"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1, King James Version)

There are plenty of charlatans in the world, and we all know warnings in the Bible to beware of false prophets. Unfortunately, when it comes to money, we often forget these warnings. Someone promises great riches if we give "seed money" and have faith in God. Unfortunately, no amount of faith in false prophets and seed money can help us actually get rich. One important tenet of Christian finances is to remember the reasons that God gives us money, and to realize that just wanting more money (and giving a "seed") is not reason enough of God to just "hand it over," so to speak.

God wants us to be happy

God does want us to be happy. He wants us to succeed. However, God doesn't measure success by how much money we have. Seed money charlatans will try to convince you that giving thousands of dollars to a cause will encourage God to bless you with money. This idea is blind to the fact that the blessings of God do not always come in monetary form. And, sometimes, the way God leads us to ultimate happiness is through trials. How can we learn to appreciate and give thanks for what we have if we are never deprived? Each individual has different spiritual needs, and money was never the answer for spiritual development. Perhaps your trials are so that you will turn to God for comfort and strength, for the ability to see yourself through the trials, rather than for you to seek immediate financial redress with the help of seed money.

God does want us to be generous

This is not to say that we won't be blessed for giving. When we give gifts to our congregation to help those less fortunate than us, God makes promises to us: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now 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 3: 10, King James Version)

Many of us don't give gifts of field and flock, as was done in ancient days. But we can give true gifts that are meant to help the less fortunate. And it is important to remember that the windows of heaven may pour out a gift, but it may not be a gift in large denominations. It may be an outpouring of love in the spirit. Or you may have what you need when you need it (as opposed to what you want, or what you think you need).

Seed money doesn't account for such blessings. Seed money scams asking you to send large amounts of money, and then do something like pray on a special "rug" (usually a piece of paper) for thousands of dollars in return for your "seed" ignores fundamental Christian principles. God will bless you if you show good stewardship over your finances, if you give money to the Lord through well-known and respected channels (such as through your congregation and to respected charities), expecting nothing but the blessings He sees fit to bestow upon you (not always money). And, when you give in this manner, you will find that you always have what you need.