You Can't Win, Until...

 

You Can't Win, Until...

    Recently, the seven-time champion and new TV analyst Tom Brady uttered a quote that instantly got my attention. He said "You can't win until you keep from losing". He attributed the words to his coach Bill Belichick, that they were stressed to his players about the critical importance of avoiding mistakes that derail you from winning.

    I knew there was a nugget of wisdom there that could be applied to how we handle our finances according to scripture. Today, we'll cover some key fundamentals from God's Word about our finances, and how avoiding the thoughts, behaviors and actions which can keep us from being where we want to be.

    "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house..." (Malachi 3:10). In many households that are not bringing the tithes to His house, it is because of neglecting to place God at the front of the line after they are paid. Then Sunday arrives and they say "I don't have enough to tithe." The way we keep from falling short in this area is to put God first. When you're paid, write out that check or click to give online that same day. 

    It may be a struggle to begin, but we'll learn so much from it - the peace that comes from aligning our hearts properly, we will reduce or remove some discretionary spending to accommodate giving to the Lord first, and we'll see God fulfill what he promised later in that verse... that He will open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to contain it. That sounds like winning.

    "I have learned to be content in whatever state I am" (Philippians 4:11). What is it that "drives" us to purchase the unnecessary or the extravagant and beyond reasonable things which end up plunging us into debt? If we look back on some of our past purchases, we'd have to agree the thoughts then were "I won't be happy unless I have this, or have a better, newer version of this, or subscribe to that service".

    Included in this chapter, Paul shared how he was able to be content despite humble and straitened circumstances - which were much more challenging than nearly all of us experience. He said "I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me." He leaned and trusted on Christ constantly, and we can also... to say NO to that temptation to overspend. He also eluded to a desirable result in 1 Timothy 6:6, that "Godliness accompanied with contentment is great and abundant gain." That sounds like winning.

    "And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased." (Hebrews 13:16). What may cause us to "forget", or choose not to be generous toward others? If we are honest, it can come from having a singular focus on ourselves, and from cultivating a fear that if we give, we will then not have enough.

    However, God chooses in His Word to squash that type of thinking. He does so in the beauty of connecting the promises of His care towards those who give:

Luke 6:38 - give and it will be given to you

Proverbs 22:9 - the generous will themselves be blessed

Proverbs 28:27 - those who give to the poor will lack nothing

2 Corinthians 9:7 - for God loves a person who gives cheerfully

That sounds like winning.

    "Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another." (Romans 13:8). What are two factors of being in debt? I would point to first the obvious of spending more than we make, and second the effects of compound interest. We make the choices, sometimes bit-by-bit in accumulating smaller purchases that stack up on our credit card. Also, in accepting large and long-lasting commitments resulting in monthly payments.

    One of the best tools to help here is time... use time to your advantage. Before making a sizeable purchase, take time to assess if you really need the item at all, or need to be considering that level of the purchase (brand, features, type). Take time to view your credit card statement online regularly, so you can monitor where you are at and make adjustments to your spending during the month before your bill arrives. Before taking on monthly payments, take plenty of time to review how the future payments can fit in (or not) to your larger financial goals.

    It is the effect of compound interest that makes it challenging to extricate from being in debt and being behind every month... to emerging into not only being able to pay for most purchases as they arise, but save and invest and receive the benefits of compound interest working in your favor. That sounds like winning.

    To get in a little deeper on this topic, I encourage you to utilize the Archives section of this blog and view the post titled "Paying For Things" from August 2015. In it, we covered the three ways you can pay for things: borrowing, money on hand, and saving. I liken those three stages very much towards the concept of how we cannot win in our finances until we keep from losing.

    Lastly, be encouraged that you can win, by this short, simple and powerful verse from Matthew 19:26:

"But with God all things are possible"

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

    

    

2025 - Experience Wisdom

 2025 - Experience Wisdom

    "I instructed you in the way of wisdom. I have guided you along straight paths. When you walk, your step will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble."

    These verses from Proverbs 4:11-12 , likely written by King Solomon, share about what his father said in pursuing wisdom. As we embark on a new year in 2025, let's look into some parts of Proverbs 4 and how they can help us with our finances.

    But first, let's try to address an area that may hinder us from receiving wisdom in the first place... our pride. To combat this, we must place value on the source of where proper wisdom is coming from. In Solomon's case, he humbled himself and regarded what came from his father's lips to be worthy of applying to his life, in great measure.

