Deceived

God has granted us life, and new life in Christ, if we've been born again. We can submit to His principles on being good stewards of our resources and trust Him to provide for our needs. 1st Corinthians 4 states this:
1 Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.
2 Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.

The Bible teaches us that we belong to Christ and that all that we think we own is actually His. A totally submitted life means that He is directing our decisions. And, that means that we should be devoted to making good financial choices. We can make sure that we are following Him - and He gives us guidance through His Word and by His Spirit.  And, if we know that God is leading us, then what we believe He is leading us to do will not contradict His Word.

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The Bible offers sound financial wisdom, predicated on honor God with the resources that He has given to us. Proverbs 3 offers this insight:
9 Honor the Lord with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase;
10 So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.

From time to time, maybe you'll hear people use the phrase, "God told me..." or "God spoke to me..."  Now, I do believe that we can be led by the Holy Spirit and that we can recognize His leadership and His still, small voice.  But, if someone is to make that bold claim to be led of God or that God has spoken to them, that information should absolutely line up with the Word of God.  God will not lead us contrary to Scripture.  Period.

There's an interesting story that I found on The Guardian website that provides a cautionary tale.  According to the article:

A Colorado pastor who is charged with stealing more than $1m from his Christian community in a cryptocurrency scheme has admitted to the fraud but argued that God instructed him to carry it out.

Eli Regalado and his wife, Kaitlyn, are charged with creating and selling their cryptocurrency, known as “INDXcoin”, to Christians based in their home town of Denver, Colorado, allegedly telling would-be investors that the Lord had told him people would become rich if they invested, the state’s division of securities announced in a press release on Thursday.

But, the article says that prosecutors termed this coin, "practically worthless," and that the Regalados spent some of the money raised on "lavish living."

The Guardian goes on to say:

“The charges are that me and Kaitlyn pocketed $1.3m,” Regalado said in the video published to INDXcoin’s website on Friday. “I just wanted to come out and say those charges are true.”

Regalado added: “A few hundred thousand dollars went to a home remodel the Lord told us to do.

“We took God at his word and sold a cryptocurrency with no clear exit.”

Regalado added that the couple still believes that God will “work a miracle in the financial sector”.

The couple essentially squeezed and swindled 3.2 million dollars out of over 300 people. 1.3 million went directly to the couple. And, of course, their online church netted almost $300,000 - a church with no building, according to Business Den of the Denver Post, referenced in the article.

In the statement I mentioned, the state's securities commissioner, Tung Chan, said, “We allege that Mr Regalado took advantage of the trust and faith of his own Christian community and that he peddled outlandish promises of wealth to them when he sold them essentially worthless cryptocurrencies..."

And, in a Newsweek article released just yesterday, it is reported that:

The Colorado Division of Securities' amended complaint filed Thursday of last week brings into focus 12 new defendants, including Regalado's father who is charged with violating the anti-fraud, licensing and registration provisions of the Colorado Securities Act, further entangling the case in family ties and religious exploitation.

With allegations of unlicensed securities sales and deceptive promises of exponential investment growth, the expanded legal action deepens the probe into a scheme that preyed on the Christian community.

This is so sad, and it really drives home the point that all of us should stay vigilant in our walk with the Lord.  You have those who will wrap a deceptive message in spiritual language and prey on the vulnerable.  We have to make sure that we are walking with our feet solidly resting on the firm foundation of Scripture, so that we do not become vulnerable to Satan's schemes. 

We can be quick to recognize how the enemy works in the financial realm.  While God does specialize in financial blessings, He does give us certain principles so that we can be good stewards, and we have to make sure that our decisions are made on the basis of sound financial wisdom.  We can make sure that we are exercising discernment, and if something sounds too good to be true, as it's been said, it usually is.  We can trust the Lord and honor the Lord with our finances, but when we move over into areas of selfishness and manipulation, then we are operating outside His will.