timetable is always perfect. He is always on time - and never late. The date that God had determined for us to get the cement would be the date that we would get it. No power on earth could stop us from getting it according to God's timetable. So, if we are prepared to wait for God's time, we will find that He deals with all the officials involved, in His own way - and in His own time.
Through impatience, Saul lost the kingdom. Read this:
He (Saul) waited seven days, according to the appointed time set by Samuel, but Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, 'Bring to me the burnt offering and the peace offerings.' And he offered the burnt offering. And it came about as soon as he finished offering the burnt offering, that behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him and to greet him. But Samuel said, 'What have you done?' And Saul said, 'Because I saw that the people were scattering from me, and that you did not come within the appointed days, and that the Philistines were assembling at Michmash, therefore I said, "Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the Lord." So I forced myself and offered the burnt offering. And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.' (1 Samuel 13:8-14).
Through impatience, many have missed God's best. No-one can hinder God's plan for your life, if you take a stand for truth and righteousness, and are willing to wait for God's time.
Through faith and patience, we inherit the promises" (Hebrews 6:12).
The same principle applies in the matter of finances for our home-needs. Our faith is in God - not in money. If you run your home according to the principles of God's kingdom, you will always have enough money for your needs. You may never become rich, but you certainly won't have to beg. David said,
I have been young, and now I am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread (Psalm 37:25).
Jesus said,
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these (material) things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33).
Many Christian "full-time workers" who started out in faith, have ended up as dignified beggars, having to send out monthly "prayer-letters" (which is often just another name for "begging-letters") that hint cleverly about their financial needs.
Why do you have to hint about your needs to men, if you really have a loving and almighty Father in heaven? If God can't be depended on for a such a small thing as our monthly needs, then we might as well stop serving Him altogether! It is in such situations that both God and Mammon claim our loyalty. Whom are we going to trust in?
If our interests are the same as God's we will have no problem whatsoever. If we have no desire to buy or possess anything that God doesn't want us to have, we can always be at rest - for God will always supply our needs - if need be, miraculously. But if we yield to the desire to buy many unnecessary things to satisfy our material lusts, then we shall run into problems all the time.
The same principle of faith applies in the matter of finding a life-partner:
A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives (Proverbs 19:14 - TLB).
If God has planned some person to be your life-partner, is there any danger of someone else marrying him/her? Not if you believe in the sovereignty of God?
You don't have to be impatient then, and you don't have to grab. God is well able to keep that person for you. You can afford to be at rest.
Adam did not have to run frantically around the garden of Eden looking for someone to marry! He wouldn't have found anyone, even if he did! What did God do? He put Adam to sleep. And it was when Adam was at rest that God prepared his wife for him. Then God woke him up and gave him Eve.
God loves you as much as He loved Adam and He will certainly lead you to the right person too, if He has planned marriage for you. But you must trust Him. Waiting, without faith will only lead to disappointment.
If you have no ambitions outside the will of God, if you are willing even to be single, if that be the will of God, then you need have no fear at all.
The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His". (2 Chronicles 16:9).
What a wonderful God we have!
This is the victory that overcomes the world - even our faith (1 John 5:4).
If you have faith - in God's perfect wisdom, love and power - you will always overcome this world, and its prince and its powers (mammon, pleasure, honour, etc.). If however, you don't believe in God's sovereignty or in His love, you'll find yourself being dragged along with the children of Adam into a life of misery, ungodliness, compromise and frustration.
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Zac Poonen ( - Present)
God called brother Zac Poonen to a new work early on in his Christian experience. The movement is now called Christian Fellowship Churches where the New Covenant of New Testament Christianity is clearly preached.Brother Zac Poonen has written 25 books most of them being on the deeper Christian life. Many of these have been translated into a number of languages and have been circulated widely around the world. He clearly and passionately shares the narrow way of Christian discipleship that is neglected by so many modern preachers.
Recommends these books by Zac Poonen:
Through The Bible by Zac Poonen
The Final Triumph-A verse by verse study of the book of Revelation by Zac Poonen
Beauty for Ashes by Zac Poonen
Zac Poonen is a former Indian Naval Officer who has been in full time ministry in India for nearly 50 years as a Bible teacher and preacher. He holds responsibility for a number of churches in India and abroad. He currently pastors the Christian Fellowship Church in Bangalore, Karnataka.
He has written more than 25 books and numerous articles in English - which have been translated into many Indian and foreign languages. His messages are available on audio and video format.
Like the other elders in his church, Zac Poonen also supports himself and his family through what he describes as "tent-making" and does not receive any salary for his services. He does not receive any royalties for any of his books, CDs or DVDs, that are published by Christian Fellowship Centre, Bangalore.