You believe God wants to prosper you. You have prosperity scriptures taped to your mirror and your refrigerator. You're working hard to build your faith so you can receive greater and greater financial blessings. But did you know it takes more than faith to prosper?
It also takes faithfulness. That's right. How you manage the financial resources you have today will determine to a great extent how richly God can prosper you tomorrow.
Does that surprise you? It shouldn't. The Bible consistently emphasizes the importance of faithful stewardship. In Luke 16:10-13, for example, Jesus said:
Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money (NIV).
Some Christians have interpreted that scripture to mean you shouldn't have money - that somehow it's pious to be poor. But nothing could be further from the truth. The Bible says God takes "pleasure in the prosperity of his servant" (Psalm 35:27).
The fact is, God not only wants you to prosper but He considers it your responsibility to do so. He expects you to multiply your resources to increase His kingdom on the earth.
God has expected that from man ever since the beginning. Read the first few chapters of Genesis and you'll see what I mean. They reveal that Adam's primary responsibility in the Garden of Eden (in addition to fellowshipping with God) was to exercise dominion over His assets. Genesis 2:15-17 says: "The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
In that passage, we see that God told Adam to do three things. First, he was to dress the Garden, to work in it and keep it productive. Second, he was to keep it or protect it. And, third, he was to refrain from eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
Although God expects us, like Adam, to do all of those things with the resources He has given us, I want to focus especially on that third instruction. I want you to think about the fact that God actually commanded Adam to withhold himself from a portion of the Garden's bounty.
Why would God give such a command? God wanted Adam to acknowledge that He was the owner of everything that had been put under his care. God wanted Adam to realize that he was simply the steward of His resources.
The same thing is true for us today. If we're to be successful money managers, we must remember - first and foremost - that God is the true owner of all we have. We must recognize that now, as in the Garden of Eden, the whole world in all its fullness belongs to Him (Psalm 50:12).
How do we acknowledge His ownership? By tithing. By withholding ourselves from the first ten percent of our income and giving it to God. "Well, I don't know about that tithing stuff. I think I'll just skip it and go on to another key to money management."
If that's what you're thinking, you might as well forget about financial success right now because scriptural prosperity is only available to the tither. You can't go any further financially until you meet this basic requirement. In fact, you'll eventually lose what you have now if you don't tithe because the devil will devour it. (See Malachi 3.)
Think back about what happened to Adam and you'll see what I mean. He had dominion over the Garden as long as he tithed. But then he followed Satan's counsel, ate from the tree and, in essence, stopped tithing. As a result, he forfeited his authority to Satan, lost his right to stewardship, and was driven from the Garden. From then on, instead of enjoying the abundant blessings of God, Adam suffered under the curse.
In the same way, if the devil can talk you out of tithing, he can strip you of your rightful dominion over God's resources. He'll have entry into your finances that will allow him to steal from you and keep you in financial bondage.
But you may say, "Pastor Ren, that's Old Testament stuff. I thought Jesus came to restore our lost dominion and redeem us from the curse of the law." Yes, Jesus did redeem us from the curse, but He didn't relieve us of our responsibility to tithe.
Hebrews 7 says Jesus is a High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. What did Melchizedek do? In Genesis 14:18-20, we find he blessed Abraham and received Abraham's tithes.
And that's what Jesus does today. He blesses you by acting as your High Priest and interceding with the Father on your behalf. You acknowledge Him as High Priest by paying your tithes. That qualifies you to be a steward of God's resources.
Once you've determined to meet the basic requirement of tithing, you're ready for the next key of biblical money management: making a written plan.
Many believers make the mistake with their finances of spending carelessly instead of planning in advance. As a result, much of their seed is wasted and they don't enjoy the return God intended.
Don't let that happen to you. Obey the instructions in Habakkuk 2:2 and "write the vision" you have for your finances. What does it mean to write your financial vision? It simply means to design a budget that will help take you from where you are now to where you want to go; and to put that budget down in black and white so you can see it all the time.
I realize "budget" is a dirty word to a lot of people but it is an absolute must if you want to prosper. God isn't going to put great amounts of wealth into your hands if you have holes in your pocket. He isn't going to dramatically increase your income if you can't keep track of the amount of money you have now.
So set aside your dislike of budgeting, sit down and figure one out. If you don't know how to begin, you'll find some good books on the subject at your Christian bookstore. Once you've established a budget, stick to it. Plug the holes in your pocket by watching carefully over what you spend.
