Month: September 2012

For information on Part 4 click here.

8. You haven’t fulfilled your purpose and destiny.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.

If you are not doing what you enjoy doing you will not prosper. You will prosper when you work at what you love to do and what you were called by God to do.

9. Not understanding value.

You must look for things of quality that will last. What good does it do to buy a cheap couch set if in a few years it will fall apart? Why not sit on the floor until you buy what you want and it is of good value before you spend a dime? That’s where the patience lesson comes in! You will not prosper buying junk nor will you prosper overspending. While it may seem like a bargain when at the local discount store two towels sell for five dollars but when they fray in the washer of what value was it?

10. Ignorance or refusing to learn.

Maybe you think reading a book is too boring but what you don’t know can kill you. If you want to get that next promotion in life then you must learn to advance yourself. You have got to read. True poverty is the inability to read. If you can read you are prosperous.

The bible speaks of wisdom crying in the streets and no one hearing her.

Proverbs 1:20 Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square. 21 She calls out to the crowds along the main street, and to those in front of city hall. 22 “You simpletons!” she cries. “How long will you go on being simpleminded? How long will you mockers relish your mocking? How long will you fools fight the facts? 23 Come here and listen to me! I’ll pour out the spirit of wisdom upon you and make you wise. 

It says clearly that people perish for a lack of knowledge. In our own country our misunderstanding of the Constitution and our rights as citizens have put us in places of bondage. When you don’t understand something you must seek out the knowledge to that thing. When you don’t understand finances, you end up fearing them or you ignoring them. Either case puts you out of control of your money. When you are afraid to make a move in the financial market you can lose money. When you ignore your finances then all of sudden checks start bouncing and fees begin to accumulate.

Your prosperity is within your control.

The third thing that kill prosperity is:

3. Impatience or the Entitlement Mentality.

If you’re just joining us on this discussion you can read Part 1 Here or Part 2 here.

I believe Pastor Doug when he says if we change our mind we can change our world. When we think we are entitled to have a certain lifestyle then often we make unwise decisions to get that lifestyle.

If someone else has to buy your lifestyle then you aren’t entitled to it. If someone else has to buy your groceries, pay your rent, your cell phone bill, etc.. then you aren’t entitled to it. Let me say this another way. If VISA has to buy your lifestyle then you can’t afford it. If your parents have to buy your lifestyle then you can’t afford it.

Galatians 4:1What I am saying is that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. 2 He is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. 3 So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world. 4 But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. 6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

Now a word to parents. I know you want your children to have things you didn’t have. I know that. I am a mom, I get it. I also know that your being able to keep your little chicks under your feathers means you have control over them. I get that too. The question then becomes do you want the Kingdom of God in your child’s life? In the kingdom a child is no different than a slave. Some of us have slave children that are 40 years old. I want my children to be children of God, not children of Susan Young. I understand your need for control. You just have to ask yourself the tough questions. What happens when you can no longer supply all their needs? If you were to die today, would your kids crumble or stand on their own? Would they become your burden to society or not?

Now a word to the kids. It’s easy when our parents take control of our lives and pay our way through. I get it. I also know what it is to be independent and I can promise you that being independent is a whole lot better than being dependent. I want to call my own shots in life. I can’t do that as a debtor giving my control over to someone else other than God. Have patience all things happen with the fullness of time. You will have your heart’s desire, and pay cash for it all! God is not trying to keep things from you. He is waiting for you to achieve your maturity level to handle what he has for you.

I read an article by Jeffrey Strain called 10 Reasons Why You’re Not Rich that impacted me to break it apart, compare it with the word and see where I stood. I had some learning to do so I’m bringing it to you. The first point was to stop making excuses and you can read that here.

2. Caring what your neighbors think.

So many of us are trying to keep up. Buying the new car because of what the commercial says it says about us. Buying new clothes and shoes when we can’t afford it because we worry about what it says about us.

Prosperous people will tell you this rule: You never invest in something that depreciates. How many of you would buy a stock if you knew it would go down in price instead of up in price? People are watching their money decline right now, but poor people, people with a poverty mentality, throw good money after bad investments. Some people are at the mall every payday but they don’t own a home or have a savings, or a worthy credit score. We need to be smarter than that.

Deut 15:4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the Lord your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the Lord your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you. 7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.

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

Pay what you owe. We must quit cheating, trying to get something for nothing, and wondering why we aren’t blessed. If you borrowed money go pay it back. These seem like basic human principles don’t they?

Psalm 37:21 The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;

Romans 13:7-7 Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor. 8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law.

Don’t worry about what your neighbors think. Live life with a generous spirit and a worry-free heart, not looking left or right to see what others are doing but do what you know is right.

I was working from home one day and I ran across an article on Yahoo that just stood out to me. It was called, 10 Reasons Why You’re Not Rich and was written by a man named Jeffrey Strain. It was less than 700 words but impacting.

I am going to bring you the points from his article, add some bible and opinion to it, and let you take an assessment to see if you are where you need to be. When I took an assessment I wasn’t where I was supposed to be, so I’m hoping it helps you. As women, we tend not to be as savvy about money mainly because we don’t understand it. For the local TLC group, we live in the poorest county of California. So we need good solid application.

1. No more excuses!

The first reason people give for not saving or being able to prosper is because they don’t make enough money, yet each time we are given the opportunity to prosper we spend more money. We are finally able to afford that “thing” that we think we’ve been missing. We lived fine before the “thing” and we need to determine why we want the “thing”. This question is about our heart issue with money.

Ecc 2:10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

When we read that passage, we see that the things we buy with our money aren’t prosperity. It only feels like it. Often times, we become slaves to the stuff. I have heard many of you say, “Now that I’m not getting any overtime, we are really hurting financially.” Well, overtime is just temporary. There isn’t a company in the world that runs prosperously on overtime. Instead of counting on the overtime, see it as an opportunity to save, or pay off debt. Begin to save your money. There will be times when a savings account will be necessary. You need to have at least 3 months worth of savings in the bank for emergencies. So the next time you see that beautiful pair of shoes, if you don’t have three months in savings then please don’t buy them.

Becoming a millionaire has more to do with how you treat money than what you earn. I know millionaires who did not make a lot of money. They saved a lot of money. Period. Treat your money with respect. There is a principle to money that needs to be respected. How many of you have found money in the washer or the dryer? It means you do not respect money. I know someone who found $200.00 in the garbage before. So if we are going to prosper we need to respect money and we need to stop making excuses for its misuse.