Financial Control
“Just as the rich rule the poor, so the borrower is servant to the lender” Prov.22:7
Statistics show that over fifty percent of marriages that end up in divorce had to do with money. And guess what? Christians are not immune. Over fifty percent of divorce cases have a financial twist to it. I pray that financial vagueness in every marriage will disappear and beginning from today you will have total financial clarity. To get the facts at any price, there are four facts that you must know about your finances or joint finances as a married couple. #1. Know what you own. #2. Know what you owe. #3. Know what you earn. #4. Know where it is going. Read the rest of this entry
Keep Good Records
“Riches can disappear fast… so watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds.” Pr. 27:23-24 [LB, emphasis added].
The second habit for financial freedom is Plan Your Spending. That is the Principle of Budgeting. So budget! Plan your spending. You must have set financial goals and stick to them. “Riches can disappear fast… so watch your business interests closely. Know the state of your flocks and herds.” Pr. 27:23-24 [LB, emphasis added]. In our times, flock and herds would be stocks, real estate, bonds, investments, and your accounts. How many accounts do you have and what is their current balance, can you tell? You are supposed to know. Watch your business closely and check the numbers always. The key is keep good record!
You cannot watch closely what do you not even have a clue about. Thank God for the bank notifications and all but that is not enough. If I check your cheque stubs and I cannot tell what each cheque leaf was used for then there is a problem. That is why cheque books come with stubs. Thank God for Internet banking and the insight it gives into our accounts. Know the state of your finances and keep good records so that no one will cheat you.
When we were starting off as a church, one of the very first things we did was engage a financial consulting firm to set up our financial processes. At that time it did not make sense cost wise. But the Bible says, “Get the facts at any price!” Pr. 23:23 [LB]. Why? You cannot get a report or tell a story if there are no records. At any point in time, if we need the story, the records are there and intact. If you do not start capturing the records, you cannot even talk about what story your numbers are telling you.
Move your focus from the cost of getting an accountant and fix it on the amount you could lose because your finances are in chaos. You will discover it is far more then paying a finance person. If you run any kind of business, even if you are a solopreneur [a freelancer] and your briefcase is your office, get a finance person on contract to come in and do your books. It will save you a ton of money and heartache to get clarity on your finances in the area of record keeping.
Thoughts: List your next steps to order your finances and set timelines to each one.
Prayer: Father, as I act in obedience to Your statues, I pray that You will bless my finances, in Jesus Name.
The Antidote
“Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter” Prov.6:6-8
The antidote for poverty is work! “But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep? When will you wake up? A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber” Prov.6:9-11. Some people love sleep too much. The Bible says if you love sleep you are courting poverty. May you not have scarcity, in Jesus Name. The question God is asking you today is when will Read the rest of this entry
Honest Earning
“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to people–no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living.” 2 Thes. 3:12.
From Solomon we can learn five habits for financial freedom. The key thing about these five habits is that you have to do them all. If you do one or even four of the habits, you still will not attain financial freedom. You have to do the five to be financially free. We call them habits because a habit is something that you do easily, something that is second nature to you. Some of us have begun to do some of these things but not all of them. Some of us do not even do any of them at all, which means you need to work at it in the initial stages, then over time, it will become a habit.
What I am about to teach you is how God’s Favourite House runs financially and in six years, God has done huge things with us financially. Yes, there is a place for favour but God is not prodigal. Two people can get the same pay at the end of the month but one has nothing to show for it. So it is not about the amount you make as you are going to learn. I hope you are hungry to learn these five habits and to grow.
The first habit for financial freedom is Earn An Honest Living. It is called the Principle of Work. The reason the finance of a lot people is cursed is because they have earned a dishonest living. And such finances quickly disappear because it does not attract God’s blessings. It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich and adds no sorrow. So if you engage in fraud to get money quick, you will discover that the money will not last. I am not cursing you because I believe that if you have walked along those paths, it does not define you. And beginning from today, you will change, in Jesus Name. You can earn an honest living. It is called the principle of work.
“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to people–no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living”. There is a poem we learnt growing up that changed my life. If I had my way, every teenager will memorize it too. The poem translated means work is the antidote to poverty. If you want the poem in Yoruba and the English translation sent to you, please contact the church office by sending us your email address. Even the English version will change your life.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask for the grace to settle down, to work, and earn a living worthy of God’s blessings that make rich and add no sorrow, in Jesus Name.
