Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Is Also

You really want to know where someone's heart is at? Follow their money.

Anyone can see that money has power in the world. It enables you to do things you couldn't do without it; it gives you access to people and places of prominence; it brings greater levels of comfort and convenience to your life; it gives you a certain level of respect from others. Money has the power to do all of these things. But the danger is not in having money. The true danger lies in putting your trust in it. Do you trust more in the power of money than the power of God? Do you find yourself believing that your problems will be solved when you have more money? Or that you will start giving when you have more money? Do you believe you will have greater joy when you have more money? When your joy, your peace, and your contentment, are all based off of the number in your bank account, then your trust is not in God, but in money.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

In Matthew 6, Jesus says that your heart is where your treasure is. This means that we can tell exactly where a person's heart is by where their money goes! This scripture illustrates the point Jesus was making when He asked a rich man to sell all of his possessions, give that money to the poor, and follow Him. The rich man wouldn't do it, but rather walked away sad because he had great wealth (this story is found in Matthew 19:16-26). The rich man's heart wasn't with the LORD, but it was with his wealth. You can see that by following his money. When Jesus sees that there is something stealing His place in our hearts, He will require it from us. Job said,

“Naked (without possessions) I came [into this world] from my mother’s womb, And naked I will return there. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Job 1:21

But here is the thing- God does not take from us by force. When Jesus encountered the young rich man, He asked that he sell all of his possessions, give all his money to the poor, forsake all, and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Why did Jesus ask this? Because He already knew that the rich man's heart was set upon his wealth, not upon the LORD.

Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17

Many have taught that the encounter between Jesus and the rich man in Matthew 6 is a lesson to all who are rich: that all with great wealth must sell all of their possessions, give up all of their riches, and tithe it to the church in order to meet God's will. That is not the truth. That is an example of someone using their platform within the church to deceive and manipulate the Body of Christ, for their own monetary gain. There are many rich men and women whom God is not calling to give up all of their wealth, because they don't trust in their wealth- they trust in God! And He trusts them to steward it well! The matter Jesus addressed in the rich man was not necessarily speaking of how we should always deal with great wealth in the kingdom of God. Instead, Jesus was addressing how we should not let money become the master of our hearts. Jesus asked the rich man to give up his wealth because He wanted his heart to be wholly consumed by God, not by money.

You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. Revelation 3:17-18

The message Jesus was conveying was, If you really love Me and trust Me more than your money, then put your treasure in heaven, put your trust in Me, value Me and My riches, not the treasures and riches of this world. But the man was unwilling and saddened by the notion, because his joy and his peace were dependent upon his money, not the LORD. His treasure- and his heart- were in earthly riches. If the man's heart were truly in God, then it would have shown by following his money... the trail of his money would have both shown to glorify God and also to prosper the man God's way. There is no question to the fact that the LORD would have blessed the man back in time with more than he gave in the first place! The LORD would have increased the man and multiplied him because that is what God wants for His people!

The LORD shall increase you more and more, you and your children.

Psalm 115:14

Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Proverbs 3:9-10

Jesus wasn't trying to take anything from the rich man. God doesn't steal, only the enemy does that.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 10:10

Jesus was trying to get the man to put his complete trust and dependence on God, because that is where true prosperity begins.

He who leans on and trusts in and is confident in his riches will fall, But the righteous [who trust in God’s provision] will flourish like a green leaf. Proverbs 11:28

You don't hear much teaching on finances in the church. Jesus sure did preach and teach on it, and He was straight to the point. He made it very clear that if you can't manage money well, then you can't be trusted with the true spiritual riches of God! Money is the least thing in the kingdom of God that we are expected to be able to steward faithfully. And if we can't be faithful with little, then how will we ever be faithful with much? Jesus preached on managing money, saying:

"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. Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?“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.”

Luke 16:10-13

God watches how we steward finances because they are a meter that shows where our heart is, and if we can manage money according to God's leading then we can be trusted with the true riches of God. The primary message that Jesus was giving here is that if you aren't faithful in that which is least (meaning money), then you won't be faithful in that which is greater (the spiritual riches of God). Where is your heart? Where does your money trail lead?

A great example of this is seen in the United States government as each day, the new leadership has been uncovering money trails that lead to nothing but deceit and fraud. Politicians and government programs over the past 4 years have been found to be spending as much as 3 million dollars on finding out how fast shrimp can run on treadmills.

$3 million of US Taxpayer Dollars

There are professional fraud rings being revealed that have taken 100-200 billion dollars of US Taxpayer money out of the country. And then there's USAID, who has spent 1.5 million dollars on advancing DEI in Serbia's workplaces, 70 thousand dollars on a production of a DEI musical in Ireland, 47 thousand dollars on a transgender opera in Columbia, 32 thousand dollars on a transgender comic book in Peru, and more. As these money trails are being disclosed to the people, America's current leadership is shutting down such unnecessary spending. You can easily see where the heart of America's government was before it's current administration, by following it's money. (You can follow the money of our past administration here.)

