In Deuteronomy He says: “I give you power to get wealth”.
So God has power, demons have power. Money doesn't have power; but if you believe it's got power, then you're going to seek it - and you'll find yourself in a conflict, because it will seek your heart; your loyalty; your service. As you yield to it, then it starts to affect you.
People don't realise that as we give in to the voice of money (the voice of the Spirit of Mammon), we can find ourselves loving Mammon and hating God. You say: how could that be?
I can be holding onto Mammon; and despising, or in other words, thinking little of God's ways of doing life and managing money; and I can be loyal to money, and disloyal to God.
But it's actually not the money. It's not this. It's the spirit - that's the thing that gets you - it's the spirit.
So would there be any evidences in your life if the spirit had hold of you? There'd be heaps of them, because straight away Jesus said, in verse 25: “Don't be anxious”.
One of the first things that happens around money, is extreme anxiety and worry. If you're having extreme anxiety and worry around finances, then you’re under the influence of a spirit.
God has got no anxiety and worries to give you - He's got peace.
He tells you what to do about anxiety and worry: redirect your attention in certain ways.
Here's another one - I would think that one of the biggest evidences to me, that a person is under the spirit of bondage to Mammon, is very simply this: they just can't give. It just is impossible.
If I have some money in my hand here, here's the big question to ask: do I have the money, or does the money have me? Who's holding who?
If I'm holding the money, it's very simple - I'm able to then open it, and let go of it, and give it someone - which I did before.
If the money's holding me, I think: “ooh, there won't be enough”. I need a bit more.
One of the greatest ways that you can tell if money's got a hold of you, is the ability to give.
I want to speak on another session, I want to talk about the whole issue of Generosity; and also what you do that brings the blessing of God around your money.
So anxiety and fear, inability to give, a poverty mentality (there's not enough) - if you continually live with this thinking dominating you - that I haven't got enough, then you are under bondage to a spirit - absolutely.
Another evidence would be: Impulse Buying. If you find you just can't stop buying - you are under the influence of that spirit. It's got control over you.
You're buying more than you can spend, more than you've got money. If you're in bondage to debt, so that you're paying so much back in interest, you've got no ability to do anything for God - this is a spirit. You're in bondage to a spirit. We need to find a way out of that.
If you continually find that you're discontented with what you have, and ungrateful for what you have… I'm sorry, you're under a spirit; because Paul said: “every state I find myself in, whether it's abundance or lack, I've learned to be content, grateful to God”.
So there are some very tangible evidences, if this thing is impacting our life.
I remember a particular season, when God showed me clearly the extent to which I was in bondage to this spirit; and looking back now, I'm very ashamed of it - but it was a horrendous bondage.
I was brought up of course, in an environment where security was everything; so my father come back - having been through the Depression, through the war - and coming back, having to rebuild; so having security - a secure job, secure income - it was everything.
So I was working for the government, and I had a government superannuation; then God spoke to me: I want you to let it all go, and I want you to go into ministry, and set up a Christian school.
Now I heard His voice, and responded to His voice. The fear that overtook my life - I can hardly describe it - just horrendous fear.