A Test
“And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” Luke 16:11
Did you know that God, the God of heaven, uses money to test your spiritual maturity? God says money is a test of true riches. So how much do you think has passed through your hands till date? If you sum up all the money that has passed through your hands till now, how much will it be? It is a test. Heaven was testing you to see what you will do with it. After every test comes a promotion, or a demotion, or a carry over, or sometimes a “stay where you are”. I pray that Read the rest of this entry
Predetermined
“For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you the victory!” Deut.20:4 [TLB]
Years ago, a friend of mine came into the country and as he settled into his apartment, he noticed there was a football match on television. Communication back then was not as it is now. It was a match between Nigeria and Brazil. And Brazil scored the first two goals and he started shouting at the players. In the second half, Nigeria scored their first goal and by the time Nigeria scored the second goal, he started shouting again. But he noticed that the whole neighborhood Read the rest of this entry
Not Alone
“When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up—the flames will not consume you” Isa.43:2 [TLB]
“Praise the Lord! For all who fear God and trust in Him are blessed beyond expression… When darkness overtakes him, light will come bursting in… Such a man will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that God will take care of him.” Psalm 112:1-8 [LB]. You need to settle it in your heart that Read the rest of this entry
But God…
“But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people” Gen.50:19-20
When the situation around you looks depressing, you think about the goodness of your God. Think about the goodness of your God, not a god but your own God. Many times, we exaggerate and amplify the problems, and end up minimizing the goodness of God. Joseph’s dream was not fulfilled because of who he is but because of the goodness of God. And the same brothers who meant to kill him and that dream, came and bowed to him. Joseph had become so powerful and they were afraid because of how mean they had been to him. But Joseph said something that you and I should never ever forget. Never forget what Joseph said because that is how you should always respond. You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good. The goodness of God prevailed over their evil plans. The goodness of God will prevail in your life, over every evil plan and device of the enemy. So do not worry about revenging or getting your pound of flesh, if God is lifting you up. And He will lift you up. They are hungry; God has set you over them, feed them! Show them God’s goodness.
I want us to prayerfully sing a song to God. As you sing, I pray God will truly be magnified in your heart and life. “I have made you too small in my eyes. O Lord, forgive me. I have believed in a lie, that you were unable to help me. But now, O Lord, I see my wrong. Heal my heart and show yourself strong. And in my heart and with my song, O Lord, be magnified! O Lord, be magnified! Be magnified O Lord, You are highly exalted. There is nothing You can’t do, O Lord, my eyes are on You. Be magnified, O Lord, be magnified!” Amen!
#3: When Your Situation Looks DARK Think About The Closeness of God. Problems attempt to hunt us down into a dark place. Dark days are lonely days, worry filled days, and fearful days. They are days when we cannot see ahead and the future appears bleak. And this is precisely the time when we should think about how close our God is to us. You may be going through a lot right now, a dark place. I am here to tell you that God is with you.
Prayer: Father, thank You for the game changer in the story of my life and days to come, in Jesus Name.
Final Say
“How great is Your goodness! You have stored it up for those who honor You. You do good things for those who trust You.” Ps.31:19 [ICB, emphasis added]
Do not despair, focus on God. When the enemy wants to push you and make you depressed or the situation actually looks depressing, think about the goodness of your God. Thinking about God’s goodness goes beyond what He has done to who He is. God is not good because he has done a good thing. Yes He has done good things, but He is good because He is good and that is who He is. So focus on the nature of God. David said, “How great is Your goodness! …You do good things for those who trust You.” We have a lot to learn from David. Read the rest of this entry
Magnify Him
“I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord… Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Wait for the Lord.” Psalm 27:13-14 [NAS, emphasis added]
When Your Situation Looks DEPRESSING, Think About The Goodness of God. Depression is a signal that our focus is on the wrong things. And because we exaggerate and amplify negative things, it drives us into depression. If you do not deal with things like negative exaggeration, make no mistake, it will drive you into depression. For instance, someone makes a mistake and then concludes that he or she is a failure because of that mistake. Depending on how Read the rest of this entry
