This program will help you undo financial bondage.
From everlasting, the LORD worked to create everything and set the spiritual and natural realm in motion. Then, He commanded man to work in order to be fruitful; cultivate the soil, raise animals, and engage physical and mental labor in many ways. Adam and Eve’s worship, including their work, was totally enjoyable.
After man chose to sin, he and his seed would eat by the sweat of his brow. Though work would still be enjoyable in many ways the deteriorating conditions that sin caused man to live in on earth would seem to make work more physically and mentally demanding and in some instances unpleasant.
From the time that Adam disobeyed God’s command, the perfect communion they had has been broken for all mankind and man might now choose work that was not meant for him to do in fulfilling the purpose for which God made him. Though he might choose the right line of work, he might also have unclean motives, attitudes, and actions or utilize the fruit thereof for purposes that were not intended.
There is a truth about work that remains constant from the perfect beginning until now and into the saints’ everlasting future; a person will always be fulfilled and thus have peace and joy when working as unto the LORD in the calling whereunto he is called by God. The word of God spoken through King Solomon and the Apostle Paul confirm that the diligent person shall be made fat (have everything that he /she needs to complete his /her purpose on earth) and that a person who doesn't work (is lazy / irresponsible) will not eat (won’t have what is necessary for fulfillment or comfort on earth)!
There is an abundance of scripture confirming that you should engage work (both physical and mental) for as long as you live. Total abstinence from work is not healthy for your body and mind. Lack of challenging work and daily regimen can bring about sickness, mental illness, and premature death. Therefore, God gives you work to accomplish everyday you’re alive: physical labor (for producing income, wealth, and gifts), physical and vocal worship, praise, prayer, bible and vocational study, service to saints and unbelievers, fellowship / hospitality, exercise, etc.
Also, there is an abundance of scripture telling you to stay away from lazy / idle / irresponsible attitudes and behavior at all stages of life. Yet, godliness does not prohibit you from moving from one type of work to another as need or ability arises, unless you would engage in a type that is unholy according to scripture or that violates His will directly spoken to you. Thus, you are not prohibited from taking retirement from a current employer or business as long as you are mindful that you should engage reasonable work in another capacity. All types of work are worship and godly service (ministry) when they are committed to the Lord and engaged with His purpose in mind.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:28, 2:1-3, Proverbs 10:4-5, Luke 12:16-31, 2Thessalonians 3:7-11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
MoneyWalk 39: What about retirement?
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
You been on the job for many years and believe a never-ending rest from work is in order and you’re talking about a whole lot longer than the vacation time you’ve been given. For years, you've been taking two-week vacations to relieve stress but you can hardly wait until a time of total rest that you call ‘retirement.’ However, you can't live comfortably in retirement without receiving your current monthly income and living on that is real tough!!!
At this point, you don’t have a pension or you realize your pension will not come close to your current monthly income and you haven't invested much to augment your pension. You've also accumulated lots of debt pursuing a plethora of material pleasures you didn’t need but really desired to have or experience.
This scenario makes for a hard time experiencing the retirement you always envisioned or taking a retirement package from your current employer. You feel like you’ll never make it to that time and you become a little agitated because you see a few others who have taken the plunge and seem to be doing very well. However, you’re financial situation just won’t let you. Otherwise, you either lose many of things you’ve come to enjoy or you’ll just wind up working somewhere else and maybe for far less money than you currently earn.
If you find yourself in this position, it’s good to know that it provides a learning opportunity that can help you greatly in the future if you’ll apply it. First, a basic level of planning is usually needed in order to help us land in a good financial situation that will be a blessing for us later in life when we need it the most. Secondly, there is hope. Though your plan to leave your present employer or line of work may be delayed it doesn’t have to be scrapped altogether. Start planning and take control of your spending, saving, investing, and giving now and you will put yourself in a much better position where you have many more retirement options down the road.
Third, only one scripture seems to mention retirement. This should help you understand that you may leave a particular employer or line of work but you should continue working in some capacity for the rest of your life. This may be strictly ministry work involving evangelism, discipleship, prayer, physical helps, etc. or it could be other charitable, employment, and/ or business endeavors. Obviously, you should look at yourself as a full-time minister regardless of where your work plants you and seek to spread the gospel to those with whom you come into contact while also excellently making your widgets and/or performing your job.
The bible contains many lessons on the responsibility to work and its great value for every person. Recognize that fulfillment, peace, joy, and rest come from work that directly or indirectly funds evangelism and discipleship that leads people into relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s time to understand the purpose of work, the real shape that retirement should take, and to get serious about managing money according to biblical principles no matter how old you are so that very shortly in the future you can help create options to fulfill your purpose that you will not have when you don’t manage wisely.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:28, 2:1-3, Proverbs 10:4-5, Luke 12:16-31, 2Thessalonians 3:7-11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
You been on the job for many years and believe a never-ending rest from work is in order and you’re talking about a whole lot longer than the vacation time you’ve been given. For years, you've been taking two-week vacations to relieve stress but you can hardly wait until a time of total rest that you call ‘retirement.’ However, you can't live comfortably in retirement without receiving your current monthly income and living on that is real tough!!!
At this point, you don’t have a pension or you realize your pension will not come close to your current monthly income and you haven't invested much to augment your pension. You've also accumulated lots of debt pursuing a plethora of material pleasures you didn’t need but really desired to have or experience.
This scenario makes for a hard time experiencing the retirement you always envisioned or taking a retirement package from your current employer. You feel like you’ll never make it to that time and you become a little agitated because you see a few others who have taken the plunge and seem to be doing very well. However, you’re financial situation just won’t let you. Otherwise, you either lose many of things you’ve come to enjoy or you’ll just wind up working somewhere else and maybe for far less money than you currently earn.
If you find yourself in this position, it’s good to know that it provides a learning opportunity that can help you greatly in the future if you’ll apply it. First, a basic level of planning is usually needed in order to help us land in a good financial situation that will be a blessing for us later in life when we need it the most. Secondly, there is hope. Though your plan to leave your present employer or line of work may be delayed it doesn’t have to be scrapped altogether. Start planning and take control of your spending, saving, investing, and giving now and you will put yourself in a much better position where you have many more retirement options down the road.
Third, only one scripture seems to mention retirement. This should help you understand that you may leave a particular employer or line of work but you should continue working in some capacity for the rest of your life. This may be strictly ministry work involving evangelism, discipleship, prayer, physical helps, etc. or it could be other charitable, employment, and/ or business endeavors. Obviously, you should look at yourself as a full-time minister regardless of where your work plants you and seek to spread the gospel to those with whom you come into contact while also excellently making your widgets and/or performing your job.
The bible contains many lessons on the responsibility to work and its great value for every person. Recognize that fulfillment, peace, joy, and rest come from work that directly or indirectly funds evangelism and discipleship that leads people into relationship with Jesus Christ. It’s time to understand the purpose of work, the real shape that retirement should take, and to get serious about managing money according to biblical principles no matter how old you are so that very shortly in the future you can help create options to fulfill your purpose that you will not have when you don’t manage wisely.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:28, 2:1-3, Proverbs 10:4-5, Luke 12:16-31, 2Thessalonians 3:7-11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
MoneyWalk 453: God owns it all
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
The first and foremost principle that must be adhered to if you want to be a good money manager is to recognize that God owns everything. You must believe it and take actions aligned with this belief. Unfortunately, most people never move from a point of believing that their wealth and income is wrought by the work of their own hands or the intellect of their minds or that of their earthly forefathers, in the case of inherited wealth.
Such false belief does not lead to their benefit because they forego the purpose for which God created them and thus a level of blessing that God desired them to have and use for building His kingdom in the hearts of men. In addition, many have financial difficulties in this life that are brought on by their lack of understanding and acting on God’s will for their lives and finances.
Many people act on a desire to be rich that is produced by the fleshly worldview that surrounds us daily (mind, emotion, will, and body wanting to experience the comforts riches provide). Many times their actions lead to breaking marriages asunder, neglecting children, being a workaholic, forsaking service in a local church, and failing to evangelize and disciple other people. They are unwilling to change such behavior because in their hearts the most important thing is making it big or maintaining wealth, regardless of whether they ever say it with their mouths.
Let’s be clear, there’s a small percentage of people with wrong attitudes, motives, and actions that earn huge incomes and accumulate great riches. They are looked up to by men because of what they have; wealth, high status, and notoriety among men and worldly institutions. However, we must not automatically assume their earthly situation is evidence that God is pleased with them nor that they are living in God’s will for their lives or money management. Most people in this category never become wealthy on earth and suffer many disappointments from unrealized dreams. The bible is clear that anyone and everyone that does not turn to Jesus Christ before they leave this earth will be disappointed eternally.
Few people pursue God’s purpose for their lives by maintaining an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit in order to hear His voice tell them which legitimate careers, business, and investment opportunities they should pursue. This group often has a few and sometimes many endeavors that appear to fail. Yet, they can be sure that what they do for Christ will last, they will accumulate all of the wealth they need on earth to help them accomplish their purpose, they will successfully achieve God’s purpose for their lives, and they will receive great recompense of eternal reward. Earthly failure is not really failure when it’s used to find out what you’re not fashioned for and to sharpen your skills and abilities so that future endeavors can be successful.
Recognizing and acting on the fact that God owns it all will keep you from seeking to obtain riches by engaging in immoral, illegal, criminal, and/or detrimental activities or simply activities not instructed or directed by God. It will also help you understand that eventually you will get caught on earth or at the judgment when you stand before God Almighty. Then, everything you thought was gain will suddenly become a huge loss. Finally, it will help you understand that being unsaved and judged morally bankrupt by God brings on an eternal state of judgment that cannot be overcome with the accolades of success that you might receive on earth.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:27, Psalms 90:1-2, Isaiah 43:10, Ephesians 3:9, Revelations 4:11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
The first and foremost principle that must be adhered to if you want to be a good money manager is to recognize that God owns everything. You must believe it and take actions aligned with this belief. Unfortunately, most people never move from a point of believing that their wealth and income is wrought by the work of their own hands or the intellect of their minds or that of their earthly forefathers, in the case of inherited wealth.
Such false belief does not lead to their benefit because they forego the purpose for which God created them and thus a level of blessing that God desired them to have and use for building His kingdom in the hearts of men. In addition, many have financial difficulties in this life that are brought on by their lack of understanding and acting on God’s will for their lives and finances.
Many people act on a desire to be rich that is produced by the fleshly worldview that surrounds us daily (mind, emotion, will, and body wanting to experience the comforts riches provide). Many times their actions lead to breaking marriages asunder, neglecting children, being a workaholic, forsaking service in a local church, and failing to evangelize and disciple other people. They are unwilling to change such behavior because in their hearts the most important thing is making it big or maintaining wealth, regardless of whether they ever say it with their mouths.
Let’s be clear, there’s a small percentage of people with wrong attitudes, motives, and actions that earn huge incomes and accumulate great riches. They are looked up to by men because of what they have; wealth, high status, and notoriety among men and worldly institutions. However, we must not automatically assume their earthly situation is evidence that God is pleased with them nor that they are living in God’s will for their lives or money management. Most people in this category never become wealthy on earth and suffer many disappointments from unrealized dreams. The bible is clear that anyone and everyone that does not turn to Jesus Christ before they leave this earth will be disappointed eternally.
Few people pursue God’s purpose for their lives by maintaining an intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit in order to hear His voice tell them which legitimate careers, business, and investment opportunities they should pursue. This group often has a few and sometimes many endeavors that appear to fail. Yet, they can be sure that what they do for Christ will last, they will accumulate all of the wealth they need on earth to help them accomplish their purpose, they will successfully achieve God’s purpose for their lives, and they will receive great recompense of eternal reward. Earthly failure is not really failure when it’s used to find out what you’re not fashioned for and to sharpen your skills and abilities so that future endeavors can be successful.
Recognizing and acting on the fact that God owns it all will keep you from seeking to obtain riches by engaging in immoral, illegal, criminal, and/or detrimental activities or simply activities not instructed or directed by God. It will also help you understand that eventually you will get caught on earth or at the judgment when you stand before God Almighty. Then, everything you thought was gain will suddenly become a huge loss. Finally, it will help you understand that being unsaved and judged morally bankrupt by God brings on an eternal state of judgment that cannot be overcome with the accolades of success that you might receive on earth.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:27, Psalms 90:1-2, Isaiah 43:10, Ephesians 3:9, Revelations 4:11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
MoneyWalk 452: Athlete & entertainer financial planning
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
We’ve all heard about major league sports athletes, singers, musicians, and other famous people going broke after having made enormous incomes from their talents and fortuitous opportunities. The minimum salary for major league sports athletes approaches $500,000 per year and continues to rise for those new to the league. In addition, they normally get generous raises when their service stretches into successive years even if they sit on the bench all those years.
Many of the other celebrities don’t have minimum salary tables. Their income is dependent on how many of some product, service, etc. their work or persona can sell. Yet, we’ve all seen the ‘Cribs’ shows that give us a glimpse into the opulent mansions and array of expensive cars they sport; at least the low percentage who have made it big. We also hear that they purchase clothes, jewelry, and other items that cost tens of thousands of dollars a whop.
Despite the high incomes many have earned for at least a few years and some for many years, we continue to see in our communities those who have returned and hear of a great number who are pretty much broke not many years after they reached the height of fame. What seems to be the greatest culprit is the fact that they stopped making the same amount of money.
Other situations that seem to play a part are the average longevity for being on top in the entertainment arena is a few years and the fact that many of the industries either don’t have pension plans these former stars can draw upon when they are seniors or the plans pay a fraction of what they earned during their careers. This is exacerbated for those who spent many years in the industry and made the highest incomes. Finally, some don’t have much formal education or generally needed skills to fall back on once the high income has turned into much lower income.
However, all is not as it seems. What really caused them to go broke is the fact that they did not follow God’s universal instructions for managing money and resources that can be found in the bible. Instead, they chose to follow the path that they see so many of their comrades follow and that the world teaches and examples for them: the minimum salary makers trying to live like the icons taking on more debt than they receive in income. Sure there is a low percentage who never lose all the fame and the high incomes that go with it. Yet, there are many more that will only have their moment or few years of fame and then their incomes will drastically change. If there’s one thing history has shown us it is that even icons can fall and lose it all.
Let us all take a lesson away from this; we must use wisdom in managing current incomes and our lives. On an eternal scale no one can escape the negative consequences of failing to live out the following principles and most people never escape the earthly consequences of such failure. Therefore, you should resolve to:
1) Recognize that everything you have is God’s and has been provided for you to manage while on earth. You are only a manager who should look to the Owner for instructions on how to manage money and resources.
2) Honor God through tithing and offering the moment you receive each portion of income. Give to ministries and charitable endeavors that please the Owner’s heart and help you fulfill your purpose while on earth.
3) Sacrifice short-term opulent purchases for deferred gratification and long-term comfort when you most need it by living within your means. Even though it’s difficult to see from the current vantage point, remember if your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall!!!
4) Stay away from and eliminate all debt; high interest debt first. Plan and budget to buy debt-free mansions (houses), cars, and other desired merchandise.
5) Do not cosign loans for anyone and avoid all the cousins who crawl out of the woodwork to help you spend your newfound fortune.
6) Save a substantial amount of your income in liquid accounts to help you make it through eventual downturns, rainy days, emergencies, and catastrophes. Put away at least 6 months of income and even more if you’re in an industry where pay is uncertain from month to month and year to year.
7) Invest a sizeable portion of your pay in good high quality vehicles that have a history of significantly higher growth than the inflation rate. At least 10% starting off and then more as your income grows. Very high income people may want to start off saving and investing at least 30% of their income.
8) Diversify your investments into seven or eight trustworthy institutions and vehicles. While you should have a multitude of counselors, it is not best to let any one person have power-of-attorney or ability to spend your income and assets; not your agent, attorney, accountant, manager, personal assistant, etc. Generally, it is best that you and your spouse maintain such control and give specific instructions when you want any of your helpers to handle specific financial concerns for you.
