As long as we are in this world, we must fight against materialism.  It does not matter if you are rich, poor, or in-between, the devil will use the material things of this world to steal your heart from God.  Being attracted to the material things of this world comes naturally to man because we are physical beings living in a physical world.  We need physical sustenance to preserve life.  Food, clothing, and shelter are not luxuries for us, they are necessities; thus, we work to obtain them.  What the devil realizes is that there is a fine line between needing the necessities of life and craving more than we need.  It does not take much to get a man to go from being content with food and raiment to desiring to be rich.

One thing that can help us avoid materialism is to remember what Paul said about riches in 1 Timothy.

1 Timothy 6:17 (KJV)
¹⁷ Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

All earthly riches are uncertain.  This is why, when it comes to building our life, riches make for good accessories, but a terrible foundation.  The difference is that accessories are nice, but we should be able to take them or leave them.  We know they are not essential.  All earthly riches (any material possessions beyond the necessities of life), should be viewed as non-essentials, not necessities.  Once they become essential to us, they become foundational, and a great fall is almost certain because we are building our house upon the sand (Matthew 7:26-27).

Paul calls riches uncertain because of how unstable they are.  Jesus reminds us that moth and rust can destroy, and thieves can steal any material possessions that we have (Matthew 6:19).  One’s earthly possessions can disappear overnight.

Proverbs 23:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Will you set your eyes on that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly away like an eagle toward heaven.

Instead of trusting in something so uncertain, Paul says that we should trust in the living God.  We cannot trust riches to make us happy, but we can trust God to do so.  Writing about fellowship with God, John wrote the following:

1 John 1:4 (ESV)
⁴ And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

We cannot trust riches to sustain us, seeing that they are so unstable, but we can trust God to do so.  Do you remember what Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount?  Here it is:

Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Let us put our trust in the right place.  Yes, we need material things to sustain us, but we must trust God to provide them for us.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.