What is keeping me away from God today?

<p>Episode 89 - Will I dare ask myself if greed is an issue in my life? What is keeping me away from God today? Could greed be a problem?</p> <p>There’s a French saying: <em><strong>some people are so poor, all they have is money</strong>.</em> Today we are talking about replacing greed, and all forms of idolatry, with joy.</p> <p>Greed. What does the Bible say about it? </p> <p>Proverbs 1:19 - <em>Such are the ways of everyone who is greedy for unjust gain; it takes away the life of its possessors.</em></p> <p>Proverbs 11:28  -<em>Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.</em></p> <p><strong>Greed doesn’t give. Greed robs. Greed robs YOU of joy.</strong></p> <p>To start us off, Stephanie challenges us--and herself--with seven questions to self-diagnose if we have unknowingly fallen victim to greed, in one form or another:</p> <p>1.     Is it MY money or God’s?</p> <p>2.    What would I do differently if I knew I would be dead in a year?</p> <p>3.     WHY do I want more money?</p> <p>4.     How do I spend my time? thinking of ways to earn more, or of ways to advance God’s Kingdom?</p> <p>5.     How would I behave if I lost everything?</p> <p>6.     Am I truly generous?</p> <p>7.     Do I compromise character to make more money?</p> <p>Then we ponder the link between joy and righteousness and the only true cure against greed.</p> <p><strong>Idolatry is misplaced worship. </strong></p> <p><strong>Proverbs describes where joy cannot be found.</strong></p> <p>The summary of the entire book of Proverbs can be found in Mark 8:36: <strong>"For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"</strong> That’s the definition of unrighteousness.</p> <p>Joy "<em>must be sharply distinguished both from happiness and from pleasure</em>" - CS Lewis</p> <p>Joy is “<em>unsatisfied desire, which is itself more desirable than any other satisfaction</em>.” – CS Lewis again.</p> <p>God promises to give us a joy that surpasses anything this world has to offer. He