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One of our biggest problems, as Christians, is…well, I’m not sure if it’s
arrogance or ignorance. Our faith suffers the most because of one thing.
Things don’t go the way WE think they should. Certain situations pop
up, and we pray about em and do all the things we think we’re supposed
to do, and it STILL goes the other way. So we take a few hits to the
armor of God, and get a few new chinks in the ol breastplate….

We seldom stop to think that maybe the way WE thought it was supposed
to go, wasn’t the way it was supposed to go at all! Now, generally
speaking, I’m not a “name it and claim it” kinda guy. There are some things,
though, that I DO believe fall into that “category”. For instance:

If I want a new car, there’s nothing wrong with asking God to provide
one for me. If I want to walk around naming and claiming that car in the
name of Jesus, there’s nothing wrong with that either. BUT…nowhere in
the Bible did God promise me a new car! On the other hand, if I get sick…
He DID promise me healing! That I will name and claim until I’m healed
or taken out of this world….

The thing is, we go around naming and claiming things He never promised
us, then when we don’t get them, our faith suffers…even though it’s not our
faith that’s misplaced, but maybe our naming and claiming.

I think, too, that often times we’re not patient enough. If our prayers aren’t
answered the way we think they should be…WHEN we think they should
be…then we think God’s asleep. Or that He’s punishing us for something.
Or that He just doesn’t like us much in the first place. He answers other
people’s prayers…He just doesn’t answer mine…

There are numerous holes in our thinking. I don’t want to take the time
today to get into all that, but there are holes in our thinking, friends! 

Another big problem we have, is we’ve been cursed with short-term
memory in certain areas. Perfect example: John 6.

Jesus had just fed a crowd of five thousand men with five small barley
loaves and two tiny little fish. They all ate til their tummies were full and
THEN they filled up twelve baskets with the left-overs. Remember the
story? (Btw…another great example that our God is a God of abundance!
He COULD have stopped with “enough”…but He didn’t!)

Anyway, five small loaves, two small fish, five thousand men and twelve
baskets FILLED with left-overs. Got it in  your mind? Just take a moment
to picture what it must have been like! Now…picture this:

When evening came, Jesus and the disciples went across the lake. Next
morning, the crowd wakes up, finds out Jesus is gone and goes looking for
him. They found him on the other side of the lake in Capernaum. The first
question they asked him was “Lord, when did you get here?”

The second question was, ““What must we do to do the works God requires?”

The third question was…are you ready for this? It used to really make my
blood boil to think about it, until I realized that I AM JUST LIKE THEM!
Now it makes me even more angry, because I don’t WANT to be like them…

With their bellies FULL of barley loaves and fish that hadn’t even had the
time to digest yet…with twelve baskets FILLED with leftovers piled up on
the other side of the lake, just beginning to rot in the morning sun…with the
smell of those fish STILL ON THEIR BREATH…

It hurts me deep inside to say this…and it really, truly honestly brings tears
to my eyes to think about it…their third question was this:

“What miraculous sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you?
What will you do?”  (John 6:30)

Bunch of ungrateful bastards…and, as much as I hate to say it, I’m one of em.
I don’t WANT to be one of em…and I try not to be one of em…but I AM one
of em…because I’m a human being. How I do despise being one of us,
sometimes…

How quickly we forget the miraculous moments that occur every single day
in our lives. We don’t even think about it before we open our big mouths to
ask the question, “What signs will you show us?”

Is it any wonder that Jesus said SO many times….”You of little faith…”

I don’t want to have little faith anymore. I don’t want to ever ask the question,
“What signs will you show us?”  And every single time that I doubt Jesus, his
willingness, or his ability…that’s exactly what I’m doing. Asking that same
foolish, selfish question….

I don’t want to ask it ever again….

Now…keep in mind, that what God will do for someone else, He will also do
for you. Jesus didn’t just die on the cross for everyone else’s sins, he died for
yours, too. Sooooo, time to accept it for what it is and move along…

I would think most of us know the story of Moses and the Red Sea. Most
of us, by now, should now the story of David and Goliath. How about the story
of Elijah and the widow (1 Kings 17) or the three Hebrew guys tossed into the
furnace (Dan. 3)? Backing up to Elijah, again, how about when he faced the
prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18)?

The list goes on and on and on…

What God did for one, He will do for you. Our topic is defeating Goliath. I
suppose a sub-topic would be debt…so let’s look at a little debt story, shall
we? Oddly enough, this one is about a widow, too….

