𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲.

Abraham had just won a war. He rescued Lot, recovered all the goods of Sodom, and the king of Sodom came out to meet him with an offer any businessman would take: "Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself." Genesis 14:21
Legitimate spoils. Earned in battle. Nobody would have questioned it.
Abraham refused. "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord… that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet… lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich." Genesis 14:22-23
Not a shoelace. Because he understood something most of us learn too late: 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿. Whoever can say "I made you rich" owns a piece of your story, and eventually a piece of your voice.
Scripture is full of this discernment.
Elisha healed Naaman and refused his silver, so that a Syrian general would never think grace had a price tag. His servant Gehazi ran after the gift and inherited the leprosy. 2 Kings 5
Peter was offered money by Simon the sorcerer for spiritual power and said, "Thy money perish with thee." Acts 8:20
Paul refused support from the Corinthians, though he had the right to it, because in that city it would have compromised the message. 1 Corinthians 9:12. Same apostle gladly took it from the Philippians. The issue was never the money. It was what the money would purchase in the giver's mind.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲.
Some questions before you take the deal, the client, the investor, the partnership:
Who will be able to say "I made you"?
What will this money expect me to be silent about later?
Is this increase, or is it a leash?
Would I still take it if the giver's name were attached to every naira forever?
The deal can be legal, profitable and still be the king of Sodom's gold. Abraham walked away from a fortune and in the very next chapter God said, "Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." Genesis 15:1. The reward he refused from man was replaced by the Reward Himself.
Here is the balance. This is not paranoia about money. Abraham took gifts from Pharaoh and Abimelech. He was rich. The point is that he decided, in advance, who could never be his sponsor. He had a line before the offer came.
Draw yours now. In the moment, the gold is too shiny to think clearly.
"Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right." Proverbs 16:8
Let God be the one who made you rich. Nobody else gets that sentence.
#InNotOf #Faith #Money #Integrity