Beware of the Canaanites

God is calling deliverers to rise up in this generation like unto Moses because He hears His people crying out over the harsh bondage of financial oppression. Today our oppressors are called the Canaanites, and we must beware of these merchandisers at all costs.

Allow me to explain. For the Israelites, it was the Egyptian system that worked them so hard they had no time left with which to worship God. Today, the Babylonian system has picked up where ancient Egypt left off. God’s instruction is the same: command Pharaoh to let His people go that they might worship Him.

Like any imperialist maniac, Pharaoh, a type of modern-day oppressor, would not hear of such a thing. In his opinion, the Israelites belonged to him. They were his slaves. They represented a major part of his earning potential and, subsequently, his net worth. You know the story. God was forced to smite Egypt with His mighty hand before Pharaoh would relent. After the battle was over the people were free and Egypt was on the verge of financial collapse.

Let’s not forget the prophetic word prior to the Israelites’ victorious departure. They were instructed to spoil the Egyptians. “When you go out you shall not go empty” (Exodus 3:21-22). Think of it, God didn’t want His people to worship Him with empty pockets. So there they were, delivered from the oppression of Egypt (symbolic of the born again experience) loaded down with silver, gold, and fine raiment on their way to…

Oh, I almost forgot, God instructed Moses to let the people know there was another place prepared for them. They weren’t on their way to heaven, but a place God called The Promised Land. It was a land “flowing with milk and honey.” In other words, it was a place of prosperity. Here’s the catch, it was also a land populated by somebody else. Those “somebody elses” were Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites – and these enemies were occupying the Israelites’ new home (Exodus 3:8).

It may seem unfair that God would give pre-occupied property to the children of Israel, but the reality is that God is the creator of heaven and Earth. He owns it all and can give it to whomever He pleases. After all, God has an attitude, He thinks He’s God. And He is! What these people didn’t know was they were merely keeping care of God’s land for somebody else. Notice that God gave His covenant people a mandate: possess the land (Joshua 1:11). To possess (from the Greek word yaresh) means “to occupy by driving out the former occupants.” That means, in no uncertain terms, invade, occupy and take over.

The modern-day Canaanites: “So what does all this have to do with me,” you ask? The Bible is full of types and shadows. What can we learn about the populace of this bequeathed territory that would help us today? Does understanding the nature of the various “ites” reveal any secrets to you and me? Let’s explore the possibilities.

The Canaanites were the most populous group in the Promised Land. They were the merchants. Today we can liken Canaanites to those who offer “merchant cards” commonly referred to as credit cards. In fact, merchant cards are nothing more than snares to everyone but the most disciplined. They offer quick and easy access to debt charging upwards of 20 percent interest, plus additional fees of all kinds. At that kind of interest rate they double their money every 3.6 years, per the law of 72, or you double your debt every 3.6 years, depending on how you evaluate it.

Today’s Canaanites are still merchants who have spent thousands of dollars polishing their business plans. Nearly half of all U.S. households carry a balance on their credit cards. In 2005, these households averaged $9,312 in credit card debt at 13.3 percent interest, more than double the level of a decade ago.

Overall, banks are collecting record penalty fees from credit cards. This year, banks are expected to receive over $16.5 billion, up 11 percent from last year, from late, over-the-limit and other penalty fees, according to bank consulting firm R. K. Hammer. Have you noticed that the American government changed the bankruptcy laws this year to protect them?

Modern-day Canaanites are crafty and scientific in their approach to capture you with merchant cards, they have “universal default penalties” in which card holders’ interest rates are raised up to 30 percent if you pay late with any other creditors, ATM machines in the grocery stores and shopping centers for that quick cash advance, interest-only real estate loans, and many other methods. Now 40-year home mortgages are available, but the reduction in the monthly payment is minimal as the interest racks up.

It may surprise you to learn that modern Canaanites know your shopping habits better than you do. They know what aisles you shop at the grocery store, how much sugar you buy, what days you shop, and what time you will arrive. They know what colors attract you and what music you respond to. They are, after all, the Canaanites. Scripture is clear, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7). Being in bondage to the Canaanite merchants is paramount to violating the mandate to “possess” the land. We are to be the head and not the tail, above and not beneath. We can’t use the methods of the Canaanites to possess Canaan Land.

Illusions of prosperity: The real estate market has been booming in various cities with appreciation rates running in double digits. All of this presents an illusion of prosperity. In fact, people are prisoners of this deceptive prosperity. If they sell and buy elsewhere they are required to pay exorbitant real estate taxes on inflated property values. In some cases the real estate taxes are more than their prior mortgage. Many can’t afford to sell or relocate. To “cash out” would require them to move into a cave or someone’s converted garage now called a studio apartment. The Canaanites offer us a solution, “borrow against your equity and pay off those high credit cards, remodel your home, or take that much needed vacation that you deserve.” Notice that their “solution” merely adds more debt.

