Making the Most of What You Have, Part 3

The kingdom of God is at times paradoxical way to victory is through surrender way to be exalted is to lower yourself.

Just a few moments, Pastor Paul Sheppard shares today's destined for victory message making the most of what you have. But first he joins me from a studio in California pastor as part of this month celebration of Easter we prepared a booklet which will encourage everyone with the hope and power of the resurrection. It's called he's alive and I'll give the details and how everyone can get a copy.

The moment but right now, why should the fact that Jesus is alive be so important to those who claim to follow him.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the truth that distinguishes our faith from all other religions. When we think about it. If Jesus was only an outstanding leader and teacher while on earth, and many people even non-Christians realize that he was, but if that's all he was. Then he is to be named among great men that we who are Bible believers, we who are followers of Christ. We proclaim because we believe it is absolutely true that the historical fact is not only that he lived and died but that he rose from the grave on the third day in many lives now and he still lives. So that's a different message than you get from any religion anywhere in the world. He's not just a great man.

He is the God man. He is the Redeemer. He is the one who revelations theirs was dead but is alive see when you got me preaching buddies alive and he is coming again for his church.

I'm excited because Easter is something we need to all rejoice about because it is what makes our belief system different than any other in the whole world and I praise God that day is approaching and once again we're gonna rejoice in the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and what a day that will be pastor again the bucket is called. He's alive and it's our gift to you this month for your generous donation to Destin for victory call 855-339-5500 or visit Pastor Paul.net make a safe and secure donation online.

You can also mail your gift to Destin for victory PO Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. Again, our address Destin for victory. Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. While I don't receive knowing that God has promised to respond to my giving by blessing, not just financially by blessing me in a way that go far beyond in the kingdom of God.

The best way to receive blessings is to give blessings away coming your way next on Destin for victory. Pastor Paul Sheppard reminds us that tithing and giving generously comes with some wonderful promises from God. He has blessings in store for you that you would have never seen coming.

But first you want you to trust him by giving your ties and offerings solicit join pastor now for today's message making the most of what you have.

We are looking at what it means to be excellent works. God's property. Our treasure our time and our talents are, in fact the property all our God, and it is our job to please him by the way we use goals resources. We are currently looking at what it means to please God with our treasure with the money that he has entrusted to us and in the last part of the series.

We were looking at this business of giving generously. There are three ways that we can please God with his financial resources. The first of the give generously. The second is to save strategically and this and sensibly. I want to get to those other two in this message. But before I do, let me finish making sure that we understand that when God calls us to give. He is really not taking from us, but he is setting us up to receive all that he has for us. A lot of people are sort of slow in the business of learning. The give generously because they think it is the release of things but actually when you paradigm is when you give, you're setting yourself up for God to bless you in some wonderful way and so you see the connection now in order. We don't give receive that as our motive is not to receive where the medicinal got her back something that's not my motive. I don't give in to receive that would be a selfish and self-centered motive to advance the kingdom of God. I did not. I do acknowledge his Lordship over my life and all that you've entrusted to me. I bless the needs of others and to minister to them in the name of Christ. That's why you bought while I don't get to receive. Knowing that God has promised to respond to my giving by blessing me not just naturally by blessing me in a way that go far beyond finance so I want to hurry up and make sure you understand before I get to spending and saving that giving up time and offerings set up God been to know he can entrust us with anything you have in mind for us to look at the connection between giving and receiving that you find right in Scripture. 1124.

One man gives freely. Yet even more makes sense in the carnal mind, but likely.

The Bible says when you give freely you actually position yourself and proverb says, you gain more wealth withholds unduly what comes the poverty have you ever noticed that people donate the blessing of the Lord have a lot of money. I know something, but don't have the blessing of the Lord become the property and financial poverty and emotional poverty. Some people who are rich people and happy why because the principal you find here in Proverbs it when you really got the reason why he puts things in you are not all you and so when you release it you release. Also, the blessing of God because God is saying that's right you are handling my property the way I want you to and so the proverb says you're setting yourself up to be blessed. The next verse their problems.

1125 says generous man will prosper refreshes. Others will himself be refreshed. Blessing is what that mean the connection between giving and receiving. Malachi 3 bring tithing to the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the gates of heaven and so much blessing that you will not have room enough. Not just financially but in things money can buy.

