Guarantee Your Financial Future (part 1)

By: Richard Mirpuri

 

Your financial future is not based on the business or agency that writes you a paycheck every two weeks. Nor is your financial future secured through your knowledge of the financial markets. Neither is your financial future safeguarded by the current contents of your retirement and/or investment portfolio.None of themethods, knowledge or companies I justmentioned can promisewithout fail your financial future. However, there is Someone who is ready, willing and able to guarantee your financial future.

Here are sevenways to guarantee your financial future.

1. You must leave behind what’s familiar when God says to. Genesis 12:1 in the Amplified Bible says: “NOW[in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you.” Leaving behind what’s familiar to you. . .is not just family or a geographical location. . . it’s also, your oldway of doing business.

When you need money for a car. . .repairs on that car. . .tires. . .groceries or anything else. . .if your first thought. . .your first action is to whip out your credit card. . then you need to leave behindwhat’s been familiar to you in the past. If youwantGod to secure your financial future, youmust trustHimto provide for every need you have. More than ever before,we need to leave behind theworld systemof credit.and move into a debt-free lifestyle.With the uncertainty in our economy we need to follow His plan for guaranteeing our financial future. It’s simple when you do what He says. . .we leave behind a former way of living with credit. . .we will be blessed.Genesis 12:2 in theAmplifiedBible says: “And Iwillmake of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others].”Do you think your ability to dispense good to others is based on your credit card limit or just your salary? Of course, not, it’s time to leave the oldway of doing things behind.((Genesis 13:14))

2. GowhereGod tells you to go. . .dowhatHe tells you to do. . .whenHe tells you to do it. Genesis 31:3 in theAmplified Bible says: “And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will bewith thee.” SometimeswhenGod tells us to do certain things. . .our naturalminds resist because ofwhatwe perceive to be uncertain results. . .because we cannot rationalize it by our normal way of thinking. Jacob had betrayed Esau. . .had stolen his birthright.

The scripture tells us he wasn’t too anxious about seeing his brother again. In fact, Jacobwas flat out afraid ofwhatwould happenwhen Esau saw him.

When Jacob came near to his brother. . .he sent amessage toEsau advising him of the gifts hewas bringing to him.Genesis 32:5 says: “And I have oxen, donkeys, flocks,menservants, andwomen servants; and I have sent to tellmy lord, that Imay findmercy and kindness in your sight.” Themessenger returned to advise Jacob that Esauwas on theway tomeet himand hewas travelingwith four hundredmen. Frankly, this scared the bejeebers out of Jacob.Genesis 32:7 says: “Then Jacobwas greatly afraid and distressed. . .”When Esau arrived, he greeted his brother with love.At first, he even declined Jacob’s generous gifts before reluctantly accepting them. However, the key verse is Genesis 33:11 in the New Living Translation which says: “Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift.”WhywasGod gracious to Jacob because hewentwhere he said go. . .he didwhatGod told himto do. . .so hewas blessed and protected.

3 . The Lord’s Prayer reveals that you’re to never lack or live in fear over your finances.

Psalm 23:1 says: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”According to Strong’s Concordance the Hebrew word for want is chacer (H2637) and it means: “to lack, be without, decrease, be lacking, have a need” In fact, the AmplifiedBible translation of Psalm23:1 says: “THE LORDismy Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shieldme], I shall not lack.”

The same Hebrew word appears in Nehemiah 2:9 which says: “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell.”Having no lack. . .means you’ve got everything you want and need. If you can’t pay your bills in full each month when they come due. . .that’s living in lack. If you feel like you can’t afford to give when God tells you to give. . .that’s livinginlack. Ifyouaren’t able to take a proper vacation with your family. . .that’s living in lack.

If you lay awake at night wondering how you’re going to make ends meet. . .that’s living in lack. Bottom line. . .God does not want you living in lack or needing a thing.

The Message Bible translation of Psalm 23:1 says: “God,myshepherd! Idon’tneed a thing.” Not only does He not want you living in lack. . .he doesn’t want you living in fear over lack.

Psalm 23:4 in the Amplified Bible says: “Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadowof death, Iwill fear or dread no evil, forYou are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfortme.” Remember, He is your Shepherd. . .your provider.

4 Your attitude toward work. . .will determine your future success. . .and usefulness in the Kingdom. Proverbs 12:24 says: “The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.”

The New Living Translation of Proverbs 12:24 says: “Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.”Godwants you to be a leader in themarketplace. . .that’swhy you’re here on planet earth.The earth is theLord’s therefore it is not unreasonable to understand thatHis children should be the ones dominating it. Ecclesiastes 3:22 in the New Living Translation says: “So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is why we are here! No one will bring us back from death to enjoy life after we die.” Not only are you to be a diligent worker. . .but you need to be happy about it.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 in the New Living Translation says: “So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction inwork.Then I realized that these pleasures are fromthe hand ofGod.”

Ecclesiastes 3:13 in theContemporaryEnglishVersion says: “BecauseGod’s gift to us is the happiness we get fromour food and drink and fromthe work we do.” Why doesGodwant you to be a diligentworker?

Ephesians 4:28 says: “If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need.”You will be called to account for the type ofworker you become. 2Timothy 2:15 in theNewLivingTranslation says: “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, onewho does not need to be ashamed andwho correctly explains theword of truth.”