Page 32 - The Mark of the Beast

transformation of the saints by the power of the Spirit than these words. They were
gloriously set free from self! No one claimed that anything they possessed was their own.
They truly began to esteem the needs of others more highly than their own needs. They
began to manifest love of the brethren, and because of it all men recognized that they were
Christ’s disciples. They loved God and the children of God rather than material possessions.
It can be said that these early saints were so captivated with a love of Christ and a
desire to do the will of the Father that material things simply became unimportant to them.
What they had formerly held onto with great tenacity, and guarded with great jealousy, was
no longer precious to them. When the love of Christ and the brethren came in with such
power, the love of other things died. When an immense yearning to do the will of the Father
gripped them, a desire to do the will of self was put away.
The church today does not manifest this same selfless attitude, this contentment with
whatever the Father would give them, at the time and in the way that He chooses. Instead
the church rides upon the beast as a great harlot who has many cravings for the things of
this world. She longs to be clothed in fine garments and to be adorned with many jewels.
The saints are given to a pursuit of houses and lands and cars and furnishings and clothes
and rich foods and pleasure and entertainment, and they say “God wants me to have these
things and to spend my days collecting whatever my heart desires, laboring for things that
will perish,” for the cunning of the beast has deceived them.
Consider the words of the apostle Paul:

Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever
circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know
how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of
being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can
do all things through Him who strengthens me.

I Timothy 6:8
If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.

Hebrews 13:5
Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with
what you have...

The mark of the divine nature is contentment, not coveting. Paul said, “Having food
and covering, with these we shall be content.” He said he was content in whatever
circumstances he was in. The bottom line is that those who bear the divine nature are
satisfied with whatever provision the Father chooses to give them. They are not living to
satisfy self. They are living to do the will of the Father. They are not given over to the
pursuit of worldly things. They are not in debt that they might own today what they crave,
but do not have the money for. They are marked by their generosity and their selfless giving.
They do not claim that anything they possess is their own, for they have surrendered all
their possessions to God.
I must add a few remarks here for the sake of clarity, for I know that some might
misunderstand my words. I am NOT saying that in order to bear the divine nature that all
saints must embrace poverty and get rid of their houses and lands. What I AM saying is that