READ OUR DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PST.DR. MATTHEW AGADA
DAILY DEVOTIONAL
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DAILY DISCOVERY
(Discover and Recover)
DECEMBER 05, 2024
CONSEQUENCES OF LACK OF FINANCIAL INTEGRITY
Lack of financial integrity, both in biblical times and today, has significant consequences. I want to group them into spiritual, relational, and socio-economic consequences.
SPIRITUAL CONSEQUENCES:
Separation from God: Dishonesty and greed are sins that hinder one’s relationship with God. Proverbs 11:1 says, “A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.” Lack of integrity leads to deceitful practices. These practices of cheating, lying and all sorts of frauds are abominations to God. The consequence of that is separation from God. This exposes the individual to all manner of demonic attacks.
Divine Judgment: Malachi 3:8-10 speaks about robbing God through failure to pay tithes and giving of offerings, suggesting that lack of integrity can result in divine judgment and repercussions for one’s financial misbehavior. In Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and his wife Sapphira faced immediate divine judgment and lost their lives for lying about their finances.
Loss of Blessings: The same Malachi 3:8-10 warns that withholding tithes and offerings can lead to loss of fruits of the ground, and of the vine before their time; while faithful giving results in blessings beyond measure.
Carnality: When people begin to mess up financially, they feel disconnected from the faith. When that happens, they begin to operate in the flesh: telling lies, engaging in immoral acts, etc.
Evil Tendencies: 1 Timothy 6:10 states that the love of money is the root of all evil, indicating that unethical financial practices can lead individuals into other financial crimes.
Personal Guilt and Fear: Engaging in unethical financial behavior leads to feelings of guilt and shame, fear mixed with anxiety, affecting the individual’s spiritual and emotional well-being, destabilizing his prayer life.
2. RELATIONAL CONSEQUENCES
Broken Trust: Dishonesty in financial dealings destroys trust within families and places of work, as seen in Proverbs 15:27: “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household.” Jesus said in Luke 16:11-12, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man’s, who shall give you that which is your own?” In business and personal relationships, lack of financial integrity can lead to a loss of trust and damage reputations.
Strained Relationships: When a man can no longer be trusted for lack of integrity, relationship will be strained. This can separate good friends or even siblings. I have seen marriage relationships destroyed beyond reconciliation because of money.
Conflict: Financial deceit often leads to disputes, exemplified by Jacob and Laban, his uncle (Genesis 30-31). I have seen people fighting many times over small change in the streets.
Workplace Issues: Fraud or embezzlement in professional settings often results in job loss and damaged relationships. Luke 16:1-2 shows how unfaithfulness in handling money can cost individuals their jobs. Many Bank workers, sales reps and Account officers have lost their jobs to financial misappropriations.
3. SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES
Economic Injustice: Exploitation and greedy embezzlement of public funds promotes economic imbalance. Amos 8:4-7 denounces those who oppress the poor for financial gain. Unethical financial behavior can result in financial crises that jeopardize personal and organizational stability. Corruption and greed can destabilize economies, increase inequality, and harm public trust in institutions, as the case is with the banking system today in Nigeria.
Loss of Reputation: Proverbs 22:1 highlights the value of a good name over riches, underscoring the long-term impact of financial dishonesty. Individuals and organizations face public disgrace and loss of credibility due to financial scandals. Many banks are being closed down in this country year after year for this reason.
Legal Repercussions: Engaging in unethical or fraudulent financial practices can lead to legal actions, fines, and even imprisonment (e.g., tax evasion, fraud). Many are in prison today because of financial illegalities. Be careful.
Workplace Morales: In organizations, a lack of integrity can hurt morale of workers, leading to decreased productivity and employee disengagement. A young man had to resign from a mission health institution few years ago because he could not endure the game his boss was playing with the officers on top.
Psychological Consequences: Lack of financial integrity is a major source of Stress and Anxiety. Financial dishonesty often creates a cycle of debt, fear of exposure, and serious mental strain.
Community/National Impact: Financial misappropriation can harm the wider community and even the nation, contributing to economic instability and increased inequality if individuals or corporations keep exploiting others as we see in Nigeria today.
CONCLUSION
Lack of financial integrity undermines both personal and societal well-being, violating biblical principles and creating long-lasting consequences. Upholding honesty and ethical stewardship in finances reflects our commitment to God and builds trust, stability, and peace in relationships and workplace.
Overall, both biblical principles and contemporary observations highlight that lack of financial integrity leads to significant negative consequences on individuals, relationship, and on the society at large.
MEMORY VERSE: Proverbs 20:7, “The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”
PRAYER: My Father, in the name of Jesus, I receive grace to maintain an unquestionable integrity in all financial matters that come my way. Help me to remain honest in all financial dealings in good conscience within and outside the Kingdom, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
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DAILY DISCOVERY
(Discover and Recover)
October 10 2024
WHY YOU SHOULD BE RICH AS A CHRISTIAN?
TO PROVE THAT GOD IS A RIGHTEOUS GOD
In this series of discovering the truth about the Believer’s relationship with money, we have been looking at why you should prosper as a child of God. This study is very important because the knowledge of the truth is what sets you free (John 8:32). You are first in relationship with money in your mind before it becomes a reality in your life. That is why the mind is the drawing board for your financial blueprint. It is your financial blueprint that determines your level of financial prosperity. Hence, financial education is fast becoming a global crusade, both in the Church and in the world.
Therefore, open your heart and be well informed about financial matters in the Kingdom before the evil days fully come, seeing the darkness is already covering the earth (Isaiah 60:1).
In addition to the reasons mentioned in the previous discussions, another reason you should prosper as a child of God is to prove that your God is an upright God. In Psalm 92:12-15, the scripture testifies: “The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; TO SHEW THAT THE LORD IS UPRIGHT: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him” (Emphasis is mine).
To be upright means to be honest, straight forward, not a liar, not a deceiver. The above passage shows that if you chose to be righteous, the righteous God will cause you to flourish all year round. A life of a poor man cannot be described as a flourishing life. Only the rich can be described as flourishing. Bringing forth fruit in old age does not mean they shall still be bearing children even when they are old. (You should not be doing Nursery School runs again at the age of sixty!). It means they will still be productive in their businesses, making profits even when they are old.
God is not a man that can lie and deceive. Whatever He says He will do is what He will do. He has not called us to serve Him in vain (Isaiah 45:19). Those who accept His counsel and serve Him enjoy financial affluence. “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures” (Job 36:11). God proves His honesty and faithfulness in the lives of those that serve him by blessing them. Bishop David Oyedepo said God does not say “Thank you”. When you please Him He blesses you and His blessings makes you rich without adding sorrows to it. God gives His children power to get wealth to prove that His is an upright God. He is a Rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. Read Psalm 1:1-3; Deut. 28: 1-2, 11-12. The hour has come that God will be distinguishing between those that serve him and those that only playing religion in terms of His jewels (Mal. 3:14-18). Make your choice wisely.
MEMORY VERSE: Job 26:11
PRAYER: Father, in the name of Jesus, prove your righteousness and faithfulness in my life. I choose to follow your counsel and live a life that is pleasing to you. Help me to be found faithful always in my walk with you. Amen.
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