Which Master Will You Serve?Overcome the Materialism Trap
We read an article in a magazine recently about a
Virginia woman who won $4.2 million dollars in the lottery several years ago and who now is filing bankruptcy because she is flat broke and hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Apparently many other lottery winners have such problems when they suddenly come into large amounts of money but have no experience in how to handle money. Similarly many children who inherit large bequests from their parents don’t have the experience to handle the windfall and rather than it being a blessing it becomes a curse because they end up worse than they were before.
God has a system of stewardship whereby He teaches us by starting with handling little
and increasing it as we learn to handle more.
Society generally seems to be forsaking this gradual Godly approach in favor of a get-rich-quick mentality. Lotteries, casinos and all forms of gambling are very popular and take in huge amounts of money generally from people who can ill afford it. What is behind this pursuit of sudden riches?
The enemy’s tactic–materialism. Have you ever noticed how Satan uses difference tactics in different countries or areas to ensnare people especially believers? In a prosperous country like the
United States , Satan doesn’t use superstition or witchcraft he uses materialism as one of his main weapons. The dictionary defines “materialism” as: “The theory or attitude that physical well-being and worldly possessions constitute the greatest good and highest value in life. A great or excessive regard for worldly concerns.”
 By getting people focused on worldly possessions and concerns Satan thereby shifts their focus from God and spiritual matters and the people and the country become increasingly secular. Some symptoms of this materialism are: working longer hours to make more money to buy more things; both spouses working so as to afford more, bigger cars and houses; greed for the get-rich-quick investment or lottery win and an increased busyness with all that work and care for material things so that there is not time for spiritual concerns.
When we compare life today in the
United States with life in the 50’s, there is a marked difference. Generally homes were smaller, only one spouse worked, families didn’t need three cars, there was less debt, life was simpler, people attended church more regularly and there was more time for a spiritual life. Significantly, the levels of divorce, drug abuse, crime, depression and suicide were all much less then also.
Along with the materialism and quest for more things comes debt. The average family today owes hundreds of thousands of dollars in mortgage loans, car loans, home equity loans, and credit card balances all to buy the bigger, nicer homes, cars, appliances, boats and vacations. Many families are so much in debt that they are only a paycheck or two away from disaster if something happens like losing a job or an accident since they have no savings. The debt load increases worry about making the monthly payments and handling those unexpected expenses.
How do we combat materialism?
So what is the answer for combating this materialism that Satan is increasingly trying to foist on us? It is in doing the opposite.
Focus on God not stuff. Instead of focusing on things and what you want to have, focus on God and people and thanking Him for what you do have. Give to others instead of buying more things out of selfish desires.
Get out of debt. It is getting out of debt and learning to live within your income. Jesus taught in Matt. 6:24-34 that you can’t serve two masters, you can’t serve both God and money, that if you are devoted to money then you will despise God. Jesus also said in this passage not to worry about things. God knows what you need. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33 NIV)
The righteous live by faith and it takes faith to start letting God run your finances. Several years ago after we had messed up our finances Linda and I felt the Lord was telling us to get out of debt and start spending more time in ministry. It was not obvious to us how we would get out of debt by working at our jobs less. But as we followed His plan for our finances we spent more time in prayer together before any purchase or commitment. We paid our bills promptly and completely and gave more money to our church and other ministries such as 2=1. We spent more time doing His will and sure enough before long we were completely out of debt and had a savings cushion. What a relief it was to be free of worry about finances for a change!
Choose serving God not materialism. How about you? Which master are you serving? Wouldn’t you rather serve God than materialism? It is never too late to get out of Satan’s system of finances and into God’s system. Focus on the fact that everything you have is God’s anyway, you are just a steward. Then ask Him what to do with it all. Be prepared. God may make significant changes in your attitude towards debt but as long as you are truly seeking Him your constant worries about your finances will be over.
By David and Linda Taylor
Extract from 2=1's Legacy Magazine
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