Introduction

Good day to all of you. I am very pleased to meet you online again. Today, the topic I want to share is The Deceitfulness of Wealth. The impact of the deceitfulness of wealth in this world far exceeds our imagination. Many people think wealth is good, and indeed, having money is not bad, but wealth is also a very spiritual matter.

I have shared with you before that money is a very interesting thing. Some money seems to gravitate into some people's pockets, while other money slips away from others’ pockets as if there is a leak. This is very strange because worldly wealth touches the hearts of almost everyone. Wealth is very spiritual because it can deceive people. How many people bow down at the feet of wealth? Looking around, we all feel that this is normal, but it is not.

Where did my understanding of wealth come from? Someone opened a shop and went to a fortune-teller, who said that his shop would last for two years at most, and after two years, the money would be gone. How eerie is that! Two years later, the environment around the shop remained the same, but there were no customers. The same food, the same people running the restaurant, but why were the customers gone? This is a very spiritual matter. You will see many business people worship idols for the sake of money.

Money touches the hearts of almost everyone because people hope to own it. Why do they want money? My observation is that a penny can stump a hero. A person was starving because he had no money to buy food. Suddenly, he found ten dollars on the ground and bought a bowl of noodles at a nearby restaurant. In those days, ten dollars was equivalent to two or three hundred dollars today. He ate a bowl of noodles and added a plate of dumplings. It felt so good to be full! Is this feeling real? Although it is real, it also brings many delusions.

It feels really good to have money. When this person finished his noodles and dumplings, and his stomach was full, he felt very good, and a delusion arose in him. He thought that money could solve many problems. As a result, he began to constantly pursue money and live the life of a rich person. Because living in poverty is really hard. People have many delusions. Having money is indeed very good, but he forgot that the money was only used to solve the problem of filling his stomach.

What is the most important issue in a person's life besides money? In the words of the world, happiness is the most important! The money he found solved his problem of basic needs, but he applied this feeling to solving many problems in his life. There is a saying in the world: Problems that can be solved with money are small problems. In fact, there are many problems that we cannot solve with money. Where is the delusion here? We often discover a truth and constantly expand the scope of its application, assuming that it is a universally applicable truth.

Poverty cultivates a poor mentality, and our perception of money exceeds our imagination. The role that money plays in this world is both spiritual and full of delusions. To what extent? Even the dead are burned paper money! When I was a child, during festivals, my father would get the kind of paper that was used to wrap biscuits, the color of which was deeper than the yellow paper used in stores today to wrap ghost money.

I saw my father adding many zeros behind it with a pen. I didn't know if this represented ten thousand or one hundred million. He rolled these papers up, went to the intersection of the road, and drew a circle on the ground with an opening in the middle. This has many meanings, but I don't know exactly what it means.

I don't know where my father learned these things. At that time, I was still young and often with my father, and I saw him chanting words. Who were these burned for? For my deceased grandparents. At that time, I thought people were very interesting. Is this money? Do the dead still need this money? Just write on it with a pen? Because people think money is very important, they even apply this concept to the underworld. As for whether the dead can use it, no one knows. But for the living, it is a great comfort, at least they burned money for their deceased family members.

Everyone in the world does this, and it is unknown where all the money in the underworld is piled up. I gradually discovered that the impact of money on people is extremely profound. The reason I am talking about this topic today is that I hope everyone can see through money because it is difficult for people to be freed if they do not see through it. There are too many problems caused by money. There are countless people who are unhappy because of money, and there are countless people who are imprisoned because of it.

Recently, I saw in the news that a corrupt official was executed. Think about it carefully, including Long Er in the movie To Live, who ended up in what situation because he was greedy for money and seized other people's property? He was arrested as a wealthy man, and a few shots were fired, and he lost his life. Look at the result of this person's greed for money! The influence of the deceitfulness of wealth is very profound. It is difficult for a person who loves money to be set free. When we see the problems in people, we know that an important part of spiritual warfare is that we must solve the problem of money, and we must solve the deceitfulness of wealth to set people free.

I hope that everyone will have a clear understanding of the spiritual essence of money. A long time ago, I talked about the spiritual essence of money. We must have a clear understanding of money. If your illness cannot be relieved no matter how much you pray, it is because these delusions have not been removed, and the devil's stronghold has not been destroyed. These delusions are the lies that the devil releases.

