Greed… It makes us prideful. And it goes without saying, it makes us greedier. We want to accumulate ALL the money, power and respect – by any means necessary. Once we start to get a feel of what it is like to be on top, whether we obtain a superior status financially or by complete dominance in our position in life, we want MORE. We must have more. With that kind of mentality, greed will make us become insensitive to other people and solely focused on gaining more accolades. We want people to praise and worship us as superior beings. People driven by greed will never settle. The need to feed the appetite is overpowering and we’ll will stop at nothing to feel invincible and untouchable.
Pride
I feel like greed and pride are intertwined and are two similar traits that negatively feeds our desires to want more than what is necessary. Also, when we come from humbling beginnings (disadvantaged neighborhoods and/or coming up out the mud), we’re not used to money or living a lavish lifestyle. As a result, we are set and focused on how we can rack up more resources to support this newfound life. Of course, there is nothing wrong with wanting to support oneself financially or personally but we must remember not to be consumed by the thoughts of riches and greed.
Pride is the first sin and the downfall of Satan himself. He wanted to be like God. In Love, I wrote about the devil and how he was able to convince 1/3 of the angels in Heaven to rebel against the Lord. An attempt that was doomed to fail from the jump! The devil was greatly deceived if he thought that he will overthrow the Lord from HIS throne. As if the Lord would ever be blindsided by his disloyalty. The Lord knows all things.
Now let’s try to understand Satan’s thinking for a second.
He is extremely dynamic. We must acknowledge that the Lord initially made him a superior cherubim. He had immense power in the Lord’s throne and he was a few of the Lord’s selected angels to achieve such sovereignty in the highest regard. The devil was perfectly made. He was extremely beautiful and dazzling. He had close access to the Lord Himself. All of this glamour unfortunately got to his head.
He thought because he was brilliantly and perfectly made, he could become like God. His pride made him turn against God and therefore, it made him unrighteous. His greed to have even more power than what the Lord blessed him with, clouded his thinking and judgment. Fast forward – he was casted out of Heaven, along with his angels (demon helpers) who partook in his plan to overtake the Lord on HIS throne. The audacity.
The arrogance that Satan displayed was/is absolutely bewildering and plain out disrespectful. How can a CREATED being take over a God that is Omniscient, Omnipotent, and Omnipresent? The Lord was gracious in granting him with such authority to begin with. The NERVE. Like they say, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.” Now God could’ve easily prevented this betrayal from ever happening in the first place but the Lord blessed everyone with the ability to make their own decisions. Just like Adam and Eve. The Lord could’ve prevented Adam and Eve from eating from the forbidden tree – but didn’t because of free will. But anyways, back to the topic at hand.
There is no end to the power of the Mighty Lord. He has always been HERE. Satan CAME into being. He CAME into existence. You see, his pride and greed for more power was his downfall. Now, to his dismay, his impending doom is imminent and his power is NOT limitless. Because he was casted out of Heaven, along with his demons, they will wreak havoc on the Lord’s beloved creation and that is US. They will make their throne here on Earth and they will try to make us turn to them so we can honor them like “gods.”
For thousands of years, the Earth and people since the beginning of time, have been under the control of the Evil One. The devil loves nothing more but for people to bow at his feet and worship him. After all, he wants to be like God. For me, his wishes will NEVER come true. I know where my loyalty and love resides. No matter how hard I am hit with adversities in this physical existence, the Lord WILL grace me with His presence, love and comfort. I will never turn against Him because I know whom I believed in and I’ve experienced His goodness for me to ever speak bad on Him.
But do not be fooled. The devil is well versed in the Holy Bible. After all, he did recite a passage or two to the Son of Man as He was fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. He knows how to deceive us enough to base his facts on the Scripture but he includes a twisting turn in the process. If we’re not careful, we’ll fall victim to his plan. Since his fate is sealed and his confinement to the bottomless pit is near, the devil and his minions will try to take as many people as they can with them to that place of “gnashing of the teeth.”
His hatred for mankind and for God is evident all across the world. He is a very crafty being and will stop at NOTHING to bring down the Lord’s greatest creation. He is jealous and resentful because we, as humans, are able to have fellowship with the Most High and that drives him to commit such abominable things against us. The troubles, Brokenness, abandonment, Anger, and the woes of life are because of the devil and his demons. Make no mistakes about it! His nature is full of revenge, spite, jealousy, and grotesqueness.
Do not allow the devil to take hold of your life, especially your spiritual state. He will NOT let go and WILL try to break you down piece by piece until you fully succumb to his control. I experienced a little bit of how ugly he really is – check out Unforgivable Sin for more insight.
However, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the Almighty God and He will deliver you and me from the grips of Satan because He has given us victory over these unclean spirits. The Lord’s name alone makes EVERY demon tremble because they know He is the Lord and calling upon His name will destroy any stronghold that they have on us. Of course, some demons are stronger than others and it takes a combination of fasting and powerful prayers with believers/pastors to erase any traces of demons within our bodies and in our lives (not to be confused that there will be no adversities after demons are expelled from our lives, we will still have trials and tribulations). But fear not.
