Love The Lord

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind". Jesus said in Matthew 22 this was the most important commandment. So with such a priority placed on following this, how does it look in relation to our finances?

First, considering our work we're instructed to strive to do our best in Colossians 3:23 - "Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men". Many of us can grow weary at times, but if we recall this verse and loving the Lord it will strengthen us to see the bigger picture, which includes God being honored in our work and a shining witness in the workplace.

With our income we express our love for the Lord by giving in tithes and offerings. We do this by putting the Lord first - in settling in our heart that we will give, and next in our mind that we will write out the tithe check or give online before we address any other matter. In Proverbs 3:9 it is described as "honoring" the Lord with first part of our income. If we love Him, we will be pleased to honor Him.

We also express our love for the Lord in giving our time or money to others... and God regards it lovingly and very personally in Matthew 25 where the Lord recalls of being fed, given water, welcomed, clothed and visited in prison directly when it was done unto the least of any person - it was done unto Him.

In our purchases we love the Lord by regarding Him above our temptation to spend or overspend on something that is fruitless - especially on items that would involve using credit or borrowing. We love by regarding His Word first, to "owe no man anything except to love one another". Waiting for the timing to be right, when we can afford it is another way we place God first and love Him.

So whether our expressions of love towards the Lord are in working heartily and diligently, setting aside tithes and offerings for Him before other things, giving of our time and money to meet the needs of others, or giving into God's timing and avoiding overspending and exercising patience, it all points back to the heart of our Lord...

"For God so loved that He gave..." (John 3:16)

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

Paul

2019 & The Holy Spirit

As you take the first steps into a new year--a year to reduce debt and move closer to being debt-free, would it be beneficial if there was someone to accompany you everywhere 24/7 and provide guidance whenever you need it most? God specifically made that provision for you, by His Holy Spirit.

Jesus said "I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, and Standby), that He may remain with you forever" (John 14:16). There are many accounts of God's people overcoming famines, making wise choices and prospering when they listened to His voice and obeyed the specific direction given.

You could call me and ask "should I buy/not buy this?", or "how should I handle my finances in this area?" But God's Holy Spirit can provide His divine direction for you in a moment's notice in the marketplace, in front of your computer, and in meditation before Him. He knows exactly what timing is right for YOU personally, and all of the factors--including what cannot be seen.

Our flesh will always attempt to steer us away from God. Galatians 5:17 says "For the desires of the flesh are opposed to the [Holy] Spirit, and the [desires of the] Spirit are opposed to the flesh." Indebtedness is another area the flesh seeks to bring about our ruin. Our flesh whines that we will not be happy without buying this "thing"... the flesh has no concern for what that "thing" will do to our finances... but the Holy Spirit does.

I can tell you from personal experience that Galatians 5:16 has always proven true - "Walk and live in the Holy Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh."

You may ask "what if I don't understand His voice?", or say "I hear different voices at times." If your cell phone has a poor signal, you try to get outside or up higher, right? That's to get closer to the transmitter's signal... it's exactly same action here. As we read and absorb God's Word on a regular basis, our ability to recognize God's voice will increase because what He says to you will always line up with what is written in His Word.

Psalm 119:105 tells us "Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path".

The God who created the whole universe and knows all in the past, present and future, and loves you wants to light your way in each and every path of your life--with finances included in those paths.

The Word tells us we will be led forth with peace. The Holy Spirit will provide the peace that you are making the right decision, and just as importantly will continue to give you peace afterwards. Then, as you've seen the fruit of following His voice your confidence grows to trust Him more and more.

Lastly, be encouraged from these words spoken by Jesus in John 10:27-28... "The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life."

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

Paul

Why He Came

"And there are also many other things which Jesus did. If they should be all recorded one by one [in detail], I suppose that even the world itself could not contain (have room for) the books that would be written." (John 21:25)

As God cannot be contained or completely explained, what Jesus did on this earth cannot be adequately covered. It could be summarized by: revealing, teaching, healing, atoning and rising again. Every action by Jesus had the same loving intention as the Father... towards restoring us.