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.”
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.”
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.”  (2 Kings 4:1-7)

First of all, did ya notice what the problem was? THE CREDITOR WAS
COMING TO TAKE HER SONS! Wow! Just like some of those other
passages we’ve already looked at, huh? Next thing to look at, is that she
didn’t have any money. In fact, she didn’t have anything at all, except a little
oil. NOTHING! If I were to speculate, I would say that it’s likely she already
sold everything that had any value to it…

Nothing left, but a little oil. That tells me, that we don’t need much. You and
I don’t need much of anything…IF…and this is a big if…IF we offer what little
we have to God and allow Him to use it for our benefit. He can handle our
situation a lot better than we can…if we let Him.

There are a couple of other things we need to take a quick look at. God is
not a God “enough”. God is a God of abundance! He didn’t just fill a jar or
two…didn’t give her just enough to pay off the debt and keep her sons. He
filled up ALL the jars and provided enough for her to live on for the rest of
her life. But that’s not all…if you noticed, there was also enough for her SONS
to live off of, too!

The next thing? When all the jars were full, the oil stopped flowing. Not one
drop too little….not one drop too much. That widow woman was a poor
woman. She was a nobody. The only person that paid much attention to her
was the creditor, and that was the kind of attention she could have done without.
Nobody offered to help her. Nobody cared about her or her situation.

As it turns out, there WAS Somebody watching her. And He was watching
closely enough that when the last jar was filled to the brim with oil…when that
jar couldn’t hold even one more drop…the oil stopped flowing…

So…where does faith come from? It comes from God, of course!

“For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself
more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in
accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.” (Rom 12:3)

See? We may THINK we don’t have any. We may FEEL like we don’t have
any. But we’ve got some somewhere. Otherwise, that would mean the Bible is
wrong…and we all know that the Bible is the Word of God and God is truth…
It may be weak, or even asleep for some of us. But it’s THERE. Somewhere.

Others of us may have the kind of faith that moves mountains…as long as we’re
moving them for somebody else! We sometimes forget that:

“…God is no respecter of persons…” (Acts 10:34)

In other words, if your faith will move mountains for somebody else, then friend,
you need to start using it to move your own mountains, too!

What He does for one, He will do for all who put their faith in Him. You and
I aren’t any better or any worse than anyone else. We’re all the same…at least
in God’s eyes. The enemy may try to make you think otherwise. Most of us
don’t need the enemy’s help, because we’re pretty good at beating ourselves
up just fine as it is! And all that’s ok…but this is the thing…

GOD says we’re SOMEBODY! It doesn’t matter what the enemy thinks. It
really doesn’t matter what YOU think. GOD says you and I are SOMEBODY!
And that’s really all that matters, now isn’t it? And what that means is, whether
YOU think you have any or not…whether the devil has tried to steal it from you
or not…SOMEWHERE down inside the person that is YOU, there lies a tiny
seed of faith. How do I know? Because God gave it to you. Because HE thinks
you are worthy of such a gift…

If your faith can move MY mountains, that’s great! But if you’re thinking it’s not
enough to move your own mountains because of this, that or the other, because of
who you are or what you’ve done, or ANYTHING ELSE, then you have been
deceived by the lie of the serpent…and it’s time for you to face the truth.

You have faith. Your faith will work for YOU, just as well as it will for anyone
else. You might just have to exercise it a little, that’s all. And, how exactly do ya
do that? Romans 10:17, that’s how.

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Read it. Listen to it on the radio. Sing it in your mind. However and whatever
works for you…just get a little word of God going on in your life. Let that
stuff just kinda sink it and run through your body…let it soothe your mind a
little…let it calm your spirit…and let it build your faith…

If you step into a hole that’s knee-deep, you can step back out again. If you
fall into one that’s chest-deep, you might need a little help getting out. But if
you’re in a hole that’s so deep that when you lean your head back all you can
see is a little pinprick of light at the top, then you’re in trouble. And there’s only
one way you’re getting out of a hole like that. Somebody’s gonna have to part
a sea.

You don’t need faith to step out of knee-deep hole. You don’t need much faith
to get out of a chest-deep hole. But when you’re looking up and all you see is
black walls all the way around til you spot that tiny dot of light, then you need
faith. The thing is, it’s the knee-deep holes and the chest-deep holes that build
our faith. We don’t even realize it most of the time. Those holes just seem like
aggravations. But, my friend, it’s preparing us for the deep holes…the ones
we all fall into sometimes.

So if you’ve got it, great! If ya don’t, that’s ok, too. Cuz we’re all gonna do
some exercises together…just in case! 

I think we left off with principle #7….which makes this one, naturally,
is #8!  

This one has to do with exercise, of all things! You don’t need to put
your jogging shoes on, or break out the sweats, but you do need to
prepare yourself for a little workout. And, you need to do it DAILY.
The sweet thing about it, is that it doesn’t take any time…just a little
effort.

What has this got to do with your finances? Quite a bit, actually. We’ve
talked a little about the stone of “Purpose” and we’ve spent some time
on the stone of “Knowledge”…you will, hopefully, have a little better
perspective on how God views debt. While the Bible doesn’t call it a sin,
it does say that it’s not good for us…it’s not our friend, but our enemy.

