Wealth is to serve others not to hoard. We share even the little that we have. We give thanks in all circumstances for the sweet and the bitter. We steward our gifts responsibly, not selfishly.
1. The Parable of the Rich Fool – The Folly of Hoarding
Luke 12:16-21
“And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, “What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.” Then he said, “This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, ‘You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.’” But God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?” This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.’”
1 Timothy 6:17-19
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
2 Corinthians 9:6-11
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: ‘They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.’ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion.”
Acts 4:32-35
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.”
Matthew 6:19-21
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Philippians 2:3-4
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”
Judas Spirit
“You never bite the hand that fed you or feeds you.”
“Your integrity is not for sale.”
“We honor God in all circumstances”
“Love has no expectations”
Proverbs 17:13 – “If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave their house.”
Psalm 41:9 – “Even my close friend, someone I trusted, one who shared my bread, has turned against me.” (The lament of betrayal from one who was fed.)
1 Samuel 24:5-7 – David’s refusal to harm Saul, the Lord’s anointed, saying “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.”
Daniel 6:4 – “At this, the administrators and the satraps tried to find grounds for charges against Daniel in his conduct of government affairs, but they were unable to do so. They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent.”
Proverbs 28:6 – “Better the poor whose walk is blameless than the rich whose ways are perverse.”
Job 27:5 – “I will never admit you are in the right; till I die, I will not deny my integrity.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
James 1:2-4 – “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”
Ephesians 5:20 – “…always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Luke 9:25 – “For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?”
Matthew 15:4 – “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’”
Malachi 1:6 – “‘A son honors his father, and a servant honors his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?’ says the Lord Almighty.”
Colossians 3:17 – “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Spirit of fear
You are owed nothing
Your suffering is evidence of your faithfulness and integrity
Your failures are learning opportunity
Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Proverbs 25:22
For so you will heap coals of fire on his head,
And the Lord will reward you.
1 Corinthians 15:58, which states that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
Romans 5:3-5
3 Not only so, but we[a] also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Spirit of doubt
What you believe doesn't matter but the Word of God
Second that, pattern is a systemic evidence
Isaiah 40:8
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.”
Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Matthew 24:35
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.”
Psalm 119:89
“Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.”
2 Timothy 3:16-17
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
1 Peter 1:24-25
“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
Romans 1:20
“For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
Psalm 19:1-2
“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”
Proverbs 8:22-31
“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old… I was beside him, like a master workman, and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the children of man.”
Job 12:7-9
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?”
Colossians 1:16-17
“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
John 1:1-3
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Spirit of lust
you never consume the holder of your gaze.
Every life is precious, even if it's the life of a small ant
Matthew 5:28 – “But I say to anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Job 31:1 – “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.”
1 John 2:16 – “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.”
Philippians 4:8 – “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
1 Peter 1:15-16 – “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’”
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 – “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God…”
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
Romans 13:10 – “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Matthew 22:39 – “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
1 Thessalonians 4:6 – “…and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before.”
Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.”
Ecclesiastes 6:9 – “Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”
Psalm 19:14 – “May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
Psalm 101:3 – “I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it.”
Luke 11:34-35 – “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy, your body also is full of darkness. See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness.”
Genesis 1:27 – “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