People die for wealth, birds die for food. People have summed it up. It turns out that people have reached the point of dying for money. Originally, a person picked up ten dollars and could eat a bowl of noodles or a bowl of dumplings, but as a result, he lost his life for money. So, how big of a delusion is this! Let's look at today's scripture, Matthew 3:22. We often use this passage. This is Jesus explaining the parable of the sower:

Scripture

The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:22-23)

Prayer

Lord Jesus, open our eyes today so that we can see the spiritual essence of money. God, do a wonderful work in us today, continue to release us, continue to break all the yokes on us. In the name of Jesus Christ, I completely reject the lies that the devil has released about money. Today, I will trust God alone, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!

Background of the Scripture

We just reviewed the Gospel of Matthew a while ago. This passage tells about Jesus sitting by the sea, and many people gathered around him. Jesus got into a boat and sat down, facing the shore, and the crowd stood on the shore. Jesus told them many principles. We must know that many things must be explained clearly. Jesus told the parable of the sower, and the seed that was sown is the word of God. The word of God enters people's hearts, and there are all kinds of situations.

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear. The disciples came to him and asked, Why do you speak to the people in parables? He replied, Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. (Matthew 13:3-12)

This sounds a bit cruel. Why do we talk about the Matthew effect? It is mentioned in the Gospel of Matthew: Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. Why did Jesus use parables? Let's look at the following scripture:

This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.” In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.”

But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it. Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.

The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. (Matthew 13:13-23)

We see that the word of God is sown on the roadside; some are sown on stony ground; some are sown among thorns; some are sown on good soil. The one sown among the thorns is the one who hears the word, later has the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of wealth chokes it. At least 25% of those sown among thorn. If we consider those who do not understand the truth sown on stony ground, on the road, and among thorns, they account for at least one-third.

We see that this passage says something very interesting, that is, everyone receives the same seed from God, but the response produced in people's hearts is completely different. What is the deceitfulness of wealth? The deceitfulness of wealth hinders the word of God. Jesus used parables to make it clear to those who can understand, and those who cannot understand cannot understand. The seed of the kingdom of God is actually to enable people to bear fruit a hundredfold, sixtyfold, or thirtyfold.

People cannot obtain the benefits of the gospel because there is a one-third chance that they are deceived by money, and behind money is the spirit of old horse. When we fight old horse, old horse will return money. Old horse is in charge of the things of the world. In the Book of Revelation, the first horse is the white horse, the second horse is the red horse, the third is the black horse, and the fourth is the gray horse. The third black horse manages buying and selling, which is money; the fourth horse manages the plague.

If we have some understanding of this passage, we will find that whoever has will be given more, and whoever does not have will have even what he has taken away. This not only refers to the word of God, but almost everything in our lives can be used by the Matthew effect. Whoever has will be given to him, and whoever does not have will have even what he has taken away and given to the one who has.

This passage talks about giving one thousand taels of silver, two thousand taels of silver, and five thousand taels of silver to different people. Five thousand taels of silver earned five thousand and became ten thousand, two thousand taels of silver earned two thousand and became four thousand, and one thousand taels of silver is still one thousand taels. As a result, the one with one thousand taels of silver was taken away and given to the one with five thousand taels.

In fact, this is difficult to accept from a human point of view. Why give it to him when he already has it? But that's how God does it. Don't stop God from doing this, and don't quarrel with God. The most important thing is that we must obey the truth of God. That is why I say that money will flow into some people's pockets and escape from other people's pockets. Some people cannot save money because they do not have the way.

But don't misunderstand what I said. There are also many unbelievers who have a lot of money, which proves nothing. Don't ask such stupid questions. Those who have money have mastered the principles of doing business. In fact, some people who rely on the old horse have money, while others are so poor that they are clanging. Money itself is a very spiritual matter, which proves nothing. If a person trusts God, he should not be lacking and should gradually straighten out our thinking. A person who trusts in God lacks no good thing, so the Matthew effect is mentioned in this paragraph.

What does it mean for a person to be deceived by money? We can think and ponder. You cannot grasp the essence of money. Don't think that you can get money by loving money. This is not the same thing at all. Loving money, being controlled by money, not being able to manage money well, money becomes our bondage, causing us to enter into delusion and fall into a trap. How can there be money? Because they are all deceived by money. This passage raises a very essential question. Some people hear the word of God, but are deceived by the deceitfulness of money.

I hope you have ears, and I hope you can understand after hearing it. Why don't people understand after hearing it? Because people who are deceived by money do not think they are deceived. Some of us who have had our concepts reversed definitely understand what I mean. But some people who have not turned the corner not only think that what I am talking about is unreliable, but even what Jesus is talking about is unreliable.