Now we’ll look at the stone of “Faith”. It’s not your biceps or abs we
want to whip into shape with this exercise, but it’s your faith muscle! It
may already be strong, and if it is, GREAT!!! Cuz you’re gonna need it!
And if it’s not, then it will be…IF you’ll begin exercising it!

So what is faith?

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we
do not see.” (Heb. 11:1)

What we’re hoping for is to defeat our Goliath. We are certain of the
victory, though we don’t see it just yet….but we will. We’ve got to fight
a little bit first. Gotta gather some stones…gotta take a few steps toward
that fearsome looking giant, in spite of our fears…

I could spend weeks going through the Bible and picking out passages
that show God’s faithfulness toward us. You probably already know most
of them yourself. At some point, we may do it anyway, just for fun, but for
now, we’ll keep moving along.

I will say this, though. God didn’t part the Red Sea until Moses was standing
on the beach with his tiptoes in the water and the entire Egyptian army
breathing down his shirt collar! If Moses had never made it to the beach,
the waters wouldn’t have parted. If the army hadn’t been hot on his heels,
seeking to kill and capture the Israelites, the waters wouldn’t have parted.
Moses had to end up in a spot where his back was against the wall and
there was nowhere else to turn…NO WAY OUT….and only then, did
the sea part and they walked across….ON DRY GROUND, no less!

So, if you’re standing on the beach, with your toes in the water…and if
you feel the soldiers of the world grabbing at your shirt sleeve, then
praise God, cuz you’re about to see the waters part and dry ground
appear!!!

Let’s assume, for the sake of argument, that you just don’t have ANY
extra money you can put toward that smallest debt of yours. NONE!
What can ya do?

Option #1. Get a part-time job. In my book, this should be the very
last resort!! If you’re like most of us, you prob’ly already spend too
much time at the job site!

Option #2. Look for other ways to create additional income that will,
not only give you the extra money to put toward your debt, but may
actually help you build a business for the future…

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, because again, a lot depends
on you and your particular situation. Besides, there is some AWESOME
stuff on the way, and I’m really anxious to get to it! GOD IS GOOD!!

Examples of Option 2:

When I was a kid, I used to cut grass for ten bucks a lawn. Can you
believe it? TEN dollars!! If you choose to cut your neighbor’s lawn, you
could easily pocket anywhere from $50 on up…and that’s CHEAP!
You don’t have to make a business of it, just cut a yard every other week,
and you’ve got an extra hundred dollars!

Simple, I know…but it’s an EXAMPLE! I know people that are great
bakers. Find yourself a mom n pop restaurant, offer to bake a few pies
a week if they’ll but em and put em on the menu! You can do ANYTHING!
And you DON’T have to spend all of your spare time doing it. I can’t
tell you what to do or how to do it, because it’s got to be something from
inside of YOU….using YOUR talents, gifts, desires and ideas!

With the internet, home-based businesses are a dime a dozen! You
won’t get rich overnite like many of them promise, but you don’t need
to be rich…you just need a few extra bucks to pay off that smallest debt.
If you end up getting rich in the process, then so be it! Just be careful, will
ya? You don’t want to end up spending money you don’t have, jumping
from one amazing product to the next and making no money! That would
most definitely be defeating the purpose.

Paint someone’s living room. Walk their pets…wash their cars. Use your
imagination. Do you live in the city or the country? Wherever you live, use
it to your advantage. What do you enjoy? What are you good at? Do you
enjoy high school math? Go online and offer to tutor someone that hates it!
Do ya like English, history or science? Well, then….

The possibilities are endless. If you can’t think of anything else to do, feel
free to drop me a line. I’ve got a couple of online things going that I would
be happy to share with you. A couple of them are free, and a couple of them
are almost free. I would love to work with you, if that’s a choice that interests
you, but I don’t want to use this space to promote the things I choose to do
to make money…I’d rather use it for what it’s intended for…helping you
defeat your Goliath!

Enough about how to start nibbling away at your debts, and enough about
what you can do to earn extra money. In both cases, it’s almost exclusively
up to YOU as to how you accomplish these things. If there’s any way at all
I can help, feel free to drop a line, but only YOU know your situation! Can’t
stress that enough. I’d be more specific if I could, but it’s time to move on
the the stuff that’s got me so fired up….

The remaining principles, along with…..(drum roll, please)….the rest of the
story, as Paul Harvey would say! And it’s gonna be AWESOME!!!

