Godly principles for financial money management
Acknowledgements, thanks and resources:
• Thanks to the Holy Spirit for His inspiration and guidance.
• Sermon series from Rick Warren on “Getting of the debt trap”
• Hope for Today Study Bible – NLT – Commentary by Joel Osteen
• Book “I dare you” – Joyce Meyers
• TD Jakes
• Stats sourced from various websites
Introduction
If you read the newspapers, or listen to the radio or watch the news on TV, it is clear that the cost of living is on the increase. South Africans are feeling the financial strain as we are hit with increase after increase.
• Petrol, electricity, water, health care, education, transportation, clothing, food
With all the hikes it would be best for us to focus on some biblical principles on how to get out and stay out of debt.
• Statistics show that 64% of all couples argue over money.
• 54% of divorce is a result of money issues
• As Rick Warren once said, we should change the wedding vow from - Till death do us part – to - Till debt do us part.
Good money management actually has eternal implications. It’s not just about relieving the stress in your life.
Did you know that the Bible says:
• God measures your spiritual maturity by how you handle money?
• God measures and evaluates how much He can trust you with spiritual blessing according how you handle money?
• The assignments and rewards and responsibilities you’re given in heaven – are in direct relationship to how wise a manager you are of your finances and possessions while you’re here on earth?
Luke 16:11.
Jesus said “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth who will trust you with true riches?”
The way you manage your money influences:
• How much God blesses you spiritually,
• How much God trusts you with spiritual blessings.
God says if you’re not responsible with your rands and your cents you’re not very responsible with the things He gives you.
How you manage your money has eternal implications.
Fortunately the Bible provides some good advice. The wealthiest man who ever lived actually wrote a book of the Bible. His name was Solomon. He was the king of Israel and he was incredibly rich. He would put Bill Gates from Microsoft to shame.
This guy, it says, ate on plates of solid gold. That’s how wealthy he was. So when he finished dinner they didn’t just have to wash them. They had to polish the plates.
But not only was he the wealthiest man who ever lived the Bible says he also was the wisest man who ever lived. Fortunately he put his principles for financial money management down in a book called the Proverbs.
Based on Solomon’s biblical advice on, we are going to look at some of God’s principles of financial freedom.
1. Keep good records.
You need to know where your money comes from and where it goes.
This is the Principle of Accounting.
In Proverbs 27:23-24 - “Riches can disappear fast. So watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds.”
Obviously when Solomon wrote this several thousand years ago most people’s assets were tied up in either sheep or goats or both. He says we must know the condition of your flocks. Today he’d say, know the condition of your stocks.
Today knowing the condition of our flock requires good record keeping. We need to keep track of where we are financially with a ledger or computer or whatever system you come up with. Personally I use a computer program because it keeps all of this information in one place.
Begin by answering these questions:
• How much money do you bring in? Salary, wages, rental income etc etc
• What are your assets? House, car, investments, pension, anything worth something.
• How much do I owe? – These are your credit loans, student loans, car finance, or bonds.
• Where am I spending it all? Add up all the bills you have and figure where it’s going.
We’ve all heard people say, “Money talks!”
• It doesn’t talk.
• It just slips away quietly.
• It doesn’t tell you where it’s going.
• How many times have you said “I just don’t know where the money goes?”
If you’re in the dark about how much you make and where it’s all going you’re setting yourself up for failure.
Proverbs 23:23 says “Get the facts at any price.”
You say, “I don’t have time to do this.” Nobody has time to do this. I can’t think of anything less interesting to do than keeping financial records.
Do you have time to worry about your finances? If you did more keeping of good records you’d have a lot less to worry about.
So stop worrying about your finances and start just writing things down. So you know where you’re going.
2. Plan your spending.
This is the Principle of Budgeting.
A budget is simply:
• Planned spending.
• Its telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went.
All of us need to keep a budget. If you don’t have a budget you’re headed for financial disaster.
You need to plan your spending so it doesn’t get out of control
Proverbs 21:5 “Plan carefully and you will have enough. If you act too quickly you’ll never have enough.”
What is this verse saying?
• Financial freedom is not determined by how much you make.
• That’s one of the biggest myths in our society.
• Some of you think, “If I just make a little bit more then I’d be financially free.”