We have an inherent concept of money. After hearing the word of God, we feel that can we live a life according to God's word? Can we survive? This is actually a very deadly idea. So this is a very important topic. Many people are controlled by money and not only live a poor life but also live a sad life. How can this life be survived? It is really like living a year! So the deceitfulness of money chokes the way sown by God, and it is impossible for people to bear fruit at all.

Money can cause people to be pierced by sorrow

In fact, people's views on money, what is valuable, and what is not valuable, this is called values. People think money is very valuable, which is a great delusion. Therefore, people pick up ten dollars to solve the problem of food and clothing, and then desperately chase money. Later, they chase and chase and forget what money is for. As a result, in the process of chasing money, they are pierced by sorrow.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

A prophet described a passage that in the process of spiritual warfare, there is a core issue, which is the issue of money. In my observations, I have observed that many preachers fall for money. Why are they pierced with many sorrows? Isn't this strange? Because people cannot see the essence of money clearly, people pierce themselves with sorrow; it is very hard.

I know a pastor who suddenly got married when he was in his forties, and as a result, when he was sixty years old, his children were only ten years old. The church was not well established, so he went to open a teahouse, ostensibly to preach the gospel. He would also get some people to listen to the message in the teahouse, but the main thing was running the teahouse. He also had his own set of ideas, but I was not very interested in this set of ideas, and I couldn't understand what he wanted to do.

Later, he used the money of many brothers and sisters to start a business together. When people start a business together, making money is a problem, and losing money is also a problem, so be careful about starting a business together. As a result, the pastor was sued by his brothers and sisters. After all, he used other people's money to do business, so he started a lawsuit. In the end, the teahouse was closed, the church was destroyed, and the pastor disappeared without a trace.

So we must know that this was not God's plan for this pastor, but because people are greedy for money. Why? Like many corrupt officials who are greedy for money, it is not for themselves, but for their wives and children at home. They may not be greedy, but their wives and children are greedy. Therefore, the love of money is tempted to stray from the truth and pierced themselves with many sorrows.

We observe the world and assume that the wealthy are happy, a fallacy that even I am prone to. But one day, I heard Jack Ma speaking – he is a talkative man, and it had been a while since I heard him speak; I miss him a bit. Ma said: People are happiest when they have a few million. He once had a few million; before that, he had no money, and suddenly having a few million felt great.

Let’s do the math. If a person earns 20,000 yuan a month, that’s 240,000 yuan a year. For an employee, 20,000 yuan a month is considered good. Having 2.4 million yuan is equivalent to 10 years of work. Twenty years yields no more than 5 million. If you already have 5 million, that’s the result of 20 years of work. If you earn 10,000 yuan a month, it takes 50 years to earn 5 million. Some people earn only a few million in their entire lives, perhaps less.

The question is, why does Ma think people are happiest with a few million? Because with a few million, you don’t have to worry too much. You can just buy a house to rent out, with not too many investment portfolios. But if you have 100 million, with the US and China printing more money, its value depreciates. 100 million becomes 50 million, or if the stock gets trapped, 100 million becomes 50 million, and then the 50 million is gone. People are like this; they don’t think about the 50 million they have, but about the 50 million they lost. People are pierced by these sorrows. It’s not about managing money, but about greed. Money is no longer a source of joy, but a source of sorrow.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:10)

Some of us have been pierced by sorrow, falling ill and coming to me for prayer. How can this be released? There is only one way: to untangle the greedy thoughts within. People don't live for money; money is for people to live. Don’t reverse this. People live to manage money, not to be controlled by money. Don't get this wrong.

The most important thing in life is joy – joy when you have money, and joy when you don't. You must not be pierced by the sorrow of not having money when you don't have it, nor by the sorrow of having money when you do. Wouldn’t living a life of sorrow be meaningless?

Greed is truly deadly. It’s not the rich who are greedy, but the poor, because the poor don’t have money and are sorrowful when they see others with money. What does it matter to you if others have money? In reality, people should be happy whether they have money or not. What should people do? They should shape themselves into valuable individuals; they themselves are money; they themselves are valuable. Wouldn't that solve the problem?

Why must people be losers, seen as worthless by others and themselves, yet still want money? Isn’t that sorrowful? Then, suddenly having money, they forget who they are. If people cannot control money but have it, that's deadly; it is true sorrow.

People have money because they can control it, like Jack Ma. He can control so much money, so he has so much money. Even so, he later said he was not happy; things became more and more complicated. Can you imagine? If you are very rich, more people will be eyeing you, coveting your money! There were not so many problems originally, but now there are more and more – it's hard work!

If a person sees through money, and is as wealthy as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, there is no problem. The question is whether you are greedy for money. Greed pierces you; it is a fallacy about money.