Everything in your life is a fruit, of the root of your relationship with God. Your thoughts, your conversation, your health, your wealth, your work, your marriage, your relationships- all will either be the manifested proof of your heart being set upon God, or upon something else. When your finances align with God's WORD- meaning they are a testimony and an outward demonstration of living out the WORD of God- then your treasure shows where your heart is because your prosperity is merely a fruit (a side effect) of your trust in God to prosper you. Jesus is the Vine, and you are the branch. All that JESUS IS, begins to produce through you in time. Someone who truly trusts in the LORD with their wealth will have proof of it in their life, and that proof is going to display His WORD because the branch produces from the Vine.

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." John 15:5

The issue isn't money. Money is not evil; it's the love of money that is evil. The issue is with putting your love and your trust in money. Whatever you serve becomes your master.

Do you not know that the one to whom you present yourselves as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of that same one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

Romans 6:16

Most people think that because they don't spend money on drugs or alcohol, their treasure is not in money. But when you follow where someone's money goes, you see where their heart truly lies. Perhaps when you step back you realize that while your money trail isn't leading to any crimes or injustices, it is leading to nothing but the love of self and vanity- gym, hair, nails, clothes, makeup, cars, and all things for self-care, self-indulgence, and self-reliance. Just like money in itself is not evil, neither are these things in themselves evil when they are brought under the obedience to God. But when your life and finances point to things that only serve the self alone and do not glorify God, it reveals where your heart is. Money becomes your master when it becomes your source and will eventually lead you to go against God's WORD as you deny Christ to serve money.

I once knew a Christian who had left their spouse for many years, and they were never going back. They had no contact, and while still legally married, they hadn't talked since the day they had left. After I had an opportunity to spend more time getting to know this Christian, I learned they were still receiving money in an account from their legal spouse on a monthly basis but had no desire to reconcile, while also having no desire to divorce. This Christian was a big tither, and looked as though they had no bondage to money. But they were tithing the money from their estranged spouse whom they refused to reconcile with, yet refused to divorce. This is not an example of trusting GOD, but trusting money instead. When given biblical advice to sever the marriage legally since they had decided to never unite with their legal spouse, the Christian claimed that God had "told" them not to terminate the legally binding marriage. It is crucial that we understand this: God will never lead someone to do something that does not align with His WORD. A feeling, or a sense, or a voice, or a word that contradicts the scriptures, is not GOD but is from the devil disguising himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). This story is an example of putting your trust in riches and depending on money to lead your life, instead of trusting God, depending on Him, and following His WORD.

Many times, we can try to justify unbiblical means of making money by tithing that money and using it to be generous. But when we are receiving money through relationships or jobs that do not align our lives with the scriptures, we are not living in faith but in fear. We fear losing the money in our lives, more than we love and trust in GOD to provide for us. We'd rather blatantly disobey God's WORD and hold onto our money, than risk temporarily facing lack and letting go of money in order to live faithful and obedient lives unto the LORD. We believe the lie that the area of compromise in our lives is doing us good, but it is actually bringing a huge burden of heaviness and distress upon our lives. Letting go may seem like the bigger burden, but when Jesus asks us to give up, it is so that He may empower us to go up. He lightens our load, so that we may increase in Him. But when we refuse Him, and hold onto what isn't serving Him, we bear the heavier yoke by our own will.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

Many people claim the name of JESUS, yet their lives reveal an outward display of knowingly opposing His WORD. Jesus is the WORD, so when we live our lives faithful to the scriptures, we are living a life of faith in Jesus Christ. Sometimes disobedience comes from being new to the faith, from plain ignorance, and a lack of knowledge. How can people know the truth if they haven't heard it yet? As we grow and continue learning God's WORD for the rest of our lives, He leads us and corrects us in His love. But sometimes people choose their own will, denying the WORD of GOD even after hearing, knowing, and understanding the scriptures. This is usually due to fear of lack and fear of loss. We think our way is safer, and will provide the better outcome. This is the journey of learning to trust GOD. Perhaps the Christian who refused to legally dissipate their estranged and unbiblical marriage was afraid that in legally divorcing, they would lose their monthly source of income. Perhaps they feared a future of facing lack. It is not wrong to fear such a scenario, but the sin creeps in when we act on that fear and we choose to live our lives upon the compromise instead of upon the WORD.Where is the Spirit of God in taking money from a marriage you've left for good? Where is God's prosperity in receiving finances from a spouse you never wish to see or speak with again? Where is true faith in not wanting reconciliation, but wanting the funds?

Follow the money, find the heart.