Look at the connection again in Jesus words in Luke 638 and it shall be given to you for a lot of us think he will know that's not God's power. Time Jesus said, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your lap with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. With nine people whose souls generously will also generously Jesus that whatever measure you use, that's what you can expect your generous you take care and God will take care of your and so I want you to notice that correspondence and of course you see examples in the Scripture that Elijah went to the Lord sent Elijah to be called capable of taking care of Elijah without any for a period of time while he sat by the chair. Elijah drank from the book and then God supernaturally why some and bring him his food and got but he wanted to bless a window in the middle of a famine, and the only way he could ask this woman was to test our faith and obedience so he says the proper number with instructions going to give you the last man is a bold preacher woke up in somebody's place as they feed me all about to sign this right now, but it was a test of faith and the window passed the test and as a result of her passing in first Kings chapter 17. The Lord blessed her and she and her son ate throughout the and then we all know the story in John six of the little boy with the fish sandwiches rated job gobbled up six verse five. But he said the clear blue sky. He's got a good that's not God's will. God says what you say put them together yet, but sit down and put them together and when he saw that she needed it into the hands of the master and when he released it into the Lord and he that I'm very multiplied. We want to be but you gotta do is break with your money. So kingdom you should do as I did thank you, as I did. I acknowledge the Lord as I did place and then when you do it you set yourself up for the blessing the Bible says God multiplied it in that place and thousands were. From this little boys lunch that's God's demo so I just want to be forget the spending and saving. I just want to encourage you with what you have now say one that not all time now I do it now because I do it in obedience.

I do it as an act of worship.

I do it.

Trusting God and I say Lord I'm going to look to you that you will indeed be my source. Do it now. Don't wait because the enemy will talk you out of it and so you have to honor God.

Now, say from this Lord, I'll use God's money first to honor him with the tithe and the offerings and how look to God to please God with my don't go away were only about halfway through today's testing for Victor message with pastor Paul Sheppard who is senior pastor of destiny Christian Fellowship in Fremont, California subscribe to Pastor Paul on YouTube to watch some of his best video clips for more details. Be sure to visit Pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net. You can listen on demand recent messages or find a variety of resources that are online store now, let's tune into the rest of today's message making the most of what you have, once again, here's Pastor Paul Sheppard the second way sensibly and strategically.

Now we gotta get down to the nuts and bolts in real practical because the fact of the matter is if you notice in the parable. The servants knew exactly what the master them and they knew what he expected them to do to maximize they knew exactly what they were given say strategically, we can talk about that without talking about spending sensibly, coldly they go hand-in-hand.

A lot of us don't say because we spend out of order now brought my own name and with me today so don't worry about it, but I know when I got a plow the field and as I was comparing the series I sold his plowing time right here to preach about Jesus in heaven. You know all like that when you get in focus while it and bank accounts they become to draw up about what I'm doing with my money for causes in the Bible.

That's what I'm talking about it.

I'm going to preach the whole word not just the part you like this in the smorgasbord you want to go to country buffet one note, places, here you will get the word and get gospel light less filling tastes great because I'm preaching to the end that I can hear the Lord say well done and that means I have to ignore y'all when you draw up on me. So just ride this one out and you might mess around and hear God say some to you along the way.

Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. That's my premise. That's why I'm in your business about finance before we get the time and talent to be a little more comfortable, time and talent but money is the bombing there because the Bible says it is stored by God that he be found to help you.

Generally to beep before God when your dresser so that means we got to talk about how we spend money and whether or not we save money.

In addition to the giving of tithes and offerings.

We now have to look at spending sensibly and saving strategically in order to be good stewards because remember the time he owns 100%. We start our worship giving with the tie but we sent you all of this.

So it is business how I take care your property. Notice again in the parable that they knew exactly what they were given. So here's the first question I have for you as we look at assessing the money God has entrusted to us in assessing what were doing with it. Do you know what God has really given to really assess what God is giving us.

We get a check put it in whatever paycheck is all your source of income. If you sit on, go check in the mail. Whatever you do pop it in the bank or its direct deposit, whatever and then you just go about the business of spending, but first question I want to ask you is are you like the people in the servants of the parable. And you know exactly what the master has given you an estimated and rounded off. They knew exactly what had been entrusted to them because that's what they had to answer for you to assess the money.