Make sure you're putting your seed in good ground and not wasting it. Then you'll be in position for God to give you more.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Mending the Holes in Your Pockets
Living beyond one's means is not an unusual phenomenon in our culture today, but it's nothing new either. In fact, the struggle to handle money wisely is as old as wealth itself.
Take a look, for example, at these words written by the prophet Haggai in 520 B.C.:
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
(Hag. 1:6)
You may be surprised to know that God's Word says a lot about the subject of resource management. In fact, the Bible says more about money than any other subject.
Sixteen out of 38 of Jesus' parables deal with money. More is said in the New Testament about money than heaven and hell combined.
Five times more is said about money than prayer. And while there are more then 500 verses on both prayer and faith, there are over two thousand verses dealing with money and possessions.
God's Word has good news concerning His will for our life in this area. Without a doubt, God wants you to prosper in every area of your life, and He has given us the keys to financial success in His Word!
God has entrusted every person on earth with three basic resources: time, money, and relationships. Your skill in managing (stewarding) these resources has a huge impact on your quality of life.
Even more importantly, it determines whether or not you fulfill God's highest plan for your life. I want to talk to you about managing your material resources or, in other words, your money.
It's a fact that few things can complicate your life more completely than mismanagement in the area of finances. But before I can address the nuts and bolts of biblical financial planning, it's vital that we establish the only valid objective for growing wealth.
The Word of God makes it clear that the driving force behind our efforts at acquiring and managing wealth must be a desire to maximize the amount of money we have available to plant seed in the kingdom of God.
We must strive to sow as much seed into the preaching of the gospel as we possibly can. That must be your primary motivation for managing your money. Manage your material resources to this end, and God promises to bless you in every area of your life.
Generating Income:- Ephesians 4:28 is a very revealing verse where money matters are concerned. It says: "Let him who stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
The dictionaries define the word "labor" as a diligent, consistent effort. Here, in a nutshell, is God's plan for income generation. He wants you to be hardworking and persistent in your vocation.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks whose approach to work is punching the clock in the morning, doing as little as they can during the day, and leaving early in the afternoon. That's not God's way. You won't have Him involved in your financial life if you're not making a diligent consistent effort at that which is good.
This is what initiates a responsible financial management plan. Once you've labored diligently, you will have something to manage. So, what's next? The Bible is clear on this matter as well. The first thing you do, once you have generated an income, is to honor God with your tithe.
The Tithe: - Let me begin by giving you a definition of the tithe. The biblical word translated tithe literally means "tenth." Simply put, it's the first tenth of your increase. Since most of us deal primarily in dollars, shillings, pounds and cents rather than crops and flocks in today's culture, the tithe would be the first ten percent of the income you generate.
Though the tithe is clearly defined as the first tenth, I don't want you to look at this legalistically. You need to understand the principle of the tithe....No financial plan has a chance of succeeding if you're not taking the most fundamental step of stewardship before God honoring Him with the tithe.
The next step is to determine what to do with the remaining ninety percent. When it comes to figuring out how to allocate your expenses, there are three basic concerns: family needs, debt elimination, and seed.
Meeting Your Family's Needs: - Once you've honored God and acknowledged that you are a "steward" rather than an "owner" by paying your tithe, the next priority is to address the needs of your family. Contrary to what many Christians believe, it is important to do this before you get down to considering what other gifts or offerings you should make. There are responsibilities that have to be fulfilled.
There are intermediate concerns that have to be addressed. You have needs. Your family has needs. These needs have to be addressed. You don't just labor, generate an income, and give everything away.
Once you've labored at that which is good, you now have a responsibility to use that income to meet your family's needs. First Timothy 5:8 makes this clear: But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. This is a strong statement, take care of your family.
Scripture is very clear; the needs of your family are a top priority. Of course, need is something that is very subjective. Nobody else can define your need for you. It's between you and God.
The question that arises is, "How do I distinguish my family's needs from our wants?" A good way to do this is through a simple self-check: Ask yourself, "after my needs are met, do I have any seed left to sow?"
If you don't, you're calling something a need that really isn't. God gives you a guarantee that if you labor at that which is good and tithe off the income, you'll have something left over to give to them in need. So if your budget doesn't leave you anything left to sow, you're calling something a need that really is not.
Debt Elimination: - Nations have become a nations of debtors. Levels of debt are soaring.
