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money and Christians

Money And Your Destiny

by Christian Learning January 12, 2024

written by Christian Learning

What does managing money have to do with your destiny? God wants our hearts to be pure, and when it comes to money, He wants us to trust Him. You dream and imagine what your future will be like, and it doesn’t usually happen without money being in the equation.

Pastor Robert Morris Teaches About Being Wise With Money

Robert Morris is the senior pastor of Gateway Church, a multicampus church based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Pastor Robert Morris Ministries shares God’s Word throughout the world, helping people to become followers of Jesus.

In a message called “Passing The Prosperity Test,” Robert Morris taught about how managing money correlates to fulfilling your destiny. In talking about money, he said that riches “promise you happiness, but Jesus is the only One who can give you joy.” Riches “promise security, identity, popularity…and God is the only one who can give it to you.”

He conveyed the love and concern of the Father, who wants His children to have pure hearts when it comes to money. God wants you to fulfill your destiny! He has a good plan and a purpose for you life. Put God first by giving Him your firstfruits, and keeping a budget. If that sounds daunting, you will be encouraged by listening to his message.

Seek First The Kingdom Of God

Life costs money; it’s just the way it works here on the earth. There’s not much that we can do without money. We need to buy food, shelter, clothing, etc. This is why Jesus said to seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness. He knew we’d worry about all of these things, so He said that all of “these things” will be added to us if we seek Him first.

^“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Is Tithing Biblical?

Tithing is a biblical principle, and found all over the Bible. Giving God our firstfruits shows that money doesn’t have control of our hearts. Giving back to God what already belongs to Him makes us free from being slaves to money. Pastor Robert Morris explained how when we put money first, it chokes the word that would otherwise give us life and peace.

“But the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mark 4:19).

When the Israelites went into the Promised Land, God told them to give Him all the silver and gold from Jericho. Now this wasn’t ten percent, but it’s the principle that matters here. The gold and silver were valuable. Robert Morris reminds us that it was because Jericho was the first city. They were finally stepping into their promise, but God wanted their hearts.

” But all silver and gold, and every vessel of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord; they shall go into the treasury of the Lord” (Joshua 6:19).

Does Having A Budget Matter?

Having a budget is also a biblical principle. In Luke, Jesus talked about counting the cost to build a tower:

^“For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’” (Luke 14:28-30).

Money is one of those uncomfortable subjects to talk about at church, but God has called us to be wise, and since we need money to live, it would only make sense that we should manage it well. It makes sense that God would want us to be wise with our money, because it was He who blessed us in the first place.

Fulfilling your destiny comes with a cost. Put God first, seek His kingdom and His righteousness, and keep your heart pure. He is a good Father and He deserves all of the honor, glory, and praise.

Receive This Prayer

Father, thank you for giving us all that we need. We ask for wisdom in handling the money that you’ve given us. Where there is any pain in our hearts when it comes to money, we ask that Holy Spirit would minister to our hearts, and give us the courage to begin afresh by giving you the firstfruits of our finances. We ask for provision for those who are in need today. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

______________________

Watch more from Pastor Robert Morris Ministries on GOD TV here

January 12, 2024 0 comments

Articles

Eliminate Daily Money Stress

by Christian Learning March 25, 2020

written by Christian Learning

Eli is a brand new mobile app designed to help Christians eliminate daily money stress through a Godly approach to financial savings. You can easily set aside money that you can afford to save. By setting up automated daily money savings, you can improve your financial health and experience greater levels of freedom in your life, starting to day!

Did You Know?

Money is the #2 reason for divorce and one of the main causes of stress for Americans
65 million Americans don’t have $400 in savings
80% of US households have wives manage daily money
38% surveyed answered that they don’t have set financial goals or they have tried and gave up

Download Eli Now!

What Can Eli Do For You?

Do emergencies ruin your financial goals? Are you living check to check? Need to eliminate credit card debt and don’t know where to start?

Start an Emergency Fund
Select one of our automatic savings rules and Eli will start setting aside money into your emergency fund right away. Working towards having at least $1,000 means the next time a financial emergency comes up, you’re more likely to be able to pay it and not go into more debt or derail your progress with your other goals.

