The Five Snares of Covetousness

In this episode we delve into some of the practical sides of recognizing sin in our lives and being able to deal with it. Covetousness is a great example of this. A sin that we might not know about unless God had told us not to covet. It’s so important that it will exclude us from the kingdom of God. Frank joins Tim for interesting insights from his life on at least five areas to watch out for when it comes to covetousness.

Key verse: “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”” Hebrews 13:5-6

1. Introduction
   1. The 10^th commandment – Thou shalt not covet (Ex. 20:17). All other commandments seem to be external, but the 10^th is obviously a commandment about how we think.
   2. The battle against sin in the mind (Rom. 7:7,22-23)
2. The importance of recognizing and dealing with the sin of covetousness
   1. Exclusion from the kingdom of God (Eph. 5:3-5; 1 Cor. 6:9-10)
   2. The root of all evil (1 Tim. 6:9-11)
3. Defining Covetousness
   1. English meaning
   2. Hebrew meaning
   3. Greek meaning
4. Five Snares of Covetousness
   1. The snare of the credit card (Rom. 13:7-8)
      1. Buying things we want but do not really need, on a credit account, because we do not have sufficient money to pay for it.
      2. When we only pay the minimum balance instead of the whole balance on a credit account.
   2. The lure of advertising and buying on impulse
      1. Some stores are set up to encourage buying on impulse.
      2. This includes buying more of a product than we really need.
      3. Sometimes the store price is below their cost.
      4. One needs to make a list and stick to it.
   3. The deception of get rich quick schemes (lotteries, stock market)
      1. Huge payouts sound good and we can justify it to ourselves
      2. Actually winning would create more difficulties
      3. Investing wisely is good but must be careful not to get caught up in it all
   4. The enticement of entertainment and social media
      1. Most entertainment is the idolization of man. Everybody wants to be like the star.
      2. Social media is filled with people trying to be influencers
   5. The pitfalls of keeping up with the Jones
      1. We spend a lot of money just to keep up.
      2. Sometimes it is purely a matter of pride.
      3. Sometimes expectations are too high and we need to lower them. We don’t really need the latest and greatest.
      4. We live in a very wasteful society.
5. The positives
   1. The flesh can never be satisfied (Ecc. 5:10). We always live to our means.
   2. Putting trust in God (Heb. 13:5-6)
   3. Godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6)
6. Final conclusion