We live in a world where everything seems to be regulated by money. America is the most materialistically minded nation in the world--also the deepest in debt. Its national debt is a rapidly growing, hungry monster that feeds on money, and no one is able to control its appetite. After it devours the finances of this country, it will move on to others. It doesn't take a financial expert to see that America is setting the stage for a global economic disaster. And, as for people who depend on worldly wealth for their security . . . well . . . it is no wonder they are nervous!

Individuals as well as nations have an obsession with money; it is the topic of most conversations. Worldly riches include more than money or other physical possessions. Gaining the approval of others is a priceless worldly treasure, and a good self image is valued more than silver and gold. But these worldly riches are deceitful; it doesn't pay to place your trust in them. The Bible says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1John 2:15-17).

It is really hard these days to view the world in a positive way. But what can one expect from a world system motivated by greed, from a system whose Chairman of the Board is the devil himself (2Cor.4:4)? It is so absurd that it is almost humorous to listen to people who think that by human effort the system can be changed. Are they going to convince the Chairman of the Board to mend his ways? Are they going to extinguish the evil fire consuming the planet or stop the flood of evil that is stronger than the ocean tide? Are they going to repair and keep afloat this ship called Earth that is destined for destruction? I say to them, "Come now, let's be rational . . . isn't it time to get out of the fire and come into the kingdom of God? Isn't it time to leave the insecurity system of the world and get into the care of the Heavenly Father?"

Living in the care of the Father while we are still here on earth does not mean we should stop trying to earn a living to support ourselves and our family. Work is a blessing when it is not misused. King Solomon said, "Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God" (Eccl.5:18,19). Rather than misusing the gift of labor, as those who operate in the methods of the world do, we should learn to function in the way of the Kingdom of God.

The Bible teaches that when we come to Christ we not only become "a new creature" but that "old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2Cor.5:17). It is time for the people of God to give up the old ways of the world and learn how to operate in the Kingdom, not being intimidated by the world system. Christians are not in a system but in a family that functions in love and honesty under the care of the Father. Well . . . at least, that is how it should be!

People of the world are in a relentless pursuit to learn the ways of the corrupt system of the world, while the people of God remain nonchalant about the ways of the Kingdom. Jesus said, "For the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light" (Luke 16:8). In other words, He was saying that the children of the world know how to operate in the corrupt way of the world system much better than the children of God know how to function in the righteous way of the Kingdom. Perhaps we Christians want some of both ways, but that is an impossibility; we must forsake one and cling to the other. Jesus said, "Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Luke 16:13).

In the parable Jesus told in Luke, chapter 16, about the unjust steward, we can see a man who was skillful at operating in the system of the world. He was an expert at wheeling and dealing in unrighteous mammon (worldly riches). He was employed as a manager of a business, got caught wasting his employer's goods and was about to be fired. This placed him in a dilemma, for he was unable to do physical work and was too proud to beg. Therefore, he came up with a worldly scheme to make worldly friends who would welcome him into their worldly houses when he was out of a job.

Before his notice to leave expired, he called his employer's debtors to tell them how he could do them a big favor by lowering their debt. He told the first debtor to take his bill and rewrite it to half what he owed; the next he instructed to take off twenty percent. This went on until he had contacted all who were on the list of outstanding accounts. When his boss found out what was going on, you would think he would have been angry, but he was not. In fact, he was pleased and he commended his manager. He probably thought that anyone who knew how to operate in such a shady way was an asset, not a liability; that someone so skillful at gaining the approval of others would be good for business.

Now, there is a worldly success story! The man was on his way out, he had his walking papers; then, by gaining the approval of others, he received a welcome invitation into their houses, got a pat on the back from his boss, and probably received a nice raise in salary. But why can't we be as successful in the way of the Kingdom of God as that man was in the way of the world? The problem is that we try to use his worldly methods in God's Kingdom. It is no wonder we fail!

Before you say, "Who . . . me? Why, I would never try anything like that," let me say that we all get caught up in the ways of the world; we are not beyond trying to gain the approval of others by building a good self image. A sure sign that we Christians are still functioning in the world system is when we go to such an extent as to use a precious spiritual gift to build an image. For example, one of the most sought after gifts of the Spirit is the gift of healing. Is the great longing for that gift to benefit the sick, or is it to attract attention to the holder of the gift?

As mighty and wonderful as the gifts of the Spirit are, still, they do not compare with the true riches of our inheritance. Some who have certain gifts of the Spirit are greatly lacking in those true riches. I have had a man who was greatly gifted and mightily used of God tell me that he seldom had any peace. Gifts of the Spirit are supernatural, yet they are temporal; they are not everlasting like the true riches are that can be used here on earth and stored up in Heaven. Gifts of the Spirit will not be needed there. What would anyone do with the gift of healing in Heaven?

It is not that we children of God don't want the true riches of our inheritance. Who in his right mind would turn down the supernatural riches of peace or joy or love? The problem is we don't position ourselves to receive them. We are so slow to let go of the weak corrupt system of the world and to place ourselves under the mighty care of God. How long, after we come to Christ, will it take for us to get weaned from the mammon of unrighteousness?

