How You Listen

How You Listen

          "A sower went out to sow seed..." is how Jesus begins to tell the parable in Luke 8. You may be familiar with it, recalling the different environments the seeds fell in, and the different outcomes:

- Some fell along the traveled path and was trodden underfoot, and the birds of the air ate it up.

- Some fell on the rock, and as soon as it sprouted, it withered away because it had no moisture.

- Some fell in the midst of the thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it off.

- Some fell into good soil, and grew up and yielded a crop a hundred times.

          Jesus later shares that the seed is the Word of God, so the weight of this parable covers every area of our lives. And I want you to also contemplate that larger scope while we look at how it illuminates our handling of finances, as His Word contains fitting instruction there as well.

          Regarding our finances in this parable, the seeds include the command to bring our tithes and offerings to the Lord, to keep out of debt and owe no man anything but love, to spend less than we make, to be content in our circumstances, and to be generous towards others.

          So how do we at times end up off track? Jesus disclosed his divine and intimate knowledge of us starting in verse 12 - "Those along the traveled road are the people who have heard; then the devil comes and carries away the message out of their hearts..."

          How do we avoid being in this group? By identifying the devil early, as the one coming in to carry the message away. When false thoughts or suggestions come, such as to charge for discretionary items you cannot afford or to withhold tithes and offerings, these must be confronted as darts of the enemy attempting to replace the Word of God and to be cast away at once.

          Next, Jesus tells "And those upon the rock [are the people] who, when they hear, receive and welcome it with joy; but these have no root. They believe for a while, and in time of trial and temptation fall away.

          We can avoid being here by meditating on the Word that we've received to help it take root, and by drawing close to the Lord, being aware of His presence constantly. It is written in Isaiah 26:3 that "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee", if our minds are towards Him, He will give us the strength to turn away from the temptation to overspend and will lead us to make wise decisions.

          Then Jesus says "And as for what fell among the thorns, these are [the people] who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked and suffocated with the anxieties and care and riches and pleasures of life..."

          The best way to stay away from this it to first release our cares and anxieties on the Lord--including our finances, as in Philippians 4 it says to not be anxious but by prayer and thanksgiving to make our requests known to God. In dealing with the riches and pleasures of life we must read and recall from 1 Timothy 6 how "if we have food and clothing we shall be content". If we focus on contentment, we'll withdraw from seeking extravagance. By having compassion for and being generous and giving towards others, it will also release your attachment to riches and belongings.

          Lastly, Jesus states "But as for the [seed] in the good soil, these are [the people] who, hearing the Word, hold it fast in a just and worthy heart, and steadily bring forth fruit with patience."

          How do we more consistently land in this group? Jesus speaks of our hearts holding the Word, and in Proverbs 4:23 it is written "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it". This follows closely to the first group, where we have to reject what is false from entering our hearts. The last word is patience, which we have to regard as a focal point, part of our submission onto God.

          Why was this post titled "How You Listen"? Because Jesus concluded by saying "Be careful therefore how you listen."  So our main take away is to highly regard the Word that we hear spoken from the pulpit and read on the pages by our own eyes as the precious, living words spoken by God, who is infinite in wisdom, power and mercy.

          In closing, I want to take the liberty of rearranging the order of verse 18, so your last thought is on the positive and what you want to be striving for:

Whoever does not have, even what they think they have will be taken from them. Whoever has will be given more, therefore consider carefully how you listen.     

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

Paul

          

Fear Not

Fear Not

          "Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was dead and behold, I am alive forevermore."

          These words of Christ from the first book of Revelation, echo how He spoke while on this earth as well... to fear not.

          Regardless of whether or not there is a significant adversity to overcome - as is this virus situation currently, we can be steered away by giving into fears and allowing those thoughts to supplant the Truth that God has sown into our hearts from His Word.

          Consider that when Peter was walking on the water, he began to perceive and felt the winds and became frightened... and began to sink. Even a disciple of Christ, in His presence and at His bidding was a walking miracle, but when he gave into that fear it all ceased. This is why Christ said many times "Fear not".

          During a famine in 1 Kings 17, Elijah came upon a widow and her son, down to their last morsel and said "Fear not", and asked her to make a small portion for him. The widow obliged, and the Lord supernaturally multiplied their provisions until rain came to their land, and later restored life to her son, who had stopped breathing.

          Fear isn't something that should be non-existent with us. The Word speaks many times about fear, drawing a clear line - that fear of man and circumstances is a snare, while the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To clarify, the main characteristic the Word refers to in fearing the Lord is to reverence Him exceedingly. As we mature in our faith, loving Him more for who He is and His attributes, this fear and reverence occurs more naturally.