9) Work with your attorney and other financial professionals to craft a will, trusts, durable power of attorney and other estate plans that work best for you and your family in case of an early demise.
Though situations can differ a basic plan for a beginning high income earner might look something like the following. You make $1 million and receive $600,000 after taxes. You forsake debt and tithe, offer, and give to the needy $112,000. In the first year, you save $300,000 in your emergency fund (6 months take home pay), rent a nice apartment for $2000 per month ($24,000 annually), buy a $30,000 car debt-free (two year old Cadillac, Lincoln, Jeep, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.), invest $86,000 in a diversified portfolio of mutual funds, stocks, etc, and keep $4,000 of monthly spending money ($48,000 annually) for groceries, utilities, insurances, personal needs, and desires.
The second year, you might tithe, offer, and give $$124,000. You would probably not need additional emergency savings, you continue to live in the apartment, keep your debt-free car, invest $300,000, and increase your monthly spending money to $5,000. The remaining $92,000 would be put into a high-yield money market account for an eventual home purchase after your fifth year of earning such high incomes.
At this point, you would likely have over $300,000 in your emergency fund and over $1.5 million in your investment accounts to help you through a downsizing and build for the future. Increases in pay could be used to increase giving and the home fund. If longevity in the industry and high yearly incomes seem inevitable for you at this point you could purchase a home for no more than the cash you have diligently saved in the fund (at least $368,000). If not, this money could be spent on a home that would accommodate your new income level and the remaining amount should be put into your investment accounts and allowed to grow for your latter years when you’ll need the comfort and resources more than you do now.
Though this plan is not perfect, no plan is. However, a plan based on the right principles is better than no plan or one based on wrong-headed principles. The latter plans include willy-nilly spending and purchases to impress others and will ultimately leave you like a former athlete we know; broke, busted, and disgusted. We don’t want you to end up in that position when you have an ability to do better and bring honor to God in the process.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:27, Exodus 19:5, Psalms 50:10, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Ephesians 3:9
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
We’ve all heard about major league sports athletes, singers, musicians, and other famous people going broke after having made enormous incomes from their talents and fortuitous opportunities. The minimum salary for major league sports athletes approaches $500,000 per year and continues to rise for those new to the league. In addition, they normally get generous raises when their service stretches into successive years even if they sit on the bench all those years.
Many of the other celebrities don’t have minimum salary tables. Their income is dependent on how many of some product, service, etc. their work or persona can sell. Yet, we’ve all seen the ‘Cribs’ shows that give us a glimpse into the opulent mansions and array of expensive cars they sport; at least the low percentage who have made it big. We also hear that they purchase clothes, jewelry, and other items that cost tens of thousands of dollars a whop.
Despite the high incomes many have earned for at least a few years and some for many years, we continue to see in our communities those who have returned and hear of a great number who are pretty much broke not many years after they reached the height of fame. What seems to be the greatest culprit is the fact that they stopped making the same amount of money.
Other situations that seem to play a part are the average longevity for being on top in the entertainment arena is a few years and the fact that many of the industries either don’t have pension plans these former stars can draw upon when they are seniors or the plans pay a fraction of what they earned during their careers. This is exacerbated for those who spent many years in the industry and made the highest incomes. Finally, some don’t have much formal education or generally needed skills to fall back on once the high income has turned into much lower income.
However, all is not as it seems. What really caused them to go broke is the fact that they did not follow God’s universal instructions for managing money and resources that can be found in the bible. Instead, they chose to follow the path that they see so many of their comrades follow and that the world teaches and examples for them: the minimum salary makers trying to live like the icons taking on more debt than they receive in income. Sure there is a low percentage who never lose all the fame and the high incomes that go with it. Yet, there are many more that will only have their moment or few years of fame and then their incomes will drastically change. If there’s one thing history has shown us it is that even icons can fall and lose it all.
Let us all take a lesson away from this; we must use wisdom in managing current incomes and our lives. On an eternal scale no one can escape the negative consequences of failing to live out the following principles and most people never escape the earthly consequences of such failure. Therefore, you should resolve to:
1) Recognize that everything you have is God’s and has been provided for you to manage while on earth. You are only a manager who should look to the Owner for instructions on how to manage money and resources.
2) Honor God through tithing and offering the moment you receive each portion of income. Give to ministries and charitable endeavors that please the Owner’s heart and help you fulfill your purpose while on earth.
3) Sacrifice short-term opulent purchases for deferred gratification and long-term comfort when you most need it by living within your means. Even though it’s difficult to see from the current vantage point, remember if your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall!!!
4) Stay away from and eliminate all debt; high interest debt first. Plan and budget to buy debt-free mansions (houses), cars, and other desired merchandise.
5) Do not cosign loans for anyone and avoid all the cousins who crawl out of the woodwork to help you spend your newfound fortune.
6) Save a substantial amount of your income in liquid accounts to help you make it through eventual downturns, rainy days, emergencies, and catastrophes. Put away at least 6 months of income and even more if you’re in an industry where pay is uncertain from month to month and year to year.
7) Invest a sizeable portion of your pay in good high quality vehicles that have a history of significantly higher growth than the inflation rate. At least 10% starting off and then more as your income grows. Very high income people may want to start off saving and investing at least 30% of their income.
8) Diversify your investments into seven or eight trustworthy institutions and vehicles. While you should have a multitude of counselors, it is not best to let any one person have power-of-attorney or ability to spend your income and assets; not your agent, attorney, accountant, manager, personal assistant, etc. Generally, it is best that you and your spouse maintain such control and give specific instructions when you want any of your helpers to handle specific financial concerns for you.
9) Work with your attorney and other financial professionals to craft a will, trusts, durable power of attorney and other estate plans that work best for you and your family in case of an early demise.
Though situations can differ a basic plan for a beginning high income earner might look something like the following. You make $1 million and receive $600,000 after taxes. You forsake debt and tithe, offer, and give to the needy $112,000. In the first year, you save $300,000 in your emergency fund (6 months take home pay), rent a nice apartment for $2000 per month ($24,000 annually), buy a $30,000 car debt-free (two year old Cadillac, Lincoln, Jeep, Lexus, Mercedes, etc.), invest $86,000 in a diversified portfolio of mutual funds, stocks, etc, and keep $4,000 of monthly spending money ($48,000 annually) for groceries, utilities, insurances, personal needs, and desires.
The second year, you might tithe, offer, and give $$124,000. You would probably not need additional emergency savings, you continue to live in the apartment, keep your debt-free car, invest $300,000, and increase your monthly spending money to $5,000. The remaining $92,000 would be put into a high-yield money market account for an eventual home purchase after your fifth year of earning such high incomes.
At this point, you would likely have over $300,000 in your emergency fund and over $1.5 million in your investment accounts to help you through a downsizing and build for the future. Increases in pay could be used to increase giving and the home fund. If longevity in the industry and high yearly incomes seem inevitable for you at this point you could purchase a home for no more than the cash you have diligently saved in the fund (at least $368,000). If not, this money could be spent on a home that would accommodate your new income level and the remaining amount should be put into your investment accounts and allowed to grow for your latter years when you’ll need the comfort and resources more than you do now.
Though this plan is not perfect, no plan is. However, a plan based on the right principles is better than no plan or one based on wrong-headed principles. The latter plans include willy-nilly spending and purchases to impress others and will ultimately leave you like a former athlete we know; broke, busted, and disgusted. We don’t want you to end up in that position when you have an ability to do better and bring honor to God in the process.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 1:27, Exodus 19:5, Psalms 50:10, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Ephesians 3:9
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, November 22, 2009
MoneyWalk 451: True Thanksgiving produces Thanksliving
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
It’s easy to think you’re giving thanks on the holiday by following the tradition of having family over and eating lots of turkey, ham, and dressing and watching football games. However, true thanks is signaled by both word and deed in acknowledging the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to win your salvation and eternal life and your action to give of your time and money to spread this good news throughout your family, community, and world.
True thanksgiving can certainly take place in the family interaction that occurs. In order to be so, you need to openly communicate that the meal and favors provided and that have previously been provided are made possible due to the bounty that proceeds from the grace of God almighty. True thanksgiving also needs to take place throughout each year in the giving of our resources to help those outside of our family who are truly in need.
All of us have something to give to help others out and sometimes to simply bless someone else. Even when we don’t seem to have much, we have more than we are aware of. We truly signal that we’re thankful when even in adversity and poverty we give to spread the gospel and help those in need. Those who are not suffering adversity and poverty should do the same to a greater degree.
Scripture signifies that those whose hearts are fixed upon Christ and truly thankful will give abundantly above what it appears they are able to give. Their thankful hearts will abound in overwhelming generosity in both physical service and monetary giving to truly help others on Earth and so that others may know they can have their names written in the book of Life in Heaven. This is the real root of Thanksgiving and when it is truly present it abounds before God and man in a great display of Thanksliving.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 9:10-12, Philippians 4:4-7, 14-17,Colossians 4:2-4
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
It’s easy to think you’re giving thanks on the holiday by following the tradition of having family over and eating lots of turkey, ham, and dressing and watching football games. However, true thanks is signaled by both word and deed in acknowledging the sacrifice of Jesus Christ to win your salvation and eternal life and your action to give of your time and money to spread this good news throughout your family, community, and world.
True thanksgiving can certainly take place in the family interaction that occurs. In order to be so, you need to openly communicate that the meal and favors provided and that have previously been provided are made possible due to the bounty that proceeds from the grace of God almighty. True thanksgiving also needs to take place throughout each year in the giving of our resources to help those outside of our family who are truly in need.
All of us have something to give to help others out and sometimes to simply bless someone else. Even when we don’t seem to have much, we have more than we are aware of. We truly signal that we’re thankful when even in adversity and poverty we give to spread the gospel and help those in need. Those who are not suffering adversity and poverty should do the same to a greater degree.
Scripture signifies that those whose hearts are fixed upon Christ and truly thankful will give abundantly above what it appears they are able to give. Their thankful hearts will abound in overwhelming generosity in both physical service and monetary giving to truly help others on Earth and so that others may know they can have their names written in the book of Life in Heaven. This is the real root of Thanksgiving and when it is truly present it abounds before God and man in a great display of Thanksliving.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
2 Corinthians 8:1-5, 9:10-12, Philippians 4:4-7, 14-17,Colossians 4:2-4
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, November 15, 2009
MoneyWalk 38: What are your assets worth?
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
You'll find that the market value of furniture, appliances, clothing, tools, and cars drop in value drastically over a short period of time. In certain neighborhoods and economic situations, the value of houses, commercial buildings, and land can also drop in value as opposed to the usual appreciation in value that takes place over many years of ownership. This reality of the value of your material goods should help you exercise godly wisdom when making purchases.
Don't put all your effort in accumulating money and goods for earthly purposes. They decay, lose value, and have no eternal worth. Rather, build treasure in heaven by giving abundantly to spread the gospel. The value of this treasure increases throughout eternity and where your treasure is your heart will be also.
God’s highest desire is that you seek a more intimate relationship with Him. Through this fellowship He is likely to provide you with many material blessings. Bible accounts of patriarch/matriarchs with great wealth clearly show that their wealth came from intimacy with God and obedience to His will.
Earthly assets have true worth and eternal value only when they are used to spread the gospel and build the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. So take your cue from these leaders. Engage an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Understand that He owns everything ever created and thus has the right to decide its purpose and direct its use. Be wise in acting this out by making sure that everything you do is pleasing to God and every resource you receive is used to serve others, your family, and yourself according to His will. Then your assets will truly have worth.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Matthew 6:33, Mark 10:28-30, Luke 12:32-34, 1Timothy 6:6-10
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
You'll find that the market value of furniture, appliances, clothing, tools, and cars drop in value drastically over a short period of time. In certain neighborhoods and economic situations, the value of houses, commercial buildings, and land can also drop in value as opposed to the usual appreciation in value that takes place over many years of ownership. This reality of the value of your material goods should help you exercise godly wisdom when making purchases.
Don't put all your effort in accumulating money and goods for earthly purposes. They decay, lose value, and have no eternal worth. Rather, build treasure in heaven by giving abundantly to spread the gospel. The value of this treasure increases throughout eternity and where your treasure is your heart will be also.
God’s highest desire is that you seek a more intimate relationship with Him. Through this fellowship He is likely to provide you with many material blessings. Bible accounts of patriarch/matriarchs with great wealth clearly show that their wealth came from intimacy with God and obedience to His will.
Earthly assets have true worth and eternal value only when they are used to spread the gospel and build the kingdom of God in the hearts of men. So take your cue from these leaders. Engage an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Understand that He owns everything ever created and thus has the right to decide its purpose and direct its use. Be wise in acting this out by making sure that everything you do is pleasing to God and every resource you receive is used to serve others, your family, and yourself according to His will. Then your assets will truly have worth.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Matthew 6:33, Mark 10:28-30, Luke 12:32-34, 1Timothy 6:6-10
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Saturday, November 7, 2009
MoneyWalk 37: You need Jesus Christ in order to make it!!!
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
I can teach you biblical money management principles like tithing, offering, planning, budgeting, debt-free living, refusing to co-sign, saving, investing, and smart lending. I can also show you methods that employ these principles such as organizing, recording, top down bill payoff, leveraging, etc. However, abundant financial blessings derived from these principles and methods won't give you what is most important: A relationship with Jesus Christ providing salvation and eternal life.
A relationship with Christ allows you to bypass the righteous wrath of God that would otherwise judge you as worthy of punishment in Hell because of your sinful nature and sins you’ve committed. Sin produces negative results in your life and renders you unable to achieve lasting inner peace and joy in good and bad times. The wages of continual un-repented sin is eternal damnation but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. He is the only person by whom you can be saved!!!
You cannot enter heaven without publicly confessing that Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord. All you have to do is confess Him now, if you haven’t already done so. Then, you will receive the gift of eternal life and the Holy Spirit will begin to lead you and guide you into truth. He will help you live in a manner that is pleasing to Father God and help you use money and resources in a way that bear much fruit on earth that cannot be corrupted or stolen.
One reward for such a life is that many friends will meet you in Heaven because you played your God-given part in helping them see their need for Christ. Another reward is that you don’t let money entrusted to you become corrupted and moth eaten on earth. Instead, your faith-led acts of worship and service store up meaningful treasures in Heaven that awaits you.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Acts 4:10-12, John 3:16-17, 2Peter 3:9-18, Revelation 12:10-12
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
I can teach you biblical money management principles like tithing, offering, planning, budgeting, debt-free living, refusing to co-sign, saving, investing, and smart lending. I can also show you methods that employ these principles such as organizing, recording, top down bill payoff, leveraging, etc. However, abundant financial blessings derived from these principles and methods won't give you what is most important: A relationship with Jesus Christ providing salvation and eternal life.
A relationship with Christ allows you to bypass the righteous wrath of God that would otherwise judge you as worthy of punishment in Hell because of your sinful nature and sins you’ve committed. Sin produces negative results in your life and renders you unable to achieve lasting inner peace and joy in good and bad times. The wages of continual un-repented sin is eternal damnation but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ. He is the only person by whom you can be saved!!!
You cannot enter heaven without publicly confessing that Jesus Christ is your Savior and Lord. All you have to do is confess Him now, if you haven’t already done so. Then, you will receive the gift of eternal life and the Holy Spirit will begin to lead you and guide you into truth. He will help you live in a manner that is pleasing to Father God and help you use money and resources in a way that bear much fruit on earth that cannot be corrupted or stolen.
One reward for such a life is that many friends will meet you in Heaven because you played your God-given part in helping them see their need for Christ. Another reward is that you don’t let money entrusted to you become corrupted and moth eaten on earth. Instead, your faith-led acts of worship and service store up meaningful treasures in Heaven that awaits you.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Acts 4:10-12, John 3:16-17, 2Peter 3:9-18, Revelation 12:10-12
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
MoneyWalk 36: The Deceitfulness of Riches
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
It is great to have material things that make your life more comfortable. Most everyone wants a nice house, a classy automobile, and sharp clothes. As a matter of fact, most people have dreamed of being multi-millionaires and searched out methods that could be used to obtain such wealth.
