FAMILY GOD\’S WAY
FINANCES LESSON 4
FEED YOUR SPIRIT AND SOUL
How many of you have a regular exercise program? How many of you are
concerned about weight gain? How many are you are dieting?
We put a lot of emphasis\’s on our appearance. We want out bodies to look
their best. We buy clothes to make us look and feel good.
And this we should do. The body is the temple of the Lord. We should want
the Lord\’s temple to look it\’s best. We should want the Lord\’s temple to look
its best for our spouses and our children.
But did you know that you are composed of three elements, body, spirit and a
soul? God formed Adam out of the dust of the earth, breath into him (spirit)
and he became a living soul.
Some time we neglect the feeding of the soul and the spirit. These two can only be
properly feed with the Word of God.
The soul is said to be the seat of all our emotions; anger, joy, love, frustrations,
anxiety . The spirit guides all our decisions.
We can be fed by the TV, the internet and other people. Most of the time
what we get from the world will be lies, deceptions and half truths.
When it comes to our finances we need the Word of God to feed us.
Let\’s begin with the start of Jesus ministry. After His baptism, Jesus was led
to the desert to be tempted by the devil.
We live in a desert of temptation.
Matthew 4:1-4
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
3 The tempter came to him and said, \”If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.\”
4 Jesus answered, \”It is written: \’Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.\’\”
Jesus could have easily showed out. He did not need a stone to make bread.
He could have spoke and bread would have appeared. Satan was appealing
to the flesh of Jesus. But Jesus put the feeding of the soul and the spirit
first.
Most of our lives we haven been trying to prove we can do stuff without God.
We feed the flesh with our resources first.
All our lives we have we have been trying to make bread out of stones
We serve a God that can make bread out of nothing
Everything we try to do without God is making bread out of stone
We feed the flesh while leaving the spirit and the soul desolate.
PUT GOD FIRST IN YOUR FINANCES
Exodus 13:1-2
The Lord said to Moses,
\”Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether man or animal.\”
Exodus 34:26
\”The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother\’s milk.\”
The word \”first\” is used 377 time in the Bible. It is used 216 times in the Old Testament.
It is a very important word to God. God want to be first in your life.
Notice, this is God talking to a nation He had just formed. He was about to give them
everything they needed to survive.
The Land He took them to, was full with animals and trees and vegetables.
What God was saying is that from everything that produce, put Me first.
It is God who gives us a job, income and families. God is the source of all our
resources. He commands us to put Him first. That is a habit we have to develop
and exercise. God gives to us first, so we can give Him back to him our first.
After being tempted by the devil ,Jesus showed us that we need to feed the
soul and the spirit first with His Word.
Successful finances began with the Word of God. Otherwise we are attempting
to make bread out of stone. Look around you, and you will see some
successful stones, that soon crumble with out God. Look at all the
successful movie stars and entertainers who have failed in the long run.
The world presents us with stones.
According to the TV, The internet we need stuff to be happy.
We need more stuff to replace the old stuff that is still working.
we need the latest and newest stuff.
No add ever says pay God first before you buy our stuff.
If companies understood that the origin of everything came from God
they would push putting God first and sell more stuff.
TRUST GOD TO SUPPLY ALL YOUR NEEDS
2 Corinthians 9:10-11
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
11 You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
NIV
One of the Salesmen that I admire most is Mattress Max
God first and sales a lot of stuff. He gives back to the neighborhood
that supports his business.
Proverbs 22:9
9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
In Acts 20:35, the Apostle Paul says these words,
In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: \’It is more blessed to give than to receive.\’\”
YOUR GIVING ACTIVATES YOUR RECIEVING
Malachi 3:10
10 Bring the whole tithe into 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 floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
Its the obedient giving that activates God\’s promise of receiving.
Luke 6:38
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.\”
It is the giving that activates the receiving
Proverbs 22:9
9 A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor.
Dr Charles Stanley in one of his sermons said he was taught by his mother
that out of his income he should; Give Some, Save Some and Spend Some.
REDUCE YOUR CREDIT CARD DEBT
Deuteronomy 28:12-13
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.
Proverbs 22:7
7 The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.
NIV
The TV, the internet and all news media want you to believe to be happy
you need more stuff. You need more stuff to replace the stuff you have
that is still good.
To make sure you have more stuff, credit card companies bombard you
approved credit card deals. Stores offer you discounts to open a credit card
in their name. Miss one payment and you have a 30 percent interest rate.
BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOUR HAVE
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, \”Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.\”
All adds are designed to make you discontent with what you have.
Learning to be content with what you have will reduce the desire to go
shopping for what you don\’t need.
WORK HARD FOR WHAT YOU WANT
Proverbs 14:23
All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 28:19
He who works his land will have abundant food, but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.
NIV
NEVER COSIGN FOR ANY ONE
Never cosign a note for anyone. Not your good buddy, your brother or sister
or even mom and dad. Help when you can help, but don\’t cosign.
No one will protect your credit like you.
Proverbs 11:15
15 He who puts up security for another will surely suffer, but whoever refuses to strike hands in pledge is safe.
Proverbs 17:18
A man lacking in judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
NIV
Proverbs 22:26-27
Do not be a man who strikes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts;
27 if you lack the means to pay, your very bed will be snatched from under you.
SEEK GODLY COUNSEL
Psalms 1:1-2
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.
PRAY FOR THE SUCCESS YOU WANT
Philippians 4:6
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Matthew 7:7
\”Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:11
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!
John 14:14
You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.
