In 1987 SUVs were not common in Nigeria. When you saw one you stopped to look at it- you admired it, you longed for it and in the extreme case you envied the owner. So, imagine how I felt, when as we left a child naming ceremony, the owner of a Range Rover SUV gave me a ride. In my excitement I asked, “how do you feel owing a Range Rover?” and with a simile, he said it felt good and special to “look down” on people – it was a big car. That can’t be normal. That’s the spirit behind money – it’s called Mammon – Jesus identified it as an object of worship, warning us not to serve him (Matt. 6:24). That means it will take us away from God.

God is by definition, the unique supreme being, creator and ruler of the universe; a male object of worship (Chambers Dictionary). Because He is supreme – omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient… only He deserves to be worshipped, but for reasons best known to Satan he desired to be God (Isa. 14:12-14), leading to his fall.  See his profile: He started as LUCIFER – Latin translation of the Hebrew HEYLEHL – “The Shining One”. He is also called son of the morning – a general description for angels before the fall (Job 38:7). Now they (fallen angels) are called Nephilims (the unredeemables). He is now called according to Rev. 12:9, The dragon – Asian sources says, the embodiment of power, beauty and wisdom. He lost all this to become, after his fall the serpent; a name that carries negative reference in the Bible. From the root word, Nachash (hiss) which means a magician, an enchanter – To use Enchantment. It can also mean the snake.

As the Devil, from the Greek, Diabolos, he is the “Adversary”: one who constantly plot against the Redeemer and the plan of Redemption. As Satan, a Hebrew name that implies both “Adversary and Accuser, he constantly seeks to delegitimize the divinely ordained work of the Lord and His elect. See what he did in Genesis 3:1-7. “In this appearance to Eve as the “serpent,” it must be assumed that he pre­sented an attractive image of glory and wisdom, not a repugnant snake, because she did not run away, nor displayed any form of fear as they talked. He is also said to be “subtle,” from the Hebrew word ARUM that means, “sly, crafty or con­niving.” Thus, it becomes obvious that he was as evil as he was intelligent. He prom­ised Eve that she, too, could possess his worldly wisdom, which he demonstrated to her as being of such a superior nature that in the end, she had to have it. This manner of approach is what Paul called in 2 Corinthians 4:4 blinding the mind of people.

The word, blind the mind is NOEMA i.e. Perception, disposition, understanding. You just begin to see good in bad after accepting the lies of the Devil.

Note that it is the mind that he blinds, not the eyes. The eyes only feed the mind; that’s where information is processed and executed. That’s where the Devil attacks – to derail people from the will of God, so that they don’t see Jesus and what Jesus is saying or doing. To Eve, he said, please don’t mind God, feel free to eat the forbidden fruit; and then Eve began to see things anew. What had hitherto looked bland – unattractive or very ordinary took on glow and became pleasant to the eyes. Not only that, what she never desired to eat, now became a must have – good for food. Her perception changed – Satan had blinded her mind!

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, they say. Whoever coined that quip must have studied Satan. He doesn’t do new things like God, he uses the same tricks that fell Adam and Eve: Have you seen? Did God say? No, don’t mind Him, see what I’m showing you – it’s beautiful, it’s good for food and it will make you gods – wealthy and important. Ask Korah, ask Achan – they saw, they desired, then they took, then God judged them! See Numbers 16 and Joshua 6 and 7.

The prosperity preachers and the hypers – the motivational speakers suddenly showed up late 1980s armed with a new “truth” called prosperity message from the Devil. And people began to focus on the earthly. The rat race began as Christians are fed steps to receiving more from God – so that they can be better than their neighbour. But this is the “minor” in God’s school – kingdom; the Major – what really matter to Him is to make sure you get to heaven. That’s what he wants pulpit teachings to focus on; that’s the vision He wants you to have lest you focus on the Devil and the lure of wealth he has been using since the time of Adam to take people away from the city of God – His presence.

Let’s end this piece with the admonition of Paul to 1 Timothy 6:10 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

See also 1 Timothy 6:17-19.