The second delusion about money is that we think it is all our own. In fact, money is not yours. Although the money is in your account, when you close your eyes and kick your legs, who knows whose money it is? Money is not yours. Why do people have this delusion? They want to keep putting money into their accounts. Many people have stumbled because of the delusion of money, because they think money is their own. Is money really your own? It is merely for us to manage in this world.

What I mean is that we always feel that money is our own. When I say this, is the money of the wealthy, such as Jack Ma and Wang Jianlin, really their own? How much can they spend? In the end, they are merely managing and creating many job opportunities. The poor find this example hard to understand, but if you have managed money in the past, you will know what I am talking about.

The Bible never says that money is ours. Although it is in our account, it is merely what we manage in this world. When we close our eyes and kick our legs, who gets the money? No one can say for sure.

Someone wanted to ask me to develop a software, a management software for a law firm. What does it manage? Wills. He said he needed a website, described it to me for a long time, and then I understood: it was about solving the problem of who gets the money after someone dies. You tell me, is this money his own? It seems to be his own, but he is just assigned to manage it.

People who don’t understand that money is not their own carry this burden on their backs, suffocating themselves. What are they doing? So, we are greatly tempted in this world; it seems all the money goes into your account, but in reality, it all belongs to others. You say this money is earned by your hard work, but in fact, it also belongs to others. Therefore, some people are bolder; what do they say? My money is all real gold and silver, earned by my hard work. As a result, they offend many people by saying this.

Let's put it this way: Is it true that all the money is earned by you? If it weren’t for the government's policies and various conditions, where would you earn money? You think you earned it. Even if you earned it, it’s not yours. It is just continuously operating and running in the enterprise, creating job opportunities. You are just a manager.

I am talking about big things. If we ourselves think that money is all our own, money will bring great confusion and delusion. One of the sisters among us, her husband gave money to others, because her husband had a child with his ex-wife, and he gave the money to his ex-wife's child, and she was unhappy. Is that yours? Why be unhappy? It brought a lot of confusion. I tried hard to help her untie this knot, and she felt better.

If we see through all this, what is more important than joy? Whether there is a lot or a little money, we are just managing it. Manage the money that God has entrusted to you well. God is just testing you, seeing if you are a faithful and good steward, seeing if you can manage it well. When I see people squandering the money that God has entrusted to them to manage, if they are people I shepherd, I will manage them. Just eating a meal, is there a need for extravagance?

Let's see, Buffett is a very rich old man. He finds a burger shop downstairs, buys a burger, and that's it. How much money can a person spend on eating and drinking? So, we must know that we must come out of the delusion of money so that we can manage money well. Money will drill into your pocket. Even if it doesn't drill into your pocket, God will add money to you.

How can we be released from living in delusion? There is always a reason why people are poor. I later discovered that people who love money cannot love God, but a person who does not love God is accursed. You say this is deadly. The delusion of money squeezes out the way, so it cannot bear the fruit of blessing. You say you are a Christian, but deep down you still have the mentality of a poor person. Today, we must abandon the mentality of a poor person. The mentality of a poor person is loving money very much.

What will be the result of loving money? You will be pierced by sorrow. Money is not yours; we are just managing it. So, what did Jesus say? That which was sown among thorns, later the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, so that it does not bear fruit. If you want to continue to be released, see through this matter of money.

We Think Money Can Solve Many Problems

Why are people greedy for money? Because we think money can solve many problems. Do you really think money can solve many problems? No. If money could solve many problems, we would live in delusion. Today, let’s try asking: What problems can money solve? It can buy a plate of dumplings, a bowl of noodles, and solve the problem of basic needs.

But when people are desperately poor, they pick up ten yuan, eat a bowl of noodles, and think that money can solve many problems, falling into the delusion of money. For example, raising children. Do children need money? Try giving them money. If children have unlimited access to money, they can squander it as they please. Will they become smarter? They will not become smarter.

We Chinese say that wealth never survives three generations, because after having money, children do not develop healthily. Many children who don’t come from very wealthy families have already started to become unhealthy. So, what can solve children's problems is making children smarter. The best thing you can give your children is to help them become valuable themselves. Many people want to give money to their children, thinking that if they give money to their children, their children will live well. This is a great delusion and fallacy.

There was an official in the Qing Dynasty named Lin Zexu. He once said a very famous sentence: If my son is as smart as I am, what would I give him money for? The second sentence is even more interesting: If my son is not like me, what would I give him money for? That is, if his son is not like him, he is a fool. Wouldn't giving him money harm him? So, today, we must completely get rid of the delusion of money. We do the right thing, and shape our children into valuable people no matter what.