Money is not evil even though some people have sought and used it to fund immoral lifestyles and endeavors. Just as many people have used it to fund endeavors that truly help people and make this world a better place to live. Money is simply a magnifying glass because more of it causes you to live on a larger scale where more people can better see your character through the way you spend it, save it, and give it away.
In the hands of truly godly people, it magnifies the fact that they are continually seeking to evangelize and disciple many people to lead them to Christ. In the hands of ungodly people, it magnifies the fact that they encourage, support, and engage ungodly activities that negatively affect the lives of many others.
Most people in the United States are rich in comparison to most people that live in other parts of the world. That is why it is best for everyone to understand that deceitfulness of riches does not affect only those you believe have the big bucks. It is at play in your life when you do not pursue God directed endeavors and use money in ways that glorify Him and lead people to Jesus Christ.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Ecclesiastes 10:19, Luke 12:13-21, I Timothy 6:6-12, Revelation 3:17-18
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
It is great to have material things that make your life more comfortable. Most everyone wants a nice house, a classy automobile, and sharp clothes. As a matter of fact, most people have dreamed of being multi-millionaires and searched out methods that could be used to obtain such wealth.
Money is not evil even though some people have sought and used it to fund immoral lifestyles and endeavors. Just as many people have used it to fund endeavors that truly help people and make this world a better place to live. Money is simply a magnifying glass because more of it causes you to live on a larger scale where more people can better see your character through the way you spend it, save it, and give it away.
In the hands of truly godly people, it magnifies the fact that they are continually seeking to evangelize and disciple many people to lead them to Christ. In the hands of ungodly people, it magnifies the fact that they encourage, support, and engage ungodly activities that negatively affect the lives of many others.
Most people in the United States are rich in comparison to most people that live in other parts of the world. That is why it is best for everyone to understand that deceitfulness of riches does not affect only those you believe have the big bucks. It is at play in your life when you do not pursue God directed endeavors and use money in ways that glorify Him and lead people to Jesus Christ.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Ecclesiastes 10:19, Luke 12:13-21, I Timothy 6:6-12, Revelation 3:17-18
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
MoneyWalk 35: Diversify Your Money, Part 6
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
In many instances, mutual funds are best for beginning investors for meeting the stock and bond allocations of your investment plan rather than trying to choose individual stocks and bonds. They offer automatic diversification within the fund due to the large number of investments that the fund purchases.
The historical track record of each fund compared against funds with similar investments will help you determine which funds to choose. Invest in funds that historically meet or exceed the industry earnings average. Mutual funds come as stock funds, bond funds, low risk investment funds, and hybrids containing a percentage of all three types of investment vehicles as well as other types of investment holdings such as real estate.
Choosing a no-load fund (one without a sales fee) is generally a better choice than choosing one with a sales fee up-front or at the time you cash out. Choose funds that charge accountholders less than 1% in total expenses annually. Finally, browse financial magazines and articles periodically to learn the current market jargon used by financial advisors to become familiar with the different types of investments, so you can make good investments in the right vehicles.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
In many instances, mutual funds are best for beginning investors for meeting the stock and bond allocations of your investment plan rather than trying to choose individual stocks and bonds. They offer automatic diversification within the fund due to the large number of investments that the fund purchases.
The historical track record of each fund compared against funds with similar investments will help you determine which funds to choose. Invest in funds that historically meet or exceed the industry earnings average. Mutual funds come as stock funds, bond funds, low risk investment funds, and hybrids containing a percentage of all three types of investment vehicles as well as other types of investment holdings such as real estate.
Choosing a no-load fund (one without a sales fee) is generally a better choice than choosing one with a sales fee up-front or at the time you cash out. Choose funds that charge accountholders less than 1% in total expenses annually. Finally, browse financial magazines and articles periodically to learn the current market jargon used by financial advisors to become familiar with the different types of investments, so you can make good investments in the right vehicles.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
MoneyWalk 34: Diversify Your Money, Part 5
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Jesus is returning soon and I badly want Him to! Yet, the bible says that to the LORD a day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years is as a day. No one knows exactly when Jesus will return, yet scripture tells us He'll judge our management of the money He gave us. Therefore, live as though He'll return at any moment to take account of your stewardship.
He is pleased when you invest to increase your income because this allows you to support the spread of the gospel to a greater degree. Investing in stock mutual funds is a great way to increase income because the stock market has earned far more than the bond market over every 20-year investment horizon. This information should help you get over the queasy feeling you get from day-to-day stock market swings and cause you to invest in these vehicles for the long-term returns they produce.
Then, use investment growth to help the church witness to and disciple people to influence them to accept Christ as Savior and live according to His standards. Following this spiritual and biblical money management roadmap and the purpose for which He made you will bring eternal blessing upon you and other people in your sphere of influence.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Matthew 25:14-15, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Jesus is returning soon and I badly want Him to! Yet, the bible says that to the LORD a day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years is as a day. No one knows exactly when Jesus will return, yet scripture tells us He'll judge our management of the money He gave us. Therefore, live as though He'll return at any moment to take account of your stewardship.
He is pleased when you invest to increase your income because this allows you to support the spread of the gospel to a greater degree. Investing in stock mutual funds is a great way to increase income because the stock market has earned far more than the bond market over every 20-year investment horizon. This information should help you get over the queasy feeling you get from day-to-day stock market swings and cause you to invest in these vehicles for the long-term returns they produce.
Then, use investment growth to help the church witness to and disciple people to influence them to accept Christ as Savior and live according to His standards. Following this spiritual and biblical money management roadmap and the purpose for which He made you will bring eternal blessing upon you and other people in your sphere of influence.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Matthew 25:14-15, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
MoneyWalk 33: Diversify Your Money, Part 4
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Mutual funds provide broad diversification among stocks and/or bonds. Some have initial investment requirements of a few thousand dollars. However, some allow investors to bypass such requirements when they authorize monthly electronic fund transfers of as little as $50 from a bank account.
If you can’t or don't wish to use this option, you should quickly save the required amount to invest in a mutual fund with a good reputation, good historical returns, and low expense ratio. Checking these items is less difficult for mutual funds than for individual stocks, bonds, and other investments. Your state securities regulator can let you know if a fund is reputable and the fund’s prospectus will display one-year, five-year, ten-year, and lifetime average annual returns and the expense ratio.
Large, medium, and small cap index funds are great choices when you aren’t sure how to identify acceptable returns or select funds based on the credentials of the portfolio manager. Index funds will provide you with a long-term average annual return that is commensurate with overall stock market returns for these categories of businesses.
As you learn more about investing, in an attempt to obtain higher returns, you could choose to invest in funds whose portfolio of stocks and/or bonds is based on a non-index fund objective and manager’s stock selection preferences.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Mutual funds provide broad diversification among stocks and/or bonds. Some have initial investment requirements of a few thousand dollars. However, some allow investors to bypass such requirements when they authorize monthly electronic fund transfers of as little as $50 from a bank account.
If you can’t or don't wish to use this option, you should quickly save the required amount to invest in a mutual fund with a good reputation, good historical returns, and low expense ratio. Checking these items is less difficult for mutual funds than for individual stocks, bonds, and other investments. Your state securities regulator can let you know if a fund is reputable and the fund’s prospectus will display one-year, five-year, ten-year, and lifetime average annual returns and the expense ratio.
Large, medium, and small cap index funds are great choices when you aren’t sure how to identify acceptable returns or select funds based on the credentials of the portfolio manager. Index funds will provide you with a long-term average annual return that is commensurate with overall stock market returns for these categories of businesses.
As you learn more about investing, in an attempt to obtain higher returns, you could choose to invest in funds whose portfolio of stocks and/or bonds is based on a non-index fund objective and manager’s stock selection preferences.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
MoneyWalk 32: Diversify Your Money, Part 3
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
The benefit to using federally regulated 401k, 403b, and 457 investment plans offered by your employer is that a portion of your earned income can be placed in these plans on a tax deferred basis. You pay no income taxes on this money until you withdraw money from the account. Federal regulations allow employers to let you to invest about $14,000 annually through each plan.
These accounts generally include an array of choices such as fixed interest vehicles and stock and bond investments that automatically diversify your investment holdings. Some employers provide a matching percentage. This is free money that you won’t get until you invest through these plans.
It’s costly to withdraw money from the plan permanently until you're age 59 and a half. This keeps you from squandering all your money in your peak earning years so you have a chance at building wealth you’ll need to maintain comfort in later years. If taken before then, except through a loan from the plan administrator that you pay back on schedule, you must pay income taxes on the money and a 10% penalty to the IRS. In addition, you’ll pay the loan in after tax dollars that will be taxed again when you withdraw it in later years. If money is taken due to a qualified hardship or on an equal annual payout basis over your projected life expectancy, no penalty is due.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Joshua 24:13, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
The benefit to using federally regulated 401k, 403b, and 457 investment plans offered by your employer is that a portion of your earned income can be placed in these plans on a tax deferred basis. You pay no income taxes on this money until you withdraw money from the account. Federal regulations allow employers to let you to invest about $14,000 annually through each plan.
These accounts generally include an array of choices such as fixed interest vehicles and stock and bond investments that automatically diversify your investment holdings. Some employers provide a matching percentage. This is free money that you won’t get until you invest through these plans.
It’s costly to withdraw money from the plan permanently until you're age 59 and a half. This keeps you from squandering all your money in your peak earning years so you have a chance at building wealth you’ll need to maintain comfort in later years. If taken before then, except through a loan from the plan administrator that you pay back on schedule, you must pay income taxes on the money and a 10% penalty to the IRS. In addition, you’ll pay the loan in after tax dollars that will be taxed again when you withdraw it in later years. If money is taken due to a qualified hardship or on an equal annual payout basis over your projected life expectancy, no penalty is due.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Joshua 24:13, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, October 18, 2009
MoneyWalk 31: Diversify Your Money, Part 2
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
The bible contains a principle for spreading your risk. Proverbs 11:14 says there's safety in the multitude of counselors. Ecclesiastes 11:2 says give a portion to seven or eight because you don't know what the future may bring. Matthew 25:15 shows the Master giving different amounts of money for investment to three different servants according to their different abilities. Luke 19:13 shows Him giving the same amount to ten different servants. Also, Acts 6:2-3 shows the apostles ordaining seven stewards to oversee the money, resources, and organization that would daily support the widows, orphans, and needy within the Christian community.
I believe these scriptures are trying to let us know that the Holy Spirit encourages, motivates, and guides each person to diversity his/her talent, mind, time, and money in order to get the most out of them and to help protect against inevitable emergencies and catastrophes that will take place during his/her life. Jesus diversified by choosing twelve very different men with different traits and talents who would work together to share Jesus with the world. Except for one, who chose to follow the tempting of satan to become the inevitable catastrophe / emergency that tried to derail the investment God made in the salvation of human souls, the remainder went on to become apostles investing gospel seeds in every region of the world they knew about. The plan was not derailed and all we need do is look at the return that continues to be harvested. It started with Jesus investment in twelve different men and now almost half the people on earth name Jesus Christ as their Savior.
This principle flows into the stewardship arena of your life leading you to invest with different financial institutions, brokerage houses, financial counselors, etc. Seven represents completion and is a good number of different types of investment vehicles/accounts to aim for. You will likely start investing with one but hopefully in a vehicle that holds more than one type of investment (a mutual fund, etc.). However, you will shortly invest extra money with another brokerage house as you continue to correctly manage your income, plan your spending, eliminate debt, save, and realize additional disposable.
This minimum level of diversification will give you peace because it greatly enhances the ability of your money to increase with the markets over the long haul and greatly reduces the risk that you might lose a large portion of your investment to unscrupulous counselors or short-term market declines.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Matthew 25:15, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
The bible contains a principle for spreading your risk. Proverbs 11:14 says there's safety in the multitude of counselors. Ecclesiastes 11:2 says give a portion to seven or eight because you don't know what the future may bring. Matthew 25:15 shows the Master giving different amounts of money for investment to three different servants according to their different abilities. Luke 19:13 shows Him giving the same amount to ten different servants. Also, Acts 6:2-3 shows the apostles ordaining seven stewards to oversee the money, resources, and organization that would daily support the widows, orphans, and needy within the Christian community.
I believe these scriptures are trying to let us know that the Holy Spirit encourages, motivates, and guides each person to diversity his/her talent, mind, time, and money in order to get the most out of them and to help protect against inevitable emergencies and catastrophes that will take place during his/her life. Jesus diversified by choosing twelve very different men with different traits and talents who would work together to share Jesus with the world. Except for one, who chose to follow the tempting of satan to become the inevitable catastrophe / emergency that tried to derail the investment God made in the salvation of human souls, the remainder went on to become apostles investing gospel seeds in every region of the world they knew about. The plan was not derailed and all we need do is look at the return that continues to be harvested. It started with Jesus investment in twelve different men and now almost half the people on earth name Jesus Christ as their Savior.
This principle flows into the stewardship arena of your life leading you to invest with different financial institutions, brokerage houses, financial counselors, etc. Seven represents completion and is a good number of different types of investment vehicles/accounts to aim for. You will likely start investing with one but hopefully in a vehicle that holds more than one type of investment (a mutual fund, etc.). However, you will shortly invest extra money with another brokerage house as you continue to correctly manage your income, plan your spending, eliminate debt, save, and realize additional disposable.
This minimum level of diversification will give you peace because it greatly enhances the ability of your money to increase with the markets over the long haul and greatly reduces the risk that you might lose a large portion of your investment to unscrupulous counselors or short-term market declines.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Matthew 25:15, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
MoneyWalk 30: Diversify Your Money, Part 1
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Are you familiar with the term, "don't put all of your eggs in one basket?" This advice was given so that a majority of eggs would survive and be useable in the future in the event of an accident. If you place eggs in several different baskets, you are less likely to drop all of the baskets. However, if you place all the eggs in one basket you chance that many if not all of the eggs will be broken if you drop the basket.
This concept makes the diversification principle in scripture a most worthwhile principle to include in your wealth building plan. The bible identifies the most important features as giving a portion to seven or eight and using a multitude of counselors to help you manage your life and resources. Yet, many people foolishly put all their savings and investments in one vehicle in one person’s or institution’s control instead of spreading the risk. They risk the loss of their entire life savings if that one vehicle goes bankrupt or they lose a lot of purchasing power if the value of that one investment vehicle drops substantially.
By diversifying your investments among a variety of counselors (advisors and saving/investment accounts), you drastically reduce the chance that you will lose your entire savings or much purchasing power. So, for future financial protection, invest your money with at least several reputable counselors and accounts. The accounts can hold investments ranging from stocks to bonds to fixed income government guaranteed investments. Some risk of loss should be considered an acceptable risk, especially if you are young and starting without a multi-million dollar inheritance.
You can further minimize your risk by:
Saving for short-term and emergency needs.
Investing for the long-haul (10+ years).
Thoroughly researching and intricately learning the vehicles you choose to invest in.
Choosing investment vehicles with positive long-term historical track records.
While diversification has not stop investment markets from going up and down and negatively affecting your investments in some short-term periods, it limits the size of such swings on your assets so they won’t be anywhere near those for people who had all of their money in the most risky investments. It also allows you to obtain greater overall long-term return than those who put all their money in risk less accounts. In addition, it definitely stops the ability of one person to Madoff with all your money.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Are you familiar with the term, "don't put all of your eggs in one basket?" This advice was given so that a majority of eggs would survive and be useable in the future in the event of an accident. If you place eggs in several different baskets, you are less likely to drop all of the baskets. However, if you place all the eggs in one basket you chance that many if not all of the eggs will be broken if you drop the basket.
