The X-Ray

 

The X-Ray

    There is a section of verses found in Haggai 1 that spoke to the people who had put themselves and their own houses above the Lord's. As you read, think about how these same words can also relate to our spending and our awareness of it:

    

"Now there thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways and set your mind on what has come to you. 

You have sown much, but you have reaped little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages has earned them to put them in a bag with holes in it. 

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider your ways (your previous and present conduct) and how you have fared."

    Do you feel like despite earning what may be a reasonable wage for some time that you are not moving forward.. that there is little to show for all of your work? Does it seem like there is always more month left than there is money?

    I'm going to share what is the #1 tool you can use immediately that will quickly bring "the truth" to your eyes and help you get to where you want to be.

    Track and define every expense you make

    You probably think, "I know how much I spend on things". I challenge you squarely that you do not. Most people can probably rattle off their car payment, mortgage bill and a few other fixed amount bills - but to speak for the rest of their spending would be a series of assumptions and guesses.

    The first step is to track, this means logging every expense, no matter the size, as you make it. You can keep a notebook, index card or "write" it into your phone - it does not matter how, only that it is faithfully and accurately done. As you begin doing so, you will discover there were many more smaller purchases made than you first believed.

    As you are tracking your expenses, you will need to break them down into some groups and define them. Just knowing you spent $57 at Walmart is not sufficient, it is in knowing what items you bought that is equally important. This segmenting and defining is going to assist you into making judgments on those purchases.

  While you define your categories and slot those expenses into them, you will begin to see which ones you would call a necessity and which others were not... which ones were proper and which ones were extravagant.

    Once you embrace this concept and put it into action for one month you will see what was meant about not knowing exactly how much you spend on things. It will be illuminated perfectly like the picture above of the X-Ray. On the left side, you can see the skin, the form and some wrinkles - that is your current perception of your spending. On the right, you now see everything hidden and underneath the surface - that is after being armed with the knowledge of having tracked and defined your actual spending.

    Once you have the advantage of knowing exactly where your money is going, along with your defining of what is a necessity, it becomes much clearer what spending is not aligning with your real intentions in life. With this information you can make some changes to not only balance your spending, but to pay down debts and move towards freedom from them altogether.

    Years ago, I was frustrated at how little money I was ending up with. I began writing down my expenses on sticky notes. It was the most important step I took, because like an X-Ray it showed what was going on underneath my daily conscience and how much of a bite certain categories were taking. It was only then that I could make some choices to get where I really wanted to be... and you can too.

    Lastly, in encouragement to be diligent about recording every small purchase and to be good stewards of the resources God has provided to you, dwell on these verses from Luke 16 and Matthew 25:

"He who is faithful in a very little (thing) is faithful also in much, and he who is dishonest and unjust in a very little (thing) is dishonest and unjust also in much". 

"His master said to him, Well done, you upright and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy which your master enjoys."

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

Paul

    

The Diligent and The Sluggard

 

The Diligent and The Sluggard

    

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!

Which, having no chief, overseer or ruler, 

Provides her food in summer and gathers her supplies in the harvest.

How long will you sleep, O sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to lie down and sleep -

So will your poverty come like a robber or one who travels with slowly but surely approaching steps and your want like an armed man.

    These verses, beginning in Proverbs 6:6, are meant to be confrontational to the reader (see the exclamation point?), as here and in several examples we'll cover how God is illuminating the difference between being diligent and a sluggard. As we're exploring this today, think in terms beyond your occupation to include the care and handling of your finances.

    There are seven call-outs in Proverbs mentioning one who is diligent, and six referencing the sluggard - nearly all these verses list both individuals into each verse to illustrate the stark differences observed in the two, both in their present state and in what their future holds.

    Let's first break down the meaning of each. The definition of diligent says "having or showing care and conscientiousness in one's work or duties", and it also implies continuous action. The Hebrew translation and root words include "having determination, being eager, alert, to decide and to move". While for sluggard the definition conveys "a habitually lazy person", with the Hebrew translation saying to "lean idly, being slack and slothful".

    Next, we'll dig into these verses and what we can do towards obedience in them:

He becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. (Proverbs 10:4)

The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor. (Proverbs 12:24)

Both verses declare that the sluggard will see poverty. And if you consider the weight and commitment of large debts in our current society, it is nearly the same as being put to forced labor. Alternatively, we are encouraged that diligent work will eventually bring wealth and promotion.