We must see through this idea. We think that giving money to children is a blessing, but it is not necessarily so! I lamented that my father started making arrangements while he was still alive, giving this house to someone, and that house to someone else. In fact, he didn't save much money in his entire life. I paid for that house, and then he made these arrangements, thinking that this money could bless these people.

One of our family's houses was arranged for my younger brother. My younger brother kept thinking about this house. Why? Because my father promised it to him. Isn't this making trouble for no reason? He thought that with this house, his son could get a wife. But can you get a wife just by having a house?

Some people think that everything will be alright if they get a wife. But what if you marry a bad one? We people almost all live in delusion about these things, so it's very hard. We work hard, trying to earn money. It would be okay if we could earn money, but we live a hard life. For the sake of money, our entire lives are without blessings.

Where do I want to take everyone today? Money not only cannot solve many problems, but it can also create many problems. Once we see through the essence of money, we become managers of money, not people controlled by money. We are problem solvers. We are not people who solve problems with money. Of course, solving problems does require some resources, but truly solving problems still requires people to become smart.

If you solve problems with money today and solve problems with money tomorrow, wouldn't that make you dumber? Look at those rich people. They manage money so well, so they become rich people. So, if you say you don't manage, you spend all you can, you splurge, you mess around, can you become a rich person? You can't become a rich person, and you can't bear fruit. If you are deluded by money, you cannot bear the fruit of blessing.

The reason I want to say this today is to release everyone from these delusions. What problems can money solve? Only God can solve problems. So, let us return to a most fundamental point: God is everything to us! Today, I am speaking more directly, more simply, and it is also very interesting. Even though I am speaking so directly and simply, there are still many people who cannot see through it.

The confusion brought by money is quite far-reaching. Let’s think carefully today about the sorrows in our lives that are brought by money. If people get sick, can money solve the problem? No, but God can. There are many diseases that money cannot solve. No matter how much money you give the doctor, he only has so much ability. What problems can he solve for you?

Once a friend of mine, the CEO of a listed company, his company expanded to more than thirty countries. Later, his younger brother got sick. He loved his younger brother very much, and the brothers had a very good relationship. He told me that he told the doctors: As long as you cure my younger brother's illness, I am willing to spend as much money as it takes. As a result, his younger brother died three months later. At that time, my friend did not believe in the Lord. Later, he felt that people lived in vanity and went to the same church as me around the same time.

What I mean is: If money cannot solve so many problems, shouldn't we seek God? If money cannot solve so many problems, why don't we seek God who can solve problems?

Summary: Recognize the Delusion of Money, Let God's Plan Be Accomplished in Us

Everyone should know that man is a spiritual being. Why are we called spiritual beings? Because man was created by God. The spirit of man returns to God for eternal life, and goes to hell for eternal punishment, which is destruction. We use the money of this world, which is called unrighteous wealth, to prepare for our entry into eternal life and into the kingdom of God. When we see through all this in this world, we realize that living in eternal life is of utmost importance.

Money is not our pursuit; eternal life is our pursuit; God is our pursuit; God is the answer to all our problems; God is our greatest doctor; God is our banner of victory; God is everything to us. So, starting today, choose to love God. God will add to those who love Him what eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, and the heart has not imagined. God will accomplish His good plan in you.

What kind of person you are is not important; what is important is who God will make you become. Today, you may be a loser, and you may not even know that you are a person who loves money very much. But today, you recognize the essence of money, start turning back to God, and learn to love God.

Then the seed of God will surely be sown in you, and then it will bear fruit a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold. This includes not only peace, but also joy, money, health, and everything else related to our lives. So, everyone must know for sure that to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away and given to the one who has.

So, should we be vigilant today? If people in the world can understand, shouldn’t we who read God's word understand even more? Today, come out of the bondage of poverty, and start recognizing the spiritual essence of money. Start fighting to overcome, strike at the forces of darkness, strike at old Ma. The number of demons we cast out represents our spiritual condition. The strength with which we cast out demons also represents our spiritual ability and our spiritual condition. When we cast out demons, we let the kingdom of God come, and all the richness of the kingdom of God will descend upon us. How can we lack money?

Always remember, do not be deluded by money. Start letting the word of God take root and sprout in us, a hundredfold, sixtyfold, thirtyfold, and then we can live prosperously in this world, live gloriously, and live out God's good plan. Always remember that God has a good plan for each of us. God fairly sows His word and His seed in our hearts, but do we start to intellectually recognize the delusion of money and remove these fallacies? Then we will let the will of God be accomplished in us.

May God bless everyone!