Archive for Finances
12 Reasons I Was BROKE…and How You Can Get Out Of Debt!!! October 12, 2011
I was broke…and I HATED IT! No one likes being broke, yet we live in a country where around 78% of people live from paycheck to paycheck. I was there, struggling, confused and frustrated…and when Lucretia and I got married we had over $100,000 worth of debt and did not even own a home! Then…finally in 1999 I fully surrendered my finances to the Lord and today Lucretia and I have ZERO debt except for our home…here are the reasons I personally held out…
#1 – I was all about what I could accumulate…not understanding that everything this world has to offer will one day be in a junk pile. AND…it took me awhile to fully understand that selfish, self centered people were miserable and NEVER did anything significant that impacted the world for good. However, God seems to always bless and use people who are generous!
#2 – My heart did not fully belong to Jesus (Jesus said if our heart is His then our treasure will be as well…Matthew 6:19-21!)
#3 – I lived in fear rather than faith…I didn’t understand the reality of Psalm 24:1 that God owns EVERYTHING and that He has way more than I could ever imagine. I used the excuse that “I could not afford to tithe” until I finally realized that I would actually NEVER be able to afford to tithe until I first took the step of faith and began to do what God has so clearly commanded of me in the Scriptures.
#4 – I did not fully understand that followers of Jesus actually became more generous, not more greedy! (See Luke 19:1-10) Also…Jesus didn’t seek to give the minimum, He gave it ALL (II Corinthians 9:15)
#5 – I had a scarcity mentality, after spending some time not having a place to live I began to actually believe that the more money I accumulated the safer I would be. (BTW…we’ve seen this prove to be untrue as over the past five years thousands of people who thought their retirement was secure have seen their hopes shattered!) (See Psalm 49:10, Ecclesiastes 5:10)
#6 – I did not actually believe the promises found in Malachi 3:10-11, Proverbs 3:9-10 and II Corinthians 9:6-8! WEIRD! I believed the promises in Scripture about salvation but not the ones about finances! (BTW…you don’t believe until you actually take a step of faith!)
#7 – I didn’t realize that my finances were actually a spiritual battlefield…and if the enemy could enslave me to Visa, Mastercard and American Express then I could not fully serve Christ with my life because I would spend most of my time serving them! (SEE PROVERBS 22:7!!!)
#8 – I made excuses such as, “I give to God in other ways other than finances,” not realizing that He said that MONEY was actually the #1 competitor for my heart Matthew 6:24)…and that when I got that area of my life right the other areas were more likely to fall in line.
#9 – I did not fully trust God with “my money!” I actually believed that I was the one who “worked hard” and produced all that I had…not fully understanding the implications of Deuteronomy 8:17-18!!!
#10 – I actually believed that the tithe was an OT law…not realizing that the principle of tithing was established HUNDREDS of years before the Law was written and that in the NT there is not one single example of a gift ever given to the church that was less than 10%.
#11 – I was STUPID financially! I made BAD decisions (actually purchasing a car and agreeing to pay 12% interest for 84 months b/c the minimum payment was so “affordable! THEN I finally learned that if we follow what the Bible says about handling money that we will be blessed–period!!!
#12 – I had ZERO discipline and fully bought into the idea that financing my lifestyle was what I needed to do!
BTW…this area of your life isn’t going to fix itself…it’s going to get better when you decided to put God first and do what the Bible says in regards to how to handle money. I know that doing so has made a HUGE difference in my own life!!
Breakthrough IS NOT going to happen because you ask God to allow you to win the lottery…breakthrough happens through SURRENDER and SWEAT (doing whatever it takes!)
If you want/need more help in this area, you can read the following articles I wrote about the top seven financial mistakes I’ve made…
- Top Seven Money Mistakes I’ve Made–Part One
- Top Seven Money Mistakes I’ve Made–Part Two
- For Church Leaders–WHY SOME CHURCHES STRUGGLE WITH MONEY
Here are several more resources!!!
- Check Out THIS PAGE On Our Website With More Info/Messages About Giving
- Check Out Our Church Giving Page That Has Information In Regards To HOW TO GET FREE FINANCIAL COUNSELING!
- Check Out Joe’s Website…SERIOUSLY, This Guy Can Help!!!
If you want to be free in this area of your life YOU CAN BE!! The choice is yours!!!
