Escaping the trap of Mammon (Spirit of Money)

Jesus does not condemn wealth in the Bible but He clearly spoke about two masters - God and Mammon, and we can only choose one.

Who is your master? 

In Psalm 34, David wrote words contrary to his current experience. He was running from his people and had to look for refuge among the Philistines. He pretended to be mad when he was discovered in order to preserve his life.

Scripture references: Ps 34:1-10, Matt 6:19-24, 33-34, Jer 29:11, 1 Tim 6:17, 2 Tim 1:7, Rom 14:23, Ps 117, Prov 3:5-6, Heb 13:5, Lu 6:38.

He was facing a very challenging situation yet his trust in God did not waver. In fact, the one consistent message running through the bible is to trust God. But we cannot trust Him beyond how well we know Him. God is determined to bless us (Matt 6:19-24, 33-34), but sometimes we need to reassure ourselves of the love of God (Jer 29:11).

Satan’s strategy to hinder our blessings is Mammon. Mammon is the personification of greed, a demonic spirit that pervades the world that works through fear. 

Webster’s dictionary defines it as the false god of riches and avarice. You fall into the trap of Mammon when you place confidence in what you think you have and not in God (1 Tim 6:17). 

Jesus commands us to make a choice because we cannot serve both God and Mammon (Matt 6:24). If your faith is in your finances or status, they will master you and you become controlled by them in fear. But fear is the opposite of faith (2 Tim 1:7) and whatever is not of faith is sin (Rom 14:23).

Mammon works by creating insecurity and fear of the future i.e. whether we will always have enough of what we need. Anything that makes us afraid of the future is a spirit. The spirit of Mammon then introduces greed as a way to manage this fear of the future but this is not the way of God. But Satan never shows people the fine print. He deceives us to do certain things which may even look like they are working but there will be a price to pay.

In contrast, the blessing of God makes rich and adds no sorrow. Psalm 117 says that we should “allow God’s love to take over our lives”. If we understand the love of God, we won’t have fear. 

7 STEPS TO AVOID IDOLATRY 

1. If you stop applauding/appreciating God, you will soon go into idolatry. There are so many things we take for granted on a daily basis and don’t recognize the work of God in them. As soon as we move from worship we are moving to the realm of idolatry. 

2. When you lose respect for authority or begin to live in rebellion. God hates rebellion. It is like a spirit of witchcraft that leads to worshipping self. 

3. Leaning on your understanding and moving out of God's timing (Prov 3:5-6) – this will cause anxiety, which always leads to idolatry. We can become an idol in our own lives if we are not careful and decide to do our own thing without reference to God’s guidance. 

4. Trying to exercise authority in a realm where we have none will make us move to idolatry. 

5. Fear of abandonment (Heb 13:5). God is enough for you and promises never to leave you. Don’t enter compromising situations because of fear of the future. 

6. Hope deferred- Don’t ever get to a point where you start to doubt God. Walking out on God leads to idolatry. Challenging situations should instead drive us to our knees because God wants to give us a new revelation of Him. 

7. Your giving may be diverting you from the best you can receive from God. When your giving is out of order your life cannot be in order and you unconsciously start to build an altar that is not in the order of God. Whatever we are not giving to God, we are giving to something else and he becomes the object of our worship. (Luke 6:38) 

…Pst Dr Peter Adegbie