By: Tania Harris
Money, sex and power are some of the most powerful agents in the world. Any one of them can take down presidents and pastors, politicians and kings. History is littered with stories of people who have been able to conquer nations but not their own lives. So how does God call us to handle them?
I’m going to be honest with you. Travelling the world, I have the opportunity to hear a lot of stories – and tragically, they’re not all good. Many of them involve abuse and hurt at the hands of leaders who haven’t been able to handle one or more of three areas of life: money, sex and power.
Of course it’s not just leaders who are susceptible – we are all subject to their misuse. But when money, sex and power are not handled well by those in authority, there are far-reaching consequences.
In this episode of the show, we look at:
- How money, sex and power are morally neutral. They are tools that can be used for both good or evil. The key lies in how we use them and what place they take in our hearts.
- When it comes to money, sex and power, God calls us to operate by kingdom principles – which typically are the opposite of what our selfish nature leans towards. So, when the self says, use power for your own ends, Jesus says, use it to serve and empower others; when the self says, use money to indulge yourself, Jesus says it is more blessed to give than receive; when the self says, get as much out of sex as you can, Jesus says to seek the benefit of it for others in covenant love.
- The ultimate goal here is mastery over money, sex and power, such that when God’s ways are followed, nothing else has the power to become a tool of self-interest. Everything in our lives needs to submit to his purpose. The result is that money, sex and power can all be used for his kingdom and for the benefit of others.
As you listen, I encourage you to tune in to what the Spirit of God may be saying to you. So often God is speaking to us about these three areas, but we don’t listen. He longs to speak to us for our good, so that both ourselves and others don’t pay the price of our inability to handle them.
Article supplied with thanks to God Conversations.
About the Author: Tania is a pastor, speaker, author and the founder of God Conversations.