After Jesus told the parable of the unjust steward, He said, "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations"(Luke 16:9). For years that verse has puzzled me. Just recently it began to open up to my heart.

The place where one lives is called a "habitation." It can be a physical area or a state of being. While we who belong to Christ remain on Planet Earth, we can choose to live in the insecurity of the earthly riches, or we can live in the everlasting true riches of our inheritance. The Bible says to "Keep yourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21). His love is eternal. Now, that is the place to live; it is an "everlasting habitation"!

But it was the first part of the verse that was the hardest to understand. I prayed, "Lord, how can I make friends with the mammon of unrighteousness?" Then, deep within I heard, "Think of what I called Judas." Immediately I realized that at the very time Judas was betraying Him, Jesus called Judas "Friend" (Mat.26:50)!

Jesus was not angry with His betrayer. He did not rail at him; He called him "Friend"! As strange as it may sound, Judas did Jesus a favor. He helped in bringing about the fulfillment of the main purpose of why Jesus was here on earth. And when we learn from experience what a deceitful betrayer unrighteous mammon is, rather than becoming bitter and railing against it, we should regard it as a "friend"; for when it betrays us, it does us a favor by making us realize how foolish it is to place our trust in worldly riches rather than in the Living God! It is a friend that helps bring us to a place where the main purpose of why we are here on earth is fulfilled, which is to live in that everlasting habitation: the love of God!

Don't be angry at that which made you fail. If you have tried to function in the ways of the world --and failed--it really is a blessing in disguise. Regardless of how bad it was, consider it a friend that helped you to know that the wealth of the world cannot compare with the true riches in the estate of Christ.

Worldly riches that are highly esteemed among men, such as, having a good self image and knowing how to gain the approval of others, can be obtained by people of the world who know how to operate in unrighteous mammon. They will have success according to their standards. But when a child of God tries to operate that way, sooner or later, he is in for a big failure. It is O.K. to fail in the world. Nothing works better for a child of God than to have a good big failure at operating in the system of the world; that is, if following the failure, he goes on to function in the way of the Lord.

The father of the prodigal son was not a controller; therefore, he had to let his son go, even though he knew he would fail. Our Heavenly Father does not control His children either, and sometimes it takes years and years for us to learn that the ways of the world are not beneficial in the Kingdom of God.

If we have to have a ministry of our own to be identified with; or if we must build a good self image so others will approve of us; or if we feel a need to make a show of praying, fasting, or of using spiritual gifts to impress others; or if we are depending on other unrighteous mammon, such as, money, for our security rather than the Lord, surely we are headed for a big cold failure. Then, after that--after we have made "friends of the mammon of unrighteousness" and failed--then we can be headed for a big warm welcome, if we choose to live in the everlasting habitations of the true riches in the Estate of Christ.

Even though we who belong to Jesus have been given everlasting life and know we surely will be living in Heaven some day, our problem is not where we will live after we leave this earth; it is where we choose to live in the here and now! There are everlasting habitations for us to live in while we are here.

The Lord's righteousness is an everlasting place to live; there is no place like it. The Bible says, "Their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord" (Isa.54:17). Why would we want to live in our own righteousness when we can live in the righteousness of Christ? This is what His righteousness does for us: "And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance forever. And my people shall dwell in a peaceful habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places" (Isa.32:17, 18).

Living in Christ is living in the Everlasting Habitation: "Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (Ps.91:9-11). What could be a more secure place to live than this? "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust" (Ps.91:1, 2).

When you decide to live in your true inheritance (God's everlasting habitations), which is living in the love, joy, peace, and righteousness of God, the Father will receive you. He will say, "Welcome!" Others here on earth who are also living in His everlasting habitations will say, "Welcome!" If you could hear it, those on the other side of the dimensional curtain will say, "Welcome!" God forbid, but you may choose to live outside your true inheritance all the days of your life here on earth; still, when your earthly life is over, there will be a big "Welcome!" for you in the everlasting habitation on the other side. But why wait until then for something you can have now?

Living in the Father's care is really an easy way of life. All it takes is a childlike dependence on Him. There is no fear when we are at rest in His mighty arms, basking in His great love. It is not difficult to grow in the love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance of the Lord. Our part is simply to abide in Christ, The Vine (John 15:4). A child of God has no reason to worry about running out of provisions, for our Heavenly Father knows how to care for His children. Our part is to seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first (Mat.6:33).

What makes it complicated is when we as children of God try to drag the world's system into our Heavenly Father's Kingdom. We need to make a clean break from that system. Oh, I know, you have friends and relatives who will not understand if you make the break; there are brothers and sisters in the Lord who will not understand; there are pastors who will not understand . . . But don't argue with them, for they may not want to make the break themselves. Don't try to change them or the system; just say, "Please . . . excuse me . . . I AM GOING TO LIVE IN THE FATHER'S CARE!"