          How does this translate to our finances? Fearing the Lord more than those people and circumstances around us. We fear and reverence the Lord when we set aside the tithe to him before paying bills, when we regard what His Word says about keeping out of debt above what others may think when we make choices such as bringing a lunch to work, driving a used car or spending less on clothing. A greater challenge can be fearing the Lord above our flesh, which will always want more than our finances allow, no matter how much our income is. 

           It is at the time of temptation - to give into that fear of man or how our flesh is wanting something we do not have the money for, to use the sword that is in the illustration above... the Word of God. Remember these verses and have these swords ready as needed:

Relating to debt and overspending

"Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another" (Romans 13:8)

"There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it" (Proverbs 21:20)

"The borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverb 22:7)

Relating to fear

"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" (Proverbs 29:25)

"The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10)

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are mine" (Isaiah 43:1)

          As we all persevere through this challenging time, remember to cling to His Word. As it is written in Ephesians 6 about the armor of God, the sword - His Word, is the lone offensive weapon, sharper than any two-edged sword. And lastly, keep this verse close to you from Joshua 1:9.

          

"Be strong, vigorous, and very courageous. Be not afraid, neither be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"

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

Paul

The Lion

The Lion

          "The sluggard says, There is a lion in the way! A lion is in the streets!"

          This scripture from Proverbs 26:13 shows one of the best graphic examples of how God's omniscience sees through it all, getting to the truth and revealing it to us for our understanding, conviction and change.

          Obviously there is a not a real lion present, but the verse tells us how the mind of the slothful person actually "conjures" up an excuse, justifying in their faulty reasoning why they should postpone and usually not accomplish a task or effort.

          Most of us would not identify ourselves as a sluggard, but the related words to the definition include being inattentive, passive and slow. If we're honest with ourselves, many of us have areas we know God is prompting us to move forward in, including our finances.

          Starting with our "First Commandment" of finances, honoring the Lord with the first tenth of our income. For some, the lion is "I will tithe when I'm making more" or "when I get this bill paid". The truth is in Malachi 3 God regards this as robbing Him and those that do so are cursed with a curse, which is sadly why that cycle continues for those people until they step out in faith.

          Conversely, the verses that follow speak of God's window of blessing being open and pouring to those who tithe and give offerings to Him, even to the point of not having enough room to receive it and the Lord also rebuking the enemy in their finances.

          We are called to be free of debt in Romans 13:8, "to owe no man anything, except to love one another". Much like the subject of tithing, where our inaction undermines our ability to be blessed from God to so - indebtedness carries its own handicap in the form of interest charges. With the average credit card interest rate of 21% the balance can grow too large to overcome - unless we take steps to reduce what goes on the card to begin with.

          Consider it this way when using the credit card, if you do not have the money in the bank to pay for it now when you're charging for it... how will you have it when the 21% interest charge is added on?

          What are the lions you've imagined keeping you from stepping out and taking the reins in this area? Do they include what will people think if you brought lunch to work, spent less on clothing, did not have the latest phone, device or car? Or what your flesh is crying out for, that "I have to have this or I won't be happy?".

          We need to put those fictitious lions (excuses) in their place, and regard more highly what is real - which is the power of compound interest working against those carrying debt, that our awesome God who loves us has warned us that we rob Him and are cursed by withholding the tithe, but will be blessed beyond our room to even store it if we're obedient.

          In closing, keep this thought and verse in mind when thinking of those lions of procrastination... When we know something is right... RIGHT NOW is the time to do it. One version of Ecclesiastes 11:4 reads "If a person waits for perfect weather, he will never plant his seeds. And if he is afraid every cloud will bring rain, he will never harvest his crops."

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

Paul

          

As You Received

As You Received

          "As you have therefore received Christ, even Jesus the Lord, so walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him."

          These words from Paul in Colossians 2:6 - when viewed in the context of our eternal destiny, can increase our faith and raise our awareness towards a greater obedience to God in all ways, including our finances.

          If you are a believer in Christ, consider how you already trust the Lord to be true to His Word regarding your salvation and eternal destiny - something that is priceless and beyond our human comprehension. Spiritually, you have "gotten out of the boat" as Peter did and placed all of your trust in Christ. You trust Him in 2020, and you'll continue to trust Him 10,000 years from now, when knowing Him perfectly.

          The Bible speaks of God's people trusting Him through extreme trials and hardships, some even to the degree of being martyrs. However, as God's Word commands us in the area of tithing for example, it is simply about trusting Him with... money - the first tenth of our earnings. That is about 4+ hours of your wages for the week compared to the boundless number of years you've already trusted Him with your salvation.