Jesus spent His allotted time showing us about the Father - "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself [of His own accord], unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever things the Father does, the Son [in His turn] also does in the same way." (John 5:19)

Jesus went throughout the all the cities and villages [in Galilee], teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news (gospel) of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. (Matthew 9:35)

In other accounts Jesus stopped a violent storm, caused a catch of an enormous amount of fish, turned water into wine, fed the 5,000 He was teaching, raised several from the dead, restored the ear of one who came to capture Him, asked forgiveness towards those who were crucifying Him, and brought eternal salvation to the dying man hanging next to Him.

In John 10:10 Jesus stated clearly the difference between the enemy and Himself - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]."

Knowing all of this evidence about the loving, redeeming character of our Lord shown towards every aspect of our lives, is there any doubt that He wants to bring restoration to your finances as well?

You may ask, "How do I receive this restoration?" Our first step is to acknowledge Him as Lord by giving back to Him in tithes and offerings. Last month's post titled "It Takes Money" has much encouragement for being obedient in this area.

We next need to examine our level of contentment, as it will be reflected in how much we've spent (or overspent) on things. In 1 Timothy 6, Paul wrote that having food and clothing, we shall therefore be content. Recognizing our needs versus our wants is key here.

Get close with the Lord, share with Him your shortcomings and ask Him for power in overcoming temptation to overspend, and to bless your efforts to become free of debt. Be receptive to the Holy Spirit prompting you to be generous towards others or ministries.

Establish a plan to reduce and eliminate debt. We offer a free 3-hour class at Broomfield Assembly, providing a step-by-step debt elimination plan, the practical steps you can take, and a multitude of motivating scriptures.

And even after having left this earth, Jesus extended this invitation to help in restoring us... "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)

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

Paul

It Takes Money

"What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?" In these deep words from Christ to His disciples in Matthew 16:26, He was illuminating to them the temporary nature of this life on earth, and to not to allow the affection for it to rule over their love for God.

Earlier in Matthew 6:24, Jesus said "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money."

So why is this post titled "It Takes Money"? Because in the proper handling of our money, we are able to express our faith unto God, that His Word is true and that we trust Him. The first way we are able to do so is in tithes and offerings.

In Proverbs 3:9 it is written "Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops." We can say that we honor the Lord, but it is by obedience in giving according to His Word that we are proving so. It takes money to do that, brought about by our faith and love in Him. If you are not tithing, it does not take more money to do so - as we may be deceiving ourselves, it takes putting things in the correct order.

Simply put, we place the Lord first by allotting to Him our tithes and offerings first - before we write out checks or make payments to other things. You may think those other payments are important, but none of those other recipients of our funds will do for us what is promised by the Lord for those who are faithful in tithing in Malachi 3:

"I will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing there will not be room enough to store it"

"I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground, neither shall your vine drop its fruit before the time in the field"

Regarding His promises above for being faithful in tithes, God speaks in a rare way... He says "Test me in this". The Hebrew word is bachan, which means to prove. The Lord is emphasizing His ability and willingness to respond to our faith in this area, even going to the degree of challenging us to test him.

We can be a blessing by giving our time to other persons or ministries. In your giving of money to others and ministries, it is a good and obedient act to do in itself, and be encouraged that we are also promised this - "God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed." (2 Corinthians 9:6-8) It takes money to do our part in that promise.

If you feel there is too little money in your wallet for tithes, giving to others and ministries, you have two choices (1) find a way to bring more money in (2) examine your heart and your spending, considering these words from Jesus:

"For where your treasure is, there will your heart will be also" (Luke 12:34)

If there is an imbalance, we can come to God and confess that we have missed the mark. We can ask as David asked in Psalm 51:10, to "create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in me." The Lord will respond to that prayer, and show you the areas of spending that can be adjusted, allowing you to tithe and give in obedience.

After you've responded in faith and love, and then sensed the peace from God that comes from obedience while seeing Him faithful in keeping His promises to you for doing so there is simply no turning back. You've added another pillar of strength that reinforces how real God is, the truth of His Word and how He loves you and only desires the best for you as His child.

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

Paul

It Takes Control

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control." (2 Timothy 1:7)

Looking at those three words of the title for this post and its relation to our finances, think first about what it means to emphasize the last word - It Takes Control. It does take control to put down what our flesh so eagerly wants, which is always beyond what we can afford. Our flesh will want more than we need, of a higher caliber than our budget allows, and sooner than we have the funds to pay for it.