Do you see a man diligent and skillful in his business? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. (Proverbs 22:29) 

This verse relates closely to the most recent one, bringing encouragement that God will reward your obedience of being diligent with success. He has placed within you the ability to succeed in your vocation, and one of the great "thrusters" to doing great work is to work unto the Lord - read Colossians 3 and also reference in the Archives section the post from September 2021 titled "For The Lord".

As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so are sluggards to those who send them. (Proverbs 10:26)

This verse illustrates matters from the viewpoint of the owner or supervisor, how they will come to regret giving a sluggard a task... as the result will be bitter for them and sore to their eyes.

A lazy man won't even dress the game he gets while hunting, but the diligent man makes good use of everything he finds. (Proverbs 12:27) TLB

This is referencing how even after obtaining wages or material possessions, the slothful one will be unresponsible with them. For the diligent one, it speaks of how the possessions are precious to them and that they will not be wasted.

   

Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing. (Proverbs 20:4)

Here we see that the sluggard is impervious to the obvious times to be doing required tasks, and how they are lacking in the end as a result. We can head this off by planning ahead and taking decisive action at the appropriate times and seasons.

The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied. (Proverbs 13:4)

My opinion here is that biggest difference between the two is that the diligent one understands the relationship between their work and supplying their needs, while the sluggard has yet to consciously make that connection. There is also a hint here that the diligent has their "appetite" within reasonable parameters.

The thoughts of the steadily diligent tend only to plenteousness, but everyone who is impatient and hasty hastens only to want. (Proverbs 21:5)

The productive mindset of the diligent one leads to their abundance, while the other person "chases" things (money-making schemes, deals too good to be true and impulse purchases without thought) that leaves them unsatisfied and only wanting more of them.

Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, and look well to your herds; For riches are not forever; does a crown endure to all generations? (Proverbs 27:23-24)

To fulfill this, keep a close eye on your work and your finances. Review where your spending is occurring and what can be improved towards the goal of reducing and removing debts. Regularly assess your savings and retirement account performance that they are productive.

The sluggard is wiser in his own opinion than seven people who respond with good sense. (Proverbs 26:16) NET

This person is in the same path of The Fool (see the April 2023 post). They have so much lofty pride and belief in their own wisdom, there is no entry point for anyone else - or the Word of God to penetrate. We combat this by being open, to receiving what is good... that comes from the Word of God, His servants like Pastor Aaron, and other sound sources like this post.

    Looking back to our opening verses from Proverbs 6 of considering the ant, and how it continued with solid instruction... think about how the real Author of all Scripture is God, who created the ant, and obviously built into that creation the diligent characteristics spoken of, so He could teach us from that little insect even until this day. He is also the One who will move on your behalf to fulfill the rewards spoken of for being diligent.

God Bless you may He show Himself greatly to you,

Paul

The Secret

 

The Secret

    Paul the Apostle wrote in Philippians 4:12 – “I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.”

    Paul faced many “straitened circumstances”, which translated means he did not have enough at times for necessities and had few possessions. This was in addition to the persecution he endured faithfully through.

    In the next verse, Paul explains the secret… “I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me (I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency).”

    Paul’s clear grasp of this strength is amazing, when you consider he was not among the original disciples that were taught personally by Jesus. Those persons received direct daily impressions and observed how Christ handled each situation and persecution to perfection – all the way to the cross, to glorify His Father. Paul received his strength the same way we can, by faith.

    It was Paul’s faith in Christ, that began after being struck down on the road to Damascus, which emboldened him to fearlessly and tirelessly proclaim the gospel to all, challenge the religious establishment, and write so much of the New Testament. This was despite being flogged, lashed, beaten, in dangers, going without food and sleep, and exposed to death.

So how does this relate to our finances?

    Going back to verse 11 in that chapter, Paul stated “I have learned to be content in whatever state I am.”

    If Paul could be content throughout his extreme trials by strength received from Christ, the question then is... how much more so can we be content and “endure” the relatively minor circumstances that may come from obedience to the following in our finances?

-Being faithful in giving tithes and offerings to the Lord

-Spending less than we make

-Reaching out to help others in need

          

This is not meant to be a hard message, but to simply demonstrate that in these two living examples in God’s Word – the life of Christ and the life of Paul, they personified contentment.

 -Being content to trust in the Lord with your tithe will overcome any fears of not having enough. 

-Being content is one of the main keys to reduce over-spending and to then reduce debts.

-Being content will release you to give generously in love to others. 

    And to do these actions, the strength comes from Christ, knowing it is His will and He is with you and will bless you for being obedient. He is on your side.

    To nurture that strength from Christ, receive from Him daily in the form of reading and meditating on His Word. In 1 Corinthians 2:16 it is written "For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ". This mind of Christ comes to us from the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit will always agree with what is written in the Word of God. That is why it is foundational to be in the Word - to be able to confirm and then run with confidence what we perceive to be from the Spirit.