Sadly, Christians are seemingly just as prone to debt problems as are people in the world. What does God's Word have to say about this subject? Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
This doesn't mean that it's a sin to borrow money. Let me be clear: it's not sinful to borrow money. The Word translated "owe" here means "to be under obligation with the emphasis on failing in that obligation or duty."
So understand that scriptural debt only occurs when you fail to meet an obligation to repay what you've borrowed. How do I know this? Deuteronomy 15:6 tells us that one of the blessings of redemption is that we become "the lender and not the borrower."
If it were wrong to borrow, would God have us participate in lending? Of course not! He goes on to instruct us not to charge usurious or unfair interest rates if we are lending to a fellow believer (Deut. 23:19).
With that said, it's important to realize that it's not God's best for you to borrow money. He says you're in a subservient position to the lender when you do (Prov. 22:7). Therefore, a part of your financial management plan must include a strategy to eliminate debt.
The best way to eliminate debt is to manage your finances in a way that leaves you money to sow as seed. Debt elimination occurs supernaturally when God brings increase to the seed you've planted.
Supernatural increase in the kingdom of God does not come only through wise investing, astute choices of stocks, or a strong financial program. It comes by the seed principle. It comes through sowing and reaping.
To generate the increase needed to eliminate debt, you're going to have to get some seed into the ground. Therefore, your financial management plan must involve managing your expenses in a way that leaves you with something left to sow as seed.
Ultimately that's what makes it possible for God to take care of debt on your behalf. There are few things more liberating than being free of debt. It's a place we should all use our faith to reach. And it's the seed principle that's going to get you there.
Sowing Seed: - What is seed in God's spiritual order of sowing and reaping? In Mark, Chapter 4, Jesus gives us the parable of the soils and in verses 13-14, He says, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word." Later, in verse twenty, Jesus mentions the fruit or the increase that comes from the seed sown.
In these passages, God is saying two things. First, He says that understanding the concept of sowing and reaping is a key element in understanding all parables. Second, He gives us a very clear definition of seed. He says the seed is "the Word."
We also learn in Verse 15 that the spiritual "ground" that receives the seed is the human heart. When we talk about money in the sense of sowing and reaping, we need to understand that money becomes seed when we use it to facilitate the sowing of the Word of God into the human heart.
When we do this, God says He will increase the seed sown. When we plant a seed of corn, we don't get one stalk with one ear and one kernel. We get literally thousands of kernels of corn from the planting of one seed. God increases or multiplies the seed sown. He'll meet all of your needs and leave you some seed left over to plant into the preaching of the Gospel. That is, of course, if you are a sower.
What is a Sower? - The Word "sower" is an interesting word. If you look it up in your concordance, you'll find that it means, "to scatter liberally." God does not want us to be conservative in our approach to giving. On the contrary, He wants us to scatter. He wants us to give liberally and without restraint. Your attitude toward seed has to be characterized by a willingness to scatter.
This is the kind of person He's looking for. This is the kind of person God can trust when it comes time for giving out seed. He will increase and multiply the seed you've sown, for God gives seed to the sower (2 Cor. 9:10).
As we've seen, if you follow the scriptural pattern of budgeting your money, God says there will be something left over after your family's needs have been met. You should consider that "something" your seed to sow. And you need to use it to get the Word deposited into the hearts of people. When you do so with a liberal, scattering approach, He says He will meet your need according to His riches in glory (Eph. 3:16).
Not only will you have seed to sow, but He'll multiply the seed sown and He'll increase the fruits of your righteousness. He says you'll be able to abound to every good work. You will experience all sufficiency in all things (2 Cor. 9:8-10).
Do you want to mend the holes in your pockets? Are you ready to have "all sufficiency in all things?" Align your approach to all your earning, budgeting, spending and sowing with God's principles of resource management. You'll soon discover how simple life can be when you do things His way and not your way.. Love You
Take a look, for example, at these words written by the prophet Haggai in 520 B.C.:
Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.
(Hag. 1:6)
You may be surprised to know that God's Word says a lot about the subject of resource management. In fact, the Bible says more about money than any other subject.
Sixteen out of 38 of Jesus' parables deal with money. More is said in the New Testament about money than heaven and hell combined.
Five times more is said about money than prayer. And while there are more then 500 verses on both prayer and faith, there are over two thousand verses dealing with money and possessions.
God's Word has good news concerning His will for our life in this area. Without a doubt, God wants you to prosper in every area of your life, and He has given us the keys to financial success in His Word!
