Break the Spirit Controlling Your Finances: 6 Steps to Financial Deliverance and Abundance
Whereas the word mammon is not mentioned in the Old Testament, the spirit of it is.
Before the Israelites took possession of the Promised Land, the Canaanite people who lived there worshiped the creator god, El, his wife, Asherah, and their son, Baal, in hopes of a good harvest. They called themselves a fertility cult and believed that prosperity was the result of Baal and Asheroth’s procreation. Baal and Yahweh are pitted against each other throughout the Old Testament. In the wilderness, the Israelites created an idol of Baal in the form of a golden calf (see Exodus 32). Later, in a drought, the prophet Elijah challenges 450 prophets of Baal and proves that Yahweh is the one and only God (see 1 Kings 18:20-40).
It never worked when people prayed to other gods to end their droughts or deliver them from the wilderness. It only prolonged their suffering. Trusting in God was and is the only way to receive true deliverance and prosperity. That is why the first thing God told the Israelites to do in the Promised Land is drive out the pagan nations (see Numbers 33:55 and Joshua 23:13). God knew that if these people stayed in the land, they would cause the Israelites to stray away from Him.
Why? Because their idols and gods threatened Israel’s perception of their true Provider. Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, God gave a Word to Moses to encourage and warn them:
But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today (Deuteronomy 8:18 NIV).
The ability to produce wealth was a revolutionary concept to this group of Israelites. All their generation had ever experienced was slavery and wilderness wandering, and now they were about to experience prosperity and ownership. They were going to Canaan, which literally translates to “merchant or tradesman.” In addition, Canaan was located near one of the world’s most strategic trade routes. The Promised Land was full of resources, and the Israelites were about to get very rich.
Deuteronomy 8:18 tells us that their ability to get wealth was proof of God’s covenant. A covenant is a partnership where two parties work together to achieve a common goal. In the Bible, God makes promises to select groups of people on the condition that they fulfill certain commitments. In different biblical covenants, God partners with select groups of people to renew His partnership with the world at large.
Deuteronomy 8:18 falls under the Mosaic Covenant, which was designed to make the Israelites a model of partnership with God for the surrounding nations. The book of Deuteronomy consists of five sermons delivered to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land. These sermons are often referred to as “the second law.”
Under this covenant, God promised that if the Israelites faithfully obeyed His laws, they would be exalted among the nations:
…the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth (Deuteronomy 28:1 NIV).
As the Israelites prospered under God’s blessings, their success would serve as a testimony to other nations and demonstrate that the God of Israel was both powerful and good.
It’s important to note that God gave the Israelites the power to get wealth. He didn’t give them wealth directly. The days of manna were over. No longer would provision fall down from the sky, and no longer would the Israelites live day by day. Instead, they would co-labor with God to plant crops and steward resources. They would still owe their success to God, but they would have a much more active part in the process.
The word for power in Deuteronomy 8:18 is the same word used to describe Samson’s strength in the book of Judges. Samson was an incredibly strong man who was consecrated as a Nazarite from birth. This means that he dedicated himself wholly to the Lord, and he refrained from cutting his hair as an outward representation.
However, his relationship with Delilah—a woman he loved— ultimately led to his downfall. Delilah, who allied with Israel’s Philistine enemies, persuaded him to reveal the secret of his strength. Samson said, “No razor has ever come upon my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaven, then my strength will leave me, and I shall become weak, and be like any other man” (Judges 16:17 NKJV).
In other words, Samson’s strength derived from his vow to the Lord. However, Delilah cut off his hair while he slept, and he lost his divine power. Similarly, we lose our strength to build wealth and fulfill the will of God for our lives when we allow a spirit of mammon and greed to overshadow God’s guiding voice. Thankfully, we have the antidote to combat a spirit of mammon: “Remember the Lord your God.”
How to Kill a Spirit of Mammon
God gives you the power to get wealth today, but your journey to getting there must start with remembrance. Remembrance is a principle woven throughout the Bible. For example, God created weekly rhythms like the Sabbath for His people to remember they should rest as He rested on the seventh day of creation. He appointed annual festivals and celebrations, such as Passover, to remember monumental events in Israel’s history. The word remember is in Deuteronomy more than a dozen times alone, and it is most often connected to telling the Israelites to remember they were once slaves in Egypt. Why would God constantly put this shameful period at the forefront of their minds? It wasn’t to taunt them.
