gambling

 

Gambling: Breaking the Chain of Financial Bondage

In past generations, public opinion in the United States was not favorable towards gambling. However, recent polls have shown that the majority of Americans now favorlegalized gambling. The argument that legalization would limit and control gambling while providing a windfall of finances for public education has proven fallacious. The net income after expense has proven minimal and illegal gambling has increased rather than diminished alongside legal gambling.Gamblers Anonymous states that there are now ten million compulsive gamblers in the United States. Gamblers Anonymous has shown itself unable to mitigate this growing gambling problem, as have most of the American churches. Some churches believe that the Bible does not give a clear message on Gambling. Other churches have in fact, used gambling in the form of raffles and Bingo to raise money.As we search the word of God, we can see clearly that the Bible is against gambling. While the specific word gambling is not mentioned in the Bible, He does say, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” Psalms 24:1. “For every beast of the forest is mine and the cattle upon a thousand hills.” Psalms 50:10. “The silver is mine and the gold is mine.” Haggai 2:8.In other words, everything belongs to Him and we are His stewards. His standard of righteous stewardship stands in opposition to gambling which is symptomatic of a compulsive satanic spirit. While compulsive gambling is recognized as a sickness, this same satanic spirit of greed is pervasive in the life of mainstream America. It is the spirit of “striking it rich” winning exponentially without effort of work and stewardship. The false illusion of this spirit is that if you strike it rich, your problems will be over. However, the bible says that money made this way will not last. Proverbs 28:22Satan works against financial stewardship because the child of god takes the unrighteous mammon out of Satan’s kingdom and presses it into the kingdom of God, where it has miraculous exponential impact. One example is the tithe. The Lord said in His word that the tithe would be the gateway to a miraculous opening of His kingdom pouring out blessings that could not be contained. Malachi 3:10.While righteous stewardship by the child of God can bring miraculous blessings, unrighteous stewardship can bring disastrous consequences. Unrighteous stewardship imbedded in this gambling spirit has resulted in the perilous state of the United States andworld economies. This unrighteous stewardship was present in government, Wall Street, banks, as well as the population at large. The easy money, Satanic gambling spirit was represented by no money down mortgages, interest only loans, and second mortgages written to the full value of the property and beyond.  The adjustable rate mortgages seemed to be a striking it rich windfall for banks and Wall Street until the housing market declined, mortgages defaulted and the system collapsed….all of those that gambled on easy money lost. Their actions have precipitated one of the deepest recessions since the great depression.Jesus considered stewardship so important that He asked, “If you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Luke 16:10. He set righteous stewardship as a precursor for spiritual maturity. Simply put, you will either take control of money and material things in your life or they will control you.He said you cannot serve God and mammon. If we are bound by chains of indebtedness and financial bondage, we are servants of mammon and not God. The Bible says that “the borrower is servant to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7. Our society and World is debt driven and will attempt to draw us into their chains of financial bondage. It progresses from credit cards and installment debt, student and bank loans to car payments, home mortgages, second mortgages, add infinitum.If we are a good credit risk, they will loan us more than we should borrow sometimes more than we can pay back. Although, as a child of god we would never gamble at a casino, many of us have gambled with debt. So, what happens if we have gambled with indebtedness and find ourselves bound by chains of bondage, head over our heels in debt? As the unrighteous steward in Luke 16 was deemed righteous in developing a plan of debt reduction, we too must develop a plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate debt.We must develop a budget plan seeking to cut expenses while applying savings toward debt reduction. If the debt load seems impossible instead of going to a bankruptcy attorney, we should go to the creditors and work out a plan. For those that are under employed or unemployed, Jesus spoke about provision in Matt. Chapter 6, when He said, “Behold the fowls of the air.” Matt 6:26. The fowls obtain adequate provision because of three factors: great intuitive faith, strong work ethic, and God’s love. It is what we call “sparrow faith.” Sparrow faith says if you want a 40 hour a week job, you should look 40 hours per week.With these three factors working in our lives we will be able to obtain adequate provision. In the next verse Jesus tells us to, “Consider the lilies of the field.” Lilies have two major qualities: They are tough and they are tenacious. No matter in what soil they are planted, they thrive. These inherent qualities will help us to succeed and prosper in obtaining continuing provision and stepping up to our debt.There are times, however, in our lives when we have tried to do the right thing and circumstances beyond our control come and our financial world seems to collapse: what do we do then? In times like these, the Lord gives us the example of the ant, He says, “Go to the ant, thou sluggard consider her ways and be wise.” Prov. 6:6. In consideration, we see a tremendous steward, who when her colony is decimated and theprovisional savings are destroyed, goes to work with a renewed vigor and determination to rebuild what was lost. With that kind of work ethic, we can also rebuild our lives.The bottom line is that we must look to God and his word for deliverance from gambling and other types of financial bondage. He says, “Without me you can do nothing.” John 15:5.  our lives must grow and mature in all areas of faithfulness including finance. This maturity will exhibit itself in a desire to eliminate debt and develop righteous stewardship. We will be living epistles known and read of others who being bound by sin such as gambling seek to find their way to a loving god,one who is able to set them free.