Progress Tracking
We’ve set up some smaller savings goals to help you keep track of filling up your emergency fund. Once you have an emergency fund, you can begin to pursue other goals you might have such as paying off credit card debt or loan payments.

Deposit or Withdraw at Any Time!
It is your money. You are in complete control.

Connect Your Spending Account
Connect your existing spending account and move money between your account freely.

Daily Encouragement
Get prayers that are updated daily that you can pray over your life and finances. For example, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” | Philippians 4:6-7

Eli has taken care of the hardest part of saving. If you don’t yet have an emergency fund but want to start saving, Eli can help!

Why Eli?

Money stress and anxieties often distract us from trusting in God. Only God’s peace can fully satisfy our hearts and completely eliminate daily money stress. Saving little by little over time helps eliminate money stress. It keeps us prepared.

Many people have hard time making drastic changes to their lifestyle. The majority of Americans look at their left-over balance at the end of the month to save. Typically, there is not much left at the end of the month.

ELIminate Money Stress

If you are overwhelmed by keeping track of bills, expenses, desires, interest rates, late fees and so on let Eli help! Eli saves a bit every day. We’re talking the cost of a cup of coffee. By doing this you can begin saving, but it doesn’t force you to make drastic changes.

Even if you have a heavy debt burden or you feel hopeless there is still hope. By starting to save little by little you can also begin to improve your outlook one dollar at a time!

Download Eli Now!

Get Started Today

Saving money does require discipline and that’s where Eli can help you! Let’s make a meaningful change in how you handle money and we believe that you will be able to enter a new season of freedom from financial stress.

Download the Eli app here and start saving today!

March 25, 2020 0 comments

Articles

4 Obstacles To Biblical Prosperity

by Josh Adkins October 21, 2019

written by Josh Adkins

The Scripture records God prospered His servants and people from Genesis to Revelation. God is not against prosperity, He’s against abuse. That said, here are 4 things we can do to inhibit His financial blessings:

Unwilling To Work

1 Tim 5:18 – “A worker is worthy of His wages.”

Proverbs 21:25 – “The desire of the sluggard puts him to death, for his hands refuse to work.”

2 Thess‬ ‭3:7-11‬ ‭- “For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example, because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we would not be a burden to any of you; not because we do not have the right to this, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you, so that you would follow our example.For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies.”

Sometimes the answer is simple: Get a job. Ministers, the same applies. If over a period of time, God isn’t meeting our needs, we should work. Paul was a tentmaker part of his life. There was a time He left that to go “full-time” by faith. But he certainly didn’t prostitute the gifts of the Spirit for a fee to pay for it. God has mercy, but He cannot be pleased with charging for prophecy on the internet. That’s scary, way-of-Balaam stuff!

Hoarding

Being stingy with possessions and money. Failing to sow when God (not man) leads. Failing to meet the needs of others when capable of doing so.

2 Cor 9:6-7 – “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Poor Money Management

Proverbs 12:11 – “He who rolls his land will have plenty of bread, but he who engages in vain pursuits lacks sense.”

Sometimes, it’s not a season of testing. Sometimes, it’s that we are poor stewards of what He provides. Instead of paying necessities with what He gives, we buy unnecessary things first. Maybe it’s the latest iPhone, computer or some other tech gadget. Perhaps it’s a new summer or winter wardrobe. God is not against us having these things, but do we purchase them out of order? Should we have paid the light bill, the grocery bill, or our travel expenses first?

If so, we wouldn’t complain or take to seeking people for money. God would provide all we need as promised.

Failing To Judge The Season

Are we willing to admit that we could have missed God? That’s the test. If God TRULY plans it, He provides for it without worldly means of begging, manipulation, and “won’t ya help me?” Fleshly fundraising shows the world that we trust God for the etherial, but not the practical. It reveals Him as limited, and provides all the more temptation for them to believe we are charlatans and fakes.

In short, if we can’t trust Him to pay for our gas to get there, He probably didn’t tell us to get there.

But what if some people get touched along the way? Of course, God’s grace always meets needs (to a degree), but if the decision brings a weight of crushing debt in the process, it likely wasn’t God’s perfect will. The Lord is kind, but we need to be man and woman enough to admit when we missed Him and grow from it.

