Words Of Life Ministries, Inc.

24148 Iowa Rd

PO Box 652

Lebanon, MO 65536

Located in downtown Sleeper, MO

417-532-8050

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BIBLE-BASED FINANCIAL GUIDANCE, Part 12

by Jerry Dewey

         Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7   Part 8   Part 9   Part 10   Part 11

          Throughout this series of articles, various statements and points were made that need to be tied up into a neat package so you can successfully move forward in following God’s plan in handling and managing “your” resources.  The first statement was to be “free from financial problems and difficulties” or simply “financial independence.”  Statements like, be “master of your financial situation” and “never be under the bondage of debt” again were some of others made.  These types of statements are called objectives; even though they are valid statements and sound wonderful (and hopefully by now they have become your desire), by themselves, they are meaningless because they are a state of mind, a state of the situation, or a state of the condition.  Your idea of what financial independence means will be totally different from what it means to somebody else.  That idea by itself will not produce financial independence and if that is all you have, you will soon abandon all your efforts because you will become frustrated and disenchanted when that feeling doesn’t materialize.

          What you need is a plan that will cause or compel you to do the things that will help you eventually achieve your objective(s).  That plan is called a vision which is made up of goals.  In Proverbs 29:18 it says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…”  Without a vision of where you want to be, financially speaking, one year, two years, five years, and ten years down the road, in all likelihood, you will continue doing what you have always done or you will take off down some rabbit trail and possibly make your financial situation worse.  Goals are the stepping stones or rest areas on your visionary path that helps keep you focused on the ultimate prize – the achievement of your objective.

          Goals are always quantifiable and measurable and they are subject to change.  A characteristic of a good financial goal is one that causes you to stretch or reach beyond your comfort zone; and because they are stepping stones, once you are there, you may decide to reset that goal so it causes you to stretch or reach beyond your new comfort zone.  Another characteristic of a good financial goal is one that helps you produce some type of financial gain in a particular area.  If it doesn’t, you should evaluate what you have been doing (to see if your actions are hindering or preventing any gain) or evaluate the goal (to see if you need to lower the expectation of that goal because you may have initially set it too high).

                    Some examples of a good financial goal: we will always set aside our tithe (10 percent) for any new money that comes into our hands before deducting any obligation; by the end of this year, we are going to have $2,500 of “readily available cash” saved; we are going to give (in the way of offerings and alms) two percent of our gross income to our church this year; we are going to completely pay off one credit card in the next two years; every month, we will pay off any new credit card charges; in three years, our net worth will grow one percent every quarter; throughout this year, we will only spend one dollar for every dollar earned; and every year, for the next five years, we will contribute five percent to our respective 401K plan.

                    Did you notice that each one of these goals satisfies each of the requirements for a goal?  For example: save $2,500 and give two percent (quantifiable); this year or in the next two years (measurable); and subject to change – at some point during the year, you may decide to change a quantifiable or a measurable requirement because things are going better than you expected or they are not going as good as you projected; at the end of every measurable period, you will probably change one or more of your quantifiables.

                    You should set short-term and long-term goals.  Short-terms goals have a measurability of three years or less while long-term goals have a measurability of five years or more.  From this day forward, you must become and be a goal thinker, a goal maker, a goal keeper, and a goal obtainer if you want to achieve any objective; otherwise, you never will.  It’s all about results.

          In order to make yourself accountable to yourself and others, you must put your objectives, your vision, and your goals on paper.  In Habakkuk 2:2-3 (Amplified) it says, “…the Lord…said, Write the vision and engrave it so plainly upon tablets that everyone who passes may [be able to] read [it easily and quickly] as he hastens by.  For the vision is yet for an appointed time and it hastens to the end [fulfillment]; it will not deceive or disappoint. Though it tarry, wait [earnestly] for it, because it will surely come; it will not be behindhand on its appointed day.”  Putting your objectives, vision, and goals on paper eliminates the possibility of you forgetting what you had planned to do (have you ever forgotten to do something or go somewhere because you didn’t write it down?).  Plus, you can periodically review them to keep them fresh on your mind (the best approach is to post them in several prominent areas in your home) and you can compare the results from your daily dairy, budget, and financial statement to see how well you are doing.  Furthermore, you can show others (your pastor, financial advisor, or a fellow church member who just asked you why you always have a glowing testimony about your improving financial situation) where you were, your plan to move forward away from there, and the progress you are making.

          Finally, after you have written it down, you have to run with it; it is just a piece a paper with some writing on it if you never act upon those things.  Above all, be patient.  It is very easy to become impatient, especially when your progress looks like, “one step forward and two steps back.”  The easiest way to overcome impatience is to fully trust God because your plan becomes His plan and God will make it happen in His perfect timing.

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

         Part 1   Part 2   Part 3   Part 4   Part 5   Part 6   Part 7   Part 8   Part 9   Part 10   Part 11

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