God has entrusted every person on earth with three basic resources: time, money, and relationships. Your skill in managing (stewarding) these resources has a huge impact on your quality of life.
Even more importantly, it determines whether or not you fulfill God's highest plan for your life. I want to talk to you about managing your material resources or, in other words, your money.
It's a fact that few things can complicate your life more completely than mismanagement in the area of finances. But before I can address the nuts and bolts of biblical financial planning, it's vital that we establish the only valid objective for growing wealth.
The Word of God makes it clear that the driving force behind our efforts at acquiring and managing wealth must be a desire to maximize the amount of money we have available to plant seed in the kingdom of God.
We must strive to sow as much seed into the preaching of the gospel as we possibly can. That must be your primary motivation for managing your money. Manage your material resources to this end, and God promises to bless you in every area of your life.
Generating Income:- Ephesians 4:28 is a very revealing verse where money matters are concerned. It says: "Let him who stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
The dictionaries define the word "labor" as a diligent, consistent effort. Here, in a nutshell, is God's plan for income generation. He wants you to be hardworking and persistent in your vocation.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of folks whose approach to work is punching the clock in the morning, doing as little as they can during the day, and leaving early in the afternoon. That's not God's way. You won't have Him involved in your financial life if you're not making a diligent consistent effort at that which is good.
This is what initiates a responsible financial management plan. Once you've labored diligently, you will have something to manage. So, what's next? The Bible is clear on this matter as well. The first thing you do, once you have generated an income, is to honor God with your tithe.
The Tithe: - Let me begin by giving you a definition of the tithe. The biblical word translated tithe literally means "tenth." Simply put, it's the first tenth of your increase. Since most of us deal primarily in dollars, shillings, pounds and cents rather than crops and flocks in today's culture, the tithe would be the first ten percent of the income you generate.
Though the tithe is clearly defined as the first tenth, I don't want you to look at this legalistically. You need to understand the principle of the tithe....No financial plan has a chance of succeeding if you're not taking the most fundamental step of stewardship before God honoring Him with the tithe.
The next step is to determine what to do with the remaining ninety percent. When it comes to figuring out how to allocate your expenses, there are three basic concerns: family needs, debt elimination, and seed.
Meeting Your Family's Needs: - Once you've honored God and acknowledged that you are a "steward" rather than an "owner" by paying your tithe, the next priority is to address the needs of your family. Contrary to what many Christians believe, it is important to do this before you get down to considering what other gifts or offerings you should make. There are responsibilities that have to be fulfilled.
There are intermediate concerns that have to be addressed. You have needs. Your family has needs. These needs have to be addressed. You don't just labor, generate an income, and give everything away.
Once you've labored at that which is good, you now have a responsibility to use that income to meet your family's needs. First Timothy 5:8 makes this clear: But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. This is a strong statement, take care of your family.
Scripture is very clear; the needs of your family are a top priority. Of course, need is something that is very subjective. Nobody else can define your need for you. It's between you and God.
The question that arises is, "How do I distinguish my family's needs from our wants?" A good way to do this is through a simple self-check: Ask yourself, "after my needs are met, do I have any seed left to sow?"
If you don't, you're calling something a need that really isn't. God gives you a guarantee that if you labor at that which is good and tithe off the income, you'll have something left over to give to them in need. So if your budget doesn't leave you anything left to sow, you're calling something a need that really is not.
Debt Elimination: - Nations have become a nations of debtors. Levels of debt are soaring.
Sadly, Christians are seemingly just as prone to debt problems as are people in the world. What does God's Word have to say about this subject? Romans 13:8 says, "Owe no man anything but to love one another, for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law."
This doesn't mean that it's a sin to borrow money. Let me be clear: it's not sinful to borrow money. The Word translated "owe" here means "to be under obligation with the emphasis on failing in that obligation or duty."
So understand that scriptural debt only occurs when you fail to meet an obligation to repay what you've borrowed. How do I know this? Deuteronomy 15:6 tells us that one of the blessings of redemption is that we become "the lender and not the borrower."
If it were wrong to borrow, would God have us participate in lending? Of course not! He goes on to instruct us not to charge usurious or unfair interest rates if we are lending to a fellow believer (Deut. 23:19).
With that said, it's important to realize that it's not God's best for you to borrow money. He says you're in a subservient position to the lender when you do (Prov. 22:7). Therefore, a part of your financial management plan must include a strategy to eliminate debt.
