We have already established that money was created by this world’s system to facilitate buying and selling. Jesus told us to give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to give to God what is God’s (Matthew 22:21). We are all created in the image of God and, as such, we belong to Him. Christians are merely stewards of what belongs to another. Money belongs to this world’s system. However, we are the managers of what is given to us in exchange for our creativity and time. God teaches us faithfulness and responsibility through the way we manage money.

The Lord’s purpose is to place a substantial amount of money into our hands throughout our lives, taken from the system of this world, to be used in the Kingdom of God. With money in our hands, we can compel the world’s system to work for the Kingdom of God. We can buy plane tickets and go evangelize around the world. We can print Bibles and distribute them.

With money, we can offer a cup of fresh water in Jesus’ name to many people around the world simultaneously. We can only be physically present in one place at a time, but money given to ministries worldwide allows us a form of ubiquity! Because of this potential given to Christians, the devil will do everything in his power to keep money out of their reach, especially when he discovers a person who is not controlled by the spirit of Mammon and is dedicated to spreading the Gospel.

On the other hand, the devil can place enormous amounts of money into the hands of a person when they can be controlled by the spirit of Mammon. If the person is undisciplined in financial management, such abundance can destroy them by diverting their attention from the Kingdom and fixing it on the pursuit of even more wealth. Yet Jesus has given us authority, in His name, over all the works of the enemy. We can thus engage in spiritual warfare against the enemy so that money is released and we maintain our focus on the work of the Kingdom of God. This battle is discussed in the Scripture passage below.

“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 TIMOTHY 6:9-12

It is interesting to note that verse 12 is found in a section of this chapter devoted to money. We must wage a spiritual battle in the fight of faith for the release of money. Spiritual warfare is more than commanding in the name of Jesus that certain activities begin or end. Spiritual warfare is waged by the way we choose to live and operate. When the devil approached Jesus (John 14), notice Jesus’ response.

“I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me.” JOHN 14:30

These words “he has no claim on me” mean: he has no hold on me, he has nothing in common with me, there is nothing in me that belongs to him, he has no power over me. We cannot walk in violation of principles that govern finances in the world’s system (e.g., by mismanaging debts or embezzling funds) and expect to have authority, in the spiritual realm, over the spirit of Mammon. Committing to putting our personal finances in order and taking specific steps in this direction through repentance releases authority over our words and lives and allows us to successfully wage spiritual warfare. Let there be nothing in our financial management that gives the enemy the right to hold back or stop the flow of finances into our hands!

Now, faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of God (Romans 10:17). We have discovered that faith involves at least the following three things:

1. We must believe what the Word of God says.
2. We must confess the Word. In other words, our own ears need to hear what we believe.
3. Our actions must conform to what we believe and confess.

Now, how do we apply this principle to the realm of finances? Regarding finances, we must be firmly rooted in the Word of God. The battle for the release of finances in our lives must be won first in the spiritual realm before it can manifest in the material realm. We must have a good understanding of how the Kingdom of God operates financially. Furthermore, we must decide to operate according to the principles of the Kingdom without being influenced by the world’s system’s conception of finances. Our actions must align with our beliefs and confession. We must not be double-minded, as the apostle James says…

This text is an excerpt from the book “Wealth, Riches, Money” written by Craig Hill, Earl Pitts.

We invite you to read the following article “ACCOUNT FOR THE TREASURES IN HEAVEN”.