Some Quick Monday Hits… March 7, 2011
Wanted to hit a few things today…
#1 – Yesterday’s service was amazing! If you want to continue to “upgrade” your finances then join us online either tonight (Monday), tomorrow night or Wednesday night at 7pm. Joe will be teaching his Financial Learning Experience…and it is, hands down, THE best teaching on how to handle your money the way the Bible says. Before the session is over you will know how to do a budget, establish a plan to get out of debt and also have a date in mind as to when debt freedom will actually take place! Just go to www.newspring.cc at 7 (actually you might want to get there a few minutes early and download the PDF forms if you want to take notes.)
It will be the same class all three nights. We are encouraging home groups to go through this together…and even if you are not in a home group I promise you it would be great for a group of you and your friends to get together and watch.
#2 – I have hit this before but wanted to make sure people were aware of it since this is Unleash week…
We WILL NOT be streaming Unleash live on the web this year. We’ve been able to do it over the past few years; however, this year we’re will not be able to do so.
However, we will be making the video and audio recordings available for free in the next few weeks at www.unleash.cc and on itunes at the Perry Noble leadership podcast.
That’s it…happy Unleash week!!!
Making An Investment That Matters December 23, 2010
Here is what I shared this past Sunday in regards to giving. Long story short…we’re called to invest in things that matter, and honestly I don’t think there is a better investment than HIS CHURCH!
Why Some Churches Struggle With Money August 25, 2010
Some churches are struggling in regards to finances…yet many are not, even in the recession that our country has recently went through. So…why do some churches seem to struggle while others do not. Four reasons…
#1 – The Church Has No Vision
People will not consistently give to a visionless organization. However, when a church begin to seek God, BEG for HIS direction and commit to go and do whatever He says…and when steps of faith are taken…and when lives begin to be impacted because of that…and those changed lives are celebrated on a consistant basis then giving becomes a joy for the church instead of an obligation because they can see that their investment is making a difference.
#2 – The Pastor Refuses To Teach On It
It’s amazing the number of church leaders who fear teaching on money…they say, “people will get mad and leave.” I always answer, “of course they will! BUT…the only people who get angry when you teach on adultery are the ones who are actually committing adultery. SO…think about it, the people who get mad when you teach on money are the ones who have money as their god!”
Sixteen out of the thirty eight parables Jesus taught had to do with money, around 15% of His total teaching had to do with the subject of money and He taught that money is the number one spiritual indicator of where a persons heart is.
Yet money is the only subject that we address in the church that many pastors feel like they need to apologize for. Jesus didn’t apologize for it; in fact, He said some pretty BOLD things about it. (See Matthew 6:19-24 AND Matthew 19:24) If Jesus taught on the subject with authority then so should the church.
#3 – Pastors DO Teach On It…But With The Wrong Motives.
I am not going to argue that money is arguably the most abused subject when it comes to false teaching. It is a fine line because when we do teach on money many people are automatically going to think you (pastor) are after their wallets.
I once heard Andy Stanley say this to his church…and I totally ripped it off and say it all of the time, “We don’t want anything FROM you…we want something FOR you!”
BAM!
I’ve literally told our church whenever I teach on the subject of tithing that if they think NewSpring Church is after their money then I want them to go home, open up to the yellow pages, pick a ramdon church and send them the tithe for the next three months and see what happens! Whenever I say that people look at me like I am smoking crack…but I am SERIOUS!
Which leads to number 4…
#4 – Many People In The Church WANT To Give But Feel Like They Can’t Because Of Poor Financial Decisions.
In other words–PEOPLE ARE BROKE!
That is why we can’t just teach “giving” to solve all of a persons needs…there is also the command of biblical stewardship. That is one of the reasons why, at least two times a year, we offer classes at NewSpring Church (by Joe Sangl…the best there is out there on this subject) in regards to how to get out of credit card debt, how to live on a budget, how to set aside cash for a rainy day…and tons more.
AND…the church does not charge for the class…we let people come for free…because, once again, we don’t want anything from them, we want FOR them to discover the financial freedom that God wants them to live in.
Funded And Free! August 18, 2010
My friend Joe Sangl has a brand new book out…and…if you are a pastor/church leader then you need to get it right now! Joe is the BEST voice in the country when it comes to finances, especially in the context of the local church. Here is the link where you can get it…and below is why…
Most pastors don’t wake up thinking about funding the vision but many lay awake worrying about it. Funded and Free was written by Joe Sangl and Casey Graham, two guys who are passionate about seeing people become financially free and helping leaders fund their vision. This book is a collection of practices they have observed through their work with hundreds of churches. It is their hope that a church leader can pick up this book, turn to any page and read information that will immediately help them fund the Kingdom even more.