Think of it this way—you are living in a land flowing with milk and honey. You have more than enough resources for your family to thrive, and you can be generous with others. Your borders are safe, and you can leave an inheritance for the next generation. Then you remember your parents and grandparents didn’t have those blessings. You did not do anything to deserve the good life you’re living; but God was faithful to fulfill His promise. The only thing He asks you to do is be obedient. If you can do that, you can live in freedom, not slavery. Remembrance connects us to the bigger picture. It reminds us we are part of something greater than ourselves, and that God is involved in every detail.
In 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV), Paul writes, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” Just as the Israelites were called to remember, so are we. If you keep reading in the Old Testament, you’ll learn that the Israelites didn’t always remember God. Many of them served the gods of Baal and Asheroth instead, so they didn’t get to stay in the Promised Land. Similarly, materialism and greed are some of the main reasons the body of Christ has not risen to the level of stewardship where we need to be.
As Jesus says in Luke 18:25 (NKJV), it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If we let the spirit of mammon get on us, we won’t experience the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Yet, as Jesus says immediately after, “the things which are impossible with men are possible with God” (Luke 18:27 NKJV).
When it comes to building wealth, what are we remembering? First, as Deuteronomy 8:18 says, we need to remember that God gives us the power to get wealth—it’s not our own abilities, smarts, or connections. Everything we have and every- thing we will ever have comes from God. This is a crucial truth to grab ahold of as we learn how to build Kingdom wealth. As Psalm 24:1 (NLT) says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” So, I encourage you to remember all the times God has provided for you—all of the open doors, all of the people you’ve met, and even the very breath in your lungs. Remembrance unlocks gratitude. Where there is gratitude, there is no room for greed. In other words, a spirit of mammon cannot exist in a heart full of worship!
Generosity is another foolproof way to kill mammon. Giving is a God-given strategy to eliminate greed from your life. A spirit of mammon wants to hoard resources and maintain control. When you give, you directly counteract that spirit. Rather than using money for your comfort and plans, giving is a declaration that you will use your money to partner with God’s purposes. The next chapter breaks down the Triple X Factor, a surefire method you can use to build wealth God’s way. You will learn how to get to a point where you can give away or reinvest 100 percent of your income to be a blessing to others. God used giving as a strategy to eliminate the spirit of mammon from my life. Rather than using my finances to build bigger barns for myself, He showed me how to build His Kingdom. God has given you the same power to get wealth.
As Kingdom wealth builders, we are going to make sure we don’t have the gods of Baal and Asheroth before us. We are going to make sure we don’t lust over the wrong things. God never intended for us to worship anything other than Him. We will seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all will be added . So buckle up and get ready to reach true financial freedom!
Pro Tip: Six Strategies to Guard Against a Spirit of Mammon
Breaking free from a spirit of mammon requires intentional steps to align your heart and mind with God’s principles . By putting these tips into practice, you can walk confidently as a Kingdom wealth builder!
1. Prioritize Worship Over Worry
Shift your focus from fear and anxiety about money to gratitude and worship.
2. Establish Financial Boundaries
Create a budget and schedule that reflect biblical priorities. Avoid overworking or sacrificing time with family and God for the sake of earning more. Money is attracted, not pursued!
3. Practice Generosity
Regularly give to others, and make one of your wealth-building goals to annually increase the percentage of your income you give away. This is a way to counter greed, demonstrate your trust in God’s provision, and keep a Kingdom focus!
4. Seek God’s Guidance
Before making major financial decisions, pray and seek wisdom through scripture and godly counsel. Let God’s voice guide your plans rather than letting fear or greed dictate your actions.
5. Remember Your Testimony
Reflect on past instances where God provided for you in unexpected ways. Use these memories to strengthen your faith and resist the temptation to rely solely on wealth for security.
6. Adopt a Stewardship Mindset
Recognize that everything you have belongs to God. Shift your thinking from ownership to stewardship by managing resources with integrity and intentionality.