This concept makes the diversification principle in scripture a most worthwhile principle to include in your wealth building plan. The bible identifies the most important features as giving a portion to seven or eight and using a multitude of counselors to help you manage your life and resources. Yet, many people foolishly put all their savings and investments in one vehicle in one person’s or institution’s control instead of spreading the risk. They risk the loss of their entire life savings if that one vehicle goes bankrupt or they lose a lot of purchasing power if the value of that one investment vehicle drops substantially.
By diversifying your investments among a variety of counselors (advisors and saving/investment accounts), you drastically reduce the chance that you will lose your entire savings or much purchasing power. So, for future financial protection, invest your money with at least several reputable counselors and accounts. The accounts can hold investments ranging from stocks to bonds to fixed income government guaranteed investments. Some risk of loss should be considered an acceptable risk, especially if you are young and starting without a multi-million dollar inheritance.
You can further minimize your risk by:
Saving for short-term and emergency needs.
Investing for the long-haul (10+ years).
Thoroughly researching and intricately learning the vehicles you choose to invest in.
Choosing investment vehicles with positive long-term historical track records.
While diversification has not stop investment markets from going up and down and negatively affecting your investments in some short-term periods, it limits the size of such swings on your assets so they won’t be anywhere near those for people who had all of their money in the most risky investments. It also allows you to obtain greater overall long-term return than those who put all their money in risk less accounts. In addition, it definitely stops the ability of one person to Madoff with all your money.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 11:14, Ecclesiastes 11:2, Luke 19:13, Acts 6:2-3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
MoneyWalk 29: Promotions come from the LORD
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Excellent, faithful work (a job well done) should be appreciated via promotions for you (i.e., generous raises, higher level positions, accolades, awards, etc.). However, your employer and other people will fail to recognize your worth at different times during your life. Thus, you may find that you do not receive a raise, promotion, or even an atta boy when you feel you deserve it. The fact that you didn’t receive some type of promotion is an opportunity for you to display great humility, patience, and love toward your perceived oppressors. This will only happen if you believe that God is the author and finisher of your life and faith and that He will open doors of promotion that are specifically for you when you’re ready to handle the new level of responsibility.
In the meantime, in between time, and when you get the promotion, use biblical financial principles such as working hard, respecting the authorities that supervise you, and completing assignments well and on time in order to help others see it is in everyone’s best interest to make other opportunities and responsibilities available to you. This attitude and course of action helps you build treasures on earth and in heaven in a manner that help you obtain access to the treasury in Heaven when God knows you need money and resources to complete steps toward your destiny.
Almighty God is totally reliable and has the master plan for your life. When you use His plan it additionally generates more peace, joy, and right-standing from which to receive even greater blessing. You must recognize this building block and order your life in such a way that you utilize it to move you ever forward. In the financial arena, biblical money management principles are what make up His plan.
Sometimes, people have been promoted but fail to recognize their promotion because it didn’t seem to show up in the form of more money or a more prestigious title. However, God is also able to promote you by causing people to give you things free that you otherwise would have to pay for. He also can cause events to take place that can reduce your expenses. These scenarios give you more disposable income to give for ministry and care for your family. Everyone committed to working as unto the LORD throughout life will see numerous promotions over time. So, don’t let satan blind you to the reality of your promotions and don’t be envious of promotions that others receive. Keep working effectively and God is sure to order your promotions from His throne when the time is right.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Psalms 75:6-10, Proverbs 3:31-35, Daniel 4:28-35, 1Peter 5:6-7
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Excellent, faithful work (a job well done) should be appreciated via promotions for you (i.e., generous raises, higher level positions, accolades, awards, etc.). However, your employer and other people will fail to recognize your worth at different times during your life. Thus, you may find that you do not receive a raise, promotion, or even an atta boy when you feel you deserve it. The fact that you didn’t receive some type of promotion is an opportunity for you to display great humility, patience, and love toward your perceived oppressors. This will only happen if you believe that God is the author and finisher of your life and faith and that He will open doors of promotion that are specifically for you when you’re ready to handle the new level of responsibility.
In the meantime, in between time, and when you get the promotion, use biblical financial principles such as working hard, respecting the authorities that supervise you, and completing assignments well and on time in order to help others see it is in everyone’s best interest to make other opportunities and responsibilities available to you. This attitude and course of action helps you build treasures on earth and in heaven in a manner that help you obtain access to the treasury in Heaven when God knows you need money and resources to complete steps toward your destiny.
Almighty God is totally reliable and has the master plan for your life. When you use His plan it additionally generates more peace, joy, and right-standing from which to receive even greater blessing. You must recognize this building block and order your life in such a way that you utilize it to move you ever forward. In the financial arena, biblical money management principles are what make up His plan.
Sometimes, people have been promoted but fail to recognize their promotion because it didn’t seem to show up in the form of more money or a more prestigious title. However, God is also able to promote you by causing people to give you things free that you otherwise would have to pay for. He also can cause events to take place that can reduce your expenses. These scenarios give you more disposable income to give for ministry and care for your family. Everyone committed to working as unto the LORD throughout life will see numerous promotions over time. So, don’t let satan blind you to the reality of your promotions and don’t be envious of promotions that others receive. Keep working effectively and God is sure to order your promotions from His throne when the time is right.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Psalms 75:6-10, Proverbs 3:31-35, Daniel 4:28-35, 1Peter 5:6-7
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
MoneyWalk 450: The eight cornerstones of God’s financial plan
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
The Holy Spirit shared that faithful tithing and offering were indeed a cornerstone of good Christian stewardship but not the only cornerstone. We know that Christ is the only cornerstone for the faith!!! Yet, in our earthly stewardship of money there are eight cornerstones that practically need to be put in place from which the rest of the building can be rightly built.
Work in a legitimate field and ministry. Man shall live by the sweat of his brow (caused by the work of his hands). If a man does not work, he also should not eat. Work exercises Christ's command to serve others and properly care for yourself, family, others in need, and the church (local and global). It also gives you a vital mission field in which you can glorify Jesus Christ, find witty ways to evangelize the lost, and disciple (build up) other believers in the workplace. Of all the get-rich-quick schemes this is the only sure-fire method to start and continue making money!!!
Tithe and give abundant offerings. This honors God and opens the door for Him to move mightily to rebuke the devourer on your behalf and to pour blessings you don't have room to receive. Even though His authorities (churches/church leaders) receive your tithes and offering on earth, it is witness that the One Who lives receives them in heaven. This means not only will you receive an abundant supply but others will receive many benefits through you as well. In addition, faithfully adhering to this cornerstone teaches you to live beneath your income and helps discipline you so you can adhere to the other cornerstones.
Budget your income and spending. What man would first build a house without counting the cost! You must know the state of your flocks and herds otherwise you wealth will not last through your generation. This is a very important principle that most people do not want to follow. However, all sound businesses and wealthy people (most have grown to such abundance over many years) adhere to a budget. There are several different method used but they all amount to the same thing - live well beneath your income. As your income grows your comforts grow.
Sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term financial soundness. Delayed gratification now (because you need to employ it) results in great benefits accruing to you in the long-run. I buffet (beat my body into submission) lest having told others about the way I myself become a castaway (do not get to receive the benefits of following the principles I've told others about). And Barnabas sold land that he owned and gave it to the Apostles for the work of the ministry!!!
Stay out of debt and eliminate the debt you have. God desires that you prosper and that you be in the position of a lender and not a borrower. He does not desire that you be a slave. But you will be if your eyes and heart are on borrowing to get what you think you need and want. I'm convinced He desires that we live debt-free lives and only use credit as a short-term convenience that we can immediately pay off next month and that He is prepared to guide us to live that way and make it happen. However, you must plan to live this way and budget income and spending to make it happen.
Save a reasonable portion of your income each pay period. There is much tillage in field of a poor man, but it is all wasted for lack of judgment. There's oil and wine in the dwelling of the wise but a foolish man spends all his income. I believe saving 10% and growing from there is a reasonable starting point. However, start wherever you can immediately (2%, 5%, etc.) by building an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of income (longer if you're self-employed or your job is not stable). God will help you do this as you adhere to the cornerstones above.
Diversifying your money and resources. Give a portion to seven or eight for you do not know what troubles you'll face. There is safety in a multitude of counselors. This means you don't have to be an expert at picking the right stock, bond, or other investment. While you should educate yourself to how these asset building/wealth management tools work, you only have to remember not to put all your eggs into one basket but over time into seven or eight types as well as seven or eight brokers/financial institutions as well as learn short and long-term investing basics for these tools as well as the histories of the types of returns they have produced over short (1-3 year), medium(4-10 years), and long (11-30 year) periods of time. Putting all your eggs in one basket results in all or a huge portion of your assets getting spoiled in market downturns, whereas putting your eggs in seven baskets results in a very small portion of your assets getting spoiled when the market dives or people attempt to snare you in fraudulent investment schemes.
Invest your excess savings. The Master gave His servants talents. The one He gave five talents went about trading (investing) and increased the talents to ten. The one He gave two traded and produced four. The lazy/wicked servant who received one talent hid it in the ground and brought no increase for the Master. On another occasion the Master gave each servant one mina. One of them traded and produced ten minas. Another traded and produced five. The lazy/wicked servant hid it in a napkin and brought no increase for the Master. The Master gave the wicked servants’ talent and mina to others who produced using kingdom principles and cast the wicked servant into outer darkness. God through the discipline of His financial plan and guidance of the Holy Spirit brings you to the point of investing when you use the above principles as the cornerstone of your finances.
I hope these eight cornerstones (principles) help you get on the road that God prepared for His people that together we may do His will and serve His people!!!
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 28:12, Proverbs 21:20, 22:7, Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 6:38, 14:28-30, Hebrews 7:8, Acts 4:36
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
The Holy Spirit shared that faithful tithing and offering were indeed a cornerstone of good Christian stewardship but not the only cornerstone. We know that Christ is the only cornerstone for the faith!!! Yet, in our earthly stewardship of money there are eight cornerstones that practically need to be put in place from which the rest of the building can be rightly built.
Work in a legitimate field and ministry. Man shall live by the sweat of his brow (caused by the work of his hands). If a man does not work, he also should not eat. Work exercises Christ's command to serve others and properly care for yourself, family, others in need, and the church (local and global). It also gives you a vital mission field in which you can glorify Jesus Christ, find witty ways to evangelize the lost, and disciple (build up) other believers in the workplace. Of all the get-rich-quick schemes this is the only sure-fire method to start and continue making money!!!
Tithe and give abundant offerings. This honors God and opens the door for Him to move mightily to rebuke the devourer on your behalf and to pour blessings you don't have room to receive. Even though His authorities (churches/church leaders) receive your tithes and offering on earth, it is witness that the One Who lives receives them in heaven. This means not only will you receive an abundant supply but others will receive many benefits through you as well. In addition, faithfully adhering to this cornerstone teaches you to live beneath your income and helps discipline you so you can adhere to the other cornerstones.
Budget your income and spending. What man would first build a house without counting the cost! You must know the state of your flocks and herds otherwise you wealth will not last through your generation. This is a very important principle that most people do not want to follow. However, all sound businesses and wealthy people (most have grown to such abundance over many years) adhere to a budget. There are several different method used but they all amount to the same thing - live well beneath your income. As your income grows your comforts grow.
Sacrifice short-term pleasure for long-term financial soundness. Delayed gratification now (because you need to employ it) results in great benefits accruing to you in the long-run. I buffet (beat my body into submission) lest having told others about the way I myself become a castaway (do not get to receive the benefits of following the principles I've told others about). And Barnabas sold land that he owned and gave it to the Apostles for the work of the ministry!!!
Stay out of debt and eliminate the debt you have. God desires that you prosper and that you be in the position of a lender and not a borrower. He does not desire that you be a slave. But you will be if your eyes and heart are on borrowing to get what you think you need and want. I'm convinced He desires that we live debt-free lives and only use credit as a short-term convenience that we can immediately pay off next month and that He is prepared to guide us to live that way and make it happen. However, you must plan to live this way and budget income and spending to make it happen.
Save a reasonable portion of your income each pay period. There is much tillage in field of a poor man, but it is all wasted for lack of judgment. There's oil and wine in the dwelling of the wise but a foolish man spends all his income. I believe saving 10% and growing from there is a reasonable starting point. However, start wherever you can immediately (2%, 5%, etc.) by building an emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of income (longer if you're self-employed or your job is not stable). God will help you do this as you adhere to the cornerstones above.
Diversifying your money and resources. Give a portion to seven or eight for you do not know what troubles you'll face. There is safety in a multitude of counselors. This means you don't have to be an expert at picking the right stock, bond, or other investment. While you should educate yourself to how these asset building/wealth management tools work, you only have to remember not to put all your eggs into one basket but over time into seven or eight types as well as seven or eight brokers/financial institutions as well as learn short and long-term investing basics for these tools as well as the histories of the types of returns they have produced over short (1-3 year), medium(4-10 years), and long (11-30 year) periods of time. Putting all your eggs in one basket results in all or a huge portion of your assets getting spoiled in market downturns, whereas putting your eggs in seven baskets results in a very small portion of your assets getting spoiled when the market dives or people attempt to snare you in fraudulent investment schemes.
Invest your excess savings. The Master gave His servants talents. The one He gave five talents went about trading (investing) and increased the talents to ten. The one He gave two traded and produced four. The lazy/wicked servant who received one talent hid it in the ground and brought no increase for the Master. On another occasion the Master gave each servant one mina. One of them traded and produced ten minas. Another traded and produced five. The lazy/wicked servant hid it in a napkin and brought no increase for the Master. The Master gave the wicked servants’ talent and mina to others who produced using kingdom principles and cast the wicked servant into outer darkness. God through the discipline of His financial plan and guidance of the Holy Spirit brings you to the point of investing when you use the above principles as the cornerstone of your finances.
I hope these eight cornerstones (principles) help you get on the road that God prepared for His people that together we may do His will and serve His people!!!
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 28:12, Proverbs 21:20, 22:7, Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 6:38, 14:28-30, Hebrews 7:8, Acts 4:36
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, September 21, 2009
MoneyWalk 28: Debt Elimination Methods
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
This strategy seeks to minimize the amount of finance charges you pay during the process of eliminating debt. Before using this approach it's best to close all retail store charge cards and cut them up, so you won't be tempted to use them again because they charge you nearly twenty-five cents on the dollar in interest. At most, keep a low-interest visa type account for extreme emergencies, if you can truly be responsible by not charging anything more unless an extreme emergency occurs for which you simply have no cash to cover. However, after a year or so of disciplined debt repayment and saving in an emergency fund you should not be in this type of situation.
You should consolidate as much higher interest debt as possible onto this card so you can more quickly pay off your debts if the visa type card allows you to transfer other card balances and pay interest on them at rates lower than what you are currently paying on the retail store charge cards. If you’re prone to undisciplined spending and charging purchases you should apply for a low-interest closed-ended consolidation loan instead so whatever amount is paid off is not re-chargeable.
If you have equity in your house you may be able to consolidate credit card and other debt into a mortgage or home equity loan. Such loans usually charge much lower interest rates than would be charged by credit card companies. The interest you pay on these loans can generally be deducted on your federal tax returns to reduce the amount of taxes you would otherwise owe. If you decide to use these methods to help pay down your debt beware that the financial institution can start foreclosure proceedings on your home if you miss a payment. This could result in the loss of your home and equity that you’ve built up over many years. That is why it is not good in many instances to use home loans to pay off other consumer debt.