The best way to eliminate debt is to manage your finances in a way that leaves you money to sow as seed. Debt elimination occurs supernaturally when God brings increase to the seed you've planted.
Supernatural increase in the kingdom of God does not come only through wise investing, astute choices of stocks, or a strong financial program. It comes by the seed principle. It comes through sowing and reaping.
To generate the increase needed to eliminate debt, you're going to have to get some seed into the ground. Therefore, your financial management plan must involve managing your expenses in a way that leaves you with something left to sow as seed.
Ultimately that's what makes it possible for God to take care of debt on your behalf. There are few things more liberating than being free of debt. It's a place we should all use our faith to reach. And it's the seed principle that's going to get you there.
Sowing Seed: - What is seed in God's spiritual order of sowing and reaping? In Mark, Chapter 4, Jesus gives us the parable of the soils and in verses 13-14, He says, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word." Later, in verse twenty, Jesus mentions the fruit or the increase that comes from the seed sown.
In these passages, God is saying two things. First, He says that understanding the concept of sowing and reaping is a key element in understanding all parables. Second, He gives us a very clear definition of seed. He says the seed is "the Word."
We also learn in Verse 15 that the spiritual "ground" that receives the seed is the human heart. When we talk about money in the sense of sowing and reaping, we need to understand that money becomes seed when we use it to facilitate the sowing of the Word of God into the human heart.
When we do this, God says He will increase the seed sown. When we plant a seed of corn, we don't get one stalk with one ear and one kernel. We get literally thousands of kernels of corn from the planting of one seed. God increases or multiplies the seed sown. He'll meet all of your needs and leave you some seed left over to plant into the preaching of the Gospel. That is, of course, if you are a sower.
What is a Sower? - The Word "sower" is an interesting word. If you look it up in your concordance, you'll find that it means, "to scatter liberally." God does not want us to be conservative in our approach to giving. On the contrary, He wants us to scatter. He wants us to give liberally and without restraint. Your attitude toward seed has to be characterized by a willingness to scatter.
This is the kind of person He's looking for. This is the kind of person God can trust when it comes time for giving out seed. He will increase and multiply the seed you've sown, for God gives seed to the sower (2 Cor. 9:10).
As we've seen, if you follow the scriptural pattern of budgeting your money, God says there will be something left over after your family's needs have been met. You should consider that "something" your seed to sow. And you need to use it to get the Word deposited into the hearts of people. When you do so with a liberal, scattering approach, He says He will meet your need according to His riches in glory (Eph. 3:16).
Not only will you have seed to sow, but He'll multiply the seed sown and He'll increase the fruits of your righteousness. He says you'll be able to abound to every good work. You will experience all sufficiency in all things (2 Cor. 9:8-10).
Do you want to mend the holes in your pockets? Are you ready to have "all sufficiency in all things?" Align your approach to all your earning, budgeting, spending and sowing with God's principles of resource management. You'll soon discover how simple life can be when you do things His way and not your way.. Love You
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Wisdom Nuggets
The Instruction You Follow Determines The Future You Create - Respond, Respect, and Understand the value of God's Word."If you love me keep my commandments" John 14:15; See also John 15:10
Divine conversation gives instruction, warning, inspiration. It births hope. It corrects or harness our life.
Your Words Decides What God Become Willing To Do - God always remembers what He says. He responds favorably when YOU when you remember what He says. When you approach God He want you to remind Him of His Promises. Equate A Scripture To Somebody Today. John 15:7
There Is No Sound Like Real - God always knows everything about you. When you pray , be direct. God rewards integrity. Talk it out. You can trust the one who made you. He Has got all the time in the world. Do not edit your conversation's with Him. Jeremiah 29:13
Picture Your Miracle Over And Over Again - God birth's every miracle from a picture. God pointed stars to Abraham to Stir his faith to children. The Woman with the issue of blood foe 12 years saw a picture in her heart and it moved her to touch the robe of Jesus. Guard well the Miracle picture God have placed within you. It is the key to your Miracle. Matthew 9:21
Treasure Your Future - The future determines the present for those who have access to the end that has been declared from the beginning. The potential to become parents of the future rather than offspring of the past is greater than ever for this generation. The capacity to break boundaries between promises awaited and promises inherited is available for the taking. Relinquish every “if only” and “someday maybe”. Your paradigm shifts! NOW!