There is no one more powerful, more forceful, more loving and more forgiving than God Himself. The Lord strapped us with the weapons (not literally, but spiritually) we need to combat these unclean spirits. That is why we must be spiritually grounded in our Faith in God and we must try to strengthen our fellowship with the Lord continuously. Giving a little bit of access to the devil to come and disrupt our lives is all he needs to make himself at home in our mind, body, and spirit. If we are not spiritually sound or saved in and by the Lord, his job is soooo much easier because the protection is minimal. But once again, fear not.
The Lord, throughout the Holy Bible, tells us to “fear not” many, many times. He is with us. We must be willing to receive him, that’s all :).
Furthermore, people do not realize and/or unwilling to understand that our struggles in this physical existence is NOT with flesh. Yes, humans are and can be evil… but that is because they are under the control of evil and deception. I kid you not, my fellow readers and viewers, we are at constant war with these unclean spirits.
Excessive drinking, substance abuse, mental ailments, trauma, depression, suicidal tendencies/thoughts, epilepsy, tormenting and intrusive thoughts, astral projection, witchcraft, satanic rituals, pornography, sorcery, divination, tarot cards, astrology and horoscopes, seances, voodoo, physics, fortune tellers, chakras, channeling, murder, sexual assault, etc., are different ways these unclean spirits can have access to our bodies because we are either vulnerable or we engage in activities that are frowned upon in the Bible.
A moment of vulnerability or dabbling with the spiritual world by contacting the “dead” or “familiar spirits,” will leave us open to spirits that are malicious and evil in nature. The woes of life are either directly influenced by demonic oppression or possession. Sometimes we do not engage in sinful activities or activities that makes us vulnerable to these spirits. Sometimes, the Lord will use these instances to spiritually test us and equip us with what we need to make us stronger and more resistant to the Enemy.
Believe me, the Lord is in control of ALL things. Yes, bad things happen. I’ve experienced pitiful consequences of my mistakes. I was a victim of human deception. None of us are exempt from troubling circumstances because Satan is the god of this world.
Human Pride
Our Sinful Nature is a result of the devil’s deceitful nature and the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Human pride is a part of our sinful nature and it will make us do unspeakable things to attain dominance in this world. Through the means of violence, manipulation, and deception. Human pride will leave us in shambles if we’re not mindful. Thinking we are untouchable is a sore mistake. No one is above ANYONE. No one is favored more than the other in the Lord’s eyes. Salvation is offered to everyone and it is not exclusive to people who have status and/or wealth. We can all fall victim to sin the same way. And in that same manner, we can find glory in the Lord.
Human pride also makes us think we don’t need God. (I can do bad all by myself). Sort of like how the devil thought he doesn’t have to listen or glorify in the Lord anymore. He wanted to be his own god and now his fate is sealed forever. He can never be forgiven because he saw and experienced the Lord in His greatness and hardened his heart against Him. A shame.
As mentioned before, Humility is important. The Lord is a prime example of that. In all of His glory, the Lord came down to this Earth as a human being. Not only was He the Son of the virgin Mary but He is the Son of the Heavenly Father. The Son of Man could’ve lived in the biggest, flashiest mansion that the world has ever seen – during that time. But in the Bible, in Luke 9:58 – And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” He did not have a place to call His own on this Earth. By choice. (If we’re technical, everything practically belongs to him but still).
Isaiah 53:2 – “…. and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” The Lord purposely made His appearance average looking, nothing special. Not to be sought after by the wandering eye. Of course, the Lord could’ve been the most beautiful man ever to blessed the world but no… the Lord had other plans.
He sacrificed His body for us all. The only One justified in doing so because He was sinless in all ways. No corruption or inequities about Him. If there was a hint of sin in His nature, the sacrifice would’ve been for nothing because the purpose would’ve been defeated.
For us to have a chance at life in and with Him, He came down from the Third Heavens in order to reclaim His power from death, the devil and sin – to save us all. Even as He laid dying on the Cross, in Luke 23:34 – Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”
He didn’t even curse the people for persecuting and killing Him. He asked the Father in Heaven to forgive them of their ignorance – for they did not know that they had just killed the Son of Man.
I admire the Son of Man because of His grace, forgiveness, power, and preaching of love. He is just, modest, fair, and loving. I wish all of us can experience His grace in this physical lifetime. I really do. I always pray that the Lord does not stop reminding me of how blessed I am. But I also pray that the Lord keeps me humbled and not let worldly gains corrupt my character.
Conclusion
Even though greed is not the Unforgivable Sin, it will be the downfall of anyone who thinks they are better off alone or better than anyone else. It’s either they think they can rule the world by getting rid of everyone in the process and/or they think can obtain this and that because they deserve more than anyone else. Greedy people take down other people along the way if they don’t get with the program of supplying them with the resources needed to be ON TOP. Greed leaves us lonely because it makes us selfish. Greed makes us feel untouchable and we’re like “God.”
We must remember that these things can be taken from us at any moment. Humility keeps us grounded and genuine.
First off, thank you for reading this LONG blog post, I appreciate it.
To conclude, you may leave questions, comments and/or suggestions if you so choose.
