Creflo Dollar - Satan's Plot to Steal Your Trust - Part 2
1 Timothy chapter 6, verse 9 through 11 in the New King James Version. 1 Timothy chapter 6, 9 through 11, in the New King James Version. In the last days, the love of money, preparing you to be a part of the community of Babylon the Great. Verse 9, he says, "But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare," or trap, "and into many foolish and harmful lust which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money," this is an issue of trust. The love of money is when you trust money more than you trust God. The love of money is not having money. You meet somebody that got money, "Oh, you got a love of money". No, no, somebody can have money and trust God more than the money they have. The love of money is when you trust money more than God. He said, "This is the root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith," look at that, "and in their greediness, and they pierced themselves through with many sorrow. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, and, godliness, and faith, and love, and gentleness".
Seek him, for he will take care of you. Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verse 10 in the NIV. Ecclesiastes chapter 5, verses 10 in the NIV. I gotta give you these Scriptures because when this is over with you're gonna, you know, it feels weird when you've been blind for a moment and now you can see and you're like, wait a minute, what just happened? He says, "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless". Wow. 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 14 to 15 in the ESV translation. 2 Peter chapter 2, verse 14 through 15 in the ESV translation. He says, "They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children"! He's talking about Babylon the Great.
1 Timothy 3, verse 2 and 3 in the NLT. 1 Timothy 3, verses 2 and 3 in the NLT. He says, "So a church leader must be a man whose life is above reproach. He must be faithful to his wife. He must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach". Verse 3, "He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not have the love for money". Matthew 6, verse 24 in the ESV. Matthew 6, verse 24 in the ESV. 6:24, he says, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one despise the other. You cannot serve God and money".
Isn't it interesting how when they looked at Mammon, they thought it was money and didn't understand it was the spirit that was on money, so they translated Mammon to money. Mark chapter 4, verse 18 through 19 in the NIV. Mark chapter 4, 18 through 19 in the NIV. You know, I would love to tune it up a little bit right now and tell you how it is. We gotta see stuff, man. We gotta take these blinders off. 18 and 19, "Still others, like seeds sown among thorns, they hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things, it comes in and it chokes the word, and it makes the word unfruitful". The deceitfulness of wealth, that's Mammon. And the deceitfulness of wealth, you start pursuing it and you give it such a value, it chokes God's Word and no fruit shows up in your life. You have a title of Christian, but you sure ain't acting like one.
And then Mark chapter 10, verse 23 through 27 in the NLT. Mark 10:23-27 in the NLT, 23 through 27, he says, "Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, 'How hard it is for the rich man to enter the Kingdom of God"! This is a rich man who trusts in his riches. The rich man who had Mammon over him. "This amazed them. But Jesus said unto them," and this is amazing. Why would the disciples be amazed? Because all of them had money. Look at all the disciples. Doctors, business owners, all of them had money, but they didn't love their money. "This amazed them. But Jesus said again, 'Dear children, it is very hard to enter the Kingdom of God,'" God's way of doing things, "'In fact, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to," who trusts in his riches, "to enter into God's way of doing things, the Kingdom of God! The disciples were astounded," and these guys had money and they said, "Then who in the world can be saved"?
He wasn't talking about you having money. He was talking about you trusting in it. "And they asked. Jesus looked at them intently and said, 'Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God". It's not possible with Mammon, but everything is possible with God. Wow. Let me show you something about fear. Write this down and don't ever forget it. Fear is a lie that gives power to the enemy. Fear is a lie that gives power to the enemy. Luke chapter 16, verse 9 and 10. Luke 16, 9 and 10 in the NLT. This is amazing. He says, "Here's the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones," faithful here is dependable or trustworthy. "But if you are dishonest in little things, you won't be honest with greater responsibility".
The least, or the little thing here that he's talking about, is money. Money should require the smallest amount of your faith for anything. It's the little thing, it's the least thing and Mammon has gotten us to turn money into the number one issue and it's not the number one issue. And he is saying, "Can you be trusted with the least of what's in the kingdom of God? Can you be trusted with the least"? And for most people in this country, money is not the least. Money is their number one, uno thing, "what I live for and if I don't have it, I'll jump out of a building and kill myself". Money is the smallest issue in the kingdom of God. And if you can't trust God in the smallest issue, you won't trust him with the bigger issues. You can't trust God with money. That's why you don't give, "I don't trust God with money". And you're wondering, "Oh my goodness. When this bigger issue come up, where you at, God? What happened? What's going on"?
