Dearest one, you may have often heard the phrase that “money is the root of all evil”. Today you are called to be God’s responsible steward and to consider these financial doors that may be often overlooked but can lead to ruin.
Like all other resources in our earthly life, money in itself is not evil and is a part of God’s creation. His boundless love, God desires for us to have an abundant life that includes not only spiritual riches but also ensuring that our material needs are well taken care of. Wealth in its truest sense, is a blessing from God and an instrument that can enhance our lives and those around us.
God does not frown upon us accumulating wealth or having stable finances. In fact the Bible contains numerous accounts of faithful servants whom God blessed with material wealth, such as Abraham, Solomon, and Job. They used their wealth for good, to help others and to honor God. It is the unchecked love of money, leading to greed and obsession, that can give birth to various forms of evil.
Pay heed to the following and make sure to close these negative doors and pitfalls in your life as soon as possible!
The Door of Unrestrained Desire
Desiring wealth is not wrong in itself, it is the unrestrained, insatiable craving for it that becomes a pitfall. This desire blinds us, leading us to decisions that might harm others and ourselves. The more we accumulate for the sake of accumulating, the less we contribute to the well-being of our fellow beings and the world at large.
Action: Pray for discernment and contentment. Avoid becoming slaves to an endless cycle of desire and acquisition.
The Door of Hasty Decisions
“Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22). Impulsivity and haste are often the enemies of wise financial decisions. We rush to seize opportunities without thorough analysis or prayerful consideration, only to find ourselves entrapped in unfavorable circumstances.
Action: Always take time to reflect, seek advice, and pray before making financial decisions. Avoid haste, for it often leads to waste.
The Door of Indebtedness
Borrowing can sometimes become a way of life, leading us into a spiraling trap of endless debt. This burdens us not just financially, but emotionally and spiritually as well. We become tied to our creditors, often losing our peace of mind and freedom.
Action: Strive to live within your means. Avoid unnecessary borrowing and focus on reducing and eventually eliminating debt.
The Door of Greed
Greed often leads us to unethical actions and decisions. It can cause us to exploit others, manipulate circumstances and act dishonestly. While such actions might lead to temporary gains, they also lead to long-term harm to ourselves and others.
Action: Choose integrity over short-term gains. Avoid actions that harm others for your financial benefit.
God’s Wants You to Acquire Wealth, And Share It!
In His wisdom, God wants us to be responsible stewards of our wealth. We are encouraged to accumulate money, but not at the expense of our moral integrity or at the detriment of others. He wants us to use money as a tool to uplift those in need and to contribute to the betterment of our communities.
The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) teaches us that God entrusts us with resources and expects us to use them wisely and productively. He wants us to grow our wealth, but also to share our abundance with others. It is in sharing that we truly align with God’s generous nature and experience the joy of giving.
Let us remember that our worth is not defined by our bank accounts but by our spiritual and moral character. Money is not evil, but it’s our attitudes and actions towards it that can lead to evil. As faithful servants, let us use money as a tool to enhance lives and glorify God, and not let it become our master, leading us astray from our spiritual path.
Prayer to Close All Negative Financial Doors
Beloved St. Padre Pio, we come before you today, seeking your divine intercession in our earthly journey.
We stand at the threshold of numerous financial doors, some leading to prosperity, others leading to peril.
We implore your assistance to discern the paths that God, in His infinite wisdom, has laid out for us.
Pray for us, so we may have the strength to close the doors of unrestrained desire, the doors that blind us with insatiable hunger for worldly riches.
Guide us to close the doors that lead to spiritual and financial impoverishment.
Pray for us to find the courage to resist temptation, to choose wisdom over haste, to avoid the shackles of debt, and to reject the deceitful allure of greed.
May we learn to be content, and not become slaves to a ceaseless cycle of desire and acquisition.
Grant us the humility to recognize our limitations and the wisdom to seek counsel.
May our financial decisions reflect our faith and uphold the dignity of all involved.
As we navigate this worldly journey, help us stay rooted in the divine will, ensuring our actions align with the love and justice of God.
St. Padre Pio, pray for us. Amen 🙏