50 chapters. 50 minutes. Fully funded vision.
How Should A Church Budget? July 14, 2010
I was reading some thoughts online the other day in regards to what many church leaders were saying about how a church should budget for the upcoming year. What bothered me was that many of them were doing what I refer to as “fear based budgeting” rather than “faith based budgeting.”
Yes, our economy isn’t as strong as it has been in the past. Yes, people are unemployed. Yes, charitable giving is down…however…
I believe the church is called to budget according to VISION and not to the VARIABLES in the world. (If Nehemiah would have taken the advice of setting the budget based on the economy of the nation…then one of the greatest projects that happened in the Bible would have NEVER taken place.)
Now…let me be VERY clear. The church IS called to be financially responsible. We are called to plan, have systems of accountability and make sure that we are not being stupid OR trying to supplement someone’s ego by building bigger and greater things.
BUT…when we allow the condition of the world to begin to dictate what we’re called to do as a church…well, that pretty much sucks.
Back in 2001 and 2002 I had the privilege to spend time with a GREAT man of God named Ron Lewis. I remember him telling me, “If your church is faithfully following God’s direction then your back will always be against the wall financially.”
I’ve never forgotten that…and since that day one of the things we’ve said around here is, “if it is God’s will then it’s God’s bill – what the King wants, the King pays for…and He’s NOT limited by the stock market!”
One more time let me emphasize that this type of mentality is NOT permission to be stupid and just blow like a kid in a candy shop. However, we’ve got to understand that as a church God calls us to take steps of faith…many times LARGE ONES…to see if we are going to trust in HIM or something else. (Hebrews 11:6)
Top 7 Money Mistakes I’ve Made – Part Two March 10, 2010
Continuing yesterday’s post…
#4 – Seeking to live the “minimum payment” lifestyle.
I remember my first credit card…after getting it I stopped at a sporting goods store and bought a gun. (Just like all pastors should!) It was $300…and when I got the bill in the mail the next month the payment was ONLY $15!!! (I didn’t know what 19% interest meant!) It was the beginning of a PAINFUL lesson for me–making the minimum payment is NOT a great financial plan!
Within four years I was carrying maxed out balances on around seven credit cards and “successfully” making the minimum payments every month…which was KILLING ME financially. I reasoned that if I continued to make the minimum payments that I would one day be out of debt…which WAS true…but “that day” would have been in the year 2900 at the rate I was going!
#5 – Transferring credit card balances
Don’t roll your eyes…some of you do this! I would get a “convenient” credit card offer in the mail and it would say, “transfer your balances today and get no interest for six months.” What the offer didn’t tell you is that the interest rate was an arm and a leg after that six months.
I always told myself that I could pay off the balance within six months–WHICH NEVER HAPPENED! I realized then that Proverbs 22:7 was/is true…in just four years of having a credit card (which was only going to be used in case of an “emergency”) I had DISCOVERED that my VISA to financial freedom wasn’t in obtaining more AMERICAN OBSESS but rather in turning over MASTER CARD to Jesus instead of the banks!
#6 – STUPID car decisions.
I used to be the guy who said, “I will always have a car payment.”
I used to be the guy that when a car needed a repair I would say, “Go get another one, you don’t want to sink money into that old thing.” (Which, by the way, is STUPID financial advice! Seriously! Spending $300 to fix a leak…or $45,000 on a new car–DUH!!!)
So…because of my desire to have a new car every year and a half (no, I am not making that up) I kept trading them in…and discovered what the term “upside down” means. (It means, “I am a stupid, materialistic person”–at least that’s what it meant to me!)
I once financed a car that was two years old for 84 months at a 12% interest rate…DUMB!!!
Today I own my cars…they do not own me…and that is a very freeing feeling. Most people I have talked to who are strapped financially could free themselves up so much if they would just sell their car…but their desire for status rather than financial freedom will prevent them from it most of the time.
#7 – Not having an emergency fund.
One of the things that Joe and Dave teach is that emergencies are going to happen, the car is going to break down, the kids are going to get sick, the tire is going to go flat…and that if money is set aside for these emergencies then they are less worrisome when they take place.
You CAN set aside an emergency fund…and you CAN live in financial freedom…it just takes WORK!!!