Each of these methods requires you to become and remain disciplined in spending and saving in order for them to work to benefit you. They are not for the faint of heart, rather they are for those who are resolute in their desire to be a godly steward of their money, eliminate their debt, and become debt-free. Such people are willing to make necessary sacrifices to help themselves reach this financial position. They will engage biblical financial principles such as tracking income and expenses, cutting spending, reading financial literature to learn more about how to properly manage, honoring God by giving to help spread the gospel and help others, and saving for rainy days and future purposes.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 28:12-14 and 43-45, Proverbs 22:7, Luke 16:8-9, Romans 13:8
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
This strategy seeks to minimize the amount of finance charges you pay during the process of eliminating debt. Before using this approach it's best to close all retail store charge cards and cut them up, so you won't be tempted to use them again because they charge you nearly twenty-five cents on the dollar in interest. At most, keep a low-interest visa type account for extreme emergencies, if you can truly be responsible by not charging anything more unless an extreme emergency occurs for which you simply have no cash to cover. However, after a year or so of disciplined debt repayment and saving in an emergency fund you should not be in this type of situation.
You should consolidate as much higher interest debt as possible onto this card so you can more quickly pay off your debts if the visa type card allows you to transfer other card balances and pay interest on them at rates lower than what you are currently paying on the retail store charge cards. If you’re prone to undisciplined spending and charging purchases you should apply for a low-interest closed-ended consolidation loan instead so whatever amount is paid off is not re-chargeable.
If you have equity in your house you may be able to consolidate credit card and other debt into a mortgage or home equity loan. Such loans usually charge much lower interest rates than would be charged by credit card companies. The interest you pay on these loans can generally be deducted on your federal tax returns to reduce the amount of taxes you would otherwise owe. If you decide to use these methods to help pay down your debt beware that the financial institution can start foreclosure proceedings on your home if you miss a payment. This could result in the loss of your home and equity that you’ve built up over many years. That is why it is not good in many instances to use home loans to pay off other consumer debt.
Each of these methods requires you to become and remain disciplined in spending and saving in order for them to work to benefit you. They are not for the faint of heart, rather they are for those who are resolute in their desire to be a godly steward of their money, eliminate their debt, and become debt-free. Such people are willing to make necessary sacrifices to help themselves reach this financial position. They will engage biblical financial principles such as tracking income and expenses, cutting spending, reading financial literature to learn more about how to properly manage, honoring God by giving to help spread the gospel and help others, and saving for rainy days and future purposes.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 28:12-14 and 43-45, Proverbs 22:7, Luke 16:8-9, Romans 13:8
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, September 7, 2009
MoneyWalk 27: You choose the reward
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
The bible is full of promises and rewards that can be obtained by faithfully honoring Jesus Christ. This means following the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit in order to obey Christ’s commandments. Each time you stumble or sin or by immaturity make a wrong decision, be quick to repent of it and turn to God asking Him to help you and resolve to never do it again.
When reading the bible, you'll find numerous Old Testament scriptures in which God promised Israel blessings in return for loving Him by living holy. He made similar promises in the New Testament to born again believers and identified that many blessing contained in the Old Testament still apply to present day believers. Rewards that faithful followers can count on:
1. Being given a positive future, a worthwhile earthly purposes, and sure eternal destiny in heaven upon confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead to provide your salvation, eternal life, and fulfill His purposes throughout eternity.
2. Being made the head and not the tail.
3. Being in the wealthy position of lenders instead of the poor position of borrowers.
4. Being prosperous and having good success.
5. Having your storehouse filled with increase and overflowing.
6. Having more blessings poured out from the windows of heaven than you can use on yourself.
Simply put, it's been God's plan all along that mankind would respect and worship His son Jesus Christ and live in a way that's pleasing to Him. These blessings have been available throughout the ages to any race, culture, or nationality of people that would honor God and kiss His Son. If you want a blessed, peaceful, and joyous life financially and otherwise with treasures in heaven awaiting you, honor God by using His biblical money management principles.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Psalm 2, Proverbs 3:9, Malachi 3:8-12, Matthew 6:33, Luke 6:38
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
The bible is full of promises and rewards that can be obtained by faithfully honoring Jesus Christ. This means following the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit in order to obey Christ’s commandments. Each time you stumble or sin or by immaturity make a wrong decision, be quick to repent of it and turn to God asking Him to help you and resolve to never do it again.
When reading the bible, you'll find numerous Old Testament scriptures in which God promised Israel blessings in return for loving Him by living holy. He made similar promises in the New Testament to born again believers and identified that many blessing contained in the Old Testament still apply to present day believers. Rewards that faithful followers can count on:
1. Being given a positive future, a worthwhile earthly purposes, and sure eternal destiny in heaven upon confessing with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead to provide your salvation, eternal life, and fulfill His purposes throughout eternity.
2. Being made the head and not the tail.
3. Being in the wealthy position of lenders instead of the poor position of borrowers.
4. Being prosperous and having good success.
5. Having your storehouse filled with increase and overflowing.
6. Having more blessings poured out from the windows of heaven than you can use on yourself.
Simply put, it's been God's plan all along that mankind would respect and worship His son Jesus Christ and live in a way that's pleasing to Him. These blessings have been available throughout the ages to any race, culture, or nationality of people that would honor God and kiss His Son. If you want a blessed, peaceful, and joyous life financially and otherwise with treasures in heaven awaiting you, honor God by using His biblical money management principles.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Psalm 2, Proverbs 3:9, Malachi 3:8-12, Matthew 6:33, Luke 6:38
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
MoneyWalk 26: Develop a budget
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Diligence in mapping out your financial future month-to-month and year-to-year and writing it down on paper is what it takes to repair damaged finances and maintain good financial health. A negative financial condition should make you turn from the money management principles you've used and turn to God's principles for managing money, which always have your best interest in mind and result in blessings for you and other people.
If your situation is going to positively change, you must develop a monthly budget that lists all your bills and subtracts them from your net monthly income. Such budgeting shows, after all other bills are paid, what you have left to spend on personal items, savings, and investments. It should be calculated for each month for an extended period of times like six to twelve months.
This short-term planning of anticipated income and expenses is vital for bettering your financial health, because it lets you know what you can afford to purchase now and in the future. It shows how much money must remain in your account to cover deficits that will arise during future months and it shows how much money remains each month.
The remaining money should be used to give abundantly to the spread of the gospel, build at least a six-month emergency fund, and accumulate a size-able investment nest egg. It helps you care properly for yourself, your family, support godly ministry, and build wealth to serve your children.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 27:23-27, Habakkuk 2:2-4, Luke 14:28-30, Philippians 4:11-20
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Diligence in mapping out your financial future month-to-month and year-to-year and writing it down on paper is what it takes to repair damaged finances and maintain good financial health. A negative financial condition should make you turn from the money management principles you've used and turn to God's principles for managing money, which always have your best interest in mind and result in blessings for you and other people.
If your situation is going to positively change, you must develop a monthly budget that lists all your bills and subtracts them from your net monthly income. Such budgeting shows, after all other bills are paid, what you have left to spend on personal items, savings, and investments. It should be calculated for each month for an extended period of times like six to twelve months.
This short-term planning of anticipated income and expenses is vital for bettering your financial health, because it lets you know what you can afford to purchase now and in the future. It shows how much money must remain in your account to cover deficits that will arise during future months and it shows how much money remains each month.
The remaining money should be used to give abundantly to the spread of the gospel, build at least a six-month emergency fund, and accumulate a size-able investment nest egg. It helps you care properly for yourself, your family, support godly ministry, and build wealth to serve your children.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 27:23-27, Habakkuk 2:2-4, Luke 14:28-30, Philippians 4:11-20
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, August 24, 2009
MoneyWalk 25: You Have Financial Hope
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
The only hope worth having is contained in Jesus Christ who gives eternal salvation. Upon declaring Him Savior and Lord, your eternal hope is secure. His resurrection and your belief in Him afford you a place in heaven and begin the fulfillment of your purpose on earth.
Eternal hope in Christ is not like worldly hope where you wish for things that may not come to pass, rather there is a surety that you will see your Redeemer face to face in heaven and spend eternity with Him. Also, by the power of the Holy Spirit you will encourage many friends and family to put their faith in Christ, so they can spend eternity with you.
Naturally, you hope to avoid catastrophes and daily turmoil or at least come through them victoriously, to have all your financial needs and at least some of your desires met. The bible says we will suffer persecution but will be delivered from it all to receive abundant blessing. Eternally, you planted this seed the moment you accepted Christ. Rest assured that your place in heaven is secure.
Remember, each seed produces after its own kind, which means the seed of salvation produces obedience to Christ through worship, prayer, bible reading, church attendance, evangelism, disciple-making, tithing, debt-elimination, saving, and planning. This lifestyle forms the attitude, actions, and resources necessary to bring forth fruitfulness while you’re on earth. It secures your financial hope.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Psalm 71:5, Proverbs 14:32, Colossians 1:5, 1John 3:3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
The only hope worth having is contained in Jesus Christ who gives eternal salvation. Upon declaring Him Savior and Lord, your eternal hope is secure. His resurrection and your belief in Him afford you a place in heaven and begin the fulfillment of your purpose on earth.
Eternal hope in Christ is not like worldly hope where you wish for things that may not come to pass, rather there is a surety that you will see your Redeemer face to face in heaven and spend eternity with Him. Also, by the power of the Holy Spirit you will encourage many friends and family to put their faith in Christ, so they can spend eternity with you.
Naturally, you hope to avoid catastrophes and daily turmoil or at least come through them victoriously, to have all your financial needs and at least some of your desires met. The bible says we will suffer persecution but will be delivered from it all to receive abundant blessing. Eternally, you planted this seed the moment you accepted Christ. Rest assured that your place in heaven is secure.
Remember, each seed produces after its own kind, which means the seed of salvation produces obedience to Christ through worship, prayer, bible reading, church attendance, evangelism, disciple-making, tithing, debt-elimination, saving, and planning. This lifestyle forms the attitude, actions, and resources necessary to bring forth fruitfulness while you’re on earth. It secures your financial hope.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Psalm 71:5, Proverbs 14:32, Colossians 1:5, 1John 3:3
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
MoneyWalk 24: Balancing your checkbook
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
You must diligently balance your checkbook in order to have a healthy financial life. Good financial stewards at all times know exactly how much money they have at their disposal or they are able to quickly find out from their account ledger. People who don’t immediately add deposits and deduct withdrawals from their account balance are usually in poor financial shape. They often write checks and take on debt payments for more than they can afford to spend.
Getting a current account balance from the teller doesn’t show how much you really have to spend because many checks are cashed days or weeks after they're written. The fact that $1,000 was payroll deducted into your account on Friday doesn't mean that $1,000 is available for you to spend on desires until your next paycheck. You cannot know what you truly have available to spend unless you know what's in your account after you subtract monthly bills you have yet to pay and save 5-10% for emergencies (unexpected bills) that are sure to periodically arise.
It’s almost impossible to reduce your debt and increase your wealth without using processes based on biblical principles such as balancing your checkbook which lead you to budget your income and spending, save for the future and eventually invest, and immediately record account deposits and withdrawals so you know the state of your flocks and herds at all times.
If you do not follow such a plan, banks and financial institutions will rake you over the coals with NSF fees, late fees, overdraft fees, and other account charges. In addition, you are likely to find yourself deeply in debt (possibly facing foreclosure, repossession, and/or bankruptcy) without ever really having to be in that position.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 27:23-24, Isaiah 55:10-11, Luke 14:28-30, 2Corinthians 9:10
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
You must diligently balance your checkbook in order to have a healthy financial life. Good financial stewards at all times know exactly how much money they have at their disposal or they are able to quickly find out from their account ledger. People who don’t immediately add deposits and deduct withdrawals from their account balance are usually in poor financial shape. They often write checks and take on debt payments for more than they can afford to spend.
Getting a current account balance from the teller doesn’t show how much you really have to spend because many checks are cashed days or weeks after they're written. The fact that $1,000 was payroll deducted into your account on Friday doesn't mean that $1,000 is available for you to spend on desires until your next paycheck. You cannot know what you truly have available to spend unless you know what's in your account after you subtract monthly bills you have yet to pay and save 5-10% for emergencies (unexpected bills) that are sure to periodically arise.
It’s almost impossible to reduce your debt and increase your wealth without using processes based on biblical principles such as balancing your checkbook which lead you to budget your income and spending, save for the future and eventually invest, and immediately record account deposits and withdrawals so you know the state of your flocks and herds at all times.
If you do not follow such a plan, banks and financial institutions will rake you over the coals with NSF fees, late fees, overdraft fees, and other account charges. In addition, you are likely to find yourself deeply in debt (possibly facing foreclosure, repossession, and/or bankruptcy) without ever really having to be in that position.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Proverbs 27:23-24, Isaiah 55:10-11, Luke 14:28-30, 2Corinthians 9:10
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
MoneyWalk 23: Managing money by love
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
In order to have a solid spiritual foundation, you must believe with all your heart that God loves people so much that He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to eliminate the judgment due your sins in order that you, believing on Him, will have everlasting life.
He loves you immensely and desires that you would choose to have relationship and fellowship with Him thru Christ even though you deserve eternal punishment for the sins you've committed throughout your life. He already provided the blood sacrifice and every spiritual tool necessary to secure your eternal life and blessing when you display faith in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit living in you and guiding you as a result of your relationship with Christ enables you to forsake sinful, worldly ways of living via a continual maturity process (sanctification and commissioning to good works in service to Him and others on earth). You must love Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, which is the first and greatest commandment. Also, you must love your neighbor as yourself, as this is the second greatest commandment. These are the foundation that must undergird all that God called you to be and do.
This means you must manage your life, including your finances, in the way that God has identified in the bible; loving Him so much that you care more about spending money on earth in a manner that brings people to the Lord and builds treasure in heaven than you care about how much you can increase your material lifestyle and comfort.
This love leads to daily prayer and scripture reading which hides the Word in your heart. It also leads to regular weekly fellowship with other believers so you can move on to deeper fellowship with Him. These love-based disciplines constantly and faithfully aim you in the direction of engaging in biblically based good stewardship of your income, assets, and resources. This in turn ensures that you fulfill your God-given purpose and ministry calling to be blessed in order to be a blessing to many others.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 7:13, Proverbs 8:21, John 14:21, and Romans 13:8
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
In order to have a solid spiritual foundation, you must believe with all your heart that God loves people so much that He sent His son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to eliminate the judgment due your sins in order that you, believing on Him, will have everlasting life.
He loves you immensely and desires that you would choose to have relationship and fellowship with Him thru Christ even though you deserve eternal punishment for the sins you've committed throughout your life. He already provided the blood sacrifice and every spiritual tool necessary to secure your eternal life and blessing when you display faith in Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit living in you and guiding you as a result of your relationship with Christ enables you to forsake sinful, worldly ways of living via a continual maturity process (sanctification and commissioning to good works in service to Him and others on earth). You must love Jesus Christ with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, which is the first and greatest commandment. Also, you must love your neighbor as yourself, as this is the second greatest commandment. These are the foundation that must undergird all that God called you to be and do.
This means you must manage your life, including your finances, in the way that God has identified in the bible; loving Him so much that you care more about spending money on earth in a manner that brings people to the Lord and builds treasure in heaven than you care about how much you can increase your material lifestyle and comfort.
This love leads to daily prayer and scripture reading which hides the Word in your heart. It also leads to regular weekly fellowship with other believers so you can move on to deeper fellowship with Him. These love-based disciplines constantly and faithfully aim you in the direction of engaging in biblically based good stewardship of your income, assets, and resources. This in turn ensures that you fulfill your God-given purpose and ministry calling to be blessed in order to be a blessing to many others.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 7:13, Proverbs 8:21, John 14:21, and Romans 13:8
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
MoneyWalk 22: What are you worth?
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
You must calculate your net worth in order to determine the state of your finances. Your net worth is the value of all your assets minus the amount of all your liabilities. Assets are material goods you own that have a market value that can be expressed in dollars. This means they are already in cash based accounts or could be sold to someone for a specific dollar amount.
