“…If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
1 John 2:15

To love the world is to be materialistic to chase material things so much that you leave God behind. God wants us to be prosperous, but not materialistic. In fact, the reason God has not prospered many people is because He knows that when He prospers them, they will forget Him.

There are many things we chase that we don’t need; we just want them by all means, and God may not be ready to give them to us yet. Due to this insatiable hunger, the devil begins to suggest means by which you can get what you want, how you can cut corners so you can enjoy the pleasures that you so much desire. The devil is watching you; when he notices that you love jewelry so much, he will always bring the most alluring pieces your way and then suggest how you can cut corners to get them. It is not enough to always cast the devil out when he brings such suggestions, if you don’t work on your mind to stop loving the things of the world, he will soon be back, and sooner or later, he will succeed. Many young ladies have jeopardized their destinies simply because they wanted to marry rich men, only to find out that the wealth was just a disguise for the demon in the man.

One thing about materialistic people is that they are never satisfied; they are in a rat race to satisfy their selfish desires. This is no surprise because Ecclesiastes 5:10 says:
“He that loveth silver shall be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.”

Why should material things prevent you from getting to heaven? Jesus said you should seek first His kingdom and righteousness, then He will add all these things to you (Matthew 6:33). Anything that you desire more than God, that you can offend God just to acquire, is dangerous and can destroy you. Beware.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.