God is entrusted to you and assess what you're currently doing with it very simply with some of you already do this, just having a sense of writing it down your income and your expenses. What am I really taking in and then what am I doing with it. What are my expenses so begin with some assessment. Now many of you already do that in course some of the computer so y'all still aren't delivered from right and everything out so however you do it that's fine with you long handle when you just get Quicken us up on your computer. You need to know exactly what God has entrusted to you in terms of finances and what you're doing with it every month.

So write out your income and your expenses because we want to be good stewards. That's just the general thing we all ought to do, but I'll bet they'll some of us who are ready to go to stewardship boot camp and really we want to give God a maximum return on his investment in us. If you are okay. Let me give you a special challenge isn't for the faint of heart folk who want to get dead serious about their stewardship for days. Whether that begins tomorrow or when you want to wait to the beginning of a new month 30 of 31 days on that particular month is your call.

You can do this across month you can do this from 30 day starting tomorrow for the next 30 days. Whatever you're going to get the same kind of information but for 30 days. What a start immediately or the beginning of the next month.

Keep tabs every thing you spend your giving your past purchases, your credit card purchases your payment of big bills.

Your payment of little bills you buy lunch on the job was unfriendly going to let you come on the withdrawal what you bought a quiz Knowles and all that your gas which is a big meal now. Write down the bind, showing admittance to me. That leaves your hand jotted down for 30 day period and look at what am I really doing with the resources it's not condemnation. God want you to enjoy your life God wants to bless you is blessed when income and part of that is certainly to be enjoy. This isn't about condemnation.

It's about examination, because what we will find is we have all or that we can redirect some purposes. We choose to do it that we think we do. What I would love to get out of debt. For instance, my limited, but you when you do this day boot camp you will see that trying to get me your cell with a lot of purchases and a lot of discretionary spending that God has in the given you please at least that he is going to blast your obedience to help you get out of debt and get on your feet… Doing without giving you a CD that will give your calling them and will give you a seed to plant and so you're going to discover if you take up this boot camp.

John the glass door so I have the see how many are going do it between you and the Lord but I want to encourage you to take up the challenge so that you can get really aware of what exactly do I tend to do with the resources God has entrusted me and again is not for the purpose of the condemnation. There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. This is not about condemnation.

We are the recipients of grace, but with this comes up and go above and beyond and give God a great return on his investment to general income and expenses.

But if you're down I want to take up a 30 day challenge and the second thing you would want to be excellent stewardship. We assess what God has entrusted to us and what we doing with it the second thing I want to encourage you to do is to create a financial plan for your self with three goals in mind. Goal number one to live within your means to live within your means I'm setting the goal by God's grace to live within my means is that we are making it every month at the menu live within your means, because truth be told if we were truly within our means. Then we have no credit card debt, but our society is card because we live by, often we put it on the plastic and then we say will hook it up down the road and we don't have a real plan.

So I want to encourage you to set up a plan with three goals the first of the live within your means, which is consistent with Luke 1610 people can be trusted with can be talking with month, the first thing is, God can you trust me with what I have now steadily bellyache about I was at Moran, which I was at a different tax bracket with whatever what I'm doing now. That's the operative question. What am I doing now. God has only blessed me with this income now should not be living behind it until God is me with this so as a result of my faithfulness regional pastor is encouraging myself as I don't know your good words.

I want to make sure that I begin to honestly actually live within my means.

The second goal, my personal financial plan is going to be late. My current credit card debt without creating new credit card see some of us, not you, but you will will pay down a corridor to, but as soon as something else comes up gets a little squeaky or some all in the new furniture run down to the store, you see some wholesale is just what I need question is have God bless you with the cast of by advances no it's not your season about the car you can meet at noon so you know you want to know so you need some type what is right and squeaks but so did you get when the pillow the phone is all messed up and it does feel good anymore. Making something that you out without you running down the clearance. Everything must go blow your house.

Thanks for being here for today's destined for victory message making the most of what you have.

For more information about our ministry were to find out how you can request your copy pastor Paul's booklet. He's alive, visit pastor Paul.net that's Pastor Paul.net.

The first thing is, God can you trust me with what I have now bellyache about I was at Moran, which I was at a different tax back. I was whatever what is going now and that's tomorrow in pastor Paul Shepard's message making the most of what you have until then, remember he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion in Christ, you are destined for victory