Make Today An Event..! - Do not passive today. You are ALIVE. Act like it!! Talk like it!! Celebrate yourself!! Speak a little louder today. Speak a little faster. Smile bigger... Laugh a loud... An exude the joy of Jesus as you spread is generously over every single hour Today. Psalm 118:24.
Turn Your Need Into Your Seed - Do you have a need in your life today? When a need arises in our lives, often frustration and hopelessness can result. Ephesians 6:6-8 teaches us God's infinite supernatural answer: make your need your seed! You can sow the problem area as a seed.
Genesis 1:11-12 declares that a seed will yield fruit after its kind. Jesus told us in Luke 6:38 to give and IT shall be given!....Well, what is the "IT"....The "IT" is whatever you need to receive. Whether the harvest you require is for finances, healings, meetings, church equipment, transportation..."IT" shall be give.
Divine conversation gives instruction, warning, inspiration. It births hope. It corrects or harness our life.
Your Words Decides What God Become Willing To Do - God always remembers what He says. He responds favorably when YOU when you remember what He says. When you approach God He want you to remind Him of His Promises. Equate A Scripture To Somebody Today. John 15:7
There Is No Sound Like Real - God always knows everything about you. When you pray , be direct. God rewards integrity. Talk it out. You can trust the one who made you. He Has got all the time in the world. Do not edit your conversation's with Him. Jeremiah 29:13
Picture Your Miracle Over And Over Again - God birth's every miracle from a picture. God pointed stars to Abraham to Stir his faith to children. The Woman with the issue of blood foe 12 years saw a picture in her heart and it moved her to touch the robe of Jesus. Guard well the Miracle picture God have placed within you. It is the key to your Miracle. Matthew 9:21
Treasure Your Future - The future determines the present for those who have access to the end that has been declared from the beginning. The potential to become parents of the future rather than offspring of the past is greater than ever for this generation. The capacity to break boundaries between promises awaited and promises inherited is available for the taking. Relinquish every “if only” and “someday maybe”. Your paradigm shifts! NOW!
Make Today An Event..! - Do not passive today. You are ALIVE. Act like it!! Talk like it!! Celebrate yourself!! Speak a little louder today. Speak a little faster. Smile bigger... Laugh a loud... An exude the joy of Jesus as you spread is generously over every single hour Today. Psalm 118:24.
Turn Your Need Into Your Seed - Do you have a need in your life today? When a need arises in our lives, often frustration and hopelessness can result. Ephesians 6:6-8 teaches us God's infinite supernatural answer: make your need your seed! You can sow the problem area as a seed.
Genesis 1:11-12 declares that a seed will yield fruit after its kind. Jesus told us in Luke 6:38 to give and IT shall be given!....Well, what is the "IT"....The "IT" is whatever you need to receive. Whether the harvest you require is for finances, healings, meetings, church equipment, transportation..."IT" shall be give.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
7 Keys That Will Unlock God's Abundance In Your Life:
1. Identify The True Source - God is your source. Not your employer. Not social security. God is the source of every good thing in your life... Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Jas 1:16-17
2.Accept That God Wants You To Have An Abundance - You must have a persuasion that God want your to prosper... For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psa 84:11
3. Tithe Consistently - Consistence sowing creates a consistence harvest... Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 1Cor 16:2
4. Honor Your Mother And Father - Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Deut 5:16
5. Follow Instructions - The Bible says, there is safety in the multitude of counselors but,Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. Pro 13:18
6. Become A Problem Solver - Everyone has problems they are incapable of solving. Money Is Merely A Reward Of Solving A Problem. When you solve a problem nearest you, you will move into your next season of promotion.
7. Sow Your Seed With Expectation - Impossible things happens to those who expect them to happen... For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mar 11:23
2.Accept That God Wants You To Have An Abundance - You must have a persuasion that God want your to prosper... For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. Psa 84:11
3. Tithe Consistently - Consistence sowing creates a consistence harvest... Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 1Cor 16:2
4. Honor Your Mother And Father - Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. Deut 5:16
5. Follow Instructions - The Bible says, there is safety in the multitude of counselors but,Poverty and shame shall be to him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. Pro 13:18
6. Become A Problem Solver - Everyone has problems they are incapable of solving. Money Is Merely A Reward Of Solving A Problem. When you solve a problem nearest you, you will move into your next season of promotion.