Too often we run ahead of God, get ourselves in a mess, and then ask everyone else to bail us out. When it is Him, the Scripture says He adds no trouble to it. That certainly would apply to finances as well. We must wait on the Lord to open true doors.

Phil 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

Matt 6:33 – “Keep seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all of these material things will then be added unto you.”

Get God’s Path to Prosperity E-course and discover biblical principles to unlock prosperity and blessings in your life today. Click the image below!

[Disclaimer: Sometimes there are seasons of testing our faith. Abundance may be withheld for a time, or a need up until the last possible moment so that we’d learn to rely on our Father for everything.]

October 21, 2019 0 comments

Articles

Are You In a Debt Crisis? Here’s 5 Solutions From The Life of Rahab

by Kim D'Souza November 11, 2018

written by Kim D'Souza

Canaanite prostitute. Immoral. Scum of the earth in many people’s eyes. That was Rahab in short.

But one faith decision and her destiny was changed forever. We all know about this woman of faith who is mentioned in the ‘Faith Chapter’ in the book of Hebrews.

Choices. That’s what determines our course in life. Rahab had a choice and she chose the right option. Similarly each one of us has been given the freedom to exercise our choice in various matters, finance being one of them. Sometimes bad choices can cause you to get into the debt trap.

While Rahab’s life is obviously not a passage on finances, we can draw parallels to her life with respect to making the right choices and here are five pick up points to help avoid the debt trap:

1. Choose to admit your mistake and take corrective action

Here was Rahab, a prostitute living in the prominent city of Jericho that was lost in idolatry. But one day somehow she heard about the living God and lost no time in admitting her fears and anxieties to the spies who worshipped Jehovah. We know from her conversation that the entire city of Jericho was trembling with fear, but they didn’t repent of their sins and were disobedient ( Hebrews 11:31). Rahab chose to believe God and she and her entire household were saved.

The moment you realise your mistake, the battle is half won. Debt is not a part of God’s plan for your life. If you are in a debt trap, it’s because of wrong choices you have made before and you need to make the right choices now to come out of it. If this means curbing your unnecessary expenses, cancelling your credit card or reducing your mobile bill, so be it.

2. Choose to think beyond your self

I like the fact that Rahab was planning not only her safety, but the safety of her father, mother, brothers, sisters and all who belonged to them! (Joshua 2:13). Next time you are prompted to go into debt, think of how that decision will impact your family in the long term. Will it bless them? Will it put them under unnecessary pressure and worry? Take action accordingly.

3. Choose to act immediately and not when disaster strikes

From Joshua 2:21 we know that as soon as the spies left Rahab’s house, she tied the scarlet cord on her window. Now if you try and calculate, there were a minimum of 12 days before Israel would encircle Jericho and the walls would actually fall. Rahab had no idea of how or when her city would be attacked but look at her boldness – she hung the red cord as soon as the spies left (and I don’t think that would be a small piece of cloth!)

Again I don’t know how she was able to convince her family members, but I am sure she would have gathered them in her house from that moment itself. Rahab did not wait for disaster to strike, she took immediate steps. Don’t wait for another day to start clearing your debts, do it right away. Trust God to give you the resources and wisdom to do it.

4. Choose to be held accountable

Rahab held herself accountable to the two spies for her future actions and so did the two spies. If you are serious about your decision to be debt free, a good way to go about it is by holding yourself accountable to wise and God-fearing friends, family members or members of your church. Involve them when you are weighing up the pros and cons of taking a personal loan. In humility seek their advice in your debt repayment planning. Trust me it will save you much future trouble.

5. Choose to walk the faith path

In the eyes of the world, Rahab took a lot of undue risk. Risk by lying to the authorities. Risk by trusting blindly the words of the spies. Risk by hanging the long red cord out of her window. Risk by putting her hopes in the God of the Israelites. But these so called ‘risks’ created room for faith.

Rahab made a conscious decision to act in faith on what she heard about God and that changed her destiny forever. In your situation, is God asking you to take a step of faith? Does it sound like a risk? Put your childlike faith in Him and He will lift you up from your mess.

November 11, 2018 0 comments