A solid strategy for defeating this is by practicing patience. In Proverbs 16:32 it is written, "Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city." Delaying a sizeable purchase and using patience, you will have time to calculate how much you have available and what it will really cost you, a chance to research if it is a good value, the opportunity to pray to the Lord and to sense His will for it, and the time to see if you really want it as time passes.

Now, think about emphasizing the first word - It Takes Control. This is where we can find ourselves when we let having that "thing" have rule over us. We give into that it has to be bought now - removing any chance to applying the wisdom we could have used in the past paragraph... knowing if we can or cannot afford it, if the price is right, knowing God's will, and sifting if our desire for it continues or not.

A graphic example is in Proverbs 25:28 - "Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." Those who repeatedly give in to impulse buying have their "walls" broken through, usually resulting in heavy credit card debt, a multitude of things they do not need, along with the constant burden and stress of how they will pay for it all.

In all of civilization, it has never been easier to do these two things - First, it's never been easier to get into debt and get in rapidly over your head. The ease of obtaining credit cards (at high interest) and their acceptance everywhere - from fast-food places to our government, and even vending machines creates more opportunities to pay interest on almost any purchase. At your computer or device you can buy anything from around the world 24/7 and have it shipped to your home - even next day if you're willing to pay enough.

Second, by leveraging the internet, it's never been easier to obtain information so you can make wise purchase decisions. Starting with the basics, like finding and loading digital coupons for groceries and using an app like Gas Buddy to locate the best gas prices nearby, up to getting reliability/consumer ratings on appliances, electronics, cars and service companies, and then shopping online to quickly locate the best deals. Many restaurant websites offer free and discounted meals, sent right to your e-mailbox, just for signing up with them.

For certain purchases, buying a high quality item is the right choice in the long run, but if your budget does not have room and a long time is required to save enough, consider buying used. For example, you can get a quality 4-year old car up to 40% off from the new price, while benefiting from the updated technology/safety features and improved longevity. You can also shop easily for many used items on CraigsList and other sites, with large savings versus buying brand new.

We all will make mistakes at times with our finances, but if we aim to be patient, humble ourselves and look to the Lord for wisdom and strength we are guaranteed to succeed by Him who empowers us - wrapped up in this verse that contains a promise, from Lamentations 3:25-26:

"The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him, to those who seek for him. It is good both to hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord."

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

Paul

The Five P's

"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)

With the numerous traps out there and our own fleshly nature to overcome, acquiring skill to steer our course rightly with our finances requires a determined effort on our part. To make it easy to remember, I've named five keys to help which all begin with the letter P; Proverbs, Psalms, Prayer, Planning and Put (into action).

The book of Proverbs is credited to Solomon, who in 1 Kings 3 was asked by God what He could give him.  Solomon asked for and received a wise and discerning mind, which pleased the Lord and it was granted to him.  This book is filled with truths and descriptions by way of comparison, it provides a powerful way to receive great instruction - even in small portions of reading.

One example is in 22:7 - "The rich rule over the poor and borrower is servant to the lender." In one verse a clear picture is drawn and we are cautioned to avoid borrowing. Other verses show the distinct contrast between acting wise and foolishly... "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." (21:20)

The Psalms have many categories, however frequently we find praise unto God, describing His attributes and beautiful loving illustrations of who we are in relation to Him, both of which provide great encouragement to us.

In 147:5 it proclaims "Great is our Lord and of great power; His understanding is inexaustible and boundless." Knowing this combined with verse 118:6 imparts great confidence to our faith - "The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" 

I personally rotate and read through both books nearly every morning, and can assure you it will put you in the right frame of mind to begin your day.

In addition to our normal times of Prayer, we need to speak and listen to the Lord about our finances - and not merely in the way of "Lord, I need this ______".  Being transparent before God about our financial shortcomings will help us to view the issue for what it is, and will enable the Lord to instruct us how to overcome. Psalms 25:9 says "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way."

Our prayers should include asking for wisdom in substantial financial matters. He knows all and He knows what is right for you, we just need to come to Him seeking to know His will. It can even be in the marketplace or at the computer... take a pause and ask the Holy Spirit to give you direction about making/not making that purchase, you will not regret doing so.

