1Tim6:10 "For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows." NLT
Before Billy Graham became famous, he and his friends entered into a covenant in a hotel room in Modesto, California. They saw how ministers of their day had gone astray and veered off the track. They entered into a covenant to maintain certain principles. They called it the Modesto Manifesto. These principles came in four areas: Money, Sexual purity, Exaggeration and Criticism. I think it is good we examine each point in the Modesto Manifesto.
In the area of Money, they vowed never to emphasize money as some ministers do. I was in a meeting where the preacher was raising funds for the birthday of their senior Pastor. He coerced and forcefully made people give by pointing at them. Eventually, one man gave a huge sum. He told the man to add to what he gave. The man did and he called him out to the altar for special prayers and anointing. Others who vowed to give out of coercion were not prayed for neither were they anointed. That's an unbiblical approach to fund raising. Some even raise money for an agreed fee or percentage. That's the spirit of mercantilism on the altar.
Every believer must be careful about the love of money. If monetary gain becomes the motivation for ministry and living, you will end up bowing to mammon. In Matthew6:24, Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." How are you faring in this regard? Are you placing a price tag on God's grace on your life? If you cannot honour preaching invitation, pray, minister in song or prophesy because you perceive the honorarium will be small, you're serving mammon. Repent now. My mentor said, "Money is a good servant but a bad master. Do not be enslaved by mammon.
Father, I receive total deliverance from the love of money in Jesus name.