Letting go of reliance upon riches is never easy, Jesus even said it's impossible apart from GOD! But God is a good Father. He cares for His children. He holds Himself accountable to His own WORD, and HE WILL PROVIDE for His children. He will not leave them without provision, because He will not violate His own covenant that He has made with His own WORD. God does not lie. God had better provision for that Christian. Staying legally married to someone for no other reason than to receive financial income is not God's way of marriage, thus it was not prospering them God's way. It was actually keeping them tied down to a form of bondage, chained to something that God wanted them to be free from. From scripture we know that God says marriage is to be a representation of Christ's love for the church. To have the knowledge of God's WORD and God's will for marriage, and to blatantly disobey that, shows where this person's treasure was and thus where their heart was too. God gave them the opportunity of correction to align their life with His WORD and walk in His blessing- not to destroy them, but to bring them up higher. He corrects us with His WORD because we prosper by abiding in His WORD! A life faithfully living out the scriptures is a prosperous life! I know as much as anyone how easy it is to give in to the lie that God's course-correction in your life will not prosper you, but will harm you instead by means of loss. But we must remember Isaiah 55:11 that tells us God's WORD prospers wherever it goes, including in our own lives. We must remember that it is satan who comes to steal, not GOD (John 10:10). The surest and the only way to prosperity, is in direct alignment with God's WORD. All scripture- not some, but all- is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that we may be complete, fully equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:6). Obedience to God's WORD always prospers us. We may have to go through some trials and patiently endure for a time before we see it, but because of Who our GOD is, we can believe that He will prosper us. And even if it means letting go of something or someone, GOD- WHO IS PROSPERITY- will replace that void in our hearts and fill it with His love, His knowledge, and His blessing.

You can tithe, and still be serving money over God. You can read your Bible every day, and still be putting your financial needs ahead of God's WORD. Follow the money, and see where your heart lies. If you realize your own money trail isn't leading you to biblical prosperity, start being faithful to the WORD and ask Jesus to remove anything from your heart that isn't of Him, and pray for the LORD to lead you to prospering His way. He will not condemn you, but rather He will be quick to help you, correct you, lead you, and make you free in His love.

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

The revelation of the "money trail" was something profound to me. We at Kingdom Victory do not claim to be some holier-than-thou people who have managed our money perfectly every second of our lives- especially since we never learned much of anything regarding money in church, let alone how to steward it faithfully and walk in biblical prosperity. The only message we ever got from the church was:

"Money-bad; Tithing to Pastor-Good."

But God is so good, so wise and rich in knowledge; He has so much more for His people! This is why we at Kingdom Victory and Victory Investment Academy are here- to enlighten the eyes of your understanding to the truth of God's will, and the incredible hope to which He has called you in the riches of His glorious inheritance. We are here to help you increase in the knowledge of God and His WORD. God isn't a taskmaster looking to strip you of wealth, leave you poor, and kick you while you're down. He wants you to trust His goodness so much that you know with joy that what you give up unto Him, He will restore and increase 30, 60, and even 100 times over in His way and His timing. God is Prosperity. He delights in the prosperity of His servant, and you are much more than a servant- you are His child.

We encourage you to come to God today, and ask Him to show you where your treasure is. Ask Him to guide you by His WORD so that you can truly prosper, and not walk in a second-rate counterfeit of satan that is actually stealing from you, killing you, and destroying you. We are here to tell you that God is really, really good. His WORD is perfect, and it is the key to prosperity and success in this life. Putting God's WORD first will show you where your treasure is, even if like the rich man or the church woman it looks like you might lose your financial support. When you don't follow God's WORD because you fear losing something else, then that "something" shows where your heart is. Slapping the name of Jesus on your life, tithing, and speaking Christian lingo doesn't prove your heart, but being a living sacrifice and testimony to the WORD of God, continuing in His WORD, is what reveals a disciples heart that is truly set upon the LORD. Even when following the WORD ends up giving you a temporary financial loss. The WORD says that GOD WILL PROVIDE, and GOD WILL RESTORE! There have been things I once thought were good for me that I struggled to let go of. The process of letting go was painful, but it ended up being the best thing I ever did in my life. What I GAVE UP, made room for GOD to prosper me HIS way and it made way for me to GO UP in His Kingdom! Hallelujah! Is your trust in God, or is it in riches? Just as the money trail of the Christian led back to their estranged marriage, and just as the money trail of many corrupt government programs led back to fraud and abuse of US Taxpayer Dollars, the money trail in our own lives will show us what we treasure most, what we depend on, where our trust is, and where our heart lies.

Be willing to let go. That is the first step. And JESUS is there for us to lean upon every step of the way.

May God help you surrender your life to Him in every area- especially in that which is the least: your finances. May you build trust in Jesus and in His WORD, and in God's plans to prosper you and not to harm you in your life. May your heart be wholly given to God, so that He may prosper you His way, even if there is something or someone that you must give up in order to faithfully follow Him and go up His way. We bless you with wisdom and the knowledge of God, so that you may have a deep root of relationship with Him and produce a fruit that lasts and endures. May you be strengthened with might by the power of the Holy Spirit in your inner man to break free from the bondage of sin and to no longer serve money, but to serve Jesus Christ and be made free by the truth of His WORD. May you be blessed, to be a blessing. May you have bread, and seed to give. May you have enough, and extra as God supplies all of your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. God loosen the revelation of this blessing upon you now in the name of Jesus Christ.

So be it. Amen.

And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

And those who heard it said, “Who then can be saved?”

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Jeremiah 32:27

Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed You.”

So He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life.”

Luke 18:24-30

"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” John 6:63-69