It is essential to establish a Plan for our finances - specifically a plan to eliminate debt. If you click on the Archives section of this page to December 2016, the post titled "Looking Forward" contains more detail in setting up a solid plan you can begin today to eliminate all debt in your household, generally paying it off in 5-7 years including your mortgage. You can also learn completely about this debt-elimination plan in a free 3-hour class available at Broomfield Assembly, contact the church or myself to learn more. 

With all the chaos and wrinkles that can come up, also having smaller plans will keep you on the path.  Whether it is having a list (and sticking to it) at the grocery store, setting limits for gifts and certain discretionary spending, to doing research prior to making large purchases-(Proverbs 15:22 says "Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.") All will assist you to stay to staying in bounds of what you can afford.

Most importantly, there is Put into action. Because all of the knowledge you gain means zero if you do not step forward with it. If you're carrying balances on credit cards and have interest-bearing loans in place, that interest is multiplying and counting against you everyday that you delay taking action to reduce and eliminate those debts.

When you accepted Christ as your Savior, the words of scripture were transformed from being on a page to something real in your life that you experienced, because you believed it in your heart and acted upon it.  It is the same with what you've read here about becoming debt-free - thousands of people have turned around their financial futures, showing it to be true by putting it into action.

Lastly, be encouraged from what Paul wrote in Philippians 2:13 that the Lord is with you, working in you and will see you through - "[Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight." 

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

Paul

Our Source

"The Lord will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

Taken from Isaiah 58, these words remind us of just how much our loving God is committed to us and promises to be our source.

When we accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior, we received from Him a brand new life... one that we didn't have before... the life of God living in us, loving us, bringing us life and life more abundantly. That is why He declares we are born again in Him.

He delights in being our source, in proving Himself to be true to His Word, in making a way for us where there seems to be no way, in assuring us inside that He is always there and loves us. As we turn from our former ways, yielding to Him and allowing Him to be our source and strength we will increasingly see that the Lord is good and what God has prepared for us.

How does this relate to our finances? First, as you know, it takes strength to go out each day and do a good job to earn a living. The Lord promises to provide us with strength. In Isaiah 40 it says "He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might He increases strength."

In our work we need wisdom. I frequently ask the Holy Spirit to give me wisdom to perform well, to learn new ways of doing tasks, to be efficient - and He has responded. Deuteronomy 8:18 squarely states "But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth." An inspiring group of verses is found in Ephesians 6, calling us to work as unto the Lord and not unto man, and that we will receive our reward from the Lord for doing so. If we carry ourselves this way it will be a positive witness to our coworkers and make us valuable to our employers.

Now that we've earned our pay, the first way we acknowledge God as our source is to honor Him in tithes and offerings. In Leviticus 27, God calls the tithe as His and is holy to Him. And in response for obeying in Malachi 3 He promises to open the floodgates of heaven, pouring out so much blessing there will not be room enough to store it. Our God, who by speaking created all that you see, will certainly be faithful and keep His promise written to you.

If you lack wisdom in handling finances (or any matter), our source is beautifully promised in James 1:5 - "Ask of the giving God, Who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproach or faultfinding, and it will be given him." All wisdom comes from God, and He desires to share it with those who humble themselves to ask Him.

Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to be inside us as our Helper and Counselor. He is available 24/7 and can be our source for wisdom when facing a purchase decision in the marketplace, in front of our computer or anywhere. God knows what path and what timing is perfect for you, and will share it if you are sensitive to listen for Him.

Paul wrote about Christ being his source of contentment. In 1 Timothy 6 he speaks of godliness accompanied with contentment is great gain, and that with food and clothing we shall be content. In Philippians 4 he revealed that his inward strength comes from Christ, enabling him to live under all circumstances. Contentment will also enable us to turn away from spending money we do not have on optional things.

He is our source to remove our burdens. If there are pressures, come and share them with the Lord, be open about your fears and concerns. The more transparent you are with Him, the more He will assure you that He will carry your burden. Psalm 34:4 says "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears." And Psalm 138:7 promises "Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will bring me safely through them... Your power will save me."

Lastly, considering God as our source be encouraged by what is written in 2 Corinthians 9:8 - "And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work."

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

Paul