The Bible plainly states that the whole kingdom of God is based on sowing and reaping. In Mark 4, Jesus said “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed upon the ground, and then continues sleeping and rising night and day while the seed sprouts and grows and increases—he knows not how. The earth produces [acting] by itself—first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe and permits, immediately he sends forth [the reapers] and puts in the sickle, because the harvest stands ready.”
We have arrived to a new year… 2016, and there may be things you want to achieve. With your finances you probably want to be in a better place at this year’s end than you currently are. You know it cannot happen at once but requires steps to take combined with time to see it come to fruition. Today, we’ll look at practical steps we can take – seeds we can plant than can make this happen.
The first area to address is spending – especially our optional and impulse spending. What can you do this first week to plant a seed that will help reduce your debt load? Are trips to the coffee shop and eating out for lunch a regular part of your work week? If this is true, decide to make your own coffee or lunch for a part of this week. You don’t necessarily have to cut things entirely out, but by just cutting back it can have a sizeable effect on your spending when it is in an area repeated regularly.
If having dinners out is part of your routine, besides cutting back occasionally you can utilize coupons and offers from many resources. Dining coupons not only come in your mail but are available directly from many restaurants by signing up on their websites. Groupon and similar offers abound online and the Entertainment books are a tremendous value with one price bringing you discounts at hundreds of places with many BOGO offers. I can tell you our household has used this book for decades, saving thousands of dollars. The way I view it is they are paying me to dine at their restaurant instead of a competitor.
Now what can you do this month to plant a seed? Pull out your credit card statement and look at all of the entries. How many of them were optional or impulse purchases that looking back now you would like to have done differently? Keeping regular tabs on your credit card spending is one of the most important things you can do, because it is where most of your impulse buys were tracked in black and white.
Take a close look at your regular monthly bills. Could you reduce the repeated expenses of the cable, phone, insurance and other monthly bills by changing to a more modest plan? That step can be very beneficial because your savings is repeated month after month by you making that one-time choice.
What can we do spiritually to sow seeds for 2016 that will help us? Reading Galatians 6:8 provides an answer. “For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” If we give lots of time and thought towards things we want to buy (especially what we cannot afford) that is likely what we will reap when given the chance at the marketplace and in front of our computer.
For success in this area it is important to sow His Word into our thoughts. “I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways” (Psalms 119:15). God’s Holy Spirit will help us live the life He desires for us as we sow good seed into ourselves. His Spirit will be there speaking to us when faced with a purchase decision we should not make, so we need to listen for Him.
Proverbs 19:20 guides us to a vital step we can submit to for success. “Listen to counsel, receive instruction, and accept correction, that you may be wise in the time to come.” This month the best seed you can plant is to attend the Debt-Freedom Class being held at Broomfield Assembly on Saturday, January 23rd. This 3-hour teaching is packed with what you need to achieve your financial goals for 2016 and beyond.
You will learn with your own numbers that you enter on your own private worksheet where you really are in respect to your debts. We will show you a step-by-step plan for systematically reducing and paying off your debts with an estimated timeframe to be debt-free. In most households this can be achieved in 7 years – including your mortgage, with the money you already make. We’ll show you practical ways to save money that can immediately go towards your debt reduction plan.
Most importantly we will encourage you with God’s Word, speaking from a treasure of scriptures related specifically to all of the covered teaching on debt, finances, spending, contentment, giving and more. You will have all of these scriptures to take home, keeping you inspired and encouraged through the process. You will leave the class with a renewed hope for the future, by knowing the path you can take right now and from hearing of testimonies from those who have been blessed and succeeded.
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint. Galatians 6:9
God Bless you and may He show Himself greatly to you,
Paul
