Money Talks! 3.0 With Dr. Phil Ransom-Bello
How many of us were blessed on Sunday? How many of us made decisions from that service? Because the beginning of change is a decision. Every message should lead you to make a decision. When you’re hearing a word, the first thing should be, what am I deciding today? That’s how to grow by the word because testing will come from the word that you hear and if we haven’t decided, our lives will probably go in cycles.
But I’m sure we’ve made decisions about our giving because God will thrust us into levels of wealth that will make you suppliers of wealth to nations and even to generations after you. That’s the kind of wealth God wants to bring you into, not just leaving a car or a house to your son. No, we are talking about nations here. But there must be a different way in how we do things from the world.
I want to talk about godly ways to use money as against the spirit of mammon.
Luke 16:8-10; The “least” in verse 10 is talking about money while the “much” there is referring to true riches.
Let me correct the notion that money is evil. When the Bible says “mammon”, it’s referring to the negative spirit that influences people to use money the way they do. Jesus used the word about 4 times and He was talking about a spirit.
Money is neutral, it is influenced by whose hands it gets into. If you drop a note on the ground, it’s use is influenced by whoever picks it.
Money will open up to the influence of whoever is using it. There is nothing wrong with money. It’s not the root of evil. The Bible only said the love of money is what is the root of all evil.
However, Luke 16 is referring to the negative spirit that the world imbibes or is influenced by to use money. Mammon is what believers are not supposed to follow after.
Mammon was inferred from the character of a Syrian god.
Mammon refers to two opposite things. It is interesting to know that what the Bible compared with God is not Satan, it’s money.
If you want to know how a person is, check how they use money.
I’m saying this because in church, many of our brethren are not trustworthy with money because of the influence of the way the world uses money that has crept into the chruch.
You must cultivate the habit of being faithful with money. Money is a true test of your character.
You can’t say someone is humble because they are broke. He is only humble by condition. So it’s important that we are driven by the right spirit so that we don’t misuse money.
If you don’t watch it and you allow the spirit of mammon influence you, you’ll find out that you’re secretly not trusting God even though you worship God. And when we talk about money in church, you’re sensitive or defensive because the bulk of your trust is money not God.
Mammon is that thing that makes you trust and run after money, not God.
Mammon is not money. And that’s the nature of the world.
How many believers have you seen today who are not operating under the spirit of mammon?
The state of your heart is what you’re pursuing. Where your heart is, that’s where your treasure is.
I’ve come to realise that money is not what I should be pursuing. The real order is that money should be pursuing me. They will come to you. Matthew 6:33
So the objective of mammon is to turn your trust from God and focus it on money. In fact from your prayer point, we’ll know where your trust is.
You’re faithful in Church because God will do it. Some people like to use spirituality to hide the state of their heart.
Money is so powerful that it will silence your trust in God so that you’ll tell yourself that you’ll use the money for God meanwhile you’ll use God for the money. Lol. Truth is, you don’t even know the state of your heart on how it will handle the money when it comes.
Verse 12-13
Let’s establish the first point that money is a master. The scripture is not ashamed to say that money is a master as well as God is a master. But the real order is we should master money not money mastering us.
You’ll see two believers fight in church over money and it’s like your anointing has left the window. It’s the spirit of mammon.
You cannot serve God and mammon. You cannot serve both God and money.
The reason why I’m allowing enough space in the message is so that you can think as I’m talking.
Anything that takes away the place of God and money begins to play that role, you’re serving mammon.
This thing I’m saying to you is so subtle that it can govern your whole life and if you don’t deal with it, you’ll find yourself in Babylon. Babylon is confusion caused by mixture. It is taken from Babel. Confusion is a bad place to be because you don’t end up getting any. You can lose both because you can’t focus on one.
If you put new wine in old wine skin, it will burst and so you will lose both. God said to the church in Revelations, “You’re neither hot nor cold and I’ll spit you out”. So just be one.
Or it’s just like mixing law and grace. There are many pastors who are professional DJs. They know how to mix it so skillfully. It’s terrible.
I hope you know mammon can’t make you do what the anointing can do.
So what is the godly influence on money? How are we supposed to approach money? It is to choose God over mammon.
It is being submitted to God and what He wants to do.
As simple as this sounds, it is profound.
The godly influence on money is humility because mammon will bring the spirit of pride and it will take the place of God.
Proverbs 3:9
There was a time I told you that respect can be felt but honour is demonstrated. Respect can be a conviction but you have to demonstrate honour. The word honour means to weigh heavier. For example, you’ll weigh your parents opinion over your friends because of honour.
It’s a sense of priority and importance. To honour God’s word is to allow it take first place in your life. Every other thing is secondary. So honouring is not honour if it’s not first place and the reason is because it carries much weight.
When the Bible says to honour the Lord with your substance, it means to honour God wih your money. It means to think of God first when it comes to your money. Why is it that the Bible is not saying honour the Lord with your service or time? But when it says honour the Lord with your substance, it’s because your substance is the true state of the heart.
