Proverbs 18:10-12
The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
A rich man’s wealth is his strong city, and like a high wall in his imagination.
Before destruction a man’s heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor.

Optical illusions try to trick your brain into seeing something that isn’t real. God’s Word tells us that there are spiritual illusions as well. These things seek to deceive us into believing things that aren’t real. For example, the writer of this proverb tells us that financial security is one such illusion. Money, no matter the amount, can never provide true peace of mind.

There are plenty of passages that speak of the need for stewardship and teach us to be shrewd with what God has entrusted us to manage. But you will never find a chapter or verse that speaks of money as a source of hope, strength, or security. In fact, Scripture paints quite another picture of money, reminding us that “we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world” and that “those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.” [1 Timothy 6:7-9]

True security and salvation are not to be found in any temporary thing. There is much good that can be done with money, but it cannot buy entrance into heaven. No financial portfolio will impress the One who “will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory” [Philippians 4:19] There is only one currency that God accepts as payment for sin: the spotless blood of his Son, Jesus Christ.

God is a strong tower, and the righteous – those who have been covered by the perfect righteousness of Christ – find eternal safety and security in the Lord. May we join with David who said "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." [Psalm 20:7]