When we study the issue of money and how it relates to trust, we cannot ignore the presence of mammon. Mammon is an evil spirit that is never far from money, and it tempts us to trust it instead of God. In the book of Luke, the parable of the unfaithful steward illustrates that this spirit causes us to be unfaithful. Mammon is the name of the false god of riches in the Old Testament that the people served; putting anyone or anything in first place instead of God amounts to idolatry. Mammon is not the same thing as money. Money is neither righteous nor unrighteous, but when mammon exerts its influence, it opposes everything God does. We must be aware of how this demonic spirit operates so that we can fight it.