Making a bargain with-the devil

 

Title: Making a bargain with—-the devil

Author: Wesley G. Shaw, PhD

In a recent article in USA Today titled, “Fed expected to make big bond buy; what will impact be?” Ben Bernankil, chairman of the Federal Reserve, was quoted as saying, “Evidence suggests that our previous program of securities purchases was successful in bringing down longer term interest rates and thereby supporting the economic recovery.”

“The Fed,” is expected to give the economy the equivalent a B-12 shot. Many economists question whether it will be sufficient to invigorate the stagnant economy. Others are adamant in their pessimism that this action will accelerate inflationary conditions. In regard to inflation, Thomas Hoenig, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, expressed his trepidation saying, “When you try to accelerate job growth, with monetary policy alone, you are making a bargain, I am afraid, with the Devil!”

This action would be the Feds largest since it bought $1.7 trillion in bonds starting in 2009 in the financial crisis. The goal is to drive up the prices of long term bonds, which in turn pushes down yields. This action results in pulling down rates on mortgages, and other loans, activating consumers to buy homes and cars, and motivating businesses to invest, expand and hire workers.

Word of this action in the market place, has had the impact of raising stocks and lowering interest rates. The yield on the ten year Treasury bond fell from 2.86 percent to as low as 2.38 per cent. The S & P 500 stock index was up 4.7 percent. “The Fed” is under pres sure to act because the recovery from the recession has been so slow, and there is a prevailing fear that a failure to act might result is a “double dip” extension worsening the recession.

Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moodys Analytics says, “The Fed has little choice: the risk of slipping back into recession is uncomfortable high.” Zandi estimates five hundred billion in treasury purchases would boost economic growth next year to 2.7 per cent from 2.4 percent, create 250,000 jobs, and trim unemployment two thirds of a percentage point.

Brian Bethune, of HIS Global Insight, says it could have a greater impact by raising investor confidence, lowering the value of the dollar, and boosting exports. However, Mr. Hoenig, in his comment of bargaining with the Devil, submits that the probable modest gains are not worth the risk of the deleterious impact of hyperinflation.

In reality, could Mr. Hoenig be correct in his assumption that inflation is somehow devilish of satanic in origin? One has only to look back in history to see the destructive impact of runaway inflation to come into agreement with Mr. Hoenig’s assertion.

Mental images come to mind of Germany’s demise after World War 1, where a wheelbarrow load of money would buy a loaf of bread.

Those perilous conditions gave rise to a demonic young dictator, named Adolf Hitler,

Who found a scapegoat and destroyed six million Jews. The word of God in 1 John 3:10 gives us a measure of understanding saying, “In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devil: whoever doeth not righteousness is not of God.”

Any decision that results in the propagation of something as sinister and destructive as inflation is unrighteous. The potential volatility and loss of worth of the dollar was understood by our Lord when He called money the ‘least of things.” In Luke 16:10, He said, “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.”

Our stewardship is more important to God than money because money has no intrinsic value only the value placed upon it by men and their markets. The dollars value ebbs and flows daily in relation to other currencies and our leader’s stewardship. Accordingly, we should pray for our leaders to make proper long term decisions.

When the persecution intensified against the Jews in Germany, most lost all their earthly wealth and property. Those that were fortunate enough to escape left with three things that would help to sustain themselves: 1. Training in Old Testament principles of financial stewardship. 2. Strong work ethic and determination to succeed. 3. Intellectual wealth (training in trades and professions).

These same characteristic should help us in the most perilous of times should they come. The underlying strong faith of the Jews in the Jehovah in the Old Testament is intensified in us knowing that His spirit now resides in us and will sustain us where ever we go and what ever we face. Amen

USA Today

“Fed Expected To Make Big Bond Buys; What Will The Impact Be?”

Friday, October 29, 2010

 adjunct professor

International Biblical College, Jerusalem, Israel