In the previous article we began a new series centering on the meaning of Christ’s words when he coined the saying “true riches” in Luke the sixteenth chapter. We talked about how when it comes to finances the issue is never how much you have or how much you make, it’s always the issue of priority. Are you keeping your love for God and your love for people as the main priority or have you fallen in love with your money and wealth building? Have you developed an unhealthy relationship with money that is making you vulnerable to Satan’s subtle deceptions and menuevers? Only you can answer that.
In today’s article we will talk about the immutable connection between our hearts and money which God has created and we will begin to talk about what the true riches are that Jesus was speaking about. I pray this is a blessing to you!
THE IMMUTABLE CONNECTION BETWEEN YOUR HEART AND TREASURE
(Lk 16:10-14)
10 “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.
11 Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
12 And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
13 “No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
14 Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him.â€
Once you understand that the issue with money is always priority, and once you understand that God wants us to be good stewards of both the unrighteous mammon (money) and the true riches, the next question that comes from meditating on the words of the Master found in (Lk.16:10-14) is: “what are the true riches”. I believe it is actually these true riches that bring about the greatest material riches, which I’ll prove from the bible in the writing ahead, but before I do I wish to remind you of a very important scriptural point that we must never forget. There has and always will be an undeniable link between our treasure and our hearts, and to deny this or ignore this is to be both foolish and unwise.
(Matt.6:21)
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Jesus said in a manner of speaking that the faithful handling of “the least”, of “the unrighteousness mammon” (or money), would lead to being entrusted with “true riches” (Lk.16:10-14) when He posed the question in (Luke 16:11). He also said that you cannot serve two masters; that you will inevitably end up loving one and hating the other. The revelation is clear to me: that as you faithfully handle money and it’s power and do not grow to love it, and if you only love the Lord with your whole heart, then the Lord through relationship with you will direct you in stewarding the flow of this power. There your treasure will be, advancing the kingdom, honoring the Lord, helping people who can’t help themselves, because there your heart will be serving one master, the your Lord your God! As you do this you will find yourself obtaining what the Lord calls “true riches” which actually brings on the greater wealth and prosperity because you’ve been counted as a worthy steward, a faithful steward, whom God promised would have more.
There is a synergistic relationship between true riches and money/wealth that is very biblical and undeniable. Like we see here in this scripture, faithfulness in handling money leads to the Lord trusting you with true riches, and as we see with Solomon (which we’ll look into more later) true riches such as wisdom and discernment automatically bring to you wealth and prosperity. They feed off of one another when we handle both God’s way. We must apply our hearts to wisdom concerning this matter and be men and women who are good stewards of both to advance the kingdom in our day and represent the Lord in purity and power!
Consider the words of Jesus in Matthew the twenty-fifth chapter concerning this matter. To the faithful servants who wisely and faithfully handled the unrighteous mammon, upon the return of the Master they were rewarded handsomely, even promised the rulership over cities (Lk.19:17). This speaks of not just getting a return on investment money in something like paper assets, but the acquiring of material assets, like real estate, that actually produce & make money. These servants were rewarded with “cities”, which is to say “domains” that administer all the life, money, wealth, and growth that one could ever dream of having. This reward was evidence of the true riches which are carried in the hearts of kings, in those who are of noble character and who have excellent spirits (Prov.17:27; Dan.5:14). Those who are noble of heart begin to possess the true riches, and those true riches of the heart which the Lord has blessed them with only qualifies them to steward more riches and wealth for the Lord and the advancing of his kingdom purposes in the earth! This truth is seen clearly in the lives of biblical characters such as Joseph, Daniel, and Solomon. Let’s begin to look at some of these true riches.
THE TRUE RICHES OF WISDOM, UNDERSTANDING, & KNOWLEDGE
(Prov.4:7) KJV
“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.”
(Prov.8:11) KJV
“For wisdom is better than rubies, and all the things one may desire cannot be compared with her.”
(Prov.8:15-21) KJV
15 “By me (Wisdom) kings reign, and princes decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
18 Riches and honor are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, fine gold: and my revenue than choice silver.
