Christendom has suffered much setback because of its lopsided and haphazard understanding of living from the scriptures. The devil has had a field day taking advantage of the ignorance of Christians. But thank God for the illumination of the Holy Spirit! As many as care for it can receive their freedom and walk out on the devil and be what they were always meant to be kings and gods upon the surface of the earth!

Over the years, salvation has been preached and taught as being meant only for the fu-ture. Its relevance has been seen and limited to heaven. Evangelists have cried out: “Be saved, so you can make heaven.” Teachers and preachers alike have preached the dos and don’ts of living, in order to make heaven.

Before you knew it, heaven and how to get there became the hub of gospel message. This put Christians at a disadvantaged po-sition, as they were slowly and carefully pushed off the platform of attainment and achievement. The area most affected is the area of wealth. Let us consider some of these misconceptions and see what the scriptures say about them.

It is the Root of all Evil

The chief persecutors against the prosperity message claim that money is the root of all evil. But they are very wrong! A careful look at 1 Timothy 6: 10 reveals that the LOVE of money is the root of all evil, not money itsel.

In the first place, to associate God with evil is blasphemous. Everything He made in the beginning was good. He does not har-bour evil; rather, He dwells in light and is light, for in Him is no darkness at all.

Note that the wealth most people boast of actually belongs to God— “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts” (Hag. 2:8). God is not a liar.

It Corrupts Holiness

The scripture that is often misused in this regard is Luke 18:24-25:

…How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

If all the rich go to hell, why is Abraham not there? According to the Bible, he is in heaven, in a place of rest (Luke. 16:19-31). Moreover, the wealthiest God is also the thrice holy God! This clearly proves that it is possible to be rich and be holy at the same time. We are partakers of God’s divine na-ture.

It Is Worldly

This can’t be true, because from all Biblical information available to us, heaven is a symbol of affluence its streets are paved with gold, its buildings are mansions. Wealth, which is the epitome of man’s ac-complishment, is more heavenly than earth-ly. The Biblical definition of worldliness does not include wealth.

Those things in the world that constitute worldliness include: “the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16). 

The lust of the eye is perhaps much more pronounced among the poor. The lust of the flesh has largely to do with self control, which infers that both the poor and the affluent can fall victim to it.

Both the rich and the poor are liable to the pride of life. What is pride? It is an overestimation of self and giving it expression accordingly. There are some poor people that are more proud than even kings and princes! Wealth, as it were, does not determine worldliness, nor is it synonymous with it.

Neither is poverty an expression of godliness…

Ce texte est un extrait du livre “CONVENANT WEALTH” écrit par David O. Oyedepo.  

Nous vous invitons à lire l’article suivant “POVERTY AND THE SAINTS“.

MONEY