    In Proverbs 20:29 it is written, "The glory of young men is their strength, and the beauty of old men is their gray head (suggesting wisdom and experience)". The definition of experience includes practical contact with and observation of facts or events, and those mature men and women, if they have a Godly perspective, are worth listening to, to gain from their experiences that we have not yet encountered.  

    And of course, we look with reverence to the One who knows everything that has ever existed and knows all things to come, the Lord. In Proverbs 2:6 it says "For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding." And Jesus plainly stated "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."

    Going back into Proverbs 4, verse 6 instructs us with "Forsake not [Wisdom], and she will keep, defend, and protect you; love her, and she will guard you." These words can relate to our avoiding large debts and commitments, where we know by looking carefully and soberly at them, that all it takes is one expensive unforeseen circumstance to put us in a place where we cannot make those payments and cause additional burdens financially.

    Verse 8 has "Prize Wisdom highly and exalt her, and she will exalt and promote you; she will bring you to honor when you embrace her." As we bring a true effort in our occupation and work as unto the Lord (Colossians 3:23) and not to men, we will stand out from the crowd, becoming a valuable employee that in time will bring us promotion and honor to the Lord.

    Returning to our first verse number 12: "When you walk, your steps shall not be hampered [your path will be clear and open]; and when you run, you shall not stumble." I liken this to achieving a point in the freedom from debts - even partially, like in paying off a car, credit card, or even a small debt. Our steps are then not hampered and that feeling of constraint is gone. I can speak from experience how freeing it is to have a path that is clear and open, without the stress from those bills arriving each month.

    Next in verse 13 of "Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; guard her, for she is your life." If you have planned certain things out financially, even something as routine as your grocery list, stick to what your plans were and maintain to stay within your budget. If you calculated what you can afford for a car or other large purchase, guard yourself against the salesperson attempting to increase the sale for their purposes... they will not be around to help you when it is time to make that payment every month after you sign.

    Down to verse 23 it is written "Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life." When we are in stores and at their websites online, this is when we need to keep and guard our heart. To stay within what we know is our means to pay and not get carried away by advertising, sales, new items or the salesperson. Also keep in mind verse 25 - "Let your eyes look right on, and let your gaze be straight before you." One tool to combat this tendency by our flesh to react and buy is to instead wait 24 hours... in many instances you will find that desire is not really in line with your heart and you will choose not to make that purchase. 

    Lastly, remember what was from the definition of experience (includes practical contact with and observation of facts or events). In the verse below the author was speaking about a sluggard that had an unkept vineyard with walls broken down. But we can also apply this layer of wisdom to when our own choices did not prove fruitful, learn from them and move onto the right path"

"Then I beheld and considered it well; I looked and received instruction." (Proverbs 24:32)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you in 2025,

Paul    

And You Thought

 

And You Thought

    "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8)

    One glorious demonstration of this verse occurred with Peter in Luke 5. It is written that Jesus got into one of their boats and requested him to draw away from shore, then Jesus continued to teach the crowd of people on the shore. When He stopped speaking, He asked Peter to go to the deep water and lower their nets for a haul. 

    Even though Peter was not yet a disciple, he was obedient to Jesus. He allowed Him to get into the boat, he drew away from the shore, then despite his objection - Peter lowered their nets... and you know from the account and illustration above what happened next.

    Well beyond what he received in the literally overwhelming blessing of fish, that miracle changed Peter forever and also us who believe in Christ to this day, as he was the leader of the early church and an author in the New Testament.

    And Peter thought he was just casting his net to oblige the request of Jesus

   But God's thoughts were higher

    In 1 Kings 17, the widow who encountered Elijah and despite being down to the last morsel for her and her son, at his request made a small portion for him. Then the Lord supernaturally multiplied their provisions until rain came to their land, and later restored life to her son who had stopped breathing.

    And she thought she was just being kind to Elijah

    But God's thoughts were higher

    I will share two examples in my own life. At the age of 21, I felt led to give to the church offering, money I had for an oil change. Within the next week I received a job offer I sought. One for a better position, that paid much more, had better benefits and was closer to home. I gave a two-week notice to my current employer, which resulted in their terminating me that day because I was going to a competitor, but with all my future pay.

    I decided to start one week earlier at the new place (and thus got two paychecks that week) and was invited to the company picnic that weekend. There, my parents won a drawing for luggage and I won the grand prize of a stereo system - and I had not even started working there yet! I stayed there more than 25 years and was blessed beyond my dreams. 