20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.â€
(Prov.16:16) KJV “How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!”
(Prov.22:1) KJV
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.”
I think we get the point. The bible is so abundantly clear about this subject. Only a fool seeks out money (the unrighteous mammon) in place of wisdom, understanding, & knowledge (true riches). As I’ve mentioned before there’s a cycle of stewardship that is required in such things, before the eyes of the Lord. If one wisely and faithfully walks through that cycle they must by God’s power carry the treasures of true wisdom in their hearts. They must begin to rule and reign with the Lord, and as a natural by-product, wealth, power, influence,... all these things will all come into their domain because the Lord trusts them. The Lord will add these things to them.
It takes wisdom to faithfully steward the unrighteous mammon. As one is faithful to obey Wisdom, to walk with Wisdom, and to grow in Wisdom, then more of these true riches will be found in their hearts. As they grow in these true riches of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge, just as the scripture promises, these true riches will be found with “riches and honor” (Prov.8:18). They will cause those that love them to “inherit substance” and “fill their treasures” (Prov.8:21). This must happen because God said it. It is an evil spirit that causes preachers that exalt poverty to deny such clearly revealed scriptural truths.
THE NOBILITY OF DANIEL
Daniel was among those of a noble heart and of noble birth who were carried off to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar conquered Israel. Just knowing that He was of the royal household of Israel and of noble birth (Dan.1:3-6) would tell us that He was trained, educated, and given a greater level of wisdom than any commoner because of his upbringing. But the bible further confirms these treasures he carried in his heart with him into Babylon in this passage:
(Dan.1:3-4)
“3 Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Israel and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles,
4 young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed for them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king.
6 Now from among those of the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.â€
As the bible makes clear, by wisdom kings reign and princes rule (Prov.8:15-16). By nature of this spiritual law Daniel immediately ascended with his other peers who were of noble birth because they possessed a degree of these true riches already. They were “gifted in all wisdom”, “possessing knowledge”, and “quick to understand”. People think that intelligence or being smart is just something you're born with, and yes some are clearly naturally gifted in such a way without any preparation or training toward it. But one can grow smarter and can come to possess quicker wit, making them to come to quicker understanding on matters if their minds are trained and if they come to possess these true riches.
Daniel and his peers were gifted in all wisdom. I don’t believe it was a gift that they were born with that gave them this wisdom, but rather the gift of wisdom which is part of the true riches of the Lord and of the heart, that they were gifted with as they were instructed well as Jewish nobles from a very young age. “All” wisdom indicates that there was a great variety of learning and tutorship that they were exposed to from childhood, and to receive such deep and thorough teaching from a young age is truly a gift from God. This is part of what makes a man or woman of a noble heart and of a noble mind, regardless of which family they were born to. What matters is the true riches that you come to possess in your heart. Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are true riches which we all should seek everyday to fill the chests of our hearts with to overflowing.
The bible went on to describe the “excellent spirit” that Daniel possessed as He continued to be elevated by the Lord to high positions of power and influence in Babylon, instructing kings and shaping the course of history in the strongest nation on planet earth at the time.
(Dan.5:14)
12 “Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.
13 Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke, and said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah?
14 I have heard of you, that the Spirit of God is in you, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom are found in you.â€
(Prov.17:27)
“He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.”
Just as we talked about before, these things are synergistic. They have a way of feeding off of one another and promoting one another. As you steward and grow the true riches of wisdom, understanding, and knowledge through diligence, hard work, study, meditation, etc… then you attract things like favor, wealth, and influence. As you use the little wisdom you have to steward the unrighteous mammon it will qualify you, like Jesus said, for true riches, and these true riches will beget more unrighteous mammon for you to steward. Do you see how that works?
As you are faithful to grow in the true riches of wisdom, understanding, & knowledge through careful study, reading, and learning, then you come to possess a more noble heart. The kingly anointing begins to come upon you and you begin to experience more of the restoration of the sons of God which Jesus purchased for you with his own blood. To have a noble heart is to have an excellent spirit. Light and understanding will be found in you like they were found in Daniel (Dan.5:14). The Spirit of God will fill you all the more, and you will even come to understand dreams, solve problems that nobody else can, and discover the answer to mysteries that have evaded men of less godliness and nobility.