• You won’t!
• If you can’t live on what you’re making right now you won’t then.
• Why?
• Because your yearnings will always exceed your earnings.
• You’re always going to want more than you make. Always.
• If you can’t make it on ‘this’ amount of money you can’t make it on ‘this’ amount of money.
It is important to note:
• Financial freedom is not based on how much you make.
• It’s based on how much you spend.
• Financial freedom comes from spending less and not from making more.
• You can be financially free regardless of how much you earn.
• All you have to do is bring your spending in line with your income.
• If you spend less you don’t have to make more.
One of the areas we don’t do too much planning is in our shopping.
I read this week that the average South African spends six hours a week in shopping related activities. Some of you that’s way too low. You’re way over that average.
Proverbs 21: 5 “If you act too quickly you will never have enough.”
This verse refers to what’s commonly called impulse buying. When you act too quickly. You go shopping and you see something really cute and you buy it.
You didn’t plan to buy it. It wasn’t in your budget to buy it. You just looked at it and you made an impulse decision and you acted too quickly. Impulse buying is based on emotion. It’s based on, “I see it. I want it. It’s unplanned. I don’t think about it. I’m shopping, so let’s get that!”
Impulse buying tends to lead to debt. If you act too quickly you will never have enough.
Of course advertisers have studied your behavior.
• They know the right key words that trigger your emotions.
• There is one word that some of you find almost irresistible. Sale!
• It’s on sale! So I’ve got to buy it now.
• And we say things like, “Look how much I’m saving!”
• No, it’s look how much I’m paying!
• Protect yourself from impulsive buying.
• Plan your spending.
Some of us need to put this verse on our windshield, on our refrigerator door. We need to memorize it, put it on our forehead when we go to the shops.
Proverbs 21:20 “Stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it.”
Spending is like any other addiction. And it is an addiction. You say, “I can handle it.” But soon you’re hooked and you’re in debt.
If you want to control your debt you’ve got to nip it in the budget.
3. Save for the future.
Proverbs 21:20 says, “The wise man saves for the future.”
So how wise are we?
• The average family in Japan saves about 20% of their income.
• The average family in Europe saves about 18% of their income.
• In the SA, we spend 1% more than we earn.
• We’re not doing so well.
• We have this live for today mentality.
• We’re all into this keeping up with the Jones. No matter if the Jones just went bankrupt we’re still trying to keep up with them!
Any of you have ants visit your home at least once in the last year? You know why God sent them? The Bible tells us. In Proverbs it says ants are designed to teach us a lesson. Once we learn the lesson I hope they stop coming to our homes.
What’s the lesson?
Proverbs 6 “Ants know how to store up food in the summer so they’re ready for the winter I [the hard times]”
God’s saying, if something with an ant sized brain can figure out it needs to save how about us?
Proverbs 13:11 "He who gathers little by little makes it grow.”
You need to save some money for a rainy day.
4. Return ten percent back to God.
This is the Principle of Tithing.
The Bible says in Malachi 3:10 “’Bring to My storehouse a full tenth of what you earn. Test Me in this,’ says the Lord. ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour out all the blessings you need.’”
He says the first ten- percent. If I make a hundred rand, the first ten rand goes back to God.
Why did God say that?
• Beats me! I don’t know.
• I don’t know why He said ten percent.
• He could have said twenty, fifty, ninety.
• He could have said give it all. I
• It’s all His. Let’s remind ourselves of that. You wouldn’t have anything.
• You wouldn’t be alive; you wouldn’t even be breathing if it weren’t for God.
• So really every thing you have belongs to God and it’s going to go back to Him after you die.
• He just loans it to you for the sixty, eighty, ninety years of your life.
Why does He want us to do that?
• Obviously God doesn’t need money.
• God doesn’t need my money and He doesn’t need your money.
• So why does He do it?
Rick Warren highlights that the Bible tells us three reasons.
1. it’s an act of gratitude - remind myself that everything comes from God and I wouldn’t have anything if it weren’t for Him.
2. It’s an act of priority in the present. Making God number one in my life and to prove it by putting Him first in my money.”
3. it’s a statement of faith - To prove that I’m trusting God I’m going to give to You first.”
I know some of you are saying, “Hylton, I’d like to do this. I just can’t afford to.”
