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How To Become Financially Free Part 2 Series
Contributed by Michael Martin on Nov 26, 2006 (message contributor)
Summary: 5 of 5 in the Series on Money
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(Prov. 22:7) "The borrower is servant to the lender..."
Series: How To Escape Financial Bondage
First message: "The love of money is the root of all evil".
Our love for money steals away our love for God, and the things of God...
If there ever was an item that steals our time from God...
If there ever was a time in which Christians need to be established, and prepared for the future...
If there ever was a time in which we needed to be at liberty to serve God without the bondage of money that so easily besets us...That Time is Now!!!
Yet, instead, we have fallen prey to the love of money, and it has entangled us in it’s web of deceit and enslaved us in a prison of despair. It is God’s will that we be financially free.
Second Message:
How to tell if you are in financial bondage?
Indebtedness. You owe a lot of money.
Pressure of bills.
Your life revolves around making money.
Entanglement in business.
You try every get rich quick scheme.
You feel guilty about the way you use money.
What is the purpose of money?
To supply basic needs in your life (food, shelter, clothing).
To supply the needs of others.
To show God’s Power in your life.
To unite Christians.
To confirm direction.
Third week:
Factors That Determine Financial Freedom
Giving is a direct factor in financial freedom.
Your income is a direct factor in your financial freedom.
Your spending is a direct factor in your financial freedom...(Learn to say "NO!")
Last week:
How To Become Financially Free
I. Transfer Ownership of All to God.
A. Of your money.
B. Of your time.
C. Of our possessions.
D. Of our career.
II. Establish Habits That Will Remind You That You Have Transfered All to Him.
A. Three things that remind us of the battle with the flesh, and of our yieldedness to God (all found in Matthew 5) [prayer -- fasting -- giving].
B. Consistant giving is a sign that you are not relying on your income, but in God.
C. Begin to seek God before making any major financial descision.
This Weeks Message...
III. Put Christ First in Your Life (Matt. 6:19-33).
A. Don’t seek to be rich on earth, but in heaven (v. 19-21).
B. Seek ye first the kingdom of God...
IV. Determine to Be Completely Debt Free.
A. If you do not buy new things, you can use that extra money to pay more on the things you have already buy.
B. Questions to ask before making any major purchase.
1. Will it increase my effectiveness for God?
2. Is it absolutely essential. Do I really need it?
3. Will it strengthen my family or increase the burden my family must bear.
4. Can I buy a less expensive item, that will perform just as well.
5. Does it require upkeep, that makes it unjustifyable to buy.
V. Evaluate every expenditure on the basis of how it will benefit the work & reputation
of God.
A. We are Ambassadors for Christ.
1. I wish I could say that everything I’ve done has brought honor to God.
I know some of you are thinking, "Well I’ve seen Bro. Mike, doing this or that..."
I am truely sorry for anything I’ve done that has weakened you, but that is not an excuse for your sin.
2. I will answer to Christ for my Ambassadorship, and you will answer for yours.
God says, "We ARE Ambassadors," not "We will be," or even "We should be," but "We ARE!"
You may be a good Ambassador, or a poor one, but you are one! And, everything we do as His Ambassadors reflects upon the one we represent.
How & where we spend the money that God has entrusted to us also reflects on Christ.
B. Evaluate every expediture on how it benefits the cause of Christ.
1. The Cable Network channels in some of the wickedest garbage, yet it is a regular monthly bill.
There us no way you can justify the cost of cablevision as an expediture that further’s the kingdom of God.
2.
VI. Give God a chance to provide an item before you buy it.
A. Much of what we buy, we buy impulsively, therefore we make foolish purchases.
1. Salesmen get rich because of impulsive buyers.
Extremely rare to find a man that waits 24 hours before making any major purchase, more less one that will wait on God.
2. Many car dealers, mobil home dealers, etc. will offer free gifts, free food just to get you on the lot.
They are confident that if they get you on the lot, they can influence you to buy.
B. If we could learn to wait on God, He would bless our purchase.