Cash items and some other accounts are considered liquid assets (e.g., savings, checking, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, most stocks, and most bonds), which means they can be cashed in at a financial institution or sold very quickly to obtain a cash value. Other assets are considered illiquid, which means they cannot usually be converted into cash very quickly (e.g., houses, land, cars, artwork, and artifacts). In fact, you may not get the amount that you believe they’re worth because their value is based on what a willing buyer is willing to give a willing seller. The best assets are those that historically appreciate (rise in value) over a period of time and which history generally shows you can count on getting the appreciated value from the assets quickly after you put them up for sale.
Liabilities are debts you owe someone else for material goods, services, or loans. This includes such items as home mortgages, car notes, revolving charge card balances, personal loans, etc. Liabilities are generally not good to have when it comes to personal finance. Business and other loans usually lead to much trouble down the road after you personally guarantee them with your income and assets. Scripture tells you to avoid borrowing and surety (guaranteeing debt, especially for another person) because you will become a slave to the lender. In addition, you will be likely have assets taken from you and eventually be thrust into a much lower standard of living via exorbitant interest charges, repossession, foreclosure, and bankruptcy when you cannot pay the debt.
At least annually, you should calculate your net worth to measure how successful your financial plan or lack of one has been. This will give you an idea of how far into the future you could pay your current debts or expenses if all income stopped coming in. This measurement is necessary because two decades ago the economy changed and layoffs became commonplace in many industries. Today, we see this in a more extreme way in that it has encumbered many of our main economic engines (e.g., banking, mortgage, housing, commercial real estate, automobile, and retail industries).
The ‘lifetime employment with one company dream’ came to a screeching halt. This current trend of changing jobs every 5-7 years, bouts of unemployment, and untimely emergencies and catastrophes that occur in your life should help you understand that you will suffer financial hardships and great amounts of stress that will negatively affect your relationships when you don’t follow God’s plan for building worth.
A Christian who continuously uses good stewardship will accumulate a greater net worth throughout his life that will allow him to weather economic storms better than others. He will also be motivated to help more people and give more to ministry work than people who are poor stewards who spend all their money on consumer purchases and debt service.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 13:2, Job 42:12 Luke 19:2-10, James 5:1-5
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
You must calculate your net worth in order to determine the state of your finances. Your net worth is the value of all your assets minus the amount of all your liabilities. Assets are material goods you own that have a market value that can be expressed in dollars. This means they are already in cash based accounts or could be sold to someone for a specific dollar amount.
Cash items and some other accounts are considered liquid assets (e.g., savings, checking, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, most stocks, and most bonds), which means they can be cashed in at a financial institution or sold very quickly to obtain a cash value. Other assets are considered illiquid, which means they cannot usually be converted into cash very quickly (e.g., houses, land, cars, artwork, and artifacts). In fact, you may not get the amount that you believe they’re worth because their value is based on what a willing buyer is willing to give a willing seller. The best assets are those that historically appreciate (rise in value) over a period of time and which history generally shows you can count on getting the appreciated value from the assets quickly after you put them up for sale.
Liabilities are debts you owe someone else for material goods, services, or loans. This includes such items as home mortgages, car notes, revolving charge card balances, personal loans, etc. Liabilities are generally not good to have when it comes to personal finance. Business and other loans usually lead to much trouble down the road after you personally guarantee them with your income and assets. Scripture tells you to avoid borrowing and surety (guaranteeing debt, especially for another person) because you will become a slave to the lender. In addition, you will be likely have assets taken from you and eventually be thrust into a much lower standard of living via exorbitant interest charges, repossession, foreclosure, and bankruptcy when you cannot pay the debt.
At least annually, you should calculate your net worth to measure how successful your financial plan or lack of one has been. This will give you an idea of how far into the future you could pay your current debts or expenses if all income stopped coming in. This measurement is necessary because two decades ago the economy changed and layoffs became commonplace in many industries. Today, we see this in a more extreme way in that it has encumbered many of our main economic engines (e.g., banking, mortgage, housing, commercial real estate, automobile, and retail industries).
The ‘lifetime employment with one company dream’ came to a screeching halt. This current trend of changing jobs every 5-7 years, bouts of unemployment, and untimely emergencies and catastrophes that occur in your life should help you understand that you will suffer financial hardships and great amounts of stress that will negatively affect your relationships when you don’t follow God’s plan for building worth.
A Christian who continuously uses good stewardship will accumulate a greater net worth throughout his life that will allow him to weather economic storms better than others. He will also be motivated to help more people and give more to ministry work than people who are poor stewards who spend all their money on consumer purchases and debt service.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 13:2, Job 42:12 Luke 19:2-10, James 5:1-5
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, July 20, 2009
MoneyWalk 21: Financial Obedience
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Being obedient to God is of utmost importance when managing your money. If you don't consistently use biblical money management principles, you'll never reap benefits God wants you to have. He wants you to prosper, however true and lasting prosperity is had only when you consistently manage your life and resources according to biblical standards so you can sow time, talent, and money into the lives of other people.
He wants to bless you immensely, rebuke the devourer, and stop satanic forces from causing you many spiritual and financial hardships. This comes only when you consistently work as unto the Lord and pay tithes and give offerings from your produce. This obedience is a necessary extension of faith that enables you to grow in stature with God and man. It helps them see that you have New Testament saving and sanctifying faith instead of empty words with no godly action behind them.
Faith without works (corresponding action) is dead when it doesn’t move you closer to the will of God in Christ. When you don't obey Christ by allowing biblical principles to guide your life, you become a servant to Satan, sin, and those you borrow from. Your life, purpose, and worth will be on a path of destruction that will hinder your ability to live godly, minister to others, and prosper on earth. If left unchanged, this will lead to the destruction of your eternal relationship with Christ and the heavenly home He wants you to have.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 11:27, 1Samuel 15:22, Matthew 28:20, Acts 5:29
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Being obedient to God is of utmost importance when managing your money. If you don't consistently use biblical money management principles, you'll never reap benefits God wants you to have. He wants you to prosper, however true and lasting prosperity is had only when you consistently manage your life and resources according to biblical standards so you can sow time, talent, and money into the lives of other people.
He wants to bless you immensely, rebuke the devourer, and stop satanic forces from causing you many spiritual and financial hardships. This comes only when you consistently work as unto the Lord and pay tithes and give offerings from your produce. This obedience is a necessary extension of faith that enables you to grow in stature with God and man. It helps them see that you have New Testament saving and sanctifying faith instead of empty words with no godly action behind them.
Faith without works (corresponding action) is dead when it doesn’t move you closer to the will of God in Christ. When you don't obey Christ by allowing biblical principles to guide your life, you become a servant to Satan, sin, and those you borrow from. Your life, purpose, and worth will be on a path of destruction that will hinder your ability to live godly, minister to others, and prosper on earth. If left unchanged, this will lead to the destruction of your eternal relationship with Christ and the heavenly home He wants you to have.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Deuteronomy 11:27, 1Samuel 15:22, Matthew 28:20, Acts 5:29
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
MoneyWalk 20: Walking By Faith
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is infallible and unable to make mistakes. He's all-powerful and all-knowing and has the ability to make sure that what's translated for you in the bible is complete and whole. He guides born again believers that listen to Him in every area of life and every situation that arises by commanding them to keep specific laws in some areas and giving them principles with boundaries to use in managing other areas. In fact, He lives in us to direct us to His perfect will.
Search the scriptures and you will see that God has identified Himself in these ways throughout the bible. If you're un-saved, your true need is not to be successful in this world to receive the accolades of men nor to simply have free time to do everything you thing is pleasurable to you. Your true need is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord so that:
1) Eternal life with God almighty is yours.
2) Your mind is renewed to pursue your true purpose on earth where your gifts, talents, and skills are meshed and entwined through your vocation(s) with evangelism and discipleship of others. This is the only way that you can mature in God’s will and it happens while you seek to lead other people to Him and be a catalyst for their growth.
3) Eternal blessings, which result from your willingness to labor for His will to be done in earth, can be deposited in your heavenly bank account to await your arrival in the new heavens and new earth.
Then, you need to allow your faith to rise to believe the real truth that God is everything He said He is in the bible: the way, the truth, the life, the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and the almighty judge of heaven and earth who will one day judge the living and the dead.
If you want to be successful in this life and be accepted in His eternal presence, you must believe on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, seek His will each day, and be obedient to follow His commands in every area of life. Some think that faith displays itself in praying for riches that it appears you’ll never receive or spending all the income that you receive and believing that God will come through to take care of your needs and future desires or simply not planning the manner in which you’ll spend your assets.
However, it takes faith to do anything that God directed us to do as written in the bible. It takes great faith to write your vision, plan for the future, work to earn a living and build wealth, budget so you don’t overspend your income, stay out of debt, refuse to cosign, save, invest, and teach your children the same. In fact, it takes a faith being built upon day in and day out, year in and year out to overcome all the unbiblical advice you’ll receive to do the opposite and your human nature which desires to handle finances and life in the same manner as the Joneses. Walk by faith and not by sight in the Spirit and not in the flesh and you’ll place yourself in the best possible lifestyle and financial position as you grow more and more in Christ-likeness.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Habakkuk 2:4, Matthew 9:22, Luke 17:5-6, Romans 4:19-22, Hebrews 11:6
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is infallible and unable to make mistakes. He's all-powerful and all-knowing and has the ability to make sure that what's translated for you in the bible is complete and whole. He guides born again believers that listen to Him in every area of life and every situation that arises by commanding them to keep specific laws in some areas and giving them principles with boundaries to use in managing other areas. In fact, He lives in us to direct us to His perfect will.
Search the scriptures and you will see that God has identified Himself in these ways throughout the bible. If you're un-saved, your true need is not to be successful in this world to receive the accolades of men nor to simply have free time to do everything you thing is pleasurable to you. Your true need is to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord so that:
1) Eternal life with God almighty is yours.
2) Your mind is renewed to pursue your true purpose on earth where your gifts, talents, and skills are meshed and entwined through your vocation(s) with evangelism and discipleship of others. This is the only way that you can mature in God’s will and it happens while you seek to lead other people to Him and be a catalyst for their growth.
3) Eternal blessings, which result from your willingness to labor for His will to be done in earth, can be deposited in your heavenly bank account to await your arrival in the new heavens and new earth.
Then, you need to allow your faith to rise to believe the real truth that God is everything He said He is in the bible: the way, the truth, the life, the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, and the almighty judge of heaven and earth who will one day judge the living and the dead.
If you want to be successful in this life and be accepted in His eternal presence, you must believe on Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, seek His will each day, and be obedient to follow His commands in every area of life. Some think that faith displays itself in praying for riches that it appears you’ll never receive or spending all the income that you receive and believing that God will come through to take care of your needs and future desires or simply not planning the manner in which you’ll spend your assets.
However, it takes faith to do anything that God directed us to do as written in the bible. It takes great faith to write your vision, plan for the future, work to earn a living and build wealth, budget so you don’t overspend your income, stay out of debt, refuse to cosign, save, invest, and teach your children the same. In fact, it takes a faith being built upon day in and day out, year in and year out to overcome all the unbiblical advice you’ll receive to do the opposite and your human nature which desires to handle finances and life in the same manner as the Joneses. Walk by faith and not by sight in the Spirit and not in the flesh and you’ll place yourself in the best possible lifestyle and financial position as you grow more and more in Christ-likeness.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Habakkuk 2:4, Matthew 9:22, Luke 17:5-6, Romans 4:19-22, Hebrews 11:6
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
MoneyWalk 19: The Richness of Contentment
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Many people are in financial shambles because they try to match other peoples' lifestyles. They're disenchanted with what they have because other people appear to have more than they do. When they're unable to achieve a greater status, they see themselves as failures. When they do achieve natural power, fame, or riches, they're still unhappy because the God-given purpose for their lives isn't fulfilled. Some even regret the occupational or living situation they've put themselves and their families in: seeking success the way the world said it should look.
Stop measuring yourself by your neighbors' lifestyles and ideals of success. Without godly contentment operating in your life you cannot achieve the success that God wants for you, which is the only form of accomplishment and lifestyle that is truly successful. When your eyes and ears are on men, what they have, what they think, and wanting to be like them, you cannot truly thank God for where you are and what you have and you will not make the most out of it because you've positioned your heart and mind in a way that will not listen to God’s direction.
The plan that God has for your life and the things He wants to bless you with may not be the same as other peoples' blessings, yet the life you live and the path that you follow based on God's purpose for you will ultimately be more fulfilling for you. God will be more pleased with you when you following His instructions and guidance.
You must always remember that life in this human body is but a vapor: here today gone tomorrow. In the scheme of eternity it is like a needle in a haystack, a coffee cup in the ocean, or a thimble in a bottomless pit. It is such a short a time in the realm of eternity that it’s almost non-existent. It passes quickly and sometimes abruptly. So you must take care to make sure that you’re in a place where the Lord will say to you when you leave this earth, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now, enter into the joy of the Lord!”
This can only be had in right relationship with Jesus Christ, which produces the richness of contentment in lifestyle, relationships, finances, and resources. Such contentment is not a couch potato that believes nothing and works at nothing; rather it seeks God will, instruction, and guidance concerning what it should believe and work toward. Then, it is obedient in following Him and waits patiently for the fruit of its godly works even though at first they seem to not produce much and sometimes seem to bring ridicule, suffering, and lack. It never seeks ungodly or ill-gotten gain but waits for God’s law of reciprocity to bring forth a great harvest that it will use in an even greater way to bring glory to God and take the gospel to the world.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Luke 3:14, Philippians 4:11-13, 1Timothy 6:6-10, Hebrews 13:5
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Many people are in financial shambles because they try to match other peoples' lifestyles. They're disenchanted with what they have because other people appear to have more than they do. When they're unable to achieve a greater status, they see themselves as failures. When they do achieve natural power, fame, or riches, they're still unhappy because the God-given purpose for their lives isn't fulfilled. Some even regret the occupational or living situation they've put themselves and their families in: seeking success the way the world said it should look.
Stop measuring yourself by your neighbors' lifestyles and ideals of success. Without godly contentment operating in your life you cannot achieve the success that God wants for you, which is the only form of accomplishment and lifestyle that is truly successful. When your eyes and ears are on men, what they have, what they think, and wanting to be like them, you cannot truly thank God for where you are and what you have and you will not make the most out of it because you've positioned your heart and mind in a way that will not listen to God’s direction.
The plan that God has for your life and the things He wants to bless you with may not be the same as other peoples' blessings, yet the life you live and the path that you follow based on God's purpose for you will ultimately be more fulfilling for you. God will be more pleased with you when you following His instructions and guidance.
You must always remember that life in this human body is but a vapor: here today gone tomorrow. In the scheme of eternity it is like a needle in a haystack, a coffee cup in the ocean, or a thimble in a bottomless pit. It is such a short a time in the realm of eternity that it’s almost non-existent. It passes quickly and sometimes abruptly. So you must take care to make sure that you’re in a place where the Lord will say to you when you leave this earth, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now, enter into the joy of the Lord!”
This can only be had in right relationship with Jesus Christ, which produces the richness of contentment in lifestyle, relationships, finances, and resources. Such contentment is not a couch potato that believes nothing and works at nothing; rather it seeks God will, instruction, and guidance concerning what it should believe and work toward. Then, it is obedient in following Him and waits patiently for the fruit of its godly works even though at first they seem to not produce much and sometimes seem to bring ridicule, suffering, and lack. It never seeks ungodly or ill-gotten gain but waits for God’s law of reciprocity to bring forth a great harvest that it will use in an even greater way to bring glory to God and take the gospel to the world.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Luke 3:14, Philippians 4:11-13, 1Timothy 6:6-10, Hebrews 13:5
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
MoneyWalk 18: Being Content
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
To grow spiritually, you must be content with the financial situation that God has placed you in. This doesn't mean you lack ambition to do more than you're now doing, rather it recognizes your appreciation for the present blessings that God has given you, that you consider closer fellowship with Him to be the success you seek, and that you wait on Him to open doors that lead you step-by-step to the fulfillment of your purpose and calling in Christ.
