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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 2
by Jerry Dewey
Have you ever tried to put something together without reading and following the instructions? Sometimes you’re successful. But in most cases, especially for something that is very complicated, the parts don’t go together right or you don’t have the right tools. It’s the same way with the biblical principles God expects you to practice to properly manage and handle the resources He provides. In order for you to fully understand these principles, you must know and accept the truths (the packing list and list of tools needed) behind these principles. If you don’t know them and/or you don’t accept them, there’s a good chance you’ll ignore the biblical principles you don’t like or disagree with. You can not ignore any of God’s principles! To do so will dramatically decrease any possibility of you successfully becoming free from financial problems and difficulties. There are seven truths; they are: Truth Number One – GOD OWNS IT ALL! Since He created everything (Genesis 1; Nehemiah 9:6, “…thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein…”), everything belongs to God (Psalms 89:11, “The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them”; Psalms 95:5, “The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land”; Psalms 50:10-12, “For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills…and the wild beasts of the field are mine…the world is mine, and the fulness thereof”; 1 Chronicles 29:11, “…for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all”; Haggai 2:8, “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the LORD of hosts”) and He controls everything (Jeremiah 27:5, “I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me”; 1 Chronicles 29:12, “Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all”; and 1 Chronicles 29:14, “…for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee”). You are nothing more than steward or manager of the things God gives you. If God likes how you manage the resources He gives you, then He will give you more and watch how you manage this increase. On the other hand, if God doesn’t like how you manage the resources He gives you, He’s not going to give you more or He may take away (or make it seem like it’s being taken away – you never have enough) what He’s given you (Mathew 25:14-30). Truth Number Two – ALL the money (the resources) that comes into your life is either seed to sow or bread to eat (2 Corinthians 9:6, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” and 2 Corinthians 9:10 “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness”). Bread money is for taking care of your needs and living expenses. Seed money is the catalyst for a future harvest. God expects you to sow your seed money – it has a divine purpose. If you are eating (spending; consuming) all the money that comes into your life on yourself, you do not give God anything to work with. God’s blessings materialize from the seeds you sow. Therefore, if you are eating your seed money, God’s blessings cannot and will not flow into your life. How will you know what is and how much is your seed money and what is and how much is your bread money? The surest way to know is to study God’s Word. Then, you must align your thinking about money with God’s thinking so you can handle your money the way God would. Truth Number Three – YOU are the shut off valve that controls the flow of God’s blessings into your life because YOU control the volume of God’s resources that flows out of your life. The enemy uses fear, hate, and greed to get you to limit, reduce, or stop the flow of God’s resources out your life. Once he stops you from sowing, this stops the flow of God’s blessings back into your life. God will not rob from you or keep anything from you, but the enemy will. The enemy doesn’t want you to have what you have and he doesn’t want you to have anything else. Truth Number Four – God is only interested in what you have; this is what He holds you accountable for. He is not interested in what you don’t have (Exodus 4:1-17) Truth Number Five – God can only bless your finances (and your life) when you have all aspects of your finances (and your life) in covenant with Him (Deuteronomy 28:1-13). If you fail to get all those areas in covenant with Him, God will NOT help you and He will also work against you (Deuteronomy 28:14-68; James 4:6, “…Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud…”). Truth Number Six – You must change the way you speak about your financial situation; instead of saying you are mastered by (or a slave of) your financial situation, you need to say that you are the master of your financial situation. Words are seeds; therefore, what you say is very important (Proverbs 6:2, “Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth”; Proverbs 18:20-21, “A man's belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof”) because you will reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”). To change the way you speak, you must change the way you think – your attitude (Proverbs 23:7, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”). To change your attitude, you must get God’s Word in your heart (John 12:24, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit”; Matthew 12:34-37, “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”). Truth Number Seven – God is looking for testimonies from you that will give Him the honor and glory He deserves. When God brings you out from under the burden of financial problems and difficulties, you need to tell others (Mathew 5:16, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven…”; 1 Corinthians 10:31, “…whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God”). In Revelation 12:11, it tells us we overcome the enemy by the blood of Jesus and our testimonies (“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony…”). When you tell others, your testimony imparts faith and encouragement into them. At the same time, they can rejoice with you and you can praise God together (Psalms 29:1-2, “Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness”; Psalms 34:3, “O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together”). Each principle in God’s plan will point back to one or more of these truths. Keep these truths in mind so each time a new principle is introduced you can guard against rejecting it. You must do them all! In Psalms 19:7-11, we are warned: “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” Because God’s laws are perfect, His statutes are right, and His commandments are pure, one of two things is going to happen (God’s judgment). If you do all of them, there is a great reward [God’s blessings]. If you don’t do them all, there is a reward – but far less pleasant than the reward obtained by doing them all. Which outcome would you prefer? It’s your choice. If you would like more information, click on the Contact link and send us an email; someone will contact you shortly thereafter.
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email address: wofl@wofl.org | ||
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