Ysebel and Manny sat at the kitchen table going through their checkbook.  Somehow a mistake had been made somewhere in their calculations.  One check bounced, the store where the check came from charged an insufficient funds fee of $50.  Then the Bank charged an overdraft fee of $25.  The $75 removed from their account caused the next 5 checks to bounce with a repeat of fines and fees.  The loss to their checking account was a staggering $557 in the hole.  Manny was furious at Ysebel, likewise Ysebel was furious at Manny.  Neither knew how they would ever be able to overcome this very significant drain from their resources. 

              Manny made some very negative remarks to Ysebel about poor money management.  Ysebel came back with comments about never having enough money.  Manny stated that they would have enough money if Ysebel didn’t buy everything that was on sale whether they needed it or not.  “We use everything I purchase!” Ysebel demanded.  “The real problem is that we are in debt way over our heads.  You had to buy new stuff on the credit card. You think you need new and better tools and sports equipment rather than making use of what you have!”  “I rarely buy anything, once in a great while I splurge and buy something for myself and you throw it back in my face.  The truth is that every time I look in your closet I see new dresses and new shoes that you didn’t have before.  You are the one not making use of what you have!” 

              Flashes of fire burned in Ysebel’s eyes, as she said.  “I cannot believe how stingy you have become.  So many times I know you have money but you hide it from me.  I know it is there, so I spend it anyway.  If you would just be honest with me about the money we have then I wouldn’t have to guess and we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in right now!”  Manny raised his hand intending to slap Ysebel in the mouth, when quickly Ysebel stood up. “Touch me like that and I swear on my grandmother’s grave that you will never touch me again.”  Pointing her finger directly between his eyes she added,  “I grew up looking at the bruises my father left on my mother when he hit her and I swore that I would never stay married to a man that hit me, not even once.”  Manny lowered his hand and hung his head realizing how things were getting out of control.  

              “We can’t undo the problem we are in by fighting about it.”  Manny admitted.  “I think our tempers are getting the best of us, we should call it a night before we say or do something we will regret in the morning.”  “Fine.” Ysebel angrily agreed.  “But you sleep on the couch tonight because I don’t want anything to do with you right now.” She added. 

              In the morning Manny called Pastor Sanchez at their church and asked if he could set up a meeting with them for financial counseling.   Manny explained what happened with their checkbook and how they nearly came to blows last night and Ysebel even threatened divorce.  “I’m scared.” Manny admitted, “We really need your help right away.”  Pastor Sanchez set up a meeting with them that very afternoon.  When they arrived at Pastor Sanchez’s office they began to talk about their money problem.   But Pastor Sanchez redirected them.  He wanted to know what was said in their argument that led to such a volatile situation.  Manny and Ysebel repeated as much as they could remember as Pastor Sanchez listened intently.  

              After they had told the entire ugly episode, Pastor Sanchez opened his Bible and read out loud, "No one 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. Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?  Matthew 6:24-25.”  Looking up from his Bible, with a smile on his face that spread from ear to ear, he proclaimed, “Well, can you imagine that?  This Bible has just solved all your problems.”  Ysebel and Manny looked at each other, then looked at Pastor Sanchez, shrugging their shoulders they asked, “What did it say?”  Still smiling, Pastor Sanchez opened his arms out to them and declared, “The Bible says you both are serving mammon.”  “It did?” They questioned.  “Absolutely,” Pastor Sanchez responded. “If you were serving God you wouldn’t care about what you will eat or drink.  But because you are serving mammon you are fighting over money.”  “How does that solve our problem?”  Manny asked.  “Simple,” Pastor Sanchez announced, “You start serving God and you stop serving mammon.”   “Well, what’s mammon?”  Ysebel asked.  “I’m glad you asked that question,” Pastor Sanchez stated, “Mammon is the false god of prosperity.  It is an evil spirit that causes men to give power and authority to money when it is actually of no value whatsoever.  Mammon causes people to become fearful of running out of money when actually God supplies all our needs.  Then mammon turns our hearts to love money and trust riches when our hearts are supposed to belong to God, and trust God alone.” 

              Still ever smiling, Pastor Sanchez flings his arms wide open once again, to say, “It is a wonderful thing that you had this financial problem, otherwise you may have never known how deeply mammon has infiltrated your spiritual life.  But now that you know we can turn your hearts back to God again.” “But Pastor Sanchez,” Manny argued, “It still doesn’t solve our problem, because serving God won’t give us our $557 we lost.”   “Ah, that’s where you are wrong.” Pastor Sanchez said with glee, “Let me ask you this: Have you thought to pray about it yet?  I mean did you specifically ask God to help you make restitution to the bank?”  “No.” Ysebel and Manny admitted.  “Then you are right, God can’t solve your problem because you did not ask Him to solve your problem.”  Still smiling ear to ear, Pastor Sanchez questioned them, “Unless you want to give God a try?  Believe me; I’ve seen Him do far greater things than come up with a measly $500.” 

              Right then and there the three of them knelt down on their knees and prayed to God about it for the first time.  Manny and Ysebel prayed for forgiveness and Pastor Sanchez lifted up this young couple in consecration to God.  Three days later Manny called Pastor Sanchez on the telephone to tell his about the miracle God preformed in answer to their prayers.  He said “At one of the grocery stores where I wax and polish floors the owner approached me last night.  He said to me “Manny, I have seen you doing floors here for several years now and I have always appreciated your diligence and thorough work.  I believe I can judge the character of a person by the quality of work they do.  But recently my billing clerk brought to my attention that you passed a bad check in our store, is that true?”  He asked.  I had to tell him the truth.  So then he asked me, “What were the total damages that you ended up owing the bank?”  I told him.  “Then he asked me if I could afford that?”  And I answered him, No it was way more than we could afford.  Then he said the thing that was the greatest shock to me, he would give me a loan to pay the bank what we owed with no interest, just as long as I paid him $50 a month for the next year until it’s all repaid.  I couldn’t believe my ears.  It was too good to be true.  Pastor we can’t thank you enough.”  Pastor Sanchez answered with a big smile on his face, “No, don’t thank me, Praise God!”

Discussion Questions:

1.  What did Pastor Sanchez mean when he said that money had no value?

2.  What qualities of Manny’s stinginess and Ysebel’s impulse buying does Pastor Sanchez describe to be of the spirit of mammon?

3.  Discuss what steps you may need to make in order to resist the spirit of mammon in your lives?

4.  Share what miracles God has done for you in your lives like Manny and Ysebel’s answered money prayer.

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