In the last two decades, government spending has exploded to unprecedented levels. The debt has grown to nearly $30 trillion as our leaders in Washington have failed to get it under control. This begs the question…what is driving this?

I would suggest that the spirit of greed in Washington, D.C., is a major root cause. Even worse, the nation’s capital has now begun exporting that same spirit to the rest of the nation.

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The Spirit of Greed

Last week, more than 100 members of Congress joined with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., in an effort to give a pay raise to staffers on Capitol Hill. You may not have seen the story, but it was big news where I live inside the Beltway.

Without commenting on whether they deserve the raise or not, I can tell you that even some of the most conservative staffers on the Hill, whom I know personally, couldn’t help but side with AOC for once.

Conservatives agreeing with AOC? Seems incredible, but in this case it happened.

This interesting phenomenon showed me something about the state of our nation.

What this simple example teaches us is that even the most principled, freedom-loving Americans can’t help but feel the temptation of receiving more federal money.

What AOC understands, like any good socialist, is the power of offering people more money.

Insider Intercessory Intelligence

I often hear conservatives complain about the aforementioned federal debt and the wastefulness of government bureaucrats sitting around doing nothing…but it’s not so simple as that. It may surprise you to learn that there are more than 4 million federal contractors funded by taxpayers, and they do much of what you expect from the federal government.

When the federal leaders wants to build a bridge, they usually don’t actually build it. They pay a construction company. When the federal government wants to build an app or a website, they hire a firm that does software development. This occurs for all kinds of government activity.

Because of this, you have an entire professional class that just does whatever they need to keep good relationships with the government so they can keep getting these juicy contracts. Of course, they are often full of waste.

These federal contractors are not government employees in the way you may think of them. They work for private companies that win government contracts and do the government’s work for them. These contracts can easily be tens of millions of dollars.

I spoke with a contact in federal contracting and he confirmed there is plenty of known waste, where the government officials giving the contract know it is of little value and the recipients of the funds know they are not accomplishing much, but the money is there and everyone is getting paid so the system keeps running. Meanwhile, those involved get rich on the taxpayer dime. Much of what is done is pointless and major firms make millions on contracts.

How does this connect to AOC and the spirit of greed? I believe the system D.C. operates by – handing out millions even when you know it’s not for the benefit of the nation – has helped create a culture of greed, where wasteful contracts are given to companies more interested in the money than actually helping the American people. Often they accomplish nothing and continue to receive these generous federal payments.

Of course there are honest contractors doing honest work, but that is often not the case.

You could argue this is almost another wing of the government. It doesn’t have the authority of another branch of government, but it is much bigger than Congress with millions of workers.

Exporting Greed

For years, this system has existed inside the Beltway. Now, sadly, I fear this spirit or way of thinking – get what you can from the government whether you deserve it or not – is being released to the rest of the country.

That exporting is happening in the form of stimulus checks, federal payments, promises of more “free” things and endless federal programs. My sense is these will only increase.

Imagine how you would respond if someone offered you a six-figure government job where the expectations were so low it would be very difficult to be fired. Do you see how that kind of job could corrupt someone and be incredibly tempting?

Even worse, have the patriotic Americans in our city already grown a bit greedy for more stimulus checks and government handouts?

Prayer Strategy

Remember, though, as good intercessors we must always ask the question: what is the root? In this case, a fundamental root is greed…that seductive, intoxicating feeling that tells you all your desires can be met without having to work. The Bible describes it like a snare:

Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Tm 6:9)

We see in this verse that greed is not just a sin. It is a trap that can ensnare you and lead to destruction. Will our nation fall into this trap, as many of the residents of my city already have?

Time will tell.

With this in mind, let us pray:

-Father, we pray that you will protect our hearts from the seductive trap of greed, from seeing the government as our provider instead of you, our Heavenly Father.

-Jesus, we pray that you would deliver our nation’s capital of the spirit of greed, that our leaders in all areas of government would repent and act according to what is best for the American people, even if it comes at a personal cost. We ask the entire culture would shift to one of integrity, excellence, and honesty.

-Father we pray for the financial health of our nation, that you would bring up leaders who can get our debt under control. Give them the backbone to make hard decisions, and give the American people the willingness to make sacrifices so our nation is not bankrupted by our own selfishness.

Verses to press into as you intercede on this issue:

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Tm 6:10)

The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live. (Prv 15:27)

Casey Harper is a writer in the Washington, D.C. area covering national politics. He has worked for The Daily Caller, The Hill, and Sinclair Broadcast Group. A graduate of Hillsdale College, Casey’s work has also appeared in Fox News, Fox Business, Washington Examiner, and USA Today. Follow him on Twitter: @CaseyHarper33. (Photo Credit: Canva.)