Good Morning Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Have you met or known people in your lifetime who are chameleons? Chameleons are people who, like the lizards, change their color to blend in with the surroundings. Obviously, the person’s color is not changing, but their words and actions change to the people they are around. I’m sure everyone has met someone like this. We’ll take it a step further. Have you ever met a professed Believer who is this way?
It never ceases to amaze me, when I teach various groups and churches or counsel individuals, at the number of professed Believers who want to live their life like the world but experience all the fruit from the Blessing of God. In other words, as Jesus states in the Word, they try to serve two masters. Please don’t mistake what I’m saying. We’re all going to make mistakes, daily. We’ll wrestle, as Paul says, not with flesh and blood, but with demonic principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12). However, God is looking at our hearts about the mistakes, the sin. Do we love it or abhor it? Study the difference between King Saul and King David. God said David is a man after his own heart. He never said this about Saul. Why? The heart, as God said. While you may make a mistake, your heart desires to serve God perfectly. Repent of it and move on (I John 1).
Matthew 6:24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
In Matthew 6:24, contextually Jesus is speaking to serving God or serving money, wealth. Mammon is the ancient Chaldean God of Wealth. Mammon is a demonic spirit attached to money. Money is Satan’s creation. God created an economy based on sowing and reaping. Money was never a part of it in the Garden. Once man fell, and Adam was put out of the garden, Satan brought money into existence and attached the demonic spirit of Mammon to it. Satan created the world economy of demand and supply. I’ve explained this in past emails, so I will not go into detail, but this is one of the reasons God has you tithe a tenth of everything you earn. The Tithe removes the demonic spirit Mammon from the money and blesses your 90 percent. If you don’t tithe, as a Believer 100 percent of your money is cursed with the demonic spirit Mammon. But Larry, Jesus redeemed us from the curse. Yes, He did. Unless you’re foolish enough to put yourself under it again.
Although Matthew 6:24 is contextually speaking to serving God or serving money, the verse has a spiritually wide application. You either serve God or you serve the world. You can’t straddle the fence. And, if you keep your foot in the world, you need to read Deuteronomy 28:15-68. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 are the blessings of the Blessing God pronounced upon you as the seed of Abraham through Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:13-14, 29). Deuteronomy 28:15-68 are the curses one can experience if they choose to voluntarily place themselves under the curse. The unsaved, or the non-Believer, has no choice but to walk under the curses. The Believer has a choice. Choose to live like the world, you will suffer the effects of the curse. Choose to live for God, experience the blessings. Remember, Jesus redeemed, or purchased you from the curse by His shed blood. Redemption works if you choose to make it work. You can never lose your eternal life if you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior. But what you do with your life once you have accepted Christ as your Savior is entirely up to you. You can either make Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, which means you let Him run your life, or you make the world lord of your life and you suffer the consequences of the curse.
I have people I meet, friends I know, and family I love that say of me, “Larry just wants to do Bible study or only speaks to what the Bible says.” Some avoid me because they know I’m always going to say, “What does God have to say about it?” Praise God this is where He has brought me to in my life. Not that I’m perfect by any means. I’m far from it. But my heart is to serve God always, and the Word is the only counsel in my life – for anything. God has NEVER steered me wrong, given me a wrong answer, withheld anything good or desirable from me, not kept His promises, or failed in His Word. What did the world give to me? Wrong answers, poor advice, sickness, death, lies, financial struggle, anxiety, fear, doubt, failure, etc. What fool wants to listen to the world? “Well, they’re rich.” Yes, and sick, depressed, on drugs, full of infidelity, diseased, worried about their money constantly, recovering from constant hangovers, seeing their psychiatrist, doctors, etc. Yeah, this sounds like a great life. Our Father has said we can have the same affluence for Him and not have to experience the curse in the process. Again, tell me what’s so good about the world?
Sisters and Brothers, Jesus Christ, our Lord and King, is looking for women and men of God to stand for Him, for their marriages, for their families, and for the Word of Almighty God. God has many things He wants to accomplish in this earth, and He must use a Believing woman or man to do it. Is this you? If we allow the world to become our wisdom, our playground, our desire, we’ll expose ourselves to the curses of Deuteronomy 28:15-68. This is not God’s desire for you, His children. His desire, His will is III John 2: you prosper and are in health, even as your soul prospers.
When you feel inadequate, condemned, falling way short, not measuring up, faulty, unworthy, etc., this is NOT your Father or your elder Brother and King speaking to you. It is Satan. God sees you the same way He sees His Son, Jesus Christ: powerful, wise, rich, strong, honored, glorified, and blessed (Revelation 5:12). It’s not what you’ve done, it’s what Jesus has already done for you. This is why you can approach the Throne of Grace (unmerited, unearned, undeserved favor) with Jesus Christ by your side WITH BOLDNESS (Hebrews 4:16).
Walk with the heart of The Lamb and the attitude of The Lion!
Larry