    Lastly, for instruction in finances and a remembrance of trusting God's hand holding closely to ours, let's remember these encouraging words from Hebrews 13:5:

"Let your character be free from love of money and satisfied with your present circumstances and with what you have; for He God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support, I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you!) (Assuredly not!).”

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

Paul

 

Not July 2023

 

Not July 2023

    In Psalm 124 it begins "If it had not been the Lord Who was on our side..." with the chapter then speaking of the defeats Israel would have suffered had this not been the case.

    The picture above is from July 1993, when my wife Karen and I bought our first home... and signed those dozens of documents everyone does, including the main one (the mortgage) that we promised to make monthly payments over the next 30 years. Like most young couples it was a happy and exciting time, but regarding this home we did not realize that the Lord was going to bring a much happier and much more exciting time to us.

    At this time we also carried credit card debt. The first step the Lord led us to for victories in handling finances occurred in 1995, when on New Year's Day I felt the leading that we should make an effort in paying off our credit cards in this calendar year. We moved forward together in this and before that year was out those debts were paid off. That would help set the foundation for what came next.

    In February 1998 we attended a community education class titled "Debt-Free & Prosperous Living", where Dan Wieczorek taught a 3-hour class from a textbook of the same name authored by John Commutta. In this class it exposed the real problems with credit and borrowing, supported by sound mathematics. It also showed a proven strategy for attacking debts to pay them off one-by-one. When we left the class the calculations from the materials estimated it would take us about 4 years to be debt-free. (This was better than average, as most households are closer to 7 years)

    The materials were great, but what really "clicked" for us was the realization and connection that being free of debt was something spoken of in God's Word - "keep out of debt and owe no man any thing" (Romans 13:8), "the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7), and many others. I recall saying this in a positive tone to Karen, "we really have to do this" and "this is God's will".

    We then chose to fully commit - by taking out all our savings to the last $200 to put towards the mortgage, accepting additional part-time work, and near the end even utilizing 401K savings by taking out our own loan for half of the balance to pay back later. That last action was not mentioned in the textbook, but something we realized was available to us, as we would just take some months off from saving and investing and apply that into the removal of debt.

    A few months into it, God chose to suddenly and unexpectedly move on our behalf, unto each of us. Karen worked for the county government, and you probably can guess how structured their pay scale is. Her job classification and pay was instantly changed, resulting in a 15% increase. The owner of our company called me into her office, and she mistakenly wondered if I was happy there (I genuinely was) and seemed concerned, and after assigning me some very minor duties she had given me more than a 10% raise.

    That wind of the additional funds blew into our sails, moving us more rapidly through the process each month when our standard mortgage payment was due. As in addition to the required amount we would be paying several extra months of principal and even a year of principal in some payments.

    We had challenges too, including the need for a new furnace, but God continued to bless our efforts. The rapidity of removing debt continued and in November 1999 we were within reach. We had a cashier's check cut for the final remaining balance of the mortgage, and since the mortgage company was local, we had the privilege, excitement and testimony to share with them of being able to come in person and present the last check to them.

    This was a tremendous victory, but it would not have occurred without the continued encouragement of God's Word and Him blessing us and moving on our behalf.

    In the middle verses of Ephesians 5 it speaks of walking in wisdom, understanding the will of the Lord and redeeming the time, and it was meant to cover a broad range of areas. I have felt more connected to those verses after seeing what God did for us. Karen and I feel as though we had 23 years given back to us... 23 years that we did not have to make those payments, as this month - July 2023, would have been the date of the final payment had we gone about it the "traditional" way.

    If this topic gets you thinking "I would like this to happen for our household" or "I want to experience this too", I encourage you to take your next step and to contact the church and attend a future Debt-Free & Prosperous Living class that Karen and I teach. The class is free.

    Let's conclude with what was written in the last two verses of that first scripture reference at the beginning of this post - Psalm 124, as that is how Karen and I have felt God's blessing, and you can too:

We are like a bird escaped from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! Our help is in the name of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth.

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

Paul

    

Good Soil

 

Good Soil

    "As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the Word and grasps and comprehends it; he indeed bears fruit and yields in once case a hundred times as much as was sown, in another sixty times as much, and in another thirty."

    This verse from Matthew 13, spoken by Jesus, came at the conclusion of his thoughts regarding how people respond to hearing about the kingdom of God and the Word of God. Today, let's see how this relates to our finances.