You must understand that what you consider to be the path leading to success may not be the path that the LORD wants you to choose. The blessings that come on His path for you far exceed what you believe you'll get from the path you would choose. You must learn to hear His direction and options for your life. These can be heard only through prayer, reading the word, living by the word, and fellowshipping with the saints.
These disciplines should motivate you to use the following biblical financial principles to manage your current and future income:
1. Working regularly and diligently. During periods of unemployment this means volunteering your time to worthy causes when you’re not beating the street looking for work.
2. Diligently budgeting prior to and through each month to ensure that your expenses are less than your disposable income. This means trusting God to provide what you need (through other people, etc.) when you don’t have money to pay for it.
3. Tithing each pay period.
4. Using excess disposable income to pay off current debt.
5. Refusing to continue using credit / debt to finance desires.
6. Building an emergency reserve account of at least $1,000 then moving to $2,000 and so on.
7. After all bills have been paid and after you’ve saved six months of gross income in your emergency reserve account, investing your disposable income in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, etc.
When you delight yourself in Him by loving Him enough to do what He instructed, you'll receive the desires of your heart because the closer you get to God the more His desires for you and mankind permeate your life and become your desires. You'll then have contentment by giving and building wealth from your present income source until you're promoted to a greater position of service to the kingdom of God and other people through entrepreneurship or your employer.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Luke 3:14, Philippians 4:11-13, 1Timothy 6:6-10, Hebrews 13:5-6
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
To grow spiritually, you must be content with the financial situation that God has placed you in. This doesn't mean you lack ambition to do more than you're now doing, rather it recognizes your appreciation for the present blessings that God has given you, that you consider closer fellowship with Him to be the success you seek, and that you wait on Him to open doors that lead you step-by-step to the fulfillment of your purpose and calling in Christ.
You must understand that what you consider to be the path leading to success may not be the path that the LORD wants you to choose. The blessings that come on His path for you far exceed what you believe you'll get from the path you would choose. You must learn to hear His direction and options for your life. These can be heard only through prayer, reading the word, living by the word, and fellowshipping with the saints.
These disciplines should motivate you to use the following biblical financial principles to manage your current and future income:
1. Working regularly and diligently. During periods of unemployment this means volunteering your time to worthy causes when you’re not beating the street looking for work.
2. Diligently budgeting prior to and through each month to ensure that your expenses are less than your disposable income. This means trusting God to provide what you need (through other people, etc.) when you don’t have money to pay for it.
3. Tithing each pay period.
4. Using excess disposable income to pay off current debt.
5. Refusing to continue using credit / debt to finance desires.
6. Building an emergency reserve account of at least $1,000 then moving to $2,000 and so on.
7. After all bills have been paid and after you’ve saved six months of gross income in your emergency reserve account, investing your disposable income in mutual funds, stocks, bonds, etc.
When you delight yourself in Him by loving Him enough to do what He instructed, you'll receive the desires of your heart because the closer you get to God the more His desires for you and mankind permeate your life and become your desires. You'll then have contentment by giving and building wealth from your present income source until you're promoted to a greater position of service to the kingdom of God and other people through entrepreneurship or your employer.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Luke 3:14, Philippians 4:11-13, 1Timothy 6:6-10, Hebrews 13:5-6
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
MoneyWalk 17: Should you do it yourself?
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Throughout your life, you'll be faced with situations where you'll have to determine whether it's cheaper to do a job yourself or hire someone else to do it. You've seen sitcoms in which the husband who cannot fix anything constantly tries to perform household repair jobs and his lack of ability and know how end up costing the family more money and time than if he had immediately hired a competent professional to do the job.
This often happens in real life because it takes each person a bit of time and experience to understand how God specifically gifted him or her and/or endowed him or her with the capacity to be skilled in a specific type of work in a manner that allows him or her to perform quality work. Some people are simply not gifted to be great carpenters and truth be told may not be able to build or repair anything. Yet, this doesn’t stop most of us from trying to fix things we don't have the ability to fix because on the front end it seems much cheaper to do the job ourselves and it’s by trial and error that we begin to understand what we are truly gifted to do or are able to become skilled at doing.
The first few times who could blame you for trying to do necessary work yourself. It's natural to press the boundaries of your ability to try and learn new skills when the opportunity presents itself. Also, it is good stewardship to look for less costly ways to obtain goods and services and provide for your family’s needs. However, once historical evidence shows that you're unable to provide the quality workmanship you need to maintain your home and other areas of your life or that ‘doing it yourself’ winds up being more costly in the end, you should search for someone with a proven track record of providing the service you need at the lowest possible price.
So, when any major job needs to be done, you should ask the question, “Should I do it myself?” Your answer should be “NO!!!” when history has shown you’re not gifted to do the work, could not become skilled at doing it, or do not desire to spend necessary time to do quality work in the arena in which you need service. Otherwise, you will become a poor steward of the time and money God entrusted to you because you will waste time and money time trying to complete the task that you already know you cannot skillfully complete. To make matters worse, on top of the money and time you’ll have spent trying to do the job, you will then have to pay someone else to do it who has the necessary gift or skill to provide the service with quality.
Wouldn’t it be better to draw the right conclusion up front, so that this waste of resources does not occur? The right person does not necessarily have to be a high-priced professional. When you’re strapped for cash you can draw from friends and family members who are gifted or skilled in the area of your need or who know someone that is and who can provide you with the service at a cost that fits within your spending limit. If such help does not materialize when you think you need it, you must simply continue to have faith that God will provide all your need in due time and use this mindset to refrain from taking actions that will wind up costing you more money and time than should be spent on the job at hand.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 31:1-11, 1Corinthians 12:18, Ephesians 4:7- 11, James 3:1
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Throughout your life, you'll be faced with situations where you'll have to determine whether it's cheaper to do a job yourself or hire someone else to do it. You've seen sitcoms in which the husband who cannot fix anything constantly tries to perform household repair jobs and his lack of ability and know how end up costing the family more money and time than if he had immediately hired a competent professional to do the job.
This often happens in real life because it takes each person a bit of time and experience to understand how God specifically gifted him or her and/or endowed him or her with the capacity to be skilled in a specific type of work in a manner that allows him or her to perform quality work. Some people are simply not gifted to be great carpenters and truth be told may not be able to build or repair anything. Yet, this doesn’t stop most of us from trying to fix things we don't have the ability to fix because on the front end it seems much cheaper to do the job ourselves and it’s by trial and error that we begin to understand what we are truly gifted to do or are able to become skilled at doing.
The first few times who could blame you for trying to do necessary work yourself. It's natural to press the boundaries of your ability to try and learn new skills when the opportunity presents itself. Also, it is good stewardship to look for less costly ways to obtain goods and services and provide for your family’s needs. However, once historical evidence shows that you're unable to provide the quality workmanship you need to maintain your home and other areas of your life or that ‘doing it yourself’ winds up being more costly in the end, you should search for someone with a proven track record of providing the service you need at the lowest possible price.
So, when any major job needs to be done, you should ask the question, “Should I do it myself?” Your answer should be “NO!!!” when history has shown you’re not gifted to do the work, could not become skilled at doing it, or do not desire to spend necessary time to do quality work in the arena in which you need service. Otherwise, you will become a poor steward of the time and money God entrusted to you because you will waste time and money time trying to complete the task that you already know you cannot skillfully complete. To make matters worse, on top of the money and time you’ll have spent trying to do the job, you will then have to pay someone else to do it who has the necessary gift or skill to provide the service with quality.
Wouldn’t it be better to draw the right conclusion up front, so that this waste of resources does not occur? The right person does not necessarily have to be a high-priced professional. When you’re strapped for cash you can draw from friends and family members who are gifted or skilled in the area of your need or who know someone that is and who can provide you with the service at a cost that fits within your spending limit. If such help does not materialize when you think you need it, you must simply continue to have faith that God will provide all your need in due time and use this mindset to refrain from taking actions that will wind up costing you more money and time than should be spent on the job at hand.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 31:1-11, 1Corinthians 12:18, Ephesians 4:7- 11, James 3:1
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
MoneyWalk 16: Utilizing Other Peoples’ Skills
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Have you ever needed carpentry work, but no ability to do it? Or, have you purchased something only to find out later that you paid way too much for it? This has happened to most of us. However, such situations can be remedied by knowing your limitations and seeking out people who have the skills you need to get the job done effectively, efficiently, and less costly than what it costs you to do it.
Don't become a lazy freeloader by relying on other people to provide for you at no cost. You must do the daily things you need to do to survive, live comfortably, and make a positive impact on others in this world. Slothfulness will cost you more lost money than not recognizing where your skills end and someone else's begin.
There may be certain things you know you can't do effectively, such as decorating, shopping, plumbing, or mechanical work. Search for a friend or professional with skills you need who'll do a good job and who'll allow you to pay less than normal until you're financially able to pay full price. Of course, you should obtain at least three estimates and check at least three sources of their work to make sure the person you choose performs good work in the field that you need them for.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 18:18-20, 2 Samuel 12, Matthew 25:27, Luke 5:4-7
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Have you ever needed carpentry work, but no ability to do it? Or, have you purchased something only to find out later that you paid way too much for it? This has happened to most of us. However, such situations can be remedied by knowing your limitations and seeking out people who have the skills you need to get the job done effectively, efficiently, and less costly than what it costs you to do it.
Don't become a lazy freeloader by relying on other people to provide for you at no cost. You must do the daily things you need to do to survive, live comfortably, and make a positive impact on others in this world. Slothfulness will cost you more lost money than not recognizing where your skills end and someone else's begin.
There may be certain things you know you can't do effectively, such as decorating, shopping, plumbing, or mechanical work. Search for a friend or professional with skills you need who'll do a good job and who'll allow you to pay less than normal until you're financially able to pay full price. Of course, you should obtain at least three estimates and check at least three sources of their work to make sure the person you choose performs good work in the field that you need them for.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 18:18-20, 2 Samuel 12, Matthew 25:27, Luke 5:4-7
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, June 1, 2009
MoneyWalk 15: The Benefits of Bargaining
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Your money will grow by bargain shopping for most items you buy. This consists of finding them for a price that's well below what others normally pay. You can't be a respecter of persons with the mindset, "give me Gucci or give me death."
Your mind must be renewed in Christ to realize that there are items which can meet your present need that are sold or provided for free in places other than the upscale store, designer label, or name brand section that you usually select. For instance, the household cleanser at the dollar store may be just as good as the cleanser you purchase at the well known retailer and blue jeans may contain the same quality no matter which store you purchase them in.
Don't waste money over brand name loyalty when you're in a tight squeeze and do not absolutely believe that a higher price equates to better quality or service. You must be willing to make some purchases at stores in which you did not previously shop to see if they have what you need at a lower price. Though there can be differences in quality and service, in many instances the same materials and workmanship can be found in similar merchandise with different labels.
The money you keep in your pocket thru bargain shopping will make you wealthy over time if you consistently save and invest it over a 10 year or more time horizon. My wife shops about twice per week: mostly window shopping which allows her to know the original price on items and the discounted price as time moves forward during the inventory process. She purchased a pair of curtains with an original price of $90 for $27 dollars. Two weeks later she was able to get a refund on these curtains because she purchased identical curtains at another store for $1.68. We engage the bargain shopping principle by doing what’s stated above and:
1) Continually asking the Lord for His blessing in this area.
2) Knowing that He desires to bless His people above what our individual incomes can afford.
3) Trusting that we don’t necessarily need to have money on hand to cover all of our needs and desires.
4) Becoming knowledgeable about store inventory and clearance practices, keeping her eyes open.
5) Asking for discounts even when the price tags don’t show they are available.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 12:35-36, Proverbs 8:19-21, Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 16:1- 12
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Your money will grow by bargain shopping for most items you buy. This consists of finding them for a price that's well below what others normally pay. You can't be a respecter of persons with the mindset, "give me Gucci or give me death."
Your mind must be renewed in Christ to realize that there are items which can meet your present need that are sold or provided for free in places other than the upscale store, designer label, or name brand section that you usually select. For instance, the household cleanser at the dollar store may be just as good as the cleanser you purchase at the well known retailer and blue jeans may contain the same quality no matter which store you purchase them in.
Don't waste money over brand name loyalty when you're in a tight squeeze and do not absolutely believe that a higher price equates to better quality or service. You must be willing to make some purchases at stores in which you did not previously shop to see if they have what you need at a lower price. Though there can be differences in quality and service, in many instances the same materials and workmanship can be found in similar merchandise with different labels.
The money you keep in your pocket thru bargain shopping will make you wealthy over time if you consistently save and invest it over a 10 year or more time horizon. My wife shops about twice per week: mostly window shopping which allows her to know the original price on items and the discounted price as time moves forward during the inventory process. She purchased a pair of curtains with an original price of $90 for $27 dollars. Two weeks later she was able to get a refund on these curtains because she purchased identical curtains at another store for $1.68. We engage the bargain shopping principle by doing what’s stated above and:
1) Continually asking the Lord for His blessing in this area.
2) Knowing that He desires to bless His people above what our individual incomes can afford.
3) Trusting that we don’t necessarily need to have money on hand to cover all of our needs and desires.
4) Becoming knowledgeable about store inventory and clearance practices, keeping her eyes open.
5) Asking for discounts even when the price tags don’t show they are available.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 12:35-36, Proverbs 8:19-21, Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 16:1- 12
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
MoneyWalk 449: You shall not covet
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
I used to wonder what was meant by the scripture that says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” To my human mind it seemed somewhat strange and in conflict with my wisdom. I certainly was able to take from the scripture the fact that I was not to love money because this attitude could be the start to a downward spiral spiritually and maybe financially. I also was able to understand that I was to make the pursuit of God’s will for my live my utmost desire and goal and forsake any mindset that would cause me to make earning income and creating wealth more important than devotion to my Lord and service to His people. However, I wasn’t able to grasp much more because I thought what does loving money have to do with committing fornication or adultery or cursing your neighbor or most anything other than thievery and related financial crimes.
To be sure, the “root of all evil” language stumped me for a long time until I heard a message about how satan utilized covetousness as the temptation to encourage Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Coveting can be defined as “wanting somebody else’s stuff.” Sure that sly serpent used clever words to trick them into eating the forbidden fruit; however the temptation they allowed to rule them was covetousness because they desired to be as God. They were led to believe that God was holding knowledge and power from them that they could indeed have and that it was all available via the produce of the “Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Satan convinced them that they too could be omnipotent, omniscient, and possibly omnipresent and all powerful because these qualities were not inherently in God. They were in fact produced by that tree. Yes, they were tricked in more ways than one but the root of it all was covetousness. All the evil we see came from satan and then Adam coveting that which could only be God’s. They wanted something that only God Almighty can possess. Only He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omni-powerful. While they could have close fellowship with Him, represent His light in the earth, and righteously manage His possessions to be very fruitful, they could never be these things. Satan tricked them with the same temptation (covetousness) that caused Him to be thrown out of heaven to the earth like a bolt of lightning; he said that he would ascend to the throne of God almighty.”
The love of money is a trunk line from this same root of covetousness that we are commanded to avoid. When we love money we desire to obtain it, hold on to it, and/or spend it on our pleasures more than we desire to please God. This shows up most often in people’s failure to recognize God as their Lord and spend time fellowshipping with Him and his church. Within church circles it shows up most often as people’s failure to tithe and give offerings to help the church spread the gospel message throughout the earth. When you’re too busy to honor and glorify God in the manner He instructed you’re making your utmost priority the pursuit of all those things that represent money and acting as though you sit upon the throne with the ability to provide for yourself and dictate how your life should be lived. Thus, you love money more than you love God and also more than you love your fellow man.
