HOW CLEAN IS THAT MONEY? 
PAUSE AND THINK: HOW CLEAN IS THAT OFFERING YOU’RE ABOUT TO GIVE OR RECEIVE! 
 

Memory Verse: " Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." James 5:1 

Bible Reading: James 5:1-6 
1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 
4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 
5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 
6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you. 

In Revelation 3:17, the Lord Jesus Christ told the church in Laodicea that they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked. But how could a very wealthy church like this get this type of verdict from the Lord? The moment we are saved, we begin to live dual lives: physical and spiritual; hence Jesus says we no longer live by physical food alone but also by spiritual food which is the Word of God that nourishes our souls (Luke 4:4). God expects you to take care of both body and spirit because it is possible to take care of one and leave the other. Any area that is neglected will negatively impact the whole body. If you feed your body but fail to feed your soul, your spirit man will die. If you feed your soul with God's Word but fail to feed your body with physical food, your body will experience physical death. Never neglect the principle of balance while relating with your body and spirit. 

The Laodicean church had all the millions to spend so they did not see any need to consult the Owner of the church. They felt they had arrived and so went ahead to plan programmes, invite guest ministers and do all sorts of things in the name of spirituality without the leading of the Spirit. They became carnal, for money had replaced God in their lives and the Lord was left out. As a leader, never get to the point of leaving the Lord out of His church. In several churches today, the Lord has totally relinquished control to carnal leaders who thought they have arrived. 

Wealth without holiness is abhorred by God. In James 5:1-6, rich Christians were being addressed. God's judgement was said to be on its way for those who cheated or became wealthy through evil means. If you make wealth through fraudulent means, your pastor may praise you for your fat tithes and financial and material support, but before God, all your contributions are null and void and judgement will be waiting for you. God expects only clean money in His house; even the hypocrites know this (Matthew 27:3-8). How clean is your money? As a leader, do you care to know the sources of income of your members? If you don't, prostitutes, armed robbers, fraudsters, ritualists, etc., will soon turn your church into a cursed church. 

THE FATHER'S BLESSING: " I pray for you today, the Blessing of the Lord that makes one Rich without Sorrows shall be yours this season! You shall not be unequally yoked with unbelievers in business and compromise your spiritual standing! You shall be Spiritually and Physically fed for a balanced growth! You shall not desecrate the church of God by bringing polluted blood money or money from fraudulent sources into the house of God! You shall not be involved in any business that will not honour the Lord! You shall not promote in your personal business any activity that will assist the devil to steal, to kill and to destroy the work and the people of God! The Lord will not reject you and your offerings! I pray for a leader in the church of God reading this message today, the love of money which is the root of all evil shall not replace the fear of God in your ministry! You shall not fall victim to the spirit of mammon! You shall not love the gift more than the giver! As Steward, You shall not waste the Money of God in your care on things that will not glorify God! Satanic agents from the pits of hell will not lure or blindfold you with gifts and donations not minding their source! The Love of the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life shall not take you away from the straight and the narrow path! You will finish well and gloriously strong in the name of Jesus!" (Amen)! 

WORD OF WISDOM FOR TODAY: Polluted, defiled or blood-stained money has the same effect on whatever it is spent on.

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Find the Author of this, Pastor Isiaka on LinkedIN

NATIONAL COORDINATOR at The Redeemed Christian Church of God, United Kingdom

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