Financial Freedom Series: Dare to Be Different
Welcome to part 2 of our Financial Freedom Series, where we’re looking into God’s Blueprint for Building Wealth and Managing Your Money Well!
We dive into biblical principles and cutting-edge money management wisdom to help you…
- Honor God with your money
- Build wealth
- Shrink your debt
- And build toward financial freedom
“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” (Proverbs 22:7)
“But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.” (Deuteronomy 8:18)
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)
“I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (Psalm 32:8)
You may be overloaded with debt, completely cash-strapped, and financially stressed out, but no matter how hopeless you feel, there is a way out. You can turn your financial affairs around. It all starts with getting your priorities in the correct order.
The statistics (the South African statistics we looked at last week) paint a bleak picture. I want to focus on one statistic…
“South Africans are spending 75% of their take-home pay on debt.”
“Households spend three-quarters of their take-home pay on debt and only have a quarter of their salary to spend on everything else.”
According to the South African Savings Institute, statistics show that out of every R100 the average South African earns, R75 goes towards debt repayments, and less than R2 goes into savings (Unfortunately, even the R2 that goes into savings never becomes significant as it is often spent on non-essentials!).
This means that you must live on 25% of your income to be average in SA. This adds stress and stunts one’s progress towards financial freedom.
Can You Relate to This?
If so, I want to encourage you not to see your problem as a dead-end road of defeat. Rather, see your current financial trouble as a temporary setback that you can overcome. You may have tripped up, but you can get back on your feet.
Related: Setbacks and Comebacks – God can turn it around!
You can deal with your financial mess and move forward.
Stop focusing on the problem. Surrender your burdens to God. Look for a solution. Give God your burdens and move forward. God can help you turn your problems around. He can create new opportunities. He can take your setback and turn it into a great comeback. He can turn your problems into stepping stones that can lead you out of your financial mess and make your life fruitful.
Are You Prepared to Change?
Today, draw a line in the sand. It is time to move forward. If you want to change your current situation, you must be prepared to change your habits.
You may be living in SURVIVAL mode, desperately trying to keep your head above water. I believe that you do not have to survive. You can set yourself up to THRIVE.
Don’t Follow the Crowd
Just because so many are getting deeper into debt does not mean you have to. You can do something differently. Don’t follow the crowd. Follow God. He can move mountains. And with God at your side, you can face your fears and devise a strategy to move forward.
The good news is that you don’t have to do what everyone else is doing.
You don’t have to be average or ordinary. By making some simple changes to your money management, you can set yourself up for an extraordinary future!
Dare to Be Different
If you blindly copy the behavior of the average person, you will end up building debt. This will steal your cash flow, which in turn will leave you feeling defeated, deflated, and stressed out.
You do not need to live this way. You can dare to be different.
Today, Make a Choice to…
- Deal with your debt.
For a moment, imagine how your cash flow and joy levels would improve if you had no debt. Get determined to deal with your debt (In the next section, we will shine the spotlight on debt and give you practical steps and insight to understand your debt, face your problem, and deal with your debt once and for all).
- Live within your means.
Be disciplined with your money management. Watch your spending. Think twice before spending money on non-essentials (In this series, we will show you how to construct a winning budget and manage your money better).
- Manage your money in the right order.
Review your financial priorities (In this series, we will show you how you can manage your money in the right order, where you can cover your basic needs and build a safety net to provide protection while also building wealth so that you can achieve your goals and dreams).
In a Nutshell, I Want to Encourage You to…
- Put God first.
“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.” (Proverbs 3:9-10)
- Save and invest part of your income to build up your wealth portfolio.
“The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.” (Proverbs 21:20)
- Cover your basic living expenses.
“The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin.” (Proverbs 10:16)
- Only spend what is left over once you have taken care of the above priorities.
Jesus said, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
IF YOU MAY HAVE MESSED UP YOUR MONEY MANAGEMENT, THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT YOU CAN FIX IT.
IT WILL TAKE TIME. BE PATIENT.
BE PREPARED TO MAKE THE NEEDED CHANGES SO THAT YOU CAN TURN YOUR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS AROUND FOR THE GOOD.
DARE TO BE DIFFERENT.
