Financial Freedom Series: 4 Important Priorities in Building Toward Financial Freedom

Welcome back to 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

“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) 

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

“The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.” (Proverbs  22:7) 

“But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8) 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) 

It is your time to dare to dream. 
It is time to reset your goals. 
It is time to rekindle your passion. 
It is time to aim high. 
It is time to attempt great things with God. 
It is time to live on purpose. 
It is time to reignite your vision. 
It is time to be fruitful. 
It is time to get positioned for God to 
catapult you into your destiny. 

Your best days are ahead of you.

I do not know where you are standing financially, but I believe that with God’s help, you can work toward financial freedom.

If you follow the process or apply a few principles, I am confident that with God’s help, you can embark on the journey toward financial freedom.

Millions of South Africans are living above their means. Many are cash-strapped. Debt is a significant problem. Debt keeps many in bondage. It is like a disease that causes a breakdown in relationships, stress, and much heartache.

You may feel overwhelmed, as if you are climbing a mountain. Let me encourage you, and you can make it. 

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

I believe it is time for you to declare war on your debt! It is time to break the old cycle, and it is your time to build toward financial freedom. 

You may be living beyond their cash flow means. You may be eroding your ability to build wealth due to reckless spending. You may be handling your money poorly. You may have a serious money problem. 

Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing the same way, expecting different results.”

You cannot do the same thing the same way and expect a different result. Something needs to change!

Dave Ramsey says, “If you want something you have never had, you’ll need to do something you have never done!”

Today, I want to encourage you to see your problem as an opportunity. If you are prepared to change, everything will change. If you have a financial problem, face it!

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.

There is another way…

• Why don’t you choose today to give up on your old way of doing things that are not working?
• Why don’t you modify how you do things that haven’t worked? 
• Why don’t you try a new strategy that can lead you to success?

You can solve your problems, fix the areas that have been failing, and change your habits.

I believe that with God’s help, a plan, and some discipline, you can break the debt cycle and build a fruitful financial future. 

It is time to dare to dream. 

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. 

This means that to be average in SA, you are forced to live on 25% of your income. This adds stress and stunts one’s progress towards financial freedom.

ARE YOUR PRIORITIES MESSED UP?

ARE MANAGING OUR MONEY THE WRONG WAY AROUND?

Imagine how your lifestyle and joy levels would improve if you had no debt repayments to make.

To be average or ordinary in SA, stay in debt, keep spending, and live stressed out.

But the good news today is that YOU don’t have to be ordinary. You can set yourself up to be “extraordinary” by making some simple changes to how you manage your money. You can set yourself up for an EXTRA-ORDINARY future!

To help you on the journey, we want to help you set up a process to help you build towards Financial Freedom.

4 Important Priorities in Building Toward Financial Freedom

Do you know what a priority is?

According to the dictionary, a PRIORITY is “a thing that is regarded as more important than another.”

If you are building a home, you cannot start with the roof. 

You need to start with a solid foundation. Then, you need to construct the floor before you build the walls with doors and windows. Finally, you can put on the roof. 

If you do not start with a solid foundation and then build up, you will be left with a messed-up home that is dilapidated, dangerous, and disjointed.

From a financial planning perspective, there is also an order of priorities. These priorities flow into each other, and today, I want to take a brief look at the 4 IMPORTANT PRIORITIES IN BUILDING TOWARD FINANCIAL FREEDOM.

LEVEL ONE: FOUNDATION PHASE

• Start with building your life and financial foundation on God.

Jesus said, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, yet it did not fall because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

“Once I was young and now, I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25) 

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

LEVEL TWO: FLOOR PHASE

• Take care of your basic needs.
• You cannot spend money on entertainment and non-essentials if you cannot cover your basic needs out of your income.
• It is important to cut short-term debt, as this erodes one’s cash flow. By cutting your short-term debt, you can use part of your surplus funds to take care of your next phase and pursue your dreams.
• You need to BUDGET and live within your means!

“The wise are cautious and avoid danger; fools plunge ahead with reckless confidence.” (Proverbs 14:15) 

LEVEL THREE: WALL PHASE

• Protect your family. 
• In the walls, you will add windows (which will help you build a vision for the future) and doors (which can open opportunities to go after your dreams)

“Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8)

“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.”  (Proverbs 27:12)

“The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets.”  (Proverbs 21:10)

Only once you have addressed your needs under the Foundation, Floor, and Walls stages should you consider moving on to the next level…

LEVEL FOUR: ROOF PHASE

• Go after your dreams and shoot for the stars.

It is wise to set a solid foundation and then build up towards your dreams. 

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when dreams come true, there is life and joy.” (Proverbs 13:12)

You May Have Messed Up Your Priorities

You can fix it!

Have you heard of Bob the Builder?

The theme song goes, “Bob the builder, can he fix it?”

…“YES, HE CAN!”

Just like BOB THE BUILDER, YOU CAN FIX YOUR FINANCES. YOU CAN REPAIR YOUR PRIORITIES!

The Process

Now, to build toward financial freedom and find out where you are when it comes to your financial priorities, you need to follow a process that begins by asking yourself the following questions…

1. Where are you at present? – in terms of your needs, examine your current situation

2. Where would you like to be? – set out your goals and objectives

3. How can you get there? – set up a plan and a budget in order to help you achieve these goals

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5)

Map

It would be best to create a MAP (PLAN) to get from…  

In summary:

• Get your priorities in the right order.
• What level are you at? 
• Where do you want to get to? 
• How are you going to get there?
• Is God first in your life?
• Are you able to cover your basic needs? Can you fund your living expenses out of your income?
• Do you have the proper protections and plans in place to protect yourself and your family?
• Do you have a vision for the future?
• Do you have a vision? What are your dreams?

First, Take Care of the Necessities

The FOUNDATION PHASE (PUTTING GOD 1^ST) is your ESSENTIAL STARTING POINT.

The FLOOR PHASE (TO COVER YOUR BASIC FINANCIAL NEEDS).

Once your NEEDS are taken care of, you can enter the ROOF PHASE (BUILD GROWTH INVESTMENTS TOWARDS YOUR FUTURE) by going after your WANTS and DREAMS.

The FINAL LEVEL is TO HAVE A DREAM AND TO INVEST TOWARDS ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS.

Next week, we will examine the various priority levels and help you arrange your financial affairs in the proper order. 

YOU CAN TURN YOUR FINANCIAL AFFAIRS AROUND. IT STARTS BY GETTING YOUR PRIORITIES IN THE CORRECT ORDER. 

“To change your life, you need to change your priorities.”  – Mark Twain