    And I thought I was just giving into the offering

    But God's thoughts were higher

    In 1998, I came across a community education class being offered titled "Debt-Free & Prosperous Living", thought it would be good to attend and so my wife Karen and I did. The materials and instruction were great, but what happened spiritually that night was God showing me the connection between these concepts and what is written in His Word regarding finances, and that it was His will do this. Because of that we were determined to follow through, and we became debt-free.

    When our pastor learned of what happened he said "you have to teach us this", so we learned the materials and acquired textbooks, studied the verses that related to finances and giving and taught them to our congregation. Then he said "you should go to other churches also", so we sent letters out and God opened doors to dozens of churches where we taught hundreds and hundreds of people. Most importantly we received word back of households paying off credit cards, cars, boats and even houses, and how blessed they felt to see God moving. And to this day, sharing in this post what God leads me to convey that you are reading now.

And I thought we were just attending a community education class

But God's thoughts were higher

    When considering your occupation, be encouraged that from God's perspective there is much more going on than we can realize... you are not just providing for your family. There are eternal purposes at work, ones that extend beyond the obvious of when you may share your faith, listen to someone's needs showing that you care, or pray with them. 

    In our daily carrying out of integrity, giving an honest effort, going the extra mile, being a generous teammate to our coworkers and staying positive through challenges, that level of truth they see performed from you daily will translate to there being a corresponding level of truth when you speak of spiritual things.

And you thought (like Peter) you were just going to work

But God's thoughts were higher

    Lastly, be encouraged to rely on the One who made these things happen beyond what was being thought of at the time:

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight". (Proverbs 3:5-6)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

    

    

    

Known To God

 

Known To God

    In Philippians 4:6 it is written, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God."

    We are aware that our omniscient God knows all things, so why the term to "make your wants known to God'?  Digging into the Greek word, one of the descriptions is to declare. When we bow down in prayer to God, we are declaring to Him what is important to us, what we do not have the ability to manifest on our own. We are humbling ourselves, regarding and revering Him as the Creator, and asking Him to intervene.

    Many people can swiftly come to God in prayer for healing, but do not approach Him with the same eagerness and faith regarding their finances... even though Paul made it clear in our opening verse above how broad the invitation from God is - anything, every circumstance and in everything.

    The words also point to this being beyond meeting our basic needs - which of course we want to bring in prayer, but the verse states to make our wants known to God. We are not to be requesting a fleet of Rolls-Royce's, but God intends to give us good things to those who ask Him (Matthew 7:11).

    Take some time and get honest and sincere with God, identifying if what is needed is an increase in finances, a decrease in spending, or both. A great way to engage in prayer is to bring God's Word before Him, which strengthens your faith in the request. We'll look at some applications next.

    Looking at increase, obviously we consider our vocation and we can bring Deuteronomy 28:12 in prayer of "The Lord will bless all the work of your hands". We can humble ourselves and bring to the Lord James 1:5, "If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God Who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly." At position, we can call upon Psalm 75:6-7, "For not from the east not from the west nor from the south come promotion and lifting up. But God is the Judge! He puts down one and lifts up another."

    But I can also share that our own "day-to-day" faithfulness in our work can move God to bring unexpected blessings. My manager once called me into her office, concerned if I was happy (I was). A few minutes later I was assigned some minor duties and given more than a 10% raise. My wife Karen, working for the government, out of the blue had a reclassification to her position resulting in over a 15% raise. In another instance, after a merger the company decided to increase my pay by a substantial amount - to be equal with those in our company nationally at the position. 

    I also encourage you to pray for your companies, that they would use Godly wisdom and integrity and that they would prosper.

    Turning to a decrease in spending, which many have a need of in order to remove debts, we can ask God to help us obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit as in Galatians 5:16, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." We can seek to and ask according to Psalm 91:1 of "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty." Asking Him to help dwell closely to Him  and being stable and fixed will help us tremendously against the temptation to overspend. 

    And along the same lines we covered earlier in James 1:5, we can ask God to give us wisdom in handling our finances and to spend less than we make. I believe a sincere prayer requesting wisdom in this area will result in God providing direction to the areas, small and large, where changes can be made to see an impact.

    In closing, be encouraged to dismiss any hesitation of bringing your financial needs and wants to the Lord in prayer, for He has spoken these two beautiful verses:

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us." (Ephesians 3:20)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

By Teaching

 

By Teaching

    In Proverbs 22:6 it is written, "Bring up a child by teaching him the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn away from it." Today we will look at how we can guide our children to being good stewards of what God gives them and avoid the financial snares that exist, stepping forward towards a better path in their young lives.