7. Sow Your Seed With Expectation - Impossible things happens to those who expect them to happen... For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Mar 11:23
9 Facts About Your Passion:
1. Passion Ia An Excessive And Uncommon Desire.
2. Passion Is Power.
3. Passion Is Magnetic
4. Uncommon Men Of God Have Uncommon Passion.
5. Your Are Instructed To Develop A Passion For The Word Of God.
6. Wrong Relationship Will Weaken Your Assignment For God.
7. It Is Your Responsibility To Protect The Gift Of Passion Within You.
8. Passion Is Unforgettable.
9. Your Passion May Cost You Everything.
An Uncommon Assignment Will Require Uncommon Passion... Treasure And Protect Your Flow Of Passion.
2. Passion Is Power.
3. Passion Is Magnetic
4. Uncommon Men Of God Have Uncommon Passion.
5. Your Are Instructed To Develop A Passion For The Word Of God.
6. Wrong Relationship Will Weaken Your Assignment For God.
7. It Is Your Responsibility To Protect The Gift Of Passion Within You.
8. Passion Is Unforgettable.
9. Your Passion May Cost You Everything.
An Uncommon Assignment Will Require Uncommon Passion... Treasure And Protect Your Flow Of Passion.
Kingdom Thinking
What does it mean to have a kingdom mindset? How important is it for a Christian? When Jesus came to earth and became a man it was for many reasons. One of which was to demonstrate a lifestyle based on a kingdom mindset, which is, a way of thinking that fell in line with the principles that govern heaven in order to make those principles a reality on earth.
With His life, He gave us a template to follow to walk in this kingdom mindset. Jesus strategically began our introduction to this mindset with the ministry of John the Baptist who said, “Repent for the kingdom is at hand,” Our Lord sought to lay a foundation of repentance to prepare His people to receive the most mind altering paradigm shift they would ever see. What John was saying was, “You’re about to get the best demonstration of what the kingdom looks like when it invades earth so get ready.” To repent means to change your mind, to allow a paradigm shift to occur. That is the challenge each of us face today. Will we repent or be willing to change our way of looking at things and adopt a new mindset that is alien to ours and appears to contradict all of the laws at work in the natural realm? If we are willing to begin this journey, then we are ready to adopt the kingdom mindset.
The Kingdom Mindset pt. II
What exactly is the kingdom mindset?
Having a kingdom mindset is when we open our hearts (by act of will) and choose to “see” and live by the laws and ideologies in the word of God rather than the ideologies of this world. This is difficult because in the natural realm, playing by the rules of the kingdom often appears to set us back in our ability to achieve our goals or to be as successful as others around us.
One example of this would be choosing to be honest in a situation where dishonesty would be possible (an opportunity that is unlikely to be discovered) and favorable (producing an immediate benefit or a shortcut to attaining your goal). With a kingdom mindset, we’d be more interested in what God thinks of what we are doing rather than what man thinks. We would believe that there would be a greater benefit in not stealing even if others steal, get away with it and appear to receive the immediate benefits.
Humility is an excellent example of a kingdom mindset. We are taught that we should not let other people get the better of us. If someone strikes me, I should strike back. The bible tells us to turn the other cheek, for what reason? In the kingdom mindset, there is greater benefit when we do not retaliate or return violence with violence even though the natural laws would tell us different. In the kingdom mindset, humility and forgiveness open the door for God to enact justice on a divine level rather than affording ourselves the immediate gratification of temporary justice. With a kingdom mindset, our desire to please God is greater than our desire for retaliation. With a kingdom mindset, the spiritual laws of the bible are what we live by as apposed to the natural laws, believing that by simply choosing to follow those laws we open the way for the kingdom to govern our situation.
Another example of a kingdom mindset is thankfulness. To simply be thankful to God and credit Him for all that we have is a kingdom mindset. When we choose to give thanks to God for something we receive, we acknowledge that provision is from the kingdom, rather than crediting whatever natural means by which we received it. We can either find our security in our ability to go to work and perform our jobs well so that when we receive our paycheck, we feel we receive what we deserve and therefore are owed this and simply break even in our minds or we can choose to be thankful to God that He made provision for us to have a job, and that He gave us healthy bodies to go to work every day. In the second scenario, we give the glory to God which is a kingdom mindset and allows the rules of the kingdom to govern that aspect of our lives. How we steward what we have determines what we get in the future. Stewardship is a kingdom mindset.