Everybody is trying to make ends meet and everyone wants to make a meaning in life. Nobody wants to be broke so everyone is constantly trying to improve themselves so they can have money.
So the question is how many of us put God first when it comes to our money?
Proverbs 3:10; When you honour God, the next thing you’ll find is abundance, plenty, surplus because you’ll get the kind of abundance that only Him can give you.
TSP, please learn to have money and think of what you can do for God with that money. When money comes to hand, let the first question be how can be a blessing in church or what need you can meet.
So it’s a matter of first.
Scripture says to honour the Lord with your substance because money in a man’s heart is the true state of his heart.
Remember the rich young ruler Jesus saw? What drove him away was not that he kept the law but Jesus went to a part in His heart where money had been enthroned deeply.
If you flip this story to that of Zacchaeus, when the place of honour came into to his heart, nobody told him to give, including the stolen one.
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and every other thing shall be added unto you”
People who don’t like to hear money talked about in Church are those who are broke. At least the ones I’ve seen.
To honour the Lord with your substance is to think of God first.
TSP, let’s cultivate that habit.
If you have gotten this, you’ve gotten my message today and it evidences the fact that the spirit of mammon has not influenced you.
■Declaration
Lord help my heart.
Some of you don’t know the extent to which you can go. But when the temptations come, remember this message so that you’ll choose God’s way first. You won’t have to forge or add zeros or cheat someone to make profit.
Money is one of the most sensitive conversations in church and that’s why people don’t want to do business with each other to avoid having issues or problems. It’s the spirit of mammon that will bring problem.
Ignorance will also bring the problem because many of our believers are not well-schooled on handling money.
1 Samuel 2:30; it means God can honour you because you honour Him.
John 5:44; There’s honour that comes from the only God.
It’s better to have 2 million naira in your account than to have 20 million by craftiness.
Always choose the God way of making money. This is including the pastor. Including me, because i can ask people to bring some funds to me to facilitate a word or to receive a word from God. Lol.
So please, always choose the God way of making money.
Anything that starts with a faulty balance will take you out of balance. It’s only a matter of time.
I will seek the one that comes from God only.
John 6:5; what do you do when you’re in the place of insufficiency? What do you do when what you have is not enough? I’ll recommend that you give it because if it’s not enough for your harvest, then it’s definitely your seed. If what you have is not bread, then it’s your seed.
The logical mind will say, “I’ll save the seed to become bread or merge a lot of seeds to form bread”. You must form bread. Lol.
Let me explain this.
The Spirit of God will minister to your heart that what you have that is not enough,it is a seed._
He will also minister to your heart that what you have is to be kept.
It was God who gave Joseph the wisdom that some grains were to be kept. So you will know the one to be kept and the one to be given.
But i’m telling you to be open to the fact that what you have that is not enough is most likely a seed. That’s my recommendation.
John 6:9; Please don’t despise your insufficient fund. When it comes to giving, don’t despise your seed, irrespective of the size.
John 6:11 says,
And Jesus took the loaves .
Don’t worry, He will take it. Don’t say what I have is too small. No, give it. He will take it. Like P.iDeal said, give big out of your small and big out of your big.
Jesus will “took” it. Lol
When you give, nothing is lost.
■Declaration
When I give, nothing is lost
Verse 13; the fragments after the multitude were fed, filled 12 baskets. These baskets in the original account is the size a man can hide under. It’s not the normal basket we see.
I presume that those baskets were given to the boy who gave the loaves. That’s my speculation. So the boy came out with 2 fishes and 5 loaves and went back home with a truckload of loaves and fishes.
So when you give, nothing is lost.
The Spirit of mammon is what replaces God in your life and puts your trust on money rather than Him. So you must watch against it and fight it. That when it comes to the balance between His kingdom and the things that you’re about or make priority, you’ll place God first or over them.
Don’t cheat anybody because of money. Don’t lie because of money. Don’t have people doubt your salvation because of money. Let your yes be yes. Be straightforward and trustworthy when it comes to money.
Be given when it comes to money.
Don’t fight or despise another brother because of money.
Always remember that it’s a privilege to give.
Mammon is a spirit, so watch out for it in your businesses and relationships.
We must have the right relationship with money.
May the spirit of mammon not be found in this place. We operate in the Spirit of God that will contrast the spirit of mammon.
And as you leave this place, someone will be tested. But I believe you’ll make the right choices.
■Declaration
I’ll make the right choices.
I want us to be very deliberate about honouring God with our substance. It doesn’t show honour if there’s no plan for your offering. You must show and exemplify that you honour God with your money.
Some people give what is left. No, what is left should be after you have given.
This will expand your mind and you’ll have fatness of soul.
If you don’t give your tithe, you’re not under a curse but you’ll not enjoy the advantage that comes with giving it. These are principles.
Honour the Lord with your substance because it’s proof that you love Him.
Dont treat money casually when it comes to your money. Be deliberate about your sowings, even to your pastor.