Proof Jesus Was Not Poor

I heard a great message this morning that gave Biblical proof that Jesus was not poor. I encourage you to put your doubts and prejudices aside and listen to the below link with an open mind.

Once you click the link below, pick the Tuesday, March 31 message under “God’s View of Prosperity.”

http://www.kcm.org/media/index.php?p=media

To Budget or Not To Budget?

As a Christian, I see a practical and spiritual side to having a personal budget.

First, God told us in Proverbs that wisdom is the principle thing and we are to seek it. I would think that having a plan (i.e. budget) for our finances would be a wise thing to do.

Second, God told us to owe no man anything but to love him therefore debt is not in God’s plan for us. If that’s the case, then we need to learn how to manage our money in a way so that we don’t get into debt situations.

Third, I think the debt situation that some people are in is because of poor money management and poor planning. This is the practical side of a budget. A budget is a way to plan where your money is going to go before you actually spend it. Once the money is spent it is difficult to get it back. You are stuck with the results. But, if you plan how you are going to spend your money ahead of time (with the discipline and dedication to only buy what you have cash to pay for) this will help to prevent overspending which leads to debt.

Fourth, a budget is a great reality check for those who aren’t good with finances. Keeping track of finances doesn’t come natural for everyone but that isn’t an excuse to not properly manage your money. When you actually lay out all of your bills on the table and you total that up, you get a good picture as to where your money is going. Once you have that information, you can now start making the difficult decisions about where to cut back or how to more wisely spend.

Fifth is the spiritual aspect. God said He would supply all of our needs and that we would be lacking for no good thing IF we honor Him, seek Him, obey Him, and put Him first in EVERY area of our life. God has a million ways to make you a millionaire in a day however many of us haven’t proven ourselves faithful stewards in the little therefore we can’t expect much.

As you grow in your faith and your obedience to Him, you will start to see God’s blessing manifest in your life. You won’t need a budget as much anymore because you live by faith and you live according to God’s system of sowing and reaping. Please note that this doesn’t give you a license to buy what you can’t afford. But what it says is that you aren’t limited by what you currently see.

If God wants you to have a new car, you keep believing and standing in faith and God will give you the money so you can go buy it. (Or He may have someone give you a car for free!) The important point to note is that I didn’t say you should go buy the car and then believe God will provide the money some day. You should only do that in the rare situation where God specifically tells you to buy before you have cash in hand. Because again, God said that we are to owe no man anything but to love him and if we were to buy without the money that would be incurring debt. God cannot go against His Word so if He said do not go into debt then He won’t ask you to do something that will put you into debt.

Well, this may be an odd place to end but I think I will call it quits for tonight. Have a great evening!

The American Dream Is Not . . .

Contrary to popular belief, the American dream of wealth, homes, and tangible goods is not handed out for free. The American dream is earned by hard work, integrity and honesty.

Have you noticed that everyone seems to misunderstand the “entitlement” part? We are entitled to the PURSUIT of happiness. That means we are to be allowed to pursue, chase after, or work towards it. It doesn’t mean it is handed out. We are entitled to work hard, demonstrate good character, act ethically and morally, and be a blessing to others. These actions and attitudes, along with a relationship with Jesus, are what produce true happiness in the end.

We’ve seen people try to obtain wealth unethically, immorally, and without character and integrity. As we all now know, this may work temporarily but will eventually end in ruin. Unfortunately, many good people were taken down by those who were trying to take shortcuts to the American dream. It has been a painful time for many people but I hope it has brought an awakening to the corruption in our country. Jesus is coming back soon and He is coming to take the righteous (those in right standing with the Father) back home. This country needs to repent of its evil, immoral and irresponsible actions and make a turn towards the things of God. We need to pray that God will have mercy on our country and that He will hold back judgement on the nations. This may be the last chance to turn back to God before judgement comes. In spite of the tragedies around us, God still has great things in store for us. Stay close to Him and find the wonderful life He has planned for you!

The Word Predicted This Would Happen

Did you know that the Bible predicted what we are seeing right now? I was reading Timothy tonight and was blown away by how it described the people in our world. This is from the NKJV but I strongly recommend that you go to Biblegateway.com and read the Amplified and Message translations as well.

2 Timothy 3:1-9

1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, 7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. 8 Now as Jannes and Jambres resisted Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they will progress no further, for their folly will be manifest to all, as theirs also was.

The good news is that we have the Bible to teach us, lead us, guide us and correct us. It is the manual that tells us how to live the good life that God planned for us!

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Are You A Warehouse or Distribution Center?

A warehouse is a place where items are stored, set aside and accumulated. A distribution center is a place where items flow freely in and out. When it comes to your money, are you a warehouse or a distribution center?

A warehouse makes me think of a stagnant pond. Without circulation things begin to die. But a distribution center has a constant flow that brings life. God is always searching for people who will be distribution centers because He wants to use them to bring life to other people.

One thing that’s important to note is that before God will start giving you money, He needs to know that you will be a faithful steward and use it how He desires. To start, He may ask you to buy a simple cup of coffee for someone. Sounds easy, right? However, He then tells you to give it to the lady you don’t like at work. Will you do it out of obedience to God or will you walk away? As we prove ourselves in these little tests He will begin to entrust bigger things to us.

My husband and I have fun giving big tips at restaurants. I love to think about how excited the waitress will be when she picks up the tip after we’ve left and finds it is more than expected. It seems simple but if we learn to hear God in these situations, we will be better able to hear him in bigger situations. I know some people who have given away cars, houses and airplanes because God asked them to. We aren’t there yet but I would love to get there some day.

If you want to learn to become a distribution center for God it is very easy. Simply make your heart’s desire known to God and ask Him to use you to reach others. It’s an exciting journey that you will never regret!

Thanks Everyone!

Hey, I just wanted to take a minute to thank everyone who has been dropping by and leaving comments. It’s great to get your feedback!

Thanks again!
Christy