Managing Your Money Well

I will let you know that we not only have to give an account for our lives.

We have to give an account for what we did with it is resources like two separate living from what you do with your money know it's one in the same right doesn't have to do only with your moral decisions and all of that your relationship it has to do with your relationship with the dollar.

The word of God contains over 2000 verses on money is about four times as often as it talks about prayer and faith hello and welcome to this Thursday edition of Destin for victory with pastor Paul Shepherd, senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California. Clearly, God believes the subject of money is of vital importance that means from time to time pastor Paul is charged with the task of giving us some reminders not only about tithing or giving about money management. In general, that's what we headed today. Stay with us now or stop by Pastor Paul.net to listen on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net here is Pastor Paul. Today's message managing your money.

Well, I want to let you know that we not only have to give an account for our quote unquote lives. We have to give an account for what we did with his resources, like two separate living room.

What you do with your money know it's one in the same right doesn't have to do only with your moral decisions and all of that your relationship it has to do with your relationship with the dollar.

So you gotta know that we will give an account not only for quote unquote how we lived.

But what we did with the finances. He entrusted to us. So here's what I want to do in the next 17 minutes and before I moved to my final point I want to give you fivefold approach to handling your money in a way that will allow the master. The owner of it say to you, well done good and faithful servant.

Let me give you a fivefold approach to handling money, which I highly recommend.

Alright, so here's the first thing in this approach, so generously if you want to hear the Lord say well done first thing you want to do is so generously when I say so I'm talking about in the same way that a farmer gardener souls into the ground.

You want us so into the kingdom of God.

That's our primary source of sewing, according to the Scriptures and then you also want to so into the lives of people in need, but our times. Our offerings primarily go first and foremost to the kingdom of God. We are sowing into the kingdom because that's eternal God wants us to take what is temporary and invested into what is eternal. In other words, we do what we can't keep and what we don't own in order to gain an eternal harvest, Paul talks about that when he writes the Corinthian church you want to get an eternal harvest so that by sowing into the kingdom were seen live streams not only for time and for eternity. The reason why we're preaching the gospel to the ends of the earth. Destiny is because we want an eternal harvest. I want people from every continent on the planet to join us in heaven because they were ministered to by this church and by the ministries we support the missions in the church plants in the parachurch organizations and all that we are trying to gain an eternal harvest.

That's why destined for victory is not only on over 400 stations here in the US but it is heard by podcast literally around the world through our through the Internet and with serious we are trying to take to heaven from every nation, every people group on earth and therefore we so generously and I want to let you know if you want to hear the Lord say well done.

He wants to know what you do to make sure there was eternal harvest with your funds so so generously please my brother, my sister do not let folks tell you things that will corrupt your worship. I hear people say what you know tithing is leaving New Testament as Old Testament and they try to act like so shouldn't be practice.

The New Testament calls us to. So generously, Paul said to the Corinthian church, he who so generously will reap generously where called the generous giving you something, I believe generous giving should start with the tide, because the time is not on the lawless sum tried to emphasize the time predates the law you see tithing in Genesis the loading shop to Moses which is Exodus and so the tide predates the law the tide I believe is the best way to begin your cell wing generously. I have an account, I recommend some of you do it.

I have a giving account at my bank same bank where our joint account is my wife and I have are our joint checking in our joint savings and she has a personal saving down. I'm not even assigned that I'll know what's in it. Praise God we got the joint checking and the joint savings and then I have in that bank a personal beginning account. That is my ties and offerings output X percentages it's it's about 10 you'll need to know my percentages you just asked the Lord what you're supposed to do and I give a certain percentage of the funds that God gives me into that account. In fact, is direct deposited soul.

When my check comes my paycheck comes I don't even see that it's already gone. It has gone into God's account the kingdom account. The account of sewing and it goes out from there to meet the needs of the kingdom, and also use that to help people in need from time to time but I need to let you know that sewing generously is one of the best things you can do with your money and you hear these people fight about tithing. I say okay sorry to you want to say tide is not New Testament.you agree with me that generosity is New Testament they say yeah and Eleanor. They just walked right into SLK general risk is more than 10% generous is more like what you give to your mortgage company generous is more like what you pay when you gotta take care of housing in this crazy world of ours. So call me talking bout you don't have to type to please God.

You have to be generous to please God and generosity exceeds the time so you better be glad the Bible calls you to honor the Lord with your possessions with the firstfruits of your increase and it encourages although does not demand the tide. What I just quoted was Proverbs 39 honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase when you get increased. That's what your job is giving you. That's what your other means of income or giving you when you get increase honor the Lord first firstfruits out of it. I don't just get firstfruits in the first part of the year idea firstfruits. All during the year but every time I get increased firstfruits comes out of that as a offering first to the Lord and then also we make sure that we help people in need. All right number two. Not only so generously, but number two strength that systematically that's the second of the fivefold approach to handling money going to think of it as is your five fingers, one finger so generously. The second finger strength that systematically you are in consumer debt set your goal to get out of it in the next several months on the next several years and you will be so much blessed talking about living successfully. One of the best ways to live a successful life is the live a debt-free life say man wherever you are. And even if you're not there. You want to get there.