          And because He loves you so and wants to show Himself to those who believe, that He promises in Malachi 3 to respond to your trust in Him by tithing, which includes to "pour out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it".

          Going back to our initial verse above... how did you receive Christ? 

          By faith.

          You heard the Word of God, your heart told you it was true and you believed.

          We'll also be in union and conformity to Him the same way in the other areas of our walk and our finances - hearing the Word, recognizing in our heart it is The Truth and believing by faith.

          And be strengthened towards obedience with the same eternal mindset, that you've already trusted Him with your eternal salvation and can step in faith in whatever that earthly area of obedience is.

          Finally, be encouraged and looking for this to be your future: "For we know that when this tent we live in now is taken down - when we die and leave these bodies - we will have wonderful new bodies in heaven, homes that will be ours forevermore, made for us by God himself and not by human hands." (2 Corinthians 5:1)

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

Paul

          

          

          

          

          

2020 & Your Thoughts

2020 & Your Thoughts

          "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..." (Romans 12:2)  As we enter a new year, a new decade, let's look at a pivotal area for our growth God intended us to be diligently aware of - our thoughts.

          As you can see in the illustration above, one hand is open and the other closed. In relation to our thoughts, God's Word has described our options as casting them or taking them. Let's include in this study how that looks for our finances.

          There's two ways to prepare and know the thoughts that are to be cast away, and those to be taken. 

Reading and meditating on God's Word regularly. This creates and refines how to "sift" our thoughts through God's wisdom, determining if they line up with Him or not.

          It is written in Isaiah 55:9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts". But we can have His thoughts (Praise His Name) - as we read, pause and contemplate His Word.

          Believers in Christ at His time on earth only heard the Word from it being taught at the temple and being spoken among themselves, they did not own bibles. As a believer in Christ in 2020, bluntly we have it very easy to receive His Word. It is on the radio, TV and internet. It can be accessed in over 60 different versions on websites and we have printed copies in abundance.

          But even if you are not in front of a bible or broadcast, you have the ability to receive from God's Word anywhere anytime, just by thinking and meditating on it right where you are. In Psalms 119:15 David wrote "I will meditate on Your precepts and have respect to Your ways".

Relying on the Holy Spirit. In John 16, Jesus spoke of how the coming Holy Spirit would be our Counselor and would demonstrate to us about righteousness and sin.

          When the thought comes that "I have to have this ________ because ________ ", that is when you sift it through God's Word and the Holy Spirit. If you do not have peace about it, that is the signal from the Holy Spirit convicting you to cast that thought away. We're instructed in 2 Corinthians 12:5 to "lead every thought and purpose away captive into the obedience of Christ". This is the casting away part. 

          If we give lots of time and thought towards what we want to buy (or did not receive for Christmas), that is what we will reap when given the choice at the store or in front of the computer, rather than if our preceding thoughts have been towards those right actions from God's Word - then we will be "tuned in" to what the Holy Spirit says about it.

          To summarize for our finances, how can we apply this? By first taking the right thoughts from God's Word - to keep out of debt and owe no man anything but love, to spend less than we make, that godliness with contentment is great gain, towards giving and being generous. Then by being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, who knows and promises to lead in the correct course to take.

          In closing, God has provided from Philippians 4:8 the way to receive peace from Him by how we think: "whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things."

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

Paul

Reading vs. Playing

Reading vs. Playing

"But be doers of the Word, and not merely listeners to it..." 

          We likely can recall this verse from James 1:22, and if we've thought about it, we know how penetrating those words are... challenging us inside and calling us to action. 

          Imagine going to a concert - the lights comes on, the performer comes out... and then just reads the sheet music. That sounds absurd, but consider it from God's perspective - if we receive these treasures of knowledge from Him without doing them.

          Look again at the illustration above. Think about the Word of God (and the wisdom it contains) as the sheet music on the left. We can read entire chapters or just one verse - but God always intended for His Word... as if it were music, to not only be read or listened to, but to be PLAYED by His people.

          With our finances we have "sheet music", written of tithing to the Lord, keeping out of debt and owing nothing except to love one another, learning contentment, spending less than we make, giving to those in need and being generous.

          See the baby above at the keyboard? Obviously it does not know how to create meaningful music yet, but by just pressing the keyboard... and hearing the sounds, that feedback will lead to learning how to play sweet music one day.

          In the areas that we're only reading or listening, we need to extend our hand like that baby. It matters not what it sounds like or the initial level of our success, just that we're reaching out in faith - and hearing the notes we're playing.