    Jesus described the person with good soil as one who grasped and comprehended the Word. 

    It shows the reaction of one who realized that the Word was of great value - and something of more value than what they currently believed, so they grasped it. Think of how people will flock to purchase a new technology or wear a new fashion... but for these people who grasped the Word of God, they knew it carried much greater importance, including eternal salvation.

    He also said they comprehended the Word. The root of the word used includes to consider, understand and to put together. It shows a desire to dig deeper, to meditate, to ask "how can I apply this to my life?" In living this out there is certainly more time devoted to it than simply hearing it at the onset.

    I'll share briefly what my wife Karen and I did when we received the revelation that God wanted us to be debt-free, that He was on our side 100%, and how we grasped and comprehended the Word. This was after we went to a debt-freedom class and realized the concepts lined up with God's Word.

    We took all of our savings down to the last $200 and put it towards our mortgage. Karen said she felt more peace at that time than ever before, because she had hope. I chose to take a second and third part-time job, and Karen a second part-time job to help pay down our debts even faster.

    You may not choose to push as hard as we did, however you can still grasp and comprehend the Word, and move towards becoming debt-free.

    The second portion of the verse mentions yielding fruit - thirty, sixty and even a hundred times as much. You can and are achieving that yielding of fruit as you give to the Lord in your tithes and offerings. 

    First, looking at our home church, your giving partners in proclaiming the gospel out to not only our community, but on our web broadcasts to reach those in other areas. Our church sows seed into numerous missionaries across the globe - to places you have not seen, but your giving has reached the people of those lands, having an impact on their lives eternally. And looking ahead, your giving helps nurture and establish Godly foundations in our children in their teachings each Sunday, with that bringing forth fruit now and in the generation to come.

    Even in our recent giving to provide food to the kids of a nearby elementary school, it conveys the love of Jesus towards those parents and their children, something that shines even brighter in this time of the world trying to remove God from its mindset.

    I'll share briefly again how God has shown His truth to us in this verse of yielding fruit. After we became debt-free, our pastor heard of it and said "you have to teach us what you learned". So we studied the class materials, acquired textbooks and added to the teaching many scriptures related to debt and finances which inspired us, kept our focus and encouraged us. We included these scriptures in the materials for all to take home, so everyone could have that support available going forward.

    After that first class at our home church, our pastor said "you have to teach this to other churches". So we contacted other pastors and taught the class at dozens of churches in Minnesota, Colorado and Wyoming. We received numerous testimonies back from households that paid off their credit cards, cars, and even retired their mortgages. We firmly believe that beyond the concepts of the class, it is in the supporting scriptures that have led and sustained many to follow-through and achieve victories in their finances. 

    God and God's Word are very, very good. However, it requires our soil to be right for that seed to perform its work.

    Lastly, be encouraged that in making the right choice to have good soil (grasping and comprehending God's Word), that its value is permanent and lasting - "But few things are needed--or indeed only, one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:42)

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

Paul

In Everything

 

In Everything

    "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God."

    This familiar verse from Philippians 4, if followed, will literally take us and carry us from our current condition - perhaps on a winding and unpredictable road as shown above, through to the "other side" in every matter including with our finances.

    . Are you experiencing anxiety with your finances? Come to the Lord with your cares, for God dearly cares about you and He is listening. Paul states that we come "with thanksgiving". If it is a struggle currently, it may be a challenge for you to find things to be thankful for, but pause and think and locate some area(s) to bring thanks to God for - and you can always refer to what Jesus said in Luke 10:20, "...but rejoice that your names are enrolled in heaven."

    Just as Paul conveyed here, "in every circumstance and in everything", he meant exactly that. Regardless if it is a large need or small - bring it before the Lord. It may begin with your occupation, asking God to provide wisdom for solving a problem or helping grow your company - which can lead to your being rewarded, or it could be deciding whether to pursue a new position at your employer or elsewhere.

    After you've earned your wages, lean on the Lord and His Holy Spirit to bring wisdom in making wise purchases... or in not making certain purchases at all. When it is something substantial or requires a lengthy commitment, those are the most important times to bring the situation before Him, and wait until you receive peace to go in a certain direction. Taking that time you can test if your desire continues for the purchase or if it drifts away. Waiting also may allow the Lord to open a different door in His timing, but we'll lose that opportunity if we do not wait upon Him.

--On the topic of waiting, I encourage you to click on the Archives section at the right side of this page to the March 2017 post, titled "Wait and Move".--

    For moving towards freedom from debts, humbly ask God to bring you wisdom for what areas of spending that changes can be made. Be open to His leading, as it may be in categories you had not considered before, or may require you to do something your pride and your flesh will resist, but in the end God's wisdom will triumph and show its enormous value.