I still have a mortgage so I'm not all the way there but I'm I want to get there but I certainly have gotten rid of consumer debt and there is a freedom bear is a lift to get when you get rid of those loans and whatever it is what it school loans or whatever you have that you get lifted you get happier you get here you get a lighter window debt goals away. You know why that is because Proverbs 22 seven says the rich over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

That's why you need to get rid of your debt because in a way, you are ruled over until you get rid of that debt, then you will be free. But right now you got a master and that master is whoever you still owe money to limit some of consumer debt. Your credit card companies use somebody all have a master call visa so we all have a master called MasterCard so we all have school loan Masters.

Whatever it is so set your goal going to get rid of this debt in the coming weeks moms or years. We have couples. I'm so proud, here at destiny.

We have couples that have worked hard and we have some singles who have worked hard and recently have been able to say I am now dead. Three. What a blessing that they have gone through it. Now here at our church we take them through financial peace University. There are many ways you can do it so I don't have a personal relationship with Dave Ramsey.

I'm not pushing him for personal reasons.

They want to bless me go in but it's me, but I don't know him, never met him but our church because some of our people went through it and I gave them the charge of taking others through it and we've now taken through a couple of classes of people through financial peace University and some of them are coming back saying I'm now debt-free. Some start out with six-figure debt. Some start out with five figured that, and they learn how to get it. Get rid of it and you can do would you accumulate and you can get rid of it. Don't let the devil tell you. You always will be, and that the devil is a liar you can be ready if you make it your decision and we have people who can help you do it.

I will have some of them record their testimonies and something about it so that they can share even on video how they did it and so I'm so proud of them.

One of them is a one of our young couples the Collins who have their first baby now, but that baby is coming into a debt-free family thanked Jesus what a wonderful thing right back with more of today's testing for Victor message from Pastor Paul Sheppard to listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcast. Be sure to stop by Pastor Paul.net. There you can listen on demand. That's Pastor Paul.net and be sure to stay with us after today's message when he joins me from a studio in California.

But first, let's return to pastors fivefold approach to money management and the rest of today's message managing your money. Well alright so generously first finger in this fivefold approach to handling money right second shrink that systematically number three say regularly read Genesis 41 versus 34 through 36.

I will read it be out of time before I know it. I want you to study what God gave Joseph to tell Pharaoh about how to prepare for the famine that was coming in Egypt and in Genesis 41. Joseph said Pharaoh.

Here's what you need to do and told him during the years of plenty take 20% of the grain from the field and store it up. Now most of us can save 20% of our money, but the idea is you say everything you have now is not for now. Some of what you have now is for later. So whatever percentage of these past I can do anything there that say 1% say something every time you get money, put some of it for a another time. That's what God told Joseph that's the wisdom he gave Joseph to give to Pharaoh there. In Genesis 41 were going to sell generously were going to shrink that systematically were going to say regularly. Let me give you two more spam number four spend wisely spend wisely. Don't spend because you're frustrated those pain causes in your pocket and so we don't even have it in your in your pocket. You only have a card and you spend because you have the card don't do that spend wisely.

Here's what Luke 1428 says which of you, this is Jesus making which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it.

You see that Jesus said to build a tower, you have the idea, but then you gotta calculate count the cost do I have the money to finish the tower. I don't want to start a tower that all men I went on when I came he finish it know so the principle is you spend yes but you spend wisely. You spend intelligently. You think. Is this something I can and should spend money on and cannot complete any thing that I start mixing up faith with stuff like that. I hear people blame it on faith.

I did did by faith know you did because you didn't think you did it because you didn't plan, you did it because you will be presumptuous and we need to become more intelligent.

The older I get, the more I am calling people to intelligence, don't be a follower of Christ be an intelligent follower of Christ somebody who thinks somebody who lives your life intentionally and with planning and structured thinking, and so I need you to know this is an approach it.

We will take this approach from today, so meals and past. I wish I heard this 10 years ago 15 years ago, but I made so many financial mistake. I am buried.

I am buried under an avalanche of that you can begin the systematically get out of that. I'm not telling you what I think I'm telling.

There are people who have experienced getting out from under that mountain that avalanche and are experiencing the blessings the freedom it took a long while. They couldn't keep going.

The cheesecake factory while they were doing it so we all got acquitted, you just are so used to yellow you little things you can afford it.