Now is the time to look at the Canaanites from a biblical perspective. You can’t conquer those to whom you have become enslaved. When was the last time you heard a preacher talking about getting out of debt? I’m not talking about sowing and reaping, I’m talking about reducing debts. I don’t think it’s en vogue right now, but the truth is that the madness has to stop! Folks, we are on a fast track to disaster.

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After 20 years of prosperity teaching, God’s people are in debt and God’s leaders are selling out to the Canaanites with the largest mortgages in the history of Christianity. What happens when the bubble pops and the people can’t support such massive debt? We can’t keep spending more than we bring in. We can’t keep mortgaging our futures. The fast pace of debt accumulation is scary. Even now McDonalds, the hamburger joint under the golden arches, is accepting credit cards. Easy money is the deceptive weapon of the 21st Century Canaanites.

Just as Israel of old was called to conquer the Canaanites so are you. God wouldn’t tell you to possess the land if it couldn’t be done.

Stop what you are doing right now and take another look at your finances. Have you been taken snare by the Canaanites? Grab hold of this promise, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The Kingdom of God is the rule of God, not the rule of a deceptive economic system designed to lead you into bondage.

When God readied Joshua to invade the Promised Land He told him to be strong and take courage. If you’ve been snared, don’t be afraid of the Canaanites, pick up the Word of God, your sword, and use it to fight back!

Freedom from the Canaanites: God has a plan for financial deliverance vital to your success as a believer. Consider the time when the nation of Israel was complaining about the benefits of serving God. They said, “It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts?” (Malachi 4:14) Some have this same complaint today. They wonder if there are any financial benefits in obeying God’s Word. God addressed this challenge directly by commanding His people to return unto Him with tithes and offerings.

Perhaps tithes and offerings was the last thing you wanted to read about in achieving freedom from the Canaanites, but the truth is that you cannot escape His road to financial success (Malachi 4:8). Don’t allow yourself to shutdown now! This is critical to your understanding of unlocking your deliverance. Scripture declares, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now (put me on trial) herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 4:10). Listen to the words open, windows, blessing and abundance. The questions arise, “Why should any born-again believer pay tithes and give offerings?” And, “Is there any benefit in doing so?” Paying tithes and giving offerings is central to God’s economic system for every believer. Paying tithes and giving offerings is fundamental and testifies of the Lordship of Christ. Let’s review some important truths.

First, paying tithes and giving offerings are fundamental to Kingdom economics. God uses the mandate of tithing to finance His purposes. Certainly God does not need our money, yet He unquestionably demands our acknowledgment of His sovereignty over the born again believer. Adam’s sin was refusing to submit to the Lordship of God. He didn’t just want to be like God, he wanted to be his own god. Adam sought to be self-governing. His fall created the first humanist, man-ruled, submissive to no one, rebellious person.

Second, when we tithe and give offerings we acknowledge our dependence on Christ as our source. Refusing to tithe only testifies of one’s rejection of the Lordship (rulership) of Christ. Failure to pay is nothing more than robbing from God. It’s theft. Even Satan knows the tithe belongs to God, and when it is not paid he has every right to it. Freedom from the Canaanites requires submitting to His Lordship, especially over your finances. When submitting to His Word on tithes and offerings you enter the realm of Kingdom economics.

Third, not tithing propels us outside the benefits of Promised Land blessings on this earth. Participation in the economics of the Kingdom requires submission to the Word of God. Failure to submit launches us back into the wilderness, symbolic of the curse (Malachi 4:9; Deuteronomy 8:15). There is no denying it, Jesus owns you. He bought you with His blood. You can’t be a lord (ruler) without submitting to “the” Lord.

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God is your source: Finally, when you pay tithes and give offerings you acknowledge God as your source for all things, not the Canaanites, including the blessings of righteous dominion found in the book of Genesis. We must remember that our employer, business, church, or ministry is not our source. They are only a means that God uses to get finances to us. Scripture declares “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he swore unto thy fathers, as it is this day” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

If you pay tithes and give offerings you can expect God to rebuke the devourer. A devourer is one who steals the fruits of your labor. The advantages of tithing are tremendous God says, “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed for you shall be a delightful land, saith the Lord of hosts” (Malachi 3:11-12).

God wants to prosper you. As you tithe and give offerings you can expect many blessings for obedience to Kingdom economics. Scripture declares, “The Lord shall open unto you his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto your land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand and thou shalt lend unto many nations and thou shalt not borrow” (Deuteronomy 28:12). Determine today to be a faithful steward.

If the Canaanites have taken you captive, take courage, your destination is victory. By activating the Kingdom economic system through paying tithes and giving offerings God will lead you out of bondage into freedom. Start your journey today by acknowledging Jesus as your source, avoid debt, get a handle on your finances, and determine today that you will pay tithes and give offerings. God has called you to be a world changer and a history maker. You are a king with the authority to represent Christ and establish His Kingdom on this planet. Just beware of the Canaanites.

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