If you want God’s help to get out of debt you’ve got to put Him first.”
Here’s the principle. (This is not just money. It’s a principle for any area of life.) Whatever you want God to bless in your life put Him first in.
- If you want God to bless your relationships? Put Him first in your relationship
- If you want God to bless your career, put Him first in your career.
- If you want God to bless your health, your hobbies, your sports, put Him first in those areas.
- God blesses whatever He is put first in.
- You want God to bless your finances; you put Him first in your finances.
Proverbs 3:9-10 “Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income and He will fill your barns to overflow.”
You put God right on top and God says watch what happens.
Please remember, giving has nothing to do with an amount. It has everything to do with our attitudes. Remember, god loves a cheerful giver.
5. Enjoy what you have.
This is the Principle of Contentment. Sometimes what we don’t have keeps us from enjoying what we do have.
Ecclesiastes 6:9 says, “It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.”
We are so busy getting more and more we don’t have any time to enjoy what we already have. Here’s how it works. It comes in four phases.
1 - Your wants start to exceed your earnings.
2 - You over extend yourself financially. .
3 - You have to get extra jobs – both husbands and wife are working. You have to work at night. You have to constantly hustle to make ends meet.
4 - Your home life starts to deteriorate because you’re tired, exhausted, and irritable.
In this county we have an epidemic of absentee parents.
- A lot of it is because of this very syndrome.
- Our kids don’t need more things. They need their parents.
- Our kids aren’t asking us for more stuff.
- What they need more than anything else, what they long for more than anything else is our attention.
But we are so busy making a living we don’t have time to make a life. We don’t have time to give them our attention. We want to. We know it’s the right thing to do but we feel trapped by this syndrome.
Hebrews 13:5 “Be content with what you have.”
CONCLUSION
Joel Osteen – “We need to start declaring the Word of god over our lives and our finances. Stop declaring with your words that you are never going to get out of debt.
God wants to do something new and supernatural in your life. Did you know He wants to do something supernatural in your finances?”
Isaiah 43:19 says, "Behold, I am doing a new thing! …Do you not perceive it and know it and will you not give heed to it? I will even make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert." (AMP)
Can you perceive it? Are you making room for it in your mind, or have you already made up your mind not to expect anything new due to your present circumstances?
God is interested in all your needs, desires, and even, your prosperity. In fact, Psalm 35:27 says that God delights in the prosperity of His people.
Right now, we are in somewhat of a recession and economic slump, but because we belong to God, we have supernatural provision. God is never in a financial slump. Heaven is not in a recession. In fact, heaven is full of blessings waiting to be bestowed upon you. God said that He will make a way in your desert. He will cause rivers of blessings to flow into your financial desert. That is supernatural provision.
I know that a lot of you are having a tough go of it. You’re having a tough time making ends meet.
Out of control finances are the symptoms of an out of control life. You don’t just need financial planner. You need a life manager.
His name is Jesus Christ.
I truly believe that we can only make it through such tough times when we have a living and loving relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.
Maybe you are one of those people who think that God is not paying attention. Maybe you are one of those people who think God cannot help. You are wrong. God’s love and provision is available right here and right now. The Word (Bible) says that we have a choice between life and death. Gods wants us to have life, and life in its fullness.
If you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, I would encourage you to make that decision today. While all eyes are closed, if you want me to include you in my prayer this morning, please just raise your hand.
Prayer after me:
Dear god, I am sorry for my sin. I turn from it right now. I thank you for sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart and life right now. Be my Lord and my Saviour and friend. Help me to follow you all the days of my life as your disciple. Thank you for forgiving and receiving me right now. In Jesus name. Amen
Prayer:
I want to pray for those of you who are going through a tough time financially right now. If you are under financial stress would you lift your hand up and put it back down? Thank you for your honesty, God bless you. There’s a lot of us.
Father, You’ve seen these hands and I don’t know their individual situations but You do. There are a lot of people here this morning who are experiencing financial stress and difficulty today. I pray that You will do a miracle in their finances. As they follow these principles, Your principles, I pray that You would miraculously turn around their finances. I know it’s not going to happen overnight. But replace debt with dedication and replace pressure with peace. Help them to get out of the hole and on to Your pathway to financial freedom.
Amen.”