You gotta master you gotta pay off before you're free from slavery. Right now you can afford it and so you got to just put cheesecake off into the future.

I'll see y'all later we get to the two kinds of bread. They do have some good bread.

There are two got UK does run up in there when you are asleep, so you've got to just wait and you go home to go to the supermarket get you something you want in the wheat bread find some low bread that you can buy a loaf that and you instead of cheesecake affected all those wonderful entrées baloney has a habit that's all commercially well know if you'll remember that my baloney has a first night. It was Oscar Meyer and so you just got to do what you gotta do in order to get where you gotta go, and you gotta get to the place where God himself who is going to call us to account for the way we use our funds you want to hear him say well done good and faithful servant fifth and final point set aside a legacy set aside a legacy now. I have taught the first four points, four years off and on during various stewardship messages and stuff the first time I've ever made this for point. You know why I frankly I didn't think about it in those years. Set aside a legacy. I now got a grandchild and I'm starting to think generationally and I said you know what God before things are good, but there's something else we all need to do and that is to set aside a legacy you might not do it right away. But you should do it at some point.

Proverbs 1322 says a good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, and I Started think about that because a little less than a year ago. My first grandchild was born and he doesn't know it yet because he's coming up on his first birthday know it yet, but pop-up has started an account for him he can have any time soon, but pop-up has started an account for him because one day he's going have educational expenses in all these days you can just think college.

I think sometimes these first school the kids go to sometimes a costly and so I'm thinking ahead and already he doesn't know about already. He's got four figures in an account with his name on it eventually will go to five figures because I want to leave him a legacy. Why want him when I'm with the Lord.

I want him to see a picture pop-up and blow a kiss because pop-up helped him get some stuff done that needed to get done legally blazing laptops. I will have kids, what you got nieces and nephews find somebody worthy the soul into into their future. Got a lot help you identify how best to do that under your circumstances so that you can hear the Lord say well done good and faithful servant brothers and sisters, be sure that you treat money the way God will be pleased and he will bless you as a result, think of how much better you will be when you're handling money right when you're sowing generously and receiving the blessings of God which are not just material and financial when you so right, God blesses you in ways that money can't buy. And so that'll be a great blessing.

Then when you shrink your debt that lifts that load of got off of you and you live lighter and freer then save money and you got to make sure that you put away something from now because not everything to make it now is for now. Some of it put away for later in the fourth thing we said is you got to make sure that you spend wisely, and so don't spend money frivolously when you need to get out of debt when you need to say when you need to so and when you need to do the fifth thing, which is to set aside a legacy will do that right brothers and sisters in God is going to bless us. Thanks so much for being here for today's destined for victory message managing your money. Well, look for any of Pastor Paul's recent messages online on demand@pastorpaul.net that's Pastor Paul.net and please the pastors in the studio pester your ministry to us each day the radio and with the various online sources for destined for victory.

So encouraging, but one more thing you do and you feel strongly about this is the monthly encouragement letter that goes out to everyone as a word about that. Yeah, absolutely. The one letter I feel strongly about making sure we produce every month is an encouragement letter and so I take some time and based on some teaching of that month, and occasionally is not related to the teaching just something that got put on my heart and that particular time I write a letter to let people know.

Not only are we preaching messages, but we really trying to impact your life and help you with application because again I ministry exist to help people know of God's son apply God's word and fulfill God's purpose and my encouragement letter is designed to help you know him apply his word fulfill his purpose and so I feel strongly about it and I would encourage people who are not on our mailing list to please take a moment and let us know.

Hey, I'd love to get the letter.

It's absolutely free is no obligation for no obligation at all. We will take care of the stamp and everything.

All you gotta do is let us know. We can reach you. We'd be happy to send it to you. We can also send it to you by email. And it's important for you to be encouraged month by month and so please let us do that get in touch with us. Give us your email and your mailing address so we can get in touch with you on a monthly basis.

The word encouragement means to give someone support confidence or hope. Sometimes all three. That's what Pastor Paul seeks to do each month with these letters of encouragement, you can sign up today and you'll be glad you did hear something else for you when you send a generous gift to destined for victory will gladly send you by request Pastor Paul shepherds DVD message influencers for Christ. Did you know that less than half of all Americans identify themselves as members of a church or synagogue, mosque or any other religious organization that may sound discouraging, but Pastor Paul believes it should actually excite us to tell you why in this DVD message influencers for Christ is our gift to you for your generous donation to destined for victory. So please call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to destined for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. Again, the address is destined for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

Let me tell you my brother, my sister your now is talk. You don't see a bright future, all you see is trouble all you see is trials I came to tell you you need to look above the clouds because when God makes a promise.

He's not negative based on what you're going through now he's making a based on what you're going to and that's tomorrow in Pastor Paul shepherds message maintaining the right attitude when things go wrong, but until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory