Satan did not invent money, God did- Reno Omokri tells Fashola

There are so many seemingly wise sayings in the world today that are actually foolishness in wisdom's clothing. The issue however is that they sound so profound and deep and have been oft repeated by respectable men of substance to the extent that many people do not think it wise to question these idioms and their effectiveness in helping us ease our way through life's often hazardous highway.

Those who know and practice these principles are called worldly wise, others are referred to as being streetwise, but The Bible warns us that "there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death"-Proverbs 14:12 (all biblical quotes are from the NIV except where otherwise stated).

So what are these ways and how can we know that they will end in death?

Any wisdom that contradicts the revealed Word of God as contained in Scripture is a way that leads to death. It is quite that simple and there is no need to sugar coat it.

The brother of Jesus our Lord, James warned that "Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic"-James 3:15.

God's enemy is in control of the media as Scripture so eloquently reveals in Ephesians 2:2 "wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air". The usage of the word, air, in this passage is similar to when we say a program will air on TV on such and such a date.

Using the media, the enemy has projected much of these idioms into our consciousness to the extent that we now accept it as commonsense. 

I will now take on a few of these idioms and show with Scriptural and sometimes scientific proof that they are lies propped up to serve mankind a manufactured reality that leads all the way to the enemy's kingdom upon death.

Seeing is Believing: Who can doubt the truth of this saying? It is so obvious that it has to be true. If you see something then it must be true. 

Actually, no. Medical science has proven that human beings do not even see with our eyes. We see with our brains. Our eyes are merely an optical muscle, rather like a camera, that sends visual signals to our brain which then makes sense of these signals and sends them back to the eye, telling it what it is seeing. 

In actual fact, we do not see the world as it is. We see the world as we are! 

This has been scientifically proven by the "My Wife and My Mother-in-Law" a famous ambiguous optical illusion, which can be perceived either as a young girl or an old woman (the "wife" and the "mother-in-law", respectively). This optical illusion was introduced to psychology in 1930 by Edwin Boring and when shown to people, they see one figure or the other depending on their personality and temperament.

In truth, seeing is not believing. Believing is actually seeing as Christ Yeshua Himself revealed in Bethany when He went to resurrect Lazarus. He said "did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”-John 11:40.

Notice that. If you believe you will see. This is in direct contradiction to what the world teaches, ie that seeing is believing. 

In medical science, researchers have discovered something called the placebo effect. 

This is an effect where people are giving a real looking drug which is actually fake and are told that it would heal them. Now because they believe the doctor, they take take the placebo and start seeing the effect they believed would happen. 

It has happened over and over and it will keep happening forever.

Some people call the placebo effect the expectation effect, 

I got the following attempt to explain a placebo effect from a medical journal called cancer dot org

Let me read what they say "the patient believes in the substance, the treatment, or the doctor. The patient’s thoughts and feelings somehow cause short-term physical changes in the brain or body. The patient expects to feel better, and so he or she does feel better for some time".

Notice their usage of the word "The patient’s thoughts and feelings somehow cause short-term physical changes".

That 'somehow' that medical science cannot explain is what our Lord and Saviour talked about in John 11:40.

I did some more research and found an article published by Harvard University's Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard, DASH, and here is what it says 

"The placebo effect is any effect that is not attributed to an actual pharmaceutical drug or remedy, but rather is attributed to the individual’s mind-set (mindless beliefs and expectations). The therapeutic benefit of the placebo effect is so widely accepted that accounting for it has become a standard in clinical drug trials".

Even Harvard, the number one university in the world, calls that healing power known as the placebo effect, MINDLESS BELIEFS AND EXPECTATIONS.

Seeing is not believing. What you see in the present is a function of someone else's belief. That someone else may have been God, or other people. 

You and I have been given dominion by God in Genesis 1:28 to the extent where He made us co-creators with Him "and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."

God never took away that authority when man fell. As a matter of fact, He and His Son, Yeshua, reiterated it several times in Scripture such as in Mark 11:23 "Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them."

I cannot emphasize it enough that seeing is not believing. Believing is seeing. What we believe in our heart will eventually manifest as a seeable reality. This applies to the good as well as the evil.

Experience is the Best Teacher: This is another lie of the devil. Experience is not the best teacher for the simple reason that experience teaches us to conform to the world. 

Our experiences in this world will be largely determined by the elemental forces of the world.

Paul warned us of such experiences in Colossians 2:8 "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."

Our experiences are actually false teachers and will lead us to be wise in the ways of this world, and foolish to the ways of God. Which is why the same Paul wrote "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind"-Romans 12:2.

Experienced people have themselves testified that experiences are not good teachers for the journey of life.

David gave us the best teacher for our life journey when he wrote "Your word is a lamp for my feet, alight on my path."-Psalm 119:105.

David was a most experienced man. He had fought and slain a giant as a teenager. He had married the king's daughter. He was a soulmate to the heir apparent to the throne of Israel. He became an enemy of the state, an outlaw, a mercenary for a Philistine Lord, then a king. He committed adultery and murder and he was dethroned by his most beloved son, and was subsequently reinstated. He was a skilled warrior and diplomat. He was also a great writer and singer of songs. 

But all these experiences where not the guide for his life. His guide was the Word of God and he always emerged victorious in all his battles on life.

You and I would be wise to take the word of a most experienced man like David. Experience may be the best shaper of conformity, but it is not the best teacher. As Christ said "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock."-Matthew 7:24.

Do not allow this world, or anyone, including a pastor or priest, or even Reno Omokri, tell you the truth. Go to Scripture. If possible, read it in the original languages (I do. It is not hard). If you cannot read it in the original languages, then read it in different translations. Do not trust a single translation. 

Opportunity Knocks But Once: These words sound so deep and profound that many have fallen prey to them. They cause people to be Machiavellian and calculating in life because they see each opportunity that comes their way as a once in a life time opportunity, and this shapes the way they compete with their fellow man to make the best of this fleeting opportunity. 

But what does the Word of God say about opportunity? Deuteronomy 8:18 says "remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth". This proves that opportunity comes from God. 

Psalm 1:3 says that a person who trusts in God "is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither-whatever they do prospers." 

This verse proves that God turns every enterprise that such a person puts their hand to into an opportunity. This is the reason why Joseph prospered in every situation he found himself, whether negative or positive. 

That is why Scripture says “ all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”-Romans 8:28.

Why is this is so? Because God is not a liar and in He has promised "Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous, you surround them with your favor as with a shield."-Psalm 5:12.

God's favour turns adversity into opportunity for the righteous. So rather than see opportunity as knocking only once, see every door you knock on as an opportunity. 

Money is the Root of all Evil: This proverb is particularly dangerous because the devil actually takes a Scripture, but takes it out of context and as I have taught as pastor, every Scripture taken out of context is a pretext. 

What 1 Timothy 6:10 actually says is "for the love of money is a root of all evil". 

satan did not invent wealth. God did. Once, a certain man, Tunde Fashola, who is an ex Governor in an African nation, once foolishly asserted that man created money. No. God created money. And everything God created is good. However, when God’s  good is corrupted by satan, it could lead to evil consequences. 

The only thing that God commanded us to love in Scripture are Him and other people. 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."-Matthew 22:37-39.

God created money to be used and people to be loved. However, the enemy has shaped the world to where people love money and use people. That is the root of evil.

Money in itself is not bad. As a matter of fact, King Solomon called money a defense. 

"For wisdom is a defense and money is a defense"-Ecclesiastes 7:12.

The case of the Good Samaritan shows how money is  good while the love of money is evil.

Without money, it would be almost impossible for us to love God and our neighbor. 

What help would the Good Samaritan have been able to render to the Jew wounded by robbers if he did not have any money?

However, consider that if he had loved his money, he would not have 'wasted' it on a stranger. 

Because he loved his Jewish neighbor, the Samaritan's money was used for good. But if he had loved his money, it would have been used for evil.

Money is not necessarily evil or good. It is the person that has it that can use it for evil or good.

I could go on and on and examine other worldly wise sayings such as, the voice of the people is the voice of God, don't get mad get even, money talks, the early bird gets the worm, laugh and the world laughs with you, curiosity killed the cat, jump on the bandwagon etc. However, I think Scripture has laid sufficient ground for us to be suspicious of such 'wisdom' and go for "the wisdom that comes from heaven" which "is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."-James 3:17.

And if you read this and it ministered you you, do the selfless thing and share it do it can minister to others too. 

Reno Omokri