Words Of Life Ministries, Inc.

24148 Iowa Rd

PO Box 652

Lebanon, MO 65536

Located in downtown Sleeper, MO

417-532-8050

Back

BIBLE-BASED FINANCIAL GUIDANCE, Part 1

by Jerry Dewey

           Part 2

            Many families (households) face financial difficulties every day; many of these will not openly admit they are, but it doesn’t change the fact that they are.  Christians are not immune to financial difficulties, but we should be – we have a heavenly Father who is very, very rich and through Jesus, we are heirs; therefore, we have access to His assets.  How rich is God?  In John 14:2 (“In my Father's house are many mansions…”), Jesus says that God has many mansions.  In Revelation 21:15-21, John describes the construction of the New Jerusalem.  God uses gold, precious stones (jewels and gems), and pearls as building materials in the construction of the city walls and gates and He paves the street with gold.  The angel that showed John the measurements of the city used a tape measure made of gold.  God is so rich, He uses stuff we consider a measure of wealth like we use lumber, concrete, and asphalt.  Bill Gates, the richest person in the world, the 399 richest people in America, and the 945 richest people in the world, still use lumber, concrete, and asphalt for building materials.

                God is willing to share His wealth with you.  In Genesis 12:2-3, God promised Abram (who God later renamed Abraham) that He would bless him if he did what He wanted him to do (“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”).  God also promised Abraham, as long as he was obedient (did exactly what God told him to do), that he would be a blessing to those around him and that his seed would be forever blessed and be a blessing (Genesis 22:16-18, “…By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice”), as long as they were obedient.  In Galatians 3:26-29, we’re told that by believing and accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become a seed of Abraham and an heir to the promise God gave Abraham (“For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.  For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.  And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”).  When you became a Christian, you became an adopted son or daughter of God, which makes you an heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:4-7, “…God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”).  This means you have the same rights as Jesus does to all of God’s resources and you can claim and have all the resources God has set aside just for you.

So why do so many Christians face financial difficulties?  The root cause of their financial difficulties is the mismanagement and mishandling of the resources God gives each one of us – you are not doing what God wants you to do.  You are either being rebellious (you know what you should be doing and you’ve chosen not to do it) or you lack the knowledge and understanding of the biblical principles we must practice to properly manage and handle the resources God provides.  Few, if any, churches provide any in-depth training on God’s financial principles; therefore, in order for Christians to obtain this knowledge, they must engage in a self-study program (this can be a very daunting task) or they must find somebody who can help them.  In either case, you must be willing to admit that you have a financial problem and you must be willing to do everything God expects you to do.

                Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is He that giveth thee power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.”  Some people – Christians – don’t like that word “wealth” because it could mean “riches” or “prosperity” or “money” and they’ve read it or heard it somewhere that money [riches, wealth, and prosperity] is the root of all evil.  Instead of embracing God’s promises, they’re looking for someone other than themselves to blame for their financial problems.  So they’ll say something like, “well, if God wanted me to be rich, he would make me rich” and continue living a life full of financial problems and difficulties.  Here’s a simple solution: if that word bothers you because you associate it with those other words, think of that word meaning “financial independence.”  In others words, free from financial problems and difficulties.

                How do I get there?  God gives you the power; God gives you the authority; God gives you the ability.  It’s there for the taking.  All you need is the knowledge and understanding of how to tap into this God-given power, authority, ability; then, you need the wisdom on how to apply God’s principles on managing and handling the resources He gives you; and finally, you must forever commit yourself to apply ALL of God’s principles, every day, in ALL areas of your life – in your finances and in the way you live.  You have to completely and fully line up with God’s Word in all areas of your life to receive God’s promises.  If you are partially lined up, don’t expect God’s blessings to rain down on you.  John 8:32 says, “…ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  God’s Word is “the truth” (John 17:17, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth”; Psalms 119:151, “Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth”; and Psalms 119:160, “Thy word is true from the beginning…”), but God requires more than just knowing “the truth”.  He requires action on your part (James 1:21-25, “…receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.  But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed”); therefore, if there’s no action on your part, you will not be set free from financial problems and difficulties!

            If you would like more information, click on the Contact link and send us an email; someone will contact you shortly thereafter.

           Part 2

                                      Copyright Words of Life Ministries, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.