It's real simple. If you can't lift 10 pounds, why are you trying to lift 300 pounds? We wanna go and bench press 300. You need to start with the bar. Are you gonna be faithful enough to come in and work that bar? Regardless of who's watching you, regardless of who's making fun of you, regardless of who's laughing at you, will you be faithful working that bar? And then every month you add a little bit more. I'm faithful. We're working at 20 pounds. I'm faithful. We're working at 45 pounds. I'm faithful. We're working 245. You started with the bar but you're growing and you're being faithful and you can be trusted because you keep showing up. But Christian people love to not be faithful when it's little because we want it when it's big. And we got a generation right now that, "I don't want to work up towards nothing. I want to start out being your boss".
That ain't how it work. The only people who start off on the top are those who are digging a hole. You will never have any idea what it has cost me and that woman right there to stay in the game. It's cost us our whole life. You can quit, you can change churches, you can resign, you can go away. We don't have that option. A charge to keep, I have, and a God to glorify who gave his Son my soul to save and fit it for the sky. To serve this present age, my calling to fulfill, all, made it all, my God. I got to do his will because I promise you what comes from God is going to be much better than what you could have gotten serving the spirit of Mammon. And these days are running short, ladies and gentlemen. This thing is coming to an end. You better listen to what I'm saying now.
Look up, your redemption is drawing nigh right now. And ain't no way I'm gonna go to heaven looking Jesus in the face knowing that I trusted his creation more than I trusted the Creator. I ain't doing it. I ain't doing it. I trust my God, the God who died for me, the God who saved me, the God that shed his blood for me, the God who went to a hell we were supposed to go to, a God who was whipped with a cat of nine tails, a God, hallelujah, that got up on the third day, a God who who ascended on high and took his seat at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, and that same Jesus allowed me to be baptized on the inside of him.
So when he died, I died, and when he got up, I got up, and when he was raised to heaven, I went with him, when he sat down on the right hand, I sat down with him. Hallelujah, when he comes back again. Look up, for your redemption draweth nigh. Jesus is coming back. We don't have to debate about this. All you got to do is wait and see, hallelujah. But as for me and my house, we will not trust in horses, we will not trust in chariots, we will not trust in money, but we put our trust in the Almighty God who is able. I said he is able. He's able to heal you when you're sick. He's able to comfort you when you're lonely. He's able to pay your bills when you don't know where the money coming from. He's able to renew relationships when they're all messed up. He's able to give you a job when you're jobless. He's able to take care of you when you need protection.
I have made my mind up that I am going to serve the Almighty God. There ain't nobody like him. I done looked all over the place. I can't find nobody like my Savior, Jesus Christ. Money couldn't heal me when I was going through what I went through, but the mighty hand of God did. And I'm telling you, this same Jesus is ready to take you to a place you've never been before. You'll have your neighbors wondering, what are you doing? You'll have them wondering, why are these things being attracted to your life? You'll have them wondering, "Why am I sweating trying to pursue this thing"? And you're sitting there in rest and having prayed service and God seems like he just showing out in your life.
I'm telling you that this grace is amazing, hallelujah. And come hell or high water, I'm gonna stick with Jesus. Talk about me as much as you please, I'm gonna stick with Jesus. Take away my car, take away my house, put me back in an apartment, put me in a shack, but I'm gonna stay with Jesus because when everything has been said and done, I'm gonna be all right because one day in the twinkling of an eye, we're gonna be changed. In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. "And the dead in Christ shall rise first and those of us who are alive and remaining shall be caught up, shall be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, and the air is where we will forever be".
This world is not my home. I'm just passing by. We are citizens of heaven. Look up, child of God, your redemption is near. Thou shalt have no other God besides him and he'll take care of you. He'll take care of you. God knows how to take care of you. God knows how to open a door that looked like it was closed. He knows how to bring an opportunity that you never thought would come your way. He knows how to love you. He knows how to take care of you. They gonna talk about you, let them talk. I trust God. He is your vindication and he'll make it all right. Y'all, excuse me. I done preached myself happy. I done preached myself happy. My redemption draweth nigh. Got tired of me playing no church. I wanna walk with him. I wanna talk with him. I want a fellowship with him. I want him to put me to sleep at night and wake me up early in the morning.
You ought to be tired of worrying and stressed out. Oh, if you only knew what was going in heaven right now with your loved ones. You ain't got a clue, but I guarantee you one day you're gonna see them again and you're going to know there is nothing in existence that can compete with God. And money, although it is in competition to be in your heart, not gonna happen, why? Because he's done too much. He did stuff for you before you even got saved. You wonder why you didn't die in that wreck? Because God was watching over you. You wonder why you're able to still put food on your table acting like a hellion? Because God is watching over you and he's trying to draw you with his goodness. Hallelujah.