Matthew 19:21-22... Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

The problem with this young man was that he loved his riches more than he loved Christ. When he had to make a choice, he chose a material wealth and prosperity over the blessings of a prosperous soul. This young man had kept the commandments of the law from his childhood. Still, he came to Christ longing to know what he must do to obtain eternal life.

He walked away sorrowful as he learnt that he cannot lay up for himself material wealth to consume upon his own desires and at the same time have the Kingdom of God. Note that although he had riches, his heart was still sorrowful.

It is the same for us today. It is impossible for us to love the things of the world and at the same time have a true love for our Heavenly Father. The earthly lusts and the Heavenly desires are opposed to each other.

1 John 2:15-17... Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Everything that is in the world is of the world. Every fleshy lust or desire is produced by the world. People that live by sight rather than by faith will be drawn to that which their sight beholds. They will long for the material things that they can see. On the other hand, those that live by faith, that is those that put their trust in what cannot be seen with their eyes, are drawn to that which is not produced by the world. They are drawn to the spiritual things that are of the Father.

James 1:17... Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. People of the world will naturally desire the things of the world as they live by sight. The children of the Heavenly Father will naturally desire what comes from the Father. We cannot be a people that walk by faith but live for that which is in the world, just as no person that lives by sight will be drawn to that which they cannot see as this requires faith. It is impossible for us to have the love of God in us by faith and yet love the world. For this reason the Bible issues the following warning.

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.

Let us once again consider these very important words from Christ’s own mouth: NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS.

It is crucial that you understand that the love of money can be a master. By this I mean that many people become slaves to their love of money. Their desire for worldly things will cause them to expend much time and energy into gaining the things of the world. Many have neglected their true, God given mission in this world to follow the path their lust for worldly gain leads them. They do not allow time for what God would have them do as they are too busy trying to satisfy their flesh, their love for money.

God requires that our lives would be spent on doing His will and the furtherance of the gospel. Consider this question: How can you spend your whole life doing the will of God, and at the same time spend your whole life trying to build your wealth?

One who attempts to do this will become most frustrated and miserable as they will fail. Either they will love money so much that the work of the Kingdom will be seen as a hindrance to their quest for wealth, or their quest for wealth will be seen as hindrance to their mission in building the Kingdom. Your whole being can only be consumed by one of these. I pray that you have cast aside the temptation to build your own kingdom upon this earth, that it will not hinder your work for God’s Kingdom, the heavenly Kingdom.

There are many who claim to be Christian who will use physical prosperity as a means of measuring a person spiritually. They declare that if a person has much faith they will also have much wealth to show as a result of their faith. These very same people will spend much time praying for the fulfillment of their material, earthly lusts. They do this, because they believe God has promised wealth to all who are in His Kingdom. They will use scriptures such as the following:

Joshua 1:8... This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Matthew 21:22... And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

3 John 1:2... Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

These verses tell us that God wants us to be prosperous and successful and that whatever we ask of Him, we will receive if we believe. However, we read before that all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life is not of the Father. So then the question now is, “is it good and right for us to expect and pray for success and wealth?”

It may appear that God wants us to obtain much wealth and be rich, but the scriptures also tell us that the wealth and riches of this world are not of the Father. In fact, the Bible issues a strong warning to those who will seek after riches.

1 Timothy 6:9-10... But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. This is not speaking of those that happen to be blessed with much but of those that WILL BE RICH. It is speaking of those that have determined that they will be wealthy. It is speaking of those who have made wealth and riches a pursuit in their life.

The Bible warns that these people will fall. The Christian that cultivates the desire within their heart for the material things of this world will soon fall from the solid rock they have been placed on, and will find themselves back in the pit of sin. They will fall into “temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.”

The child of God ought to flee that path that leads to destruction and perdition at all costs. They must deny the flesh and have their heart purged of that longing for more than what God has already blessed them with. To pursue the wealth that one does not have, is to express discontent with what God has already given them. A man or woman who strives for what is not already theirs is one who is most ungrateful to God for His provision for them.

There are many who call themselves ministers of the gospel who will encourage you to pray for your own wealth. You may even be able to think of some notorious preachers who have much wealth to boast of and encourage others to be as they are. They spend much time telling their listeners how to be wealthy and how to pray for more money while they themselves accumulate their own wealth by deceiving many.

