I continue sharing my notes from Sandie Freed's Crushing the Spirits of Greed and Poverty. These are highlights and I strongly encourage you to purchase her book. There is so much information. Check the archives for previous posts.
Chapter 5 Our Treasure is Where Our Heart Is
Sandie shares personal story about writing book and how many times she dealt with Mammon. She battled against demonic spirits of murmuring, complaining, selfish desires, lusts of the flesh, doubt and fear.
When Mammon is involved we have an ungodly need to compete with “Joneses”
Wherever our heart is, there is our treasure.
We can collect attitudes in our hearts: love of money, fear of not having money, greed, selfishness. These “lay up” for a period of time and manifest into the “treasures”. In Greek a casket can be where our valuables are kept, a true death structure!
Wrong heart motives about a treasure can bury us prematurely.
Achan
Achan took the accursed things, spoils that were to be dedicated totally to God. Motivated by Mammon, Achan took a Babylonian garment and Caannanite money and buried them.
Achan’s response shows us three things we should guard against with Mammon and Babylonian influence:
- Achan saw the spoils. Don’t focus on the worldly ungodly wealth of the world. If we see as good, we covet.
- Achan coveted
- Achan took the spoils and hid them.
Mammon deceives us into lusting after garments, things that should be devoted to God. We need to pray down this Babylonian God.
Achor
Achor means troubled.
The spirit behind the fear of future is Mammon.
Greek word for worry is merimnao (merizo) divide and nous (mind) Worry divides our mind and we become double minded.
Spirit of Caanan
Works with Mammon. Trader, merchant, trafficker. Satan wants us brought low and under his subjection. Mammon wrestles for God’s seat in our life. Creates a cycle.
We worry about being poor so we hoarde, horde produces greed, greed produces poverty, poverty produces more greed. Mammon keeps this cycle going so we don’t trust God for provision and count on the government to provide for us. We look into trade and merchants as our answers for provision.
Matthew 13:44-45. As we seek His Kingdom we must be like merchants or traders seeking beautiful treasures or pearls.
We have to cast our provision every day on God.
Hosea 2:15-20, KJV promises that God gives us vineyards, turns our valley of trouble (achor) into a door of hope, make us sing as in the times of Egypt (Deliverance), makes covenant with us, marry us for all eternity in His righteousness and justice, cause us to know the Lord (intimacy).
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Surrendering the good, the bad, and---maybe one day---the chocolate
Julie Arduini: The Surrendered Scribe An Early Start
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