    As you know to be true in any area of life, there are two key ways your child will learn:

From observing you and learning from you

From doing things themselves

    We want to lay a godly foundation for them by first showing them our reverence for the Lord - that He is our source and our provider, by giving to Him in tithes and offerings. Explain to them in the history of Old Testament the act of giving the tithe, and how in the New Testament that is a starting point of giving to the One who lavishly gave us His Son Christ Jesus. Share with them how God promises to those who give to Him that they will receive back from Him to meet all of their needs. Bring them over occasionally and have them at your side as you write a check, or give online so they can see the actual act of obedience take place. They will remember that.

    When they initially receive their own money, from gifts, allowance or doing chores, encourage them to give back to God. One good visual method for them to learn from is to have jars which are labeled "Tithe", "Savings", "Spending". This will give them a physical place to set aside the tithe until coming to church. Teach them to make the tithe jar the first one they place their money into before the others. They will remember that.

    Explain to them that there will always be more things that they will want to buy then they will have the money for, and that you too have this same desire, but that you strive to keep it under control. From the key verse of Proverbs 21:20 regarding spending less than you make, the International Children's Bible version says "Wise people store up the best foods and olive oil. But a foolish person eats up everything he has." Read this verse to your children and explain its context into money and spending. The use of the jars will help visually reinforce to spend less than they receive.

     Share with them a precious nugget of wisdom in dealing with this... to wait. Teach them that when they want more costly things that they should wait and give it some days. If they do this, every time they then change their mind and decide against buying that item, it will demonstrate the wisdom of using time and developing patience, which will serve them extremely well in many other areas of their lives. They will remember that.

    Regarding saving for the future and receiving interest, I have heard of parents who have rewarded their children for their patience and saving, by giving them bountiful interest compounded monthly so the children can more readily see a result and be encouraged in the practice. Even without this enticement, using the savings jar to gather up over time for a larger purpose will be an experience that will prove beneficial down the road.

    On the topic of interest, explain to them how as an adult there are large things which cost more than can be easily saved to purchase, such as cars and houses. And how we agree with lenders to receive the sum of money to buy these things... but then have to pay back much more than the cost of them over time. Tell them what that time is - over 5 years for a car and as much as 30 years for a house. 

    If you are saving for a car to avoid a loan, share with them the process and how you are watching your spending carefully in other areas so you can make the car purchase with savings and avoid a loan to be paid for an extended period. In the same manner for your home, if you are paying extra principal, teach them how this action is saving thousands of dollars and especially how it is reducing the number of years to continue making the monthly payments.

    One of the key areas to teach your children is how to handle credit cards. They will begin to encounter them at age 18, but need the proper foundation as soon as it is age-appropriate to avoid the traps. If you as a parent personally went through a season of young adult credit card folly, share this experience with your child, and how you regretted the results and regained control over it. They will remember that.

   Explain to them that credit cards have the highest interest rate of any normal borrowing - currently over 22% on average. At that rate the open balance would double in just over 3 years. Tell them credit cards also have costly late payment fees. Teach them that while a credit card is a good way to establish credit early in adult life, that the golden rule is to pay the balance off every month. Show them how with your own credit card you can view the current open statement in real-time, showing how much is owed and how keeping up to date on that knowledge is valuable to avoid having the bill arrive being too large to pay off.

    There is a Christian quote that goes "If we don't teach our children to follow Christ, the world will teach them not to." The same follows for being good financial stewards - if we don't teach our children wise, scriptural handling of finances, the world will teach them not to.

    In closing, know that it is your responsibility to prepare your child for adult life - including their finances, knowing it is a more complicated landscape than when most of us entered adulthood. Help them to not sense a burden in this area, but that they can feel well prepared because of what they saw you do and how you taught them.

    "A good man leaves an inheritance [of moral stability and goodness] to his children's children..." (Proverbs 13:22)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you (and your children)

Paul

Remember CIA

 

Remember CIA

    Today you can learn about a tool to help you find unnecessary expenditures, one of the biggest enemies to spending less than you make... called CIA. It does not stand for the Central Intelligence Agency (shown above). It represents these spending impulses to be aware of:

C = Convenience

I = Indulgence

A = Appearance

    Each of these can siphon and waste funds excessively away from what you really want to do with them, like paying down debts and getting free of them.