    Paul also used the word "wants", as in "making your wants known to God". This word is significant in showing God's overflowing and abundant generosity - as the word chosen was not "needs", it was "wants". The Greek word relates to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require, in addition to request. God is inviting us to bring our desires before Him... beyond our needs. The key then is for our desires to be for right things that agree with God's will. That is the progression of the promise found in Psalm 37:4 - "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart."

    It is written that God desires us to be free of debts, so we know we can bring this before the Lord to lead us towards freedom from them, and He will do so. Make this part of your petition and "definite requests" to Him. 

    Lastly, in your time of waiting for God to answer your prayers, keep close to these encouraging verses from Lamentations 3:25-26:

"The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

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

Paul

    

    

Don't Play The Fool

 

Don't Play The Fool

    "Behold, I have played the fool and have erred exceedingly." (1 Samuel 26:21)

    

    With this post beginning on April 1st, I felt we could gain much wisdom if we look at what God's Word says about what He calls the fool, their actions and thoughts... so we can avoid those ways, mainly focusing on our finances.

    The first reference to a fool in the Psalms appears in 14:1 - "The fool has said in his heart, There is no God...".  So how does that look regarding finances? The fool, who feels God does not exist, does not regard Him as their source and that their own strength has brought them their wealth. This fool obviously will not honor the Lord in tithes and offerings, which then leaves them ineligible from God's promised blessings for doing so including opening the windows of heaven for them (Malachi 3:10-11).

    This next concept is the most important, which is why it is displayed in multiple verses:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes... (Proverbs 12:15)

A fool despises his father's instruction and correction... (Proverbs 15:5)

A fool has no delight in understanding... (Proverbs 18:2)

But fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7)

Do you see the theme? The fool sees no need of gaining wisdom, because they feel they know it all, even when his own father tries to help him. We can learn from this and grow, by recognizing our need for wisdom. This first comes from feeding on God's Word daily to bring us the constant nourishment we need for that day's challenges, and to store up for use at the appropriate time to be applied. Second, we can increase our understanding in our finances, applying the foundations from the Financial Fitness Page (I encourage you to check out the Archives section), and from others who provide sound, biblical financial knowledge.

    In gaining personal financial wisdom, I will again make mention of a fundamental truth. You need to know where you are currently at. Therefore it is critical to log your expenses for one to two months, then go over your findings. Everyone who does so finds areas they were spending more than they assumed once they laid it out. That knowledge then shows where you can make choices to reduce spending and use those funds lower your debts.

    In the opening of Matthew 25, Jesus spoke of ten virgins and referred to five of them being foolish, because they took their lamps without any extra oil with them. This lack of forethought is also brought up in Proverbs 21:20 where it is written "the foolish man spends whatever he gets." We are also charged in 1 Timothy 5:8 to provide for our relatives and own family - however, look at the root word of provide (pronoeo), and it shows "to consider in advance, look out beforehand".

    

    God wants us to be wise and part of doing so is making reasonable and thoughtful provision for the future. This is not to attempt to accumulate such enormous wealth in a driven manner that the person then falls into the other trap of trusting in their riches, rather than in God.

    With this, think of an analogy of making a moderate length car trip. The fool will not even look at the gas gauge, the wise person will consider the length of the trip and have enough in the tank plus some more in case of detour, and the greedy gasping person will employ a gas tanker to drive behind them in case they run out of gas on their own.

    Consider this next verse from Proverbs 14:16 in regards to a questionable purchase, either because it sounds too good to be true or has aspects that warrant further study... "A wise man suspects danger and cautiously avoids evil, but the fool is arrogant and careless." If we look back on some buys we have made and regretted shortly afterwards, an application of this verse may have steered us clear from making it in the first place.

    If you identified yourself as having "played the fool" in some of the examples above (I have done so) and regret doing so... take courage! Because having that regret already shows you are in a better state of mind than the fool we mentioned, who has no delight in understanding (Proverbs 18:2).

    Lastly, be encouraged with these verses from Ephesians 5:15-17, and what I share beneath them:

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise. Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

I will share briefly how these words spoke to my wife Karen and I when we were in our infancy of getting out of debt. Once we knew it was God's will for us to be debt-free, these words were a source of strength - speaking to grasping onto the will of the Lord and living wisely. Once we paid off our mortgage and saw how that action saved 23 years of future payments, it brought a sobering thought to the portion of "making the very most of the time", as we then felt we had 23 years given back to us from the Lord by His wisdom. 

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

Paul