God Is My Shield - Not the Money, Not the Fear of Losing It
I'm excited to keep going in this series, because today I want to introduce the second thorn Jesus named — the deceitfulness of riches — and show you exactly how it tried to work on one of the most faithful men in Scripture.
Money Wants to Be Worshiped - And It Will Lie to Keep the Throne
Money is a strange thing. To some degree, it wants to become your god. It wants your trust, your attention, your confidence — and it will tell you whatever it takes to get there, including that God can't be counted on to come through the way cash in hand can.
The love of money is the root of all evil, not money itself. Abram is about to prove exactly what it looks like to hold wealth without letting it hold you.
Abram Tithed on What He Was About to Give Away
After Abram defeated four kings and recovered everything they'd stolen — including his nephew Lot — Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, came out to bless him and receive his tithe. Abram gave a tenth of everything he'd just won, before he ever gave any of it back to its rightful owners.
Think about that. He was already planning to return the goods to the king of Sodom and the other kings. He didn't need to tithe on wealth he was about to give away entirely — but he honored God with it first anyway, not out of fear, but out of gratitude.
When the king of Sodom offered to let Abram keep all the goods for himself, Abram refused, saying he wouldn't take so much as a thread or a sandal strap, so no one could claim they made Abram rich. That's a man who has already decided where his trust actually sits.
I Will Be Your Shield - Not the Money
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.’”
Genesis 15:1 (NKJV)
Notice what prompted this Word — fear. Something had gotten hold of Abram right after he walked away from an enormous fortune. It's not hard to imagine what: the second thoughts, the quiet panic of "what did I just give away?"
God's answer wasn't a lecture about generosity. It was a reminder of who was actually his supply. In the Hebrew, that promise carries the sense of a rapidly increasing financial supply — not the goods Abram had walked away from, but God Himself.
Don't Be Afraid of What You Gave Away
This is exactly how the deceitfulness of riches operates. It doesn't usually show up before you give — it shows up after, whispering that you should have held on, that you'll need it, that trusting God was foolish when you could have kept the sure thing in your hand.
The answer isn't to stop giving or start hoarding out of fear. It's to recognize the voice for what it is and go back to trusting the One who actually provides. Money didn't make Abram wealthy. God did. And the same principle holds for you — don't trust the money. Trust Him.
Fight To Win.
