The myths behind materialism 



Jesus Christ, our beloved Saviour and Friend, counted us more important than all His divine privileges and possessions in heaven that He came to be born and die as a human being on earth. How great is His love for us! In the same way, Jesus calls all His followers to have the same attitude, warning us not to lay up treasures on earth for ourselves, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up treasures in heaven for ourselves. The treasure that God values the most is our souls and He desires all to be saved. Satan, on the other hand, will get us to focus on the temporary material things of this world that will come to dust and be utterly worthless in eternity. The devil does this by getting us to covet and hoard, things that Jesus warns us against.

(See Chinese versions: 简体中文 > 唯物主义的背后 | 繁體中文 > 唯物主義的背後)

Philippians 2:5-7 NLT  You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being.

Matthew 6:19-20 ESV  “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.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 ESV  This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 

Matthew 16:23 ESV  But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Jesus gave examples of this. One example was a parable about a rich man who planned to build up his barns with ample goods for himself but was not rich towards God. That man died that very night in the midst of his preparations and it all came to nothing. 

Luke 12:16-21 ESV  And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Another example was the young rich man who obeyed all of God’s commandments but held back from selling what he had to give to the poor. Jesus lamented that the rich have great difficulty in entering the kingdom of God.

Mark 10:19-23 ESV  You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and mother.’” And he said to him, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth.” And Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. And Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!”

In short, there is great danger in setting our hopes on the uncertainty of riches or our possessions rather than trust in God to provide everything we need to enjoy. Instead, we are meant to do good and be generous in doing good works, especially towards those who do not have enough. When we follow the doctrines of materialism and gather goods for ourselves, ignoring the needs of the poor, we do not reflect Jesus’ heart.

1 Timothy 6:17-19 ESV  As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

James 2:15-16 ESV  If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

1 John 3:17-18 ESV  But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Why is it difficult for us to give up the material possessions that we love? Perhaps it is because we have been “sold” the idea that the answer to feeling insecure, rejected, lonely, or unattractive lies in the abundance of our possessions. This is a teaching that is not from God.

1 John 2:16-17 NLT  For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.

Worldly messages

Consider the number of advertising messages we receive in a day. From shop fronts, social media posts, newspapers, television, posters, beverage holders, lifts and even public washrooms, it can be hundreds! Compare that to the number of biblical messages we receive. If we are not careful, advertisers’ messages can become more compelling than God’s Word, because we hear or see them so often.

Luke 12:15 ESV  And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”



Companies go to great lengths to convince us we need their products. They spend millions of dollars on consumer research to identify our “purchase drivers” and “emotional triggers”. To ensure a “continuous revenue stream” and “maximise value per customer”, they will try to foster “brand loyalty” and “repeat purchases”. Advertisers test the type of imagery, colours and advertising copy that appeal to us the most. They also know where, how often and when to show us their messages. The idea is to get us hooked.

Satan’s traps

If we look closely at the world’s most common advertising campaigns, we will find that they are mostly subtle replicas of Satan’s lies. Satan, god of this world, is a master manipulator who uses subliminal messages to deceive and trap many people into following ungodly patterns. Instead of finding greater satisfaction, materialism will teach us that we need more and more in order to feel fulfilled. It is a life of striving and little satisfaction.

2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV  In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Someone who focuses on materialistic things is like an investor with a very short-term view.

All of us have the same (eternal) investment timeline. Short-term investors will focus only on their lives on earth, but long-term investors look at both their earthly lives as well as their eternities. They will choose to invest their effort, time and money on things that guarantee endless returns for eternity, rather than only on things that bring short-term gains.

The investment that counts most to God is the souls of people. Why not tally up all the money we have spent on non-essential goods in the last year and aim to give the same amount, or more, to support God’s work in His Kingdom this year? We will find that to be much more meaningful than anything we can buy for ourselves.  Let us use the money we used to spend on things that will perish and turn it for God’s glory. This is also an investment that heaven takes notice of.

Testimony: Repenting of family idol of covetousness

“During prayer one day, the Holy Spirit revealed to me that the desire to be loved and to be rich has become one of our family idols.

My grandmother always wanted the validation of her children’s love so she demanded material provisions through lies and manipulation. She would guilt-trip them into giving her money and material possessions by saying she would soon die of old age. But she would say it in such a loving way, knowing their soft spots. She accumulated material things out of her fear of being abandoned.

Because my grandmother essentially raised me while my parents were out working, her thinking also affected mine. I began to compare my achievements and possessions with others and felt less than everyone else. This led to a lot of anxiety.

The Lord showed me that I needed to confess for the family covetousness and insatiable needs and repent of the idolatry that had been planted in my heart.

Fear is not from God and it quenches the Holy Spirit. After that prayer, I can now hear the Holy Spirit’s gentle prompting more easily and ask the Holy Spirit for discernment.”

May this sharing be a blessing to you as you seek to love God with all your heart and turn from all forms of materialism and covetousness.