MONEY- The true test of character.

We all know and quote the scripture from 1 Timothy 6:10, “…for the love of money is the root of all evil”. KJV. My father would often say to me, in narrating some of his experiences over the years, ‘Èsù ni owò’ (Yoruba) meaning “money is synonymous with the devil.” I know this isn’t accurate but I can clearly understand what he means

Having been around the circuit of life for a few years, I can say with all authority that the true test of a person’s character is how they respond to money. Money is like litmus paper that reveals the true character of an individual.

The story of Balaam in the book of Numbers 22 lends credence to this truth. Balaam was a prophet hired by Balak to curse the children of Israel. When the messengers of Balak came to Balaam, they had in their hands, the diviners’ fee. Balaam responded by saying that he would consult God to know Gods mind about the matter. Gods answer was clear, don’t go with them, you can’t curse what I have blessed. Even though Balaam communicated this to the messengers of Balak, they returned with more honourable men, princes and a promise of greater reward. Balaam went back to the Lord to ask if the Lord might have changed his mind. Obviously at this point the true character of Balaam was showing. He loved money and his prophetic gift became corrupted by his greed.

2 Peter 2:14 – They have gone off the road and become lost like Balaam, the son of Beor, who fell in love with the money he could make by doing wrong; ¹⁶ but Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey spoke to him with a human voice, scolding and rebuking him. TLB

I have had several relationships with people of all walks of life and until they pass the money test we cannot truly become covenant friends. I have seen promising business fall apart when the partnership began to thrive because the greed in one of the partners manifested. I often say that when people come together to pursue a common cause, their relationship is not tested until the company begins to make huge profits. In most cases, one partner begins to feel he is doing all the work and should be earning more and they fall apart.

Greed and the love of money has destroyed many families, relationships, businesses, friendships, churches etc.

Today’s Christianity sadly is littered with many who preach greed and not prosperity. Prosperity is what Gods Word promises but when your message has been reduced to the number of cars you own, your Salvatore Feragamo and Balenciaga shoes, the numbers of houses you have and the size of your wardrobe, then the spirit of Balaam has taken a hold of you and your message only will only stir up greed in the listeners. How did we get here?

Why must the performing of a miracle end with the collecting of offerings, if not that people are most likely to empty their purses when they see miraculous deeds.

Mobile phone number calling prophets are now manifesting everywhere giving out fake ‘words of knowledge’ that are actually ‘words from knowledge’. They simply send messengers ahead of their arrival at a conference to mingle with the people and extract information which they then use as ‘words of knowledge’

Why must people bring a “prophets offering” in order to access a man of God? Don’t get me wrong, I believe in the honour prescribed in scripture for those who minister the Word of God and serve as ministers of the New Testament, but such honour must be willing and not coerced if not it is no different from the “diviners fee” that was offered Balaam. How many needed to bring money in order to access Jesus? Let us not read our greed into his creed.

This is why the greatest asset for any Christian today is discernment. It may look, act and smell like church but that doesn’t mean it is the ekklesia that Christ is building.

Finally, there is a deafening silence amongst those who invested in the MMM scheme after the system froze. Social media was once agog with news about the profitability of the scheme followed by a massive defence even after CBN warnings. Amazingly those whose money have been lost in the system have become silenced. The reason is because they showed themselves to be people driven by greed even if they claimed it was need.

1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. NKJV

Never trust a person until they have passed the money test! Selah