DANGER OF COVETOUSNESS

The word covet means a yearning to posses, insatiable desire to posses (something belonging to someone else). Another word that can best explain covetousness is cupidity which means greed for money or possessions. To be covetous therefore is a deep carnal longing to posses something, sometimes, you don’t really need it but you can kill to have it.

Covetousness has destroyed many beautiful lives and character (due to) their inability to control their desires. Many have become liars, cheats, backstabbers and devilish in behaviour; many have betrayed their loved ones and even God to satisfy their amorphous desires. Infact many have lost shame and honour because of their anomalous behaviour to gratify their flesh.

Our Master, Jesus Christ gave us a clear warning on covetousness, it happened when a young man came to ask him to act as a judge or divider over certain inheritance with his brother, apparently he had seen his brother and became jealous and envious Luke 12:13-14
“And one of the company said unto him, Master, speak to my brother, that he divide the inheritance with me. And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge or a divider over you?” (Luk 12:13-14)

Jesus not wanting to be dragged into such a carnal dispute gave a quick answer to him and turned to his disciples and gave a warning and a parable to buttress the spiritual danger of covetousness.

“And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luk 12:15)

The word “take heed” means to guide, guard yourself, your heart, your spirit; to have a clear conscience (covetousness is not from a clear conscience) consider properly; “beware” means to be alert, not to be carried away, to be conscious or be aware of… (beware = be aware)

Be aware of the danger of covetousness, and he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: “…for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luk 12:15b)

When a man begins to measure his life by what he has or can acquire, he stands the danger of covetousness. Booker T. Washington said, “Success is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome”

A man who judges himself on the material things he has or can acquire will not be without sin of covetousness, greed, competition and these vices produce more dangerous acts.

“… But he that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent.” (Prov 28:20b)

A covetous man will hate, lie to achieve his goal, will deceive, manipulate and be extremely greedy to his dishonour – he soon expose his carnality.
A covetous man has no trust in God, he rather trusts in his schemes and what he has or people he can manipulate or get from. The wise one warned,

“Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” (Prov 23:4)

A covetous man is a man of by power and might, he is a man of strength - he soon put decency and honour and even God aside to achieve his desire for material possession.
He glories in what he has and what he can do – his conscience is far from truth, he is so quickly blinded by his quest to get, he forgets the scriptures so quickly and his heart is far from the kingdom of God.

“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches:” (Jer 9:23)

Jesus, in his warning, gave us a parable of the heart of a covetous man as stated in Luke 12:16-19

“And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luk 12:16-19)

The covetous man is wise in his conceit – “The rich man is wise in his own conceit;” (Prov 28:11a)

He does not remember God or anybody, once he has got others can perish. Jesus summarises the life, thought and plan of a covetous man in Luke 12:19

“And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” (Luk 12:19)

His life is “get all I can, eat all I can eat, for there is no other person or creator; he is all in all and does not think of the welfare of others or their peace. It’s either him or no one else – he does not understand 1 Cor. 6:13
“Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. …” (1Cor 6:13)

The covetous man thinks everyone is ignorant of his acts/deeds; he is like the ostrich that hides its head in a bushel unknown the remaining part of its body is exposed and seen.

“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (1Cor 6:9-10)

If we are now born again, we should watch our appetite and crave for material things. Many people are discouraged by supposed Christian behaviour in their offices and places of work, two, three or more Christian can’t work together because one is covetous or all is and each wants to override the other, why?

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (1Cor 6:11)

Apostle Paul said in 1 Cor. 6:12,
“All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1Cor 6:12)

A covetous man is under the power of material things, he is controlled and dominated by it, he becomes aggressive on material things.

A covetous man will not pay tithe, he is not philanthropic, he does not give prophet offering to his pastors or help anybody, he is like a dead sea, whatever goes in does not come out – he is always looking for how to get. Jesus said,

“… Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luk 12:15)
God looked at a covetous man in his thoughts and imagination and said,
“But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” (Luk 12:20-21)

Simply put, a covetous man is not rich towards God, God is never in his plans, and he is a carnal man but that should not be our character. We should be kingdom minded, heavenly conscious. We must be like our Master, have passion for God and His people.

“And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.” (Luk 18:21-23)

When you touch the wealth of a covetous man, he becomes as wild as a wild lion ready to kill, say anything except about his money – Nobody goes to heaven or hell with wealth.

They are religious, they can lie against the pastor and everybody to show righteousness and how good they are but can’t sacrifice anything to God – material thing is their god.

Jesus warned,

“Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mat 19:23-24)

The rich man here is the one who has made material things his god.

“Success has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It’s what you do for others” – Danny Thomas

You will be happy and your children will celebrate you as you allow yourself to become a channel of God’s blessing.

“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:” (Gen 12:2)

Apostle Lawrence Achudume
The General Overseer of Victory Life Bible Church Int'l
With branches spread across the globe
Can be reached on victory2life@yahoo.com
This message can be reproduced but must be duely credited.