Being a good steward of the manifold blessings of God demands that you start right where you are in your relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior & Lord of your life. Understand that presenting your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, and being transformed by the renewing of your mind means you must follow biblical principles as soon as you learn them because they serve as the gateway to truly doing His will. Your intimate relationship with the true and living God and where you truly stand in readiness to do His will are verified when you adhere to principles such as worshipping the LORD via thanksgiving, praise, prayer, daily bible study, weekly fellowship with believers, and making godly declarations / proclamations of your fruitfulness & prosperity. Likewise, your godly example is magnified when you employ the few principles aimed primarily at the financial area of your life: tithing, offering, planning including budgeting, debt elimination, refusing to cosign, saving & investing, and diversifying your investments.
You need to start employing these biblical principles now, by the power of the Holy Spirit living in you, because lollygagging in this area of life reflects that you are undisciplined concerning the will of God in many other areas of your life. It is truly meaningful that many of Jesus teachings used examples of financial stewardship as a basis for pointing believers to the right path of attitude and action they should employ. The scripture also says the love of money is the root of all evil. Consistently employing a biblically based money management plan is an external indicator of your internal spiritual condition. It should be based on: (1) a first financial priority to tithe & give abundantly to the Church for godly ministry; (2) a secondary priority to save and invest a reasonable proportion for family care, rainy days, and ministry and business endeavors; and (3) a third / lesser priority to spend on unnecessary material things until your financial condition and management is such that your outgo will not exceed your income, so your upkeep will not be your downfall.
You must understand the thermometer by which you should be measuring your condition and the thermostat that allows you to turn up the temperature on the right way to manage money, so you eliminate the coldness brought on by managing money using ungodly principles of the enemy and this world. From time to time you probably watch television shows that display lifestyles of the rich and famous. Usually, the shows focus on letting you know just how much the rich person has accumulated and displays the opulence of his/her homes, cars, and material purchases. To be clear, everyone does not have to live at the same material level and there is no specific level at which a particular person should forego material purchases or wealth accumulation. However, recognizing there are two spiritual forces at play in the world (Almighty God versus the god of this world (Satan)) and both would lead you to do things that will bring riches into your life, albeit in different ways and for different reasons.
Satan is not equal to Almighty God in any sense, but is allowed by Him to tempt man with a rebellious plan for income and wealth pursuit that puts him/her on the path to destruction, especially eternal. Yet many also experience financial destruction on earth from using this rebellious plan. Whereas, Almighty God’s plan is on the path to eternal life and causes you to be truly fruitful and prosperous while on earth. By it, you spread the gospel and do good works that lead people to repentance, better lives, and to be better examples for others to follow. You need to use the free will the LORD gave you to choose His righteous path so you and other people get all the eternal and earthly benefits He prepared and desires for your life.
Please pray for this ministry and email me with any questions. May the LORD bless you richly as you follow His plan!
Luke 16:13-15, Acts 4:36-5:11, 1Timothy 6:17-19, James 5:1-8
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