Category: Getting a Grip on Your Money

How God Wants To Take Care of You Financially

Getting a Grip on Your Money – Part 4 of 4

Pastor John Fanous

June 8, 2008

“You cannot be the slave of two masters! You will like one more than the other or be more loyal to one than the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matthew 6:24

Serve Money Serve God

“Don’t worry and ask yourselves, ‘Will we have anything to eat? Will we have anything to drink? Will we have any clothes to wear?’ Only people who don’t know God are always worrying about such things…But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.” Matthew 6:31,33

JESUS SAYS, “I WANT TO REASSURE YOU WITH TWO PIECES OF INFORMATION…”

“ONLY A FEW THINGS REALLY MATTER IN LIFE – ___________ ON THEM”

“Isn’t life more than food or clothing?” Mt 6:25

“Don’t store up treasures on earth! Moths and rust can destroy them, and thieves can break in and steal them. Instead, store up your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy them, and thieves cannot break in and steal them.” Mt 6:19-20

” Jesus answered: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind.’ This is the first and most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like this one. And it is, ‘Love others as much as you love yourself.’” Mt 22:37-39

“YOU REALLY _________________ TO ME”

“Look at the birds in the sky! They don’t plant or harvest. They don’t even store grain in barns. Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them. Aren’t you worth more than birds?” Mt 6:26

“God gives such beauty to everything that grows in the fields, even though it is here today and thrown into a fire tomorrow. He will surely do even more for you! Why do you have such little faith?” Mt 6:30

“Your Father in heaven knows that you need all of these.” Mt 6:32b

“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.” Ro 5:8

All Bible verses in this outline are from the Contemporary English Version (CEV)

Tools for Avoiding and Getting Out of Debt

Getting a Grip on Your Money – Part 3 of 4

Pastor John Fanous

June 1, 2008

AVOIDING DEBT

Realize that debt makes you a ____________________

“Suppose some of your people become so poor that they have to sell themselves and become your slaves.” Le 25:39 (CEV)

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

Realize that God wants you to ___________________ and not borrow.

“The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.” Dt 28:12-13

Be ___________________ with living simply.

“…Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.” Pr 30:8-9

Make a ________________________.

“Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never

have enough.” Proverbs 21:5 (GNT)

Only charge for what you can ______________________ immediately.

” Let no debt remain outstanding…” Ro 13:8

GETTING OUT OF DEBT

(2 Kings 4:1-7)

“At the end of every seventh year there is to be a canceling of all debts! Every creditor shall write ‘Paid in full’ on any promissory note he holds against a fellow Israelite, for the Lord has released everyone from his obligation.” Dt 15:1-2 (The Living Bible)

1. Write down all your __________________

The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?” “Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”

2. Make a _______________________ plan

“The wicked borrow and do not repay…” Ps 37:21

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”

3. Work hard and trust God for His ________________________

She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.” But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing. She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”

COVETING A LITTLE CONTENTMENT!?

Escaping Materialism

Guest speaker: Roger Dill

Edgewater Covenant Church May 25, 2008

I. HOW MUCH IS ENOUGH?

Human desires are like the world of the dead. There is always room for more-Proverbs 27:10 (GN).

II. THE CONFESSIONS OF A FORMER CAR SALESMAN

When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it -she’d know everything!-she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate–Genesis 3:6 (The Message). BEWARE THE PHYCHOLOGY OF ETHER!

Thus marks the birth of the “Age of Materialism!”

DEFINITION: 1. Philosophy-the theory that physical matter is the only reality and that everything, including thought, feeling, mind and will, can be explained in terms of matter and physical phenomena, 2. The theory or attitude that physical well-being & worldly possessions constitute the greatest good & highest value in life.

In more personal terms, “You may be a Materialist if you believe that…”

• I AM WHAT I DRIVE
• I AM WHAT I _____________.
• I AM WHAT I ________________.
• I AM WHAT I ________________.
• I AM WHAT I SPEND
• I AM ________________ or I AM _______________________..

MY NET-WORTH EQUALS MY ___________—____________!

III. COVETING IS THE GATEWAY TO MATERIALISM

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.-Exodus 20:17 (NIV).

The Influenza Epidemic of 1918 vs. The Affluenza Pandemic of 2008

AFFLUENZA’S SYMPTOMS (See Ecclesiastes 5: 10-17):

• FATIGUE: Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich; be wise enough to control yourself.-Proverbs 23:4 (NCV).
• DEBT: The rich rule over the poor and the borrower becomes the lender’s slave.-Proverbs 22:7 (NASB).
• WORRY: Hard and honest work earns a good night’s sleep, whether supper is beans or steak. But a rich man’s belly gives him insomnia-Ecclesiastes 5:12 (The Message)
• CONFLICT: Do you know where your fights and arguments come from? They come from the selfish desires that war within you –James 4:1 (NCV)
• DISSATISFACTION: Whoever loves money never has money enough, whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.-Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV)

IV. THE CURE OF CONTENTMENT (See Philippians 4:10-19).

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have-Hebrews 13:5 (GN)

A. GAIN A CLEAR _____________________.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.-Philippians 4:11, 12 (NIV).

B. DEVELOPING ABSOLUTE DEPENDENCE IN THE _____________________

______________________________!

I can do all things through him who gives me strength.-Philippians 4:13 (NIV).

C. SET CLEAR ___________________.

…you sent me aid again and again when I was in need…I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God… -Philippians 4: 16b, 18b (NIV).

The purpose of tithing is to teach you to always put God first-Deuteronomy 14:23

D. ENJOY THE _______________________________!

Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to you account…And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.-Philippians 4:17a, 19 (NIV).

V. FINAL WORD:

What is one thing that you can do to begin to learn the secret of contentment? Will you start today?

Understanding God’s Financial Plan

Getting a Grip on Your Money – Part 1 of 4

Pastor John Fanous

May 18, 2008

“So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth,

who will trust you with true riches?” Luke 16:11

Five Foundations for Financial Freedom

1. Keep _____________________________________

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; for riches do not endure forever…” Proverbs 27:23-24

“Dishonest money dwindles away, but he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.” Proverbs 13:11

2. Plan _____________________________________

“Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough.” Proverbs 21:5 (GNT)

3. Save _____________________________________

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

4. Return _____________________________________

“Honor the Lord by giving him the first part of all your income, and he will fill your barn…” Proverbs 3:9-10 (The Living Bible)

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse… try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.” Mal 3:10 (NKJV)

“He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.” Proverbs 19:17

5. Be _____________________________________

“It’s better to enjoy what we have than to always want something else, because that makes no more sense than chasing the wind.” Ecclesiastes 6:9 (CEV)

“If God gives a man wealth and property and lets him enjoy them, he should be grateful and enjoy what he has worked for. It is a gift from God.” Ec 5:19 (GNT)

What most people do: The order God blesses:

1. Earn it 1. Earn it

2. Enjoy it 2.

3. Repay it (past) 3.

4. Save it (future) 4.

5. Give it (eternal) 5.

“If I have put my trust in money, if my happiness depends on wealth… it would mean that I denied the God of heaven.” Job 31:24-25,28 (The Living Bible)