You’re headed for eternal destruction and many times financial hardship on earth when you covet anything other than a relationship with the Lord and daily fellowship with Him. Work, career aspirations, building business, wealth building, caring for family, nor any other situation or endeavor in your life is an excuse that God will accept as a reason for not honoring Him and coveting His treasures to take care of that which you think is important. He doesn’t mind you having access to His manifold treasures, but He desires that these treasures flow into your life as a benefit to you and others from relationship and deep fellowship with Him. His Word is clear, “He withholds no good thing from those who walk upright before Him.” Let His will be your will to decide how to walk out love, work, career, business, wealth building, and ministry and you will avoid being a branch that protrudes from the trunk line of covetousness and avoid the negative earthly and eternal consequences that come to those who condone and perpetuate the root of all evil.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 3, Exodus 20:17, Psalm 24:1-2, Matthew 6:19-21, 1Timothy 6:10, Revelations 4:11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
I used to wonder what was meant by the scripture that says, “The love of money is the root of all evil.” To my human mind it seemed somewhat strange and in conflict with my wisdom. I certainly was able to take from the scripture the fact that I was not to love money because this attitude could be the start to a downward spiral spiritually and maybe financially. I also was able to understand that I was to make the pursuit of God’s will for my live my utmost desire and goal and forsake any mindset that would cause me to make earning income and creating wealth more important than devotion to my Lord and service to His people. However, I wasn’t able to grasp much more because I thought what does loving money have to do with committing fornication or adultery or cursing your neighbor or most anything other than thievery and related financial crimes.
To be sure, the “root of all evil” language stumped me for a long time until I heard a message about how satan utilized covetousness as the temptation to encourage Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Coveting can be defined as “wanting somebody else’s stuff.” Sure that sly serpent used clever words to trick them into eating the forbidden fruit; however the temptation they allowed to rule them was covetousness because they desired to be as God. They were led to believe that God was holding knowledge and power from them that they could indeed have and that it was all available via the produce of the “Tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Satan convinced them that they too could be omnipotent, omniscient, and possibly omnipresent and all powerful because these qualities were not inherently in God. They were in fact produced by that tree. Yes, they were tricked in more ways than one but the root of it all was covetousness. All the evil we see came from satan and then Adam coveting that which could only be God’s. They wanted something that only God Almighty can possess. Only He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and omni-powerful. While they could have close fellowship with Him, represent His light in the earth, and righteously manage His possessions to be very fruitful, they could never be these things. Satan tricked them with the same temptation (covetousness) that caused Him to be thrown out of heaven to the earth like a bolt of lightning; he said that he would ascend to the throne of God almighty.”
The love of money is a trunk line from this same root of covetousness that we are commanded to avoid. When we love money we desire to obtain it, hold on to it, and/or spend it on our pleasures more than we desire to please God. This shows up most often in people’s failure to recognize God as their Lord and spend time fellowshipping with Him and his church. Within church circles it shows up most often as people’s failure to tithe and give offerings to help the church spread the gospel message throughout the earth. When you’re too busy to honor and glorify God in the manner He instructed you’re making your utmost priority the pursuit of all those things that represent money and acting as though you sit upon the throne with the ability to provide for yourself and dictate how your life should be lived. Thus, you love money more than you love God and also more than you love your fellow man.
You’re headed for eternal destruction and many times financial hardship on earth when you covet anything other than a relationship with the Lord and daily fellowship with Him. Work, career aspirations, building business, wealth building, caring for family, nor any other situation or endeavor in your life is an excuse that God will accept as a reason for not honoring Him and coveting His treasures to take care of that which you think is important. He doesn’t mind you having access to His manifold treasures, but He desires that these treasures flow into your life as a benefit to you and others from relationship and deep fellowship with Him. His Word is clear, “He withholds no good thing from those who walk upright before Him.” Let His will be your will to decide how to walk out love, work, career, business, wealth building, and ministry and you will avoid being a branch that protrudes from the trunk line of covetousness and avoid the negative earthly and eternal consequences that come to those who condone and perpetuate the root of all evil.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Genesis 3, Exodus 20:17, Psalm 24:1-2, Matthew 6:19-21, 1Timothy 6:10, Revelations 4:11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, May 11, 2009
MoneyWalk 448: You shall not bear false witness
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
Flip Wilson used to say “The devil made me do it.” Many people have the same mentality when it comes to managing their lives and money. They want to take credit for all the good things that happen to them: I earned my degree, I earned this salary, I earned this position, I earned these riches, I earned this fame, I earned this politically powerful position, etc. However, when the result is not good they blame the devil, some other person, or organization (including the government) for their woes.
There is blame that could be placed on some person or entity for some things that are perpetrated on people, however most wrecked financial situations are not a direct result of what someone else did to people, rather they are a direct result of people not following the rules that lead to fruitfulness. I’m not talking about all the things you hear from television and radio pundits about how to succeed, rather I’m talking about the biblical commands and principles that God laid out for your benefit, such as:
1) Confess with all your heart that Jesus is Savior and Lord of your life.
2) Believe and act like God owns everything, including you and your money and He has the right to direct you to use them as He sees fit and that He only does so for your ultimate benefit.
3) Allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten your daily bible study and help you walk by the Spirit instead of fulfilling the lusts (desires) of your flesh.
4) Work as unto the Lord in whatever is your legal / God honoring occupation.
5) Work daily while giving yourself one to two days rest each week.
6) Hone your mental and physical skills and abilities through your work and personal interaction with others.
7) Never think or express the idea that your current income is too little to live on and begin planning for a great future. Father God, His resources, and His ability to provide are greater than your income and your situation. Nothing is impossible for Him, not even taking care of you. Thus, nothing is impossible for you when you are in the Father’s hands.
8) Begin to surround yourself with at least a few savvy friends (Christian brothers and sisters, etc.) who are good stewards (money managers) of the incomes and resources God has given them. There is God honoring safety in the advice of godly counselors.
9) Honor God through your local church fellowship with the tithe and an offering before you give to or pay any other source.
10) Save at least an equal portion in an emergency fund to help cover emergencies: payment of monthly expense during job loss, medical situations, etc.
11) Live within your means by budgeting your income to cover necessities first (food, shelter, clothing, and transportation) and trust God to provide what you really can’t. Then, cover as many other minimum bill payments as possible. If money is left over, then pay it toward either the account with the highest interest rate or the lowest balance account. Mathematically, the first method helps you pay off debts faster and pay less interest overall whereas the second method may give you a psychological boost because you get to see an early victory of paying off an account or two.
12) Work toward totally eliminating debt and living debt free where you don’t purchase anything you do not already have the cash to pay for. If you utilize credit make sure the loan is for an appreciating asset and that your money is earning a higher rate of interest than you’re paying on the loan.
13) Continue to employ these giving, saving, budgeting (disciplined spending) habits and you will reach a point when you are saving so much money each month that you will not have a choice but to invest. So, right now begin learning how the markets work, about the various types of investments available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, fixed interest investments, etc.), and the lingo used in financial markets and concerning the economy overall. In this way when the time comes, you’ll be prepared to make good investment choices.
One of the great things about this approach to stewardship is that everything that happens to you and for you works out for your good because you love God and are called for His purpose. Therefore, you don’t need to blame anyone for your condition or the world’s condition because you just might be bearing false witness against your neighbor instead of being guided by the Holy Spirit and spending the time necessary to utilize the spiritual and practical principles above to make your life as fruitful as it can be.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 22:7, Galatians 5:1-2 and 16-17, Jude 5:9
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Flip Wilson used to say “The devil made me do it.” Many people have the same mentality when it comes to managing their lives and money. They want to take credit for all the good things that happen to them: I earned my degree, I earned this salary, I earned this position, I earned these riches, I earned this fame, I earned this politically powerful position, etc. However, when the result is not good they blame the devil, some other person, or organization (including the government) for their woes.
There is blame that could be placed on some person or entity for some things that are perpetrated on people, however most wrecked financial situations are not a direct result of what someone else did to people, rather they are a direct result of people not following the rules that lead to fruitfulness. I’m not talking about all the things you hear from television and radio pundits about how to succeed, rather I’m talking about the biblical commands and principles that God laid out for your benefit, such as:
1) Confess with all your heart that Jesus is Savior and Lord of your life.
2) Believe and act like God owns everything, including you and your money and He has the right to direct you to use them as He sees fit and that He only does so for your ultimate benefit.
3) Allow the Holy Spirit to enlighten your daily bible study and help you walk by the Spirit instead of fulfilling the lusts (desires) of your flesh.
4) Work as unto the Lord in whatever is your legal / God honoring occupation.
5) Work daily while giving yourself one to two days rest each week.
6) Hone your mental and physical skills and abilities through your work and personal interaction with others.
7) Never think or express the idea that your current income is too little to live on and begin planning for a great future. Father God, His resources, and His ability to provide are greater than your income and your situation. Nothing is impossible for Him, not even taking care of you. Thus, nothing is impossible for you when you are in the Father’s hands.
8) Begin to surround yourself with at least a few savvy friends (Christian brothers and sisters, etc.) who are good stewards (money managers) of the incomes and resources God has given them. There is God honoring safety in the advice of godly counselors.
9) Honor God through your local church fellowship with the tithe and an offering before you give to or pay any other source.
10) Save at least an equal portion in an emergency fund to help cover emergencies: payment of monthly expense during job loss, medical situations, etc.
11) Live within your means by budgeting your income to cover necessities first (food, shelter, clothing, and transportation) and trust God to provide what you really can’t. Then, cover as many other minimum bill payments as possible. If money is left over, then pay it toward either the account with the highest interest rate or the lowest balance account. Mathematically, the first method helps you pay off debts faster and pay less interest overall whereas the second method may give you a psychological boost because you get to see an early victory of paying off an account or two.
12) Work toward totally eliminating debt and living debt free where you don’t purchase anything you do not already have the cash to pay for. If you utilize credit make sure the loan is for an appreciating asset and that your money is earning a higher rate of interest than you’re paying on the loan.
13) Continue to employ these giving, saving, budgeting (disciplined spending) habits and you will reach a point when you are saving so much money each month that you will not have a choice but to invest. So, right now begin learning how the markets work, about the various types of investments available (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, fixed interest investments, etc.), and the lingo used in financial markets and concerning the economy overall. In this way when the time comes, you’ll be prepared to make good investment choices.
One of the great things about this approach to stewardship is that everything that happens to you and for you works out for your good because you love God and are called for His purpose. Therefore, you don’t need to blame anyone for your condition or the world’s condition because you just might be bearing false witness against your neighbor instead of being guided by the Holy Spirit and spending the time necessary to utilize the spiritual and practical principles above to make your life as fruitful as it can be.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 20:16, Proverbs 22:7, Galatians 5:1-2 and 16-17, Jude 5:9
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
Monday, May 4, 2009
MoneyWalk 447: You shall not steal
This program will help you undo financial bondage.
We normally think of stealing as taking a possession of material things or ideas belonging to another human without their willing consent. Of course this is the type that we’re most familiar, but interestingly it is not the type of stealing that happens most often.
Stealing from God is the most common type of theft perpetrated by man. To be sure, stealing things from other people is definitely unrighteous. How much more unrighteous is it to steal from God? The scriptures say that God asked the question, “Can a man rob God?” He then answered the question by telling the people that they robbed Him of tithes and offering and told them to prove the truth of His Word by faithfully and regularly giving the tithe so that the religious leaders would be able to use it to serve in a manner that would glorify God, draw people to Him, and care for them as necessary.
God could pose this question and give the correct answer because He is the Creator of everything and thus owns everything. Man only manages possession on earth. He does not own them and will find that when he dies none of the possession he had use of will go with him. It’s all left for someone else to manage after he/she is gone. I’ve never seen a U-Haul make its way to heaven or to hell for that matter.
Thus, we should recognize that God has provided for our need to be met and has given each individual possessions / income to manage and that each person should honor Him by managing these possessions / income in the manner He directed. Unfortunately, we usually manage them in the manner we desire because we hold too tightly to them, don’t really believe that God is the owner of them, and/or believe that he has any standard for how we manage them. Simply studying scripture leads to the realization that each of these mentalities is unrighteous. Your management should be by God’s direction as confirmed in the bible.
Now surely I don’t want to steal any possessions that God has given to another person to manage or that he has allowed to come into their hands. More importantly, I will not steal from Father God: the one person that cares for me more than any human being including my wife, mother, or father. By faith, I will honor Him as He instructed regardless of ridicule by other people for doing so, their failure to do so, and the fact that it looks like I might lack some need or desire if I faithfully tithe and give offerings.
I would follow His instruction regardless of whether I would ever received any earthly benefit from it, yet I know by His Word that eternal blessing awaits those who while on earth manage His possessions in such a way that they are greatly used to lead other people to a relationship with Him thru Jesus Christ and to help them mature to become more like Christ.
Fact is, when you give in this manner prosperity is your earthly and eternal heritage because the following benefits follow those who do not steal from God by withholding the tithe and offerings:
1. God rebukes the devourer of your finances and your soul (spiritually demonic beings with plans to render you useless).
2. He opens the windows of heaven over you to pour out tremendous blessing upon your to help you glorify Him and serve other people.
3. He will not let your fruit rot on the vine. You will be successful and bear much fruit (many good God-led works).
4. People will see that you reside under God’s blessing and will communicate that to others. It will be a platform that you can use to point many people back to Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word in every arena of life.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 20:15, Malachi 3:8, Luke 18:22, Acts 5:3, Revelation 4:11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
We normally think of stealing as taking a possession of material things or ideas belonging to another human without their willing consent. Of course this is the type that we’re most familiar, but interestingly it is not the type of stealing that happens most often.
Stealing from God is the most common type of theft perpetrated by man. To be sure, stealing things from other people is definitely unrighteous. How much more unrighteous is it to steal from God? The scriptures say that God asked the question, “Can a man rob God?” He then answered the question by telling the people that they robbed Him of tithes and offering and told them to prove the truth of His Word by faithfully and regularly giving the tithe so that the religious leaders would be able to use it to serve in a manner that would glorify God, draw people to Him, and care for them as necessary.
God could pose this question and give the correct answer because He is the Creator of everything and thus owns everything. Man only manages possession on earth. He does not own them and will find that when he dies none of the possession he had use of will go with him. It’s all left for someone else to manage after he/she is gone. I’ve never seen a U-Haul make its way to heaven or to hell for that matter.
Thus, we should recognize that God has provided for our need to be met and has given each individual possessions / income to manage and that each person should honor Him by managing these possessions / income in the manner He directed. Unfortunately, we usually manage them in the manner we desire because we hold too tightly to them, don’t really believe that God is the owner of them, and/or believe that he has any standard for how we manage them. Simply studying scripture leads to the realization that each of these mentalities is unrighteous. Your management should be by God’s direction as confirmed in the bible.
Now surely I don’t want to steal any possessions that God has given to another person to manage or that he has allowed to come into their hands. More importantly, I will not steal from Father God: the one person that cares for me more than any human being including my wife, mother, or father. By faith, I will honor Him as He instructed regardless of ridicule by other people for doing so, their failure to do so, and the fact that it looks like I might lack some need or desire if I faithfully tithe and give offerings.
I would follow His instruction regardless of whether I would ever received any earthly benefit from it, yet I know by His Word that eternal blessing awaits those who while on earth manage His possessions in such a way that they are greatly used to lead other people to a relationship with Him thru Jesus Christ and to help them mature to become more like Christ.
Fact is, when you give in this manner prosperity is your earthly and eternal heritage because the following benefits follow those who do not steal from God by withholding the tithe and offerings:
1. God rebukes the devourer of your finances and your soul (spiritually demonic beings with plans to render you useless).
2. He opens the windows of heaven over you to pour out tremendous blessing upon your to help you glorify Him and serve other people.
3. He will not let your fruit rot on the vine. You will be successful and bear much fruit (many good God-led works).
4. People will see that you reside under God’s blessing and will communicate that to others. It will be a platform that you can use to point many people back to Jesus Christ and the truth of His Word in every arena of life.
Please pray for this ministry and email any questions. May God bless you richly as you follow His plan!!!
Exodus 20:15, Malachi 3:8, Luke 18:22, Acts 5:3, Revelation 4:11
Please forward these bondage breaking articles to other people who can use helpful insight!!!
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