Satan: An Autobiography - Yehuda Berg 2010
Test Number Four Can You Manage God’s Money? Or Should I Do It For You?
The Tests
People consistently misunderstand one thing in this physical world more than anything else. That thing is money—booty, bread, lettuce.... You know what I’m talking about. The trick is that money has both physical and spiritual aspects, which is why most people don’t know how to handle it. Here’s how you can tell that money is not a strictly physical entity: Is the paper that it’s printed on what you crave, or is it the way money makes you feel?
I thought so.
I come into play by either making you believe that you are entitled to it or, on the flip side, by leading you to believe that you don’t deserve it. With a little help from me, most people react to monetary issues in ways they would never react to other aspects of their lives. If you want to see some really selfish behavior, stir money into the mix and see what happens.
If you have money, you’re almost guaranteed to abuse the power it gives you. And if you don’t have money, you are probably consumed by the lack of it. Is there a friend you wouldn’t betray if tens of millions of dollars were on the line? Take a look at divorce: People will practically run their children over for money, or at least leave them badly hurting. People will kill over money. The only greater cause of murder is religion, and money isn’t far behind.
To have a balanced relationship with money, you need to respect its energy. And just as you fail to understand God’s power, you don’t understand the invisible nature of the power of money, or how to manage it. In fact, your relationship with money is a reflection of your relationship with the Creator. Like the Light of the Creator, you have to earn money to keep it. Sure, I’ll give you little hits of it here and there to keep you addicted to me, but the real endless sustenance you are meant to have is something that must be earned. And you can’t earn it until you can appreciate it, rather than waste or hoard it.
TWO FRIENDS
There were once two friends, Sam and Joe. They grew up together, got married at the same time, had kids at the same time, and grew their businesses a few blocks away from each other, until one day Sam had to move away.
Over the years, both friends became extremely wealthy. After several years, a bad business decision brought Sam to the edge of financial collapse. He did not know what else to do, so he decided to ask his old friend, Joe, for some help. He went back to his old town and knocked on Joe’s door. Joe answered. Sam stood there and told Joe his story. Joe said, “Come in, my dearest and most beloved friend. Of course I will help. I will take half of my worldly wealth and give it to you.”
Gotta love this guy, right?
Sam took the money and rebuilt his business; this time his empire grew even bigger. In fact, he became one of the wealthiest men in the country. However, fortune was not so kind to Joe. He lost everything, not long after he had given his money to Sam. But Joe was sure that Sam might be willing to help him out as he had once helped Sam.
When the two men met and Joe asked for help, Sam said, “I wish I could help you. It’s just that all my money is tied up in investments right now. I’m sorry, Joe.” Joe told Sam that he understood and went back home.
Joe died a poor man. But thanks to his generosity and unconditionally loving heart, the angels came and took Joe to those otherworldly Dimensions I mentioned earlier. One day, he witnessed a surprising scene. Joe saw me tormenting a selfish soul who had been greedy all his life. Joe looked closer and recognized the soul as his good friend, Sam. He begged the Creator to give Sam another chance. Because of Joe’s greatness and his compassion for his friend, the Creator agreed, but I was able to step in and see to it that Sam would be given an exceedingly important test.
Both Sam and Joe came back to this world in new bodies. Sam became a wealthy miser who lived on a hill and shared with no one. Joe became a homeless person whose bones were fragile from malnutrition. One day, Joe climbed the stairs to the wealthy Sam’s house and knocked on the door. Sam opened the door and Joe begged, “Please, sir, can you give me some money for food?”
“Are you crazy?” Sam said, “Don’t you know that I never give money to anyone? Get off my property, you crazy beggar, before I shoot you myself!” Joe pleaded and begged, but it didn’t matter; I had such a strong hold on Sam that no Light could penetrate. Sam took out his shotgun and, with barely a hint of hesitation, shot the ragged homeless man. Sam had removed a menace from society, I led him to believe, and his sense of righteousness was enough to darken the entire town. Little did Sam know that it was Joe—his friend from a previous lifetime—who was fighting to give him his last opportunity, and that he had failed the test miserably.
So, you see, sometimes when a person is born into wealth, it is not because they are good and deserving, but because they owe much, and are being tested. This man, Sam, had dug himself into a pretty deep hole, with some help from me. And that is where he chose to stay, amid my darkness.
So, listen up. This is important. The money you get in this world is not yours; it is energy that you were given to manage, as a custodian. It is a tool that can either help you in doing what you came to this world to do or hurt you. If you have too much money, you can become a slave to it, instead of letting it be a source of giving. Your lesson, in that case, is to override your greed and give. If you have too little, you might lose your connection with the Creator because you’re struggling so hard just to put food on the table. Your lesson in this case might be to trust that God will fill in the blanks. You never know exactly how the Creator will help to take you to the next level. But you can predict—with certainty—that the Creator will, every time. Who knows which opportunity will lead to the money you need to pay your rent?
You will run up against tests that challenge your relationship with money and God. That’s a sure thing. And you can’t afford to mess this up. An eternity in paradise is on the line here, folks. This is your wake-up call.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, souls do return to this physical world over and over until they finally get it right. Some people call this reincarnation. Whatever you call it, the wheel of life never stops turning. A soul never dies; it only changes form according to what it has left to do. And trust me, God will always provide you with every opportunity necessary for you to complete your work. God’s good that way. So, that might mean great wealth for you or it might mean poverty. You have the ability to change your destiny either way. That’s the point.