What can I do to fix my finances God’s way?

A QUESTION TO CONSIDER:

What can I do to fix my finances God’s way?

PRACTICAL WEALTH BUILDING PRINCIPLE:

The other day, I noticed that my right back tyre looked flat. I went to the garage and had it pumped up, but unfortunately the next morning my tyre was flat again. I decided to take my car into the tyre fitment center, and they managed to find the problem. There was a nail in my tyre. After removing the nail they put a plug in it and now my tyre is working.

This got me thinking about how many seem to have leaks in their money management system. Sometimes it is debt repayments that may erode our cash flow. Sometimes it is unexpected expenses or a bill we forgot about that seems to steal our money, and sometimes it’s just poor money management, having messed up financial priorities.

Just like with my leaking tyre experience, sometimes a simple fix can plug the gaps and get us back on the journey to financial wellness.

I thought it would therefore be a good idea to look at a few practical steps you can take to FIX YOUR FINANCES! 

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#1 – Put God first with your money

Give God your best.

Putting God first with your money should form the backbone of your approach to managing your money.

I am not wanting to get legalistic, but honoring God with your finances is important. When you give to God, he protects and provides, so put Him at the top of your budget.

Honor God, not just with your lips, but with your money and He will take care of you.

Malachi 3: 8-18 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – your whole nation – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty,  “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be  room enough to store it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. ”Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.”

Proverbs 3: 9-10 “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”     

Matthew 6:33 Jesus said … “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

#2 – Squash your debt

• Do your best to limit your exposure to debt
• Get determined to not get into debt
• Avoid the debt trap. Rather save up money to pay cash for the item.
• It is important to get into the habit of saving instead of a habit of debt.
• Don’t be a slave to debt!

Proverbs 14:15 “The wise are cautious and avoid danger, fools plunge ahead” 

Proverbs 22:7 “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.”

Romans 13:8 “Owe nothing to anyone—except love”

#3 – It is important to budget

• Keep a track of your income and where it comes from,
• Keep a track of your spending and investigate where you are spending your money.
• Plug the spending leaks
• Make sure that you spend less than you earn

Matthew 14:28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?”

#4 – You need a plan

You need to know what your objectives are and how you intend to reach these objectives.

Dare to dream! Aim high! Set up a plan to meet your goals and achieve your dreams over the short, medium and long term.

You do not need to do it alone. Let God be your financial partner. He wants to walk the journey with you.

Proverbs 21:5 “Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty short cuts lead to poverty”

Psalm 37:4 “Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you.”

#5 – Get into the habit of building wealth

Commit to building a wealth portfolio by allocating funds to …

• Savings – where you have cash flow reserves available for your short term needs and emergencies.
• Investments – where you can build up growth investments over time to fund your retirement and future dreams and objectives.

When you make building a Wealth Portfolio a priority, and let it form part of your regular budget, you won’t even miss the amount you put aside each month. And you will be surprised how quickly your wealth portfolio grows.

You might think you don’t have ‘spare’ cash to save – but just go back to your budget and make saving and investing a priority. Maybe you need to cut back on some other expenses in order to free up surplus cash so that you can start saving. Build your savings into your budget.

If you are looking to start saving and investing, I would suggest that you speak to a financial planner. A Financial Planner should be able to help you construct a plan so that you build up your investments and achieve your goals and dreams.

Proverbs 21:20 “The wise man saves for the future but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.”

Proverbs 13:11 “He who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”

So in summary…,

• Put God first
• Squash your debt
• Budget
• Plan
• Build a Wealth Portfolio

INTERESTING FACT:

Legendary investor Warren Buffett bought a 40-acre farm at age 14 with $1,200 he had saved up from delivering newspapers.

He would get up in the dark before school and delivered his newspapers even if it was snowing. That is dedication!

You are not too young to start building for your future. A little determination mixed with hard work, with a dream, and an action plan can lead to you accomplishing things beyond your wildest imagination!

POWER QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

“If you take care of your finances today, then you won’t be a victim of them tomorrow” Emily G. Stroud

“Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship” Benjamin Franklin

WHAT DOES GOD HAVE TO SAY:

Proverbs 14:23 “ Hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty”

Don’t just talk about your financial problems. Get disciplined and put in the work to fix your finances, and you will succeed.  

Today we have looked at how you can fix your finances by plugging the leaks and putting the right processes in place. But what about your life? Are there leaks in your life that are putting your walk with God at risk. Keep God at the centre. God made you. He loves you, He wants to walk the journey with you. And Jesus paid the price for you and made a way for you to find abundant life.  Be careful not to drift away from God. And, do not ruin your life by letting the wrongs things into your life or by having leaks in your spiritual life that sink you.  

1 Timothy 1:19 “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.”

Hebrews 6:18 tells us to run to Jesus, to take refuge in Him, and to confidently hold onto the hope we have in Him.

Hebrews 6:19 “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.”

Just like a ship with an anchor will not run aground or get shipwrecked in a storm, so when you put your hope in Jesus, you will have an anchor of your soul.

LET’S PRAY:

Father, I need your help with my money matters. Please help me plug the leaks and give me wisdom to manage my money well and to make wise choices. Help me to be generous and to also set funds aside in savings. Thank you Jesus for making a way for me. Today I put my hope you in. Thank you that you are an anchor for my soul. Lord, I ask you to lead and guide me. I give you my life and I ask you to open up the floodgates of heaven and to pour your blessings out on me and my finances. Father, I ask for your abundant favor to be evident in my life. I ask these things in Jesus name. Amen.

If this spoke to you, and you want to start or restart your walk with God, click here to pray a simple prayer we have set up for you.

CONCLUSION:

I challenge you to plug your leaks and to work on fixing your finances. With God’s help, and with the right priorities, you can turn your money matters around, and you can put your hope in Jesus. He wants you to have abundant life. He wants to be the anchor for your soul.

God bless you.

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