On that final day of judgement their accumulation of wealth will testify to their own greed and worldliness. Those that boast of their worldly achievements simply expose the selfishness and greed of their own heart. Their boasting is an expression of the praises to the god they worship, that is the god of this world. God has not called us, His children, to expend our strength and effort into obtaining the things that please the flesh. God has called us to follow after something far more satisfying and eternal. The following verses in 1 Timothy 6 tell us…

1 Timothy 6:11-12... But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

We must flee the cares and pleasures of this life and follow after “righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” We must be so focused on the spiritual blessings that the material goods of this world fade into the distant background. The heart of a man or woman that loves God desires something that brings joy to their souls.

Hebrews 4:11... Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

The Christian must strive for something that money cannot buy. The Christian ought not to strive for wealth, but they ought to strive for spiritual rest, rest for the soul, entire sanctification. Rather than hoard riches and hold fast to their physical goods, the Christian ought to hold fast to what God has done for them spiritually, the salvation of the soul, the sanctification of the soul. The Christian ought to find more security, joy and peace in these spiritual things that they will labour for that rather than earthly pleasures. God wants us to be rich in spiritual wealth.

Proverbs 10:22... The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it. Again, this is a well known and often quoted verse among many who call themselves Christians today. They believe this means that God’s blessings will make them rich in the things of the world, and they believe their wealth will reduce their sorrows. While more money certainly does have the potential to make our physical lives easier, the Word of God has something far greater for the Christian.

Let us read again what Ephesians 1:3 says… Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

We will notice here that the Apostle Paul gave praise to God. He gave God the praise and the glory for the spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. While God certainly has promised to provide for His own and look after their material needs, He is more concerned about their spiritual wellbeing. God blesses His children with spiritual blessings in heavenly places. He blesses His own with that which satisfies the soul.

God has blessed His people with a salvation that saves the soul and sets it free. He has blessed His people with something that brings joy which cannot be reduced by the world and peace that is not moved when it seems the world is falling apart. God has blessed His people with spiritual blessings which are unaffected by the circumstances of the world around.

Remember the rich man that came to Jesus. When He walked away from Christ he was very sorrowful even though he had great possessions. The physical things of the world could not satisfy the spiritual being within. The goods of this world, the riches that the world has to offer cannot satisfy the soul as it needs to be satisfied with spiritual blessings. This is what God gives to those that are born again. While the things of the world may temporarily satisfy the flesh, the things of God eternally satisfy the soul. It is the soul that longs to be satisfied.

As born again Christians, our prayer time should not consist of asking God for money that we may gratify the flesh.

James 4:3-4... Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

We should not pray for that which can only be consumed upon our lusts. It is true that at times in our lives we will have physical needs that we can definitely pray for and ask God to meet. Jesus Himself encouraged us to pray “give us this day our daily bread”. We must acknowledge that our physical needs are taken care of by God and ask Him to provide when we are in need.

1 Timothy 6:8... And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

In our prayers, we must pray for our heart’s desires. If we are truly saved, then our hearts would desire the things of God far above the things of the world. Our heart’s desires should cause us to pray for needs of our soul, the needs of other souls and the furtherance of the Kingdom of God.

We must remember the Church as we see it in the book of Acts. It did not boast of wealth and riches as we remember what Peter said:

Acts 3:6... Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

While the apostles had no wealth to boast of, they did have the life of Christ. On a very humble budget they evangelized the whole world. Acts 17:6 tells us they ‘turned the world upside down’. They had the spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, and with this they were satisfied. It was upon these spiritual blessings that the Kingdom of God is built.

James 2:5... Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? It was the blessings that came from the Father above that they offered to the rest of the world. Peter and John did not offer the lame man money that he would later go back to begging again. They offered Him healing both spiritual and physical. They gave this man the Kingdom of God that would last through eternity instead of the money that would soon fade away.

Finally, I’d like to encourage you with the words of Revelation 3:17-18… Revelation 3:17-18 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. There are many today who can speak of their worldly riches and claim all their needs have been met. Jesus tells us that many of these people are in fact lacking what they need the most. They do not have the Word of God living within them. God beckons these people to buy of HIM that they may be rich. Regardless of what a person has to show materially, they are truly poverty stricken until they have bought of Christ.

One cannot be rich until he has bought that gold tried in the fire, the pure Word of God. No man is truly clothed until he wears the white raiment, the righteousness of the saints. No man can truly see until he can see and understand the Word of God. It is no wonder Jesus said:

Matthew 6:33... But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We must seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness above all else. This is the blessing, the good and perfect gift that comes down from the Father above. This is the blessing that makes a person rich regardless of his earthly circumstances. This is the blessing that God has promised to the saints. I encourage you today to remove your eyes from the things of the world, and fix them upon the blessings that God has for His children, the SPIRITUAL blessings in heavenly places in Christ.