________________________________________
With His life, He gave us a template to follow to walk in this kingdom mindset. Jesus strategically began our introduction to this mindset with the ministry of John the Baptist who said, “Repent for the kingdom is at hand,” Our Lord sought to lay a foundation of repentance to prepare His people to receive the most mind altering paradigm shift they would ever see. What John was saying was, “You’re about to get the best demonstration of what the kingdom looks like when it invades earth so get ready.” To repent means to change your mind, to allow a paradigm shift to occur. That is the challenge each of us face today. Will we repent or be willing to change our way of looking at things and adopt a new mindset that is alien to ours and appears to contradict all of the laws at work in the natural realm? If we are willing to begin this journey, then we are ready to adopt the kingdom mindset.
The Kingdom Mindset pt. II
What exactly is the kingdom mindset?
Having a kingdom mindset is when we open our hearts (by act of will) and choose to “see” and live by the laws and ideologies in the word of God rather than the ideologies of this world. This is difficult because in the natural realm, playing by the rules of the kingdom often appears to set us back in our ability to achieve our goals or to be as successful as others around us.
One example of this would be choosing to be honest in a situation where dishonesty would be possible (an opportunity that is unlikely to be discovered) and favorable (producing an immediate benefit or a shortcut to attaining your goal). With a kingdom mindset, we’d be more interested in what God thinks of what we are doing rather than what man thinks. We would believe that there would be a greater benefit in not stealing even if others steal, get away with it and appear to receive the immediate benefits.
Humility is an excellent example of a kingdom mindset. We are taught that we should not let other people get the better of us. If someone strikes me, I should strike back. The bible tells us to turn the other cheek, for what reason? In the kingdom mindset, there is greater benefit when we do not retaliate or return violence with violence even though the natural laws would tell us different. In the kingdom mindset, humility and forgiveness open the door for God to enact justice on a divine level rather than affording ourselves the immediate gratification of temporary justice. With a kingdom mindset, our desire to please God is greater than our desire for retaliation. With a kingdom mindset, the spiritual laws of the bible are what we live by as apposed to the natural laws, believing that by simply choosing to follow those laws we open the way for the kingdom to govern our situation.
Another example of a kingdom mindset is thankfulness. To simply be thankful to God and credit Him for all that we have is a kingdom mindset. When we choose to give thanks to God for something we receive, we acknowledge that provision is from the kingdom, rather than crediting whatever natural means by which we received it. We can either find our security in our ability to go to work and perform our jobs well so that when we receive our paycheck, we feel we receive what we deserve and therefore are owed this and simply break even in our minds or we can choose to be thankful to God that He made provision for us to have a job, and that He gave us healthy bodies to go to work every day. In the second scenario, we give the glory to God which is a kingdom mindset and allows the rules of the kingdom to govern that aspect of our lives. How we steward what we have determines what we get in the future. Stewardship is a kingdom mindset.
________________________________________
Relationship
When God Want To Bless You He Brings A Person Into Your Life... When God Want To Protect You He Removes A Person From Your Life... Bless God For All New Connection And Stop Complaining For All Disconnections.
Identify Those Who Discourage You, Those Who Don't Believe In The Difference Of Your Assignment And You will Identify Those Who Have No Part In Your Future... Then They Have No Business Been A Part Of Your Present....And Will Discover Those Who Believe And Honor Your Assignment....Mark 6:11
Relationship- Those Who Do Not Increase You, Will Decrease You... The Purpose Of Relationship Is Strength, Multiplication...Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. Threefold cord is not quickly broken...There Circle Of Relationships.. Circle Of Comfort, Counsel, Inspiration.. Everyone In Your Life Have Different Assignment, Designed Differently For Different Reward.
Identify Those Who Discourage You, Those Who Don't Believe In The Difference Of Your Assignment And You will Identify Those Who Have No Part In Your Future... Then They Have No Business Been A Part Of Your Present....And Will Discover Those Who Believe And Honor Your Assignment....Mark 6:11
Relationship- Those Who Do Not Increase You, Will Decrease You... The Purpose Of Relationship Is Strength, Multiplication...Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. Threefold cord is not quickly broken...There Circle Of Relationships.. Circle Of Comfort, Counsel, Inspiration.. Everyone In Your Life Have Different Assignment, Designed Differently For Different Reward.
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Judith Has A Disable Boy And She Had Nothing To Support Herself, We Saw Her Need And The Church Decided To Support Her By Giving Her Capital Money To Start Her Own Business... She Used To Stay In Friends House, But Now She Own's Her Own Room And Support Herself.
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