Do you believe that money is evil? Or that money makes you self-sufficient? The talk about money — is it a slippery slope into the prosperity gospel? What lies do Christians believe about money that prevents them from harnessing money as a tool for building God’s kingdom?
Justin Pagotto, leader of the Ministry ‘1010 Life’, says that our behaviour is an echo of our beliefs. And these can affect our future generations.
And we don’t want lies to rob or destroy what God had intended for us and His kingdom.
It’s time for us to expose the lies. It’s time to set the right Biblical attitudes around money. Justin has based his ministry around John 10:10, and believes that Jesus wants us to have a full and abundant life.
First and foremost, though, Justin says we need to understand Romans 12, and not be conformed to the pattern of this world. There’s a very strong call from the apostle Paul, that how we think needs to be changed. Our minds need to be renewed into having a kingdom mindset.
It’s a journey not only in our attitudes towards money, but the attitudes of our heart relating to everything.
Lies Lies Lies
According to Justin, there are two big lies we believe about money.
1. God is like a jackpot machine.
We put up our hand in prayer asking for money, and millions of dollars come to us.
But everything we do should always be about relationship with God. Anything that is divorced from intimacy with God is not on the right track.
2. Money is evil and should be avoided at all costs.
We know that Jesus said
it’s not money itself that’s evil. It’s the love of money that is evil. Money is actually neutral in itself. It’s the heart condition of man that determines whether money is used as a powerful weapon to build God’s kingdom.
It’s all about relationship
“You cannot separate the heart and money,” says Justin. “It is actually our heart that will determine the style of intimacy with God. We need to put time, energy and commitment into learning in intimate connection with God. Then we can put that knowledge into practice.”
Because we’ve sometimes seen an abuse of money inside the church as well as outside, we can think of money as a way to oppress people. Justin encourages us to keep pursuing intimacy with God, and let Him be our guide. What does He actually want to show us about money?
Justin says that
everything we do, whether we are a billionaire or have no money at all, should be done with dependency on God. “If we start to cite anything apart from our relationship with God as the foundation for our security, we are on a dangerous path.”
Setting up for the next generation
Scripture says that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. If we get our beliefs about money wrong as adults, we are going to pass that on to the next generation. We will set our children up for failure.
“One of the things we see all the time is patterns and beliefs around parenting,” says Justin. “The reality is that as parents we have the responsibility, but also a command from God, to teach our kids how to steward money well. They need to learn how to be generous, and to practically understand how money works.”
What we want to be asking is, how am I intentionally stewarding money, and how am I passing that knowledge on to my kids?
“We want to be faithful with what God’s given us. We know that when we’re faced with a challenge, God gives us more ability in that area and more opportunities to learn and to grow and to be fruitful,” says Justin.
Reflect & Respond
- What lies about money have you believed? Will you ask the Holy Spirit to reveal that to you and to show you the truth?
- How have you intentionally be stewarding your money and setting your children up for success? What steps can you take to do so, if you have not already? Will you ask God to guide you and bring godly advisors in where it’s needed?
- What is your heart condition towards money? Where does your sense of security rest upon? Do you value intimacy with God or has He sometimes been an ATM? Can you ask God to search your heart and help you seek God and not the hand of God?
To connect with Justin and check out his resources on stewarding your money well, go to www.1010life.org. To listen to the rest of Justin’s conversation with Neil, click below.
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