          Some of the response to the notes we play is promised to be delivered by the hand of the Lord. It's written in Malachi 3 that in response to our tithing, the Lord will pour out a blessing "that there shall not be room enough to receive it". In Proverbs 11:25 it says "A generous person will prosper, and anyone who gives water will receive a flood in return."

         So no matter where the area is within God's Word, be mindful of the life and the divine nature that it has - but only if it moves off the page and is PLAYED by you. Look at this renewed effort by yourself in how Psalms 98:1 begins "Sing to the Lord a new song..."

          Lastly, look to this reward in store from 1 Corinthians 2:9 - "What eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."

God Bless you may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

          

Seeds from A to Z

Seeds from A to Z

          "The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel (so that he may be able to steer his course rightly)." (Proverbs 1:5)

          You likely want to reduce and get out of debt, and you may be implementing some efforts to do so. This month I would like to trigger your brain-storming abilities with 26 ideas - seeds you can plant right now to either get you on the path or to provide additional leverage towards becoming debt-free.

Apps - from GasBuddy, ibotta, Grocery iQ, Coupons.com, RetailMeNot, SnipSnap to many more, there are convenient and fast ways to save on everyday purchases.

Bring - bring coffee, snacks and lunch with you to work a portion of the week. Bring soft drinks, water and snacks to events to avoid paying high prices there.

Coupons - it takes just a minute to flip through the ads and clip out savings to stretch your food budget each week.

Deductibles - consider raising your insurance deductibles for auto, homeowners and medical coverage. Do annual research to ensure you are receiving the best value.

End of season - leverage the retailers' need to remove seasonal merchandise, saving 25-50% or more. You cannot see that % level of return on any investment you make.

Frequency - repeated expenses should be looked at closely for areas to reduce or eliminate, for in doing so you will reap the benefits each week/month.

Generic - consider and try the store brand items. Most are made at the same factory as the national brands and also offer 100% guarantees of satisfaction, so there is nothing to lose.

Humility - our pride influences us to making unwise financial decisions. Worrying about others is a snare to avoid if we are going to advance towards becoming debt-free.

Install - putting in caulking, weather stripping, sealants, programmable thermostats, insulation and energy-efficient items will save money for us each month.

Joy - Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before Him. Think about the joy of experiencing each debt going away, it will encourage you through this process.

Keep - keep a running grocery list at home - it will help reduce extra trips, and when you are at the store stick to this list and avoid impulse purchases.

Library - in addition to books, for entertainment they have videos and music all for free. You've already paid for these items with your tax dollars, so go take advantage of them.

Monitor - your credit card spending. Go online and view your charges weekly, so you can stay within your budget and avoid a surprise when the bill arrives at the end of the month.

Needs - sit down and soberly assess what are your needs vs. your wants. Make quality decisions to prioritize your spending based on this and your goals to reduce debt.

Online - many national chains offer free and discounted meals by signing up with them online. Entertainment.com and Groupons can greatly reduce your dining and leisure expenses. View it as they are paying you to eat at their restaurants versus a competitor.

Pre-owned - before just automatically buying new, look on CraigsList and other sites to see if a suitable used one is available. It's very easy and can save you a bundle. 

Quit - look at what memberships or subscriptions you are not using or getting value for, quit them and use that monthly savings to pay down debt.

Research - for substantial purchases, go online for reviews and specifications, or to your library to see Consumer Reports recommendations - they will steer you to the right brands.

Set - set limits on gifts that work with your budget. It can be tempting to go overboard, but remember it is the thought that counts, and not necessarily being extravagant.

Tithes - our first priority is to honor the One who created us and keeps us. The Lord promises to pour out a bountiful blessing to those who are faithful to Him (Malachi 3:9-10).

Used Cars - consider going used and saving as much as 40% for a 3-year old model. Utilize Consumer Reports recommendations for the most reliable models.

Vending Machines - should be avoided along with convenience stores. Planning ahead to bring beverages and snacks can keep us from these very expensive alternatives.

Wait - before making a substantial or discretionary purchase... wait for at least a day or two. This will prove how much you really want it and helps prevent having regrets afterwards.

X-Ray - tracking and viewing every expense is what I call an X-Ray. As it illuminates all of the hidden areas of spending we lose sight of. This is the single most beneficial task you can complete - it will stun you in some areas and show you exactly where you can change.

Yourself - realize that YOU have the power to make the changes which will change your path towards financial victory. The smallest positive result will show that power to you.

Zero Balance - make a goal to focus on your smallest debt, and stay on that one debt until it is at a zero balance. Then take that payment and move towards the next smallest debt.

          Lastly, in considering these ideas as seeds you can plant, take this verse with you as an encouragement to stay the course: "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