    Convenience - we waste money on Conveniences, like eating the expensive frozen prepared meals instead of making less expensive meals ourselves. When we pay others to do tasks we could easily do much more cheaply ourselves. When we waste five to ten dollars a day (up to $200 a month) on eating lunch outside of work, rather than taking a few minutes to make a lunch to bring to work in the morning. Also when we purchase from convenience stores or vending machines because we simply did not plan ahead.

Proverbs 21:5 says "the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but every one who is hasty comes only to want." If we can take a few minutes to plan ahead and take actions, we can avoid some of the expenses in this area.

       

    Indulgence - we waste money on Indulgences when we go to the mall or shop online after a hard week, because we feel we "deserve" it. That can use up money we really don't need to spend. We indulge ourselves with expensive dinners out, which as you know are even more expensive lately. We indulge ourselves with expensive toys, to help us make up for the "tough" life we live. These indulgences are frequently charged on credit cards or financed with monthly payments - which makes the cost even higher and the indulgence more damaging when the interest is added. Most people are stunned when they research and compile indulgence expenditures.

God cautions us to be aware of our consumption in Proverbs 25:16, "Have you found honey? Eat only as much as is sufficient for you, lest being filled with it, you vomit it." In the last portion of Proverbs 21:20, it speaks of the fool who "swallows and wastes what he has", relating to devouring quickly and not even genuinely enjoying it.

    

    Appearance - we waste money on appearances when we try to keep up with the Joneses. But the reality is the Joneses are likely deep in debt, dealing with the stresses that accompany such, and they are trying to keep up with those around them. If they lost their income they will be in dire straits in a few months. They are living an illusion and you will be too if try to compete with them. Forget trying to impress people with your possessions, wait until you can share you are debt-free - then they'll really be impressed.

God's word hits this topic on the head, as it is written in Proverbs 29:25, "The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high." That snare can be "what will they think if I don't have a _____ , or do ______?". But God will reward your obedience in reverencing Him above those concerns.

    With the school year now in force, here is your "homework assignment", go back and view your recent expenses to see which ones would fit in the categories of CIA, and eliminate those wastes. If you do this task, it will show you how to free up funds that can be redirected towards paying down and eliminating debts. Many who undertake this will find even more funds in the second month than the first, because they see how effective this redirecting of money was in reducing debts, and they are even more motivated to locate more to use.

Lastly, be encouraged to abide in God's will from these verses in 1 John 2:15-17:

"Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world--the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever."

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

Hands and Feet

 

Hands and Feet

    In Romans 10:15, the scripture says "And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"

    Even if you have never set foot beyond our borders, if you give to Broomfield Assembly, be encouraged, as you have been a partner of the Lord's hands and feet in bringing the good news across the globe, touching individuals and families you have not met.

    In November 2021, the post titled "Giving Is Living" touched on the subject of how when you currently make purchases of items made in other countries, how it is helping to provide a livelihood for those workers you have never met. Here is a link to the post:

https://broomfieldassemblyfinancialfitness.blogspot.com/search?q=giving+is+living

    In this same manner, when you've given to Broomfield Assembly, a portion is sent to various ministries that carry out the Great Commission across the globe. In many instances places of desolate poverty or government oppression against the Word. You are bringing The Life to many people you may never meet.

    Below are some of the places your giving is already being funneled by your faithfulness in tithes and offerings to Broomfield Assembly:

                                              Central Eurasia      Ukraine

India                                 Urban Denver

Philippines                        Zimbabwe

Portugal

    Obviously, there are many, many other ministries you can give to that do a great work beyond these areas, including in our own metropolitan area. 

    Know how God views your faithfulness in 1 Corinthians 3, "I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are coworkers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building."

    There could be lines of people wanting to give to support missionaries and ministries, but if there are not those who accepted the call to go out it would not happen. Conversely, there could be many who are looking to serve in lands beyond, but if there are not sufficient people partnering with them financially they are unable to go. We all work together, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 12 of how as a body has many parts, but all its many parts form one body. There are no unimportant parts - we all combine together in this area to deliver the gospel to those far away.

    And obviously, contributing finances is only one layer of supporting those in the field. Each of them covets your prayers over them, to have the resources they need, to be effective, avoid government interference and for their safety.

    Lastly, even if you have never been called to go abroad and deliver the gospel, know that in this great effort you are viewed by God as part of the body that is helping to make that happen:

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts from one body, so it is with Christ... But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12:12, 18)

God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul