1. THE SPIRIT OF MONEY AND GREED COMES TO ATTACK AND CONTROL BELIEVERS ALSO:
• PAUL EXPLAINS ABOUT THE DANGER OF THIS SPIRIT: (1)“And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. (2) But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. (3)For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
• 1. Believers should be satisfied and grateful with what God promises us that HE will give and provide, as His children: “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25
• 2. Jesus continues teaching regarding money, the danger of following after the spirit of greed and money, and how the control of the spirit of money will endangered our relationship with God: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19-21
• 3. Jesus warns about the love: “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24


2. EXAMPLES IN GOD’S WORD OF THE SPIRIT OF GREED AND HOW IT BROUGHT DESTRUCTION :
• The parable of the foolish rich greedy man: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods… But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’” Luke 12:16-20


• Ananias and Sapphira’s double allegiance to God and money brought their death: “But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?” Acts 5:1-10 [This couple, in their greed, made a lying conspiracy to keep part of the money they had promised for God. That night both were exposed by the Holy Spirit and died]


• There was a young rich man who asked Jesus how he could obtain eternal life. Jesus told him to follow God’s commandments and he replied that he had followed all, then Jesus said one last thing: So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.


3. THE SPIRIT OF GREED IN THE CHURCH :
• Jesus warned about that spirit in the parable of the sower: “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.” Matthew 13:22
• Paul warns about that spirit: “Useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself. 1 Timothy 6:5
• Peter warns about false teachers and prophets: But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies… By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words…They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. 2 Peter 2:1,3,14
• James describes one with a double mind: “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” James 4:3-4

*All biblical references from the New King James Version