Do not love the world or anything in the world.
If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.
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.
The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.
1 John 2:15-17
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The devil can make you rich and successful in the world.
This, I believe, is one of the most overlooked realities in the life of the Christian.
God describes Satan as “the ruler of this world,” “god of this world,” “an evil authority and mighty power in this dark world.” And, that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” (I John 5)
The enemy of your soul has just as much power to grant you riches and wealth and comfort and luxuries in this life as God above.
Why does this matter?
It matters because we are often too quick to measure our spiritual success by looking at worldly success.
When we are succeeding in the pursuits of life, we are often quick to assume that is because we are right with God. That we are following His plan for our life. That the actions we are taking must be aligned with Him because we are surely being blessed by Him in our daily life.
But that may not always be the case.
In fact, the Christian is at greatest risk when blessed in the world.
We quickly fall into the trap thinking we can have both—that we can have both this world and the next.
One of Satan’s greatest lies is that if we are blessed in this world, we are right with God.
Not so. We are right with God when we are following His will fully. When we are devoting all our resources toward the only eternal reward: His Kingdom. Our time, our talents, our money, our relationships, and our pursuits.
The devil can make you rich. And he just may be doing so to distract you from the work that God desires to fulfill in you and accomplish through you. This is a stark warning repeated over and over through the New Testament.
Seek first His kingdom—and whatever He calls you to do to secure it and advance it.
Only God can make you whole.
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Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for your blessings and guidance. Help me not to be blinded with worldly things, but to see life through you and live a life according to your will. Amen.