"Money is the root of all evil, so wanting financial success is sinful."
How it sounds in your head: I look at my buddies buying houses and upgrading cars while I'm scraping by, and I feel guilty for even wanting that. The church says godly men should be content with little. Maybe ambition is just pride.
"As for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God."
-- Ecclesiastes 5:19Source: Religion misquoting 1 Timothy 6:10, twisting 'love of money' into 'money itself' to control through guilt.
Every sermon about money ends with giving more and wanting less. The only wealthy people held up as examples are the ones who gave it all away, never the ones who built businesses and blessed their families.
Abraham was 'very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold' and called the friend of God. His wealth didn't disqualify him from intimacy with God—it was evidence of the blessing, and God increased it repeatedly even after Abraham lied twice to protect himself.
I REFUSE the lie that money is evil or that wanting provision for my family is carnal. IT IS WRITTEN that riches and wealth are gifts from God, and He gives me power to enjoy them. I am Abraham's seed by covenant, heir to the BARAK blessing that protected liars and deceivers—how much more does it cover me in Christ! IT IS WRITTEN that Christ redeemed me from the curse so the blessing of Abraham would come upon me. I am blessed in the city, blessed in the field, blessed in my storehouses. I am the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. My Father RUNS toward me with the robe and the ring, not because I earned it, but because I am His son.
Your Father isn't suspicious of your ambition—He put it there. He's not waiting for you to prove you can handle money responsibly before He releases it; He's the prodigal's Father who throws the party before the son takes a single responsible step, who restores the ring of authority while the boy still smells like pigs.