THE PATIENCE AND FRUIT BEARING OF THE NOBLE HEART
(Lk.8:15)
“But to those that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”
Those who are of that noble heart, who have that excellent spirit, because they have given their hearts to the Lord, because they have given themselves to wisdom and the priority of God’s true riches, they are the ones that bear the most fruit. They are the ones that bear fruit with patience which yields long term growth as opposed to overnight success that is sure to evaporate according to the word (Prov.20:21). Patience is another sign of the true riches of wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. He that is hasty in gathering wealth will watch it dwindle, but He that patiently gathers it little by little will increase it (Prov.13:11). The wise noble heart bears fruit consistently, long term, because the wise noble heart is patient and avoids the pitfalls that come from the desire to gain quick riches while bypassing the labor of riches.
The Lord is calling forth a company of people in this hour who will be bear the noble heart of Jesus in the earth. They will have money but money will never have them. They will possess uncanny unearthly wisdom from above, and they will use these treasures for the glory of God; they will use these treasures to advance the gospel and release the kingdom wherever they exercise their God-given influence. What a glorious thing to be alive for such times! What a glorious thing to hear the song of the bride and the call of the Lord for manifested sons and daughters to emerge! Can you hear that music? Can you hear that call?
ALL OF THE TREASURES OF WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE ARE HIDDEN IN CHRIST
(Col.2:2-3)
2 “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
In closing I would like to remind everyone that indeed all these treasures are hidden in Christ, therefore if there is any wisdom among you, if there is any knowledge among, if there is any understanding among you, Christ gets all the glory for these things. They were released by him from his hidden chambers as a gift to mankind.
The bible declares that by wisdom kings reign and princes rule (Prov.8:15-16), and that the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord (Prov.21:1). If there is any wisdom, any knowledge, any understanding that a king or prince possesses to rule and reign with it is because their hearts are in God’s hand. It is because the Lord freely gave that wisdom to these rulers so that they might better serve God’s people, just like with Solomon. Too often people in the nations, people in the secular world, are puffed up in their hearts and minds because of the things they’ve accomplished or because of the wisdom they’ve used to get to where they are. But they would do well to heed the warning from King Nebuchadnezzar, who became convinced of his own ability apart from God’s, who ended up being humbled by the Lord in a supernatural way (Hab.1:11; Dan.4:31-32).
The bible says that the secret hidden things belong to the Lord, and those things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever (Deut.29:29). Once the Lord reveals a hidden treasure of wisdom or knowledge to a people it belongs to them forever to pass down generationally as a gift. This explains the vast wealth of knowledge and wisdom that we’ve inherited and collected today from previous generations. The world is wealthier than it has ever been in these true riches. If God’s people would only see the value in them and apply themselves to these treasures just think of what we could accomplish in the near future to the glory of God?
But again I say, if a ruler knows wisdom it is because God took that which was hidden and revealed it. It is because God gave it as a free gift. All of these true riches of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Christ and we as the children of God have the right to ask for these things to be given (Ja.1:5). We have a right to ask and to seek for these things to be revealed in a new fresh cutting edge way, so that we might lead in the advances for mankind and use that influence for the kingdom and the gospel. Let us ask today and everyday henceforth for these true riches of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ. Let us study to show ourselves approved, making ourselves ready to steward these treasures (2 Tim.2:15). Let us be among those like Daniel who are noble in heart and are of an excellent spirit ready to serve the church and mankind alike. Let us value the priority of true riches such as wisdom, knowledge, and understanding instead of the rat race distractions involving money and earthly possessions which ensnare so many people. We are called to be among those who rule and reign with Christ on the earth to make this world a better place, and it is those who are of a noble and wise heart that will lead the way in this regard. Are you among them? Will you apply yourself to wisdom and knowledge and grow in nobility of heart?
Tomorrow we will continue this series. I pray this has been a blessing to you.
In His Service,
Stephen Powell
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