Alright then…we’ve taken a quick look at 7 principles so far, of defeating your
Goliath. There are a couple more to look at, but before we go into those, here’s
a little practical advice that you may have heard before. In this particular case,
we’re looking at debt, so here is a somewhat strategic approach, that you may
or may not have come across before, in getting rid of your debt. Be advised
that it probably won’t be easy, and it probably won’t be quick…

Start with your smallest debt. Make the minimum payments on all the others,
and try to scrape together a little extra to put on that small one! If you’re like
most of us, you’re doing good to break even as it is, but there are ways you
can do it! We’ll look at a few in a minute….but pay a little extra on the small
one!

Once you get that one paid off, take the money you were sending to
those guys, and add it to the payment you’re sending to the NEXT smallest
debt….which is now your smallest one! Once you get THAT one paid off,
treat yourself to a night on the town…then pick up where you left off, adding
the money you were sending to THAT one, to the NEXT smallest debt…
which is now your smallest! Continue up the ladder until ya get the big dogs
gone!

It’s a simple strategy, and it isn’t easy…and it does take time…but if you don’t
incur any new debt along the way, you’ll wake up one morning to find out
that the monsters are gone! Now, the thing is, where do you come up with
that extra money? I can’t tell you that, because I don’t know your situation.
But I can offer some suggestions…

For instance, if you have cable television (or satellite), consider getting rid
of it. Get an antenna to pick up the local stations, just like in the old days!
Netflix is about nine bucks a month. Watch all the movies (and they have
a lot of television series available, too!) ya like. Generally speaking, there
really isn’t that much you’ll be missing if you don’t watch TV at all!!! 
It’s NOT a necessity! You can easily end up with an extra hundred bucks
a month, depending on what you already spend!

Telephones. Most of us have em. And, oddly enough, as if that weren’t
enough, most of us have cell phones too! Again, not necessities for most
of us, but assuming for a moment that ya GOTTA have one, let’s look
at the options. Cell phones first.

Why get tied into a contract for a year or more, paying close to a hundred
bucks a month, when you can get things like StraightTalk or Net10 and set
your own rate? You don’t HAVE to have internet access on your phone
AND your computer! You don’t HAVE to text people…you can CALL
them, which is why they invented cell phones in the first place! You CAN
find extra money, if ya look just a little….  

Land lines…there are now OPTIONS to being a victim to Ma Bell! For
instance, you’ve probably seen the commercials for Vonage phone service.
I think it’s something like twenty-five bucks a month! Unlimited long distance
and I think they even have free international calling. Your local phone company
can’t touch it! Most of us have at least heard of MagicJack. Even better (at
least price-wise) than Vonage. How bout twenty bucks a YEAR???!!!
Let me say, that I am NOT a representative for either company, and I don’t
get (or lose) anything whether you use them or not. Again…just sharing some
realistic options.

Look around the house. Where can you cut a few dollars? You don’t have
to scrape up $100 a month extra to put on your bills. Just see if you can find
$20…or $10…as long as you know the more you can pay, the sooner it’ll be
over! Which leads to a very important point:

Some of these things may be big sacrafices for you, and if they are, I respect
that. Just keep one thing in mind…IT’S ONLY FOR A SHORT WHILE!
Just until you get some of that debt shoved out the door. And I’m not trying
to get keep you cooped up in the house til you’re debt free! I’m just offering
suggestions on some ways you can gain some ground. When you pay off
a debt, treat yourself to something nice. When ya pay off another, reward
yourself again. When you get way down the list of bills, turn the cable back
on (if you still want it!).

There are many, many ways you can cut a LITTLE bit! We’ll look at a
couple more options in the next post. Again, I can’t really tell you how
or where you can scrimp a little money to throw into the debt monster,
because I don’t know your situation…so I’m just trying to give you some
ideas of where YOU can look in YOUR situation.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time in this area, cuz there’s some really
neat stuff on the way, and this is an area where YOU need to do a little
homework and planning! 

Today. Living in today is a hard thing to do. We’re constantly bombarded
by yesterday and tomorrow. The enemy does a great job at keeping us distracted.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The
people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will
test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.” (Ex. 16:4)

The Israelites were to gather just enough for “today”. When they tried to keep a
little extra for “tomorrow”, it turned wormy and started to stink (vs. 20). Yet, they
always had enough for “today”. No more, no less. Exactly enough for “today”.

I think that’s part of OUR problem. We’re afraid of what tomorrow may bring,
and that we may not have enough. But we don’t need enough for tomorrow. We
just need enough for today.

Imagine for a moment, that today is a stone. For the sake of illustration, let’s
pretend that stone weighs ten pounds. You have to carry it around all day long…
for as long as today is. By the end of the day, you might be a little tired, but it’s
not TOO bad. It’s only ten pounds.

But when you add another stone for tomorrow…and another for the next day…
and another for the next…pretty soon you’ll find yourself buried under stones
that aren’t even here yet! No wonder you’re so tired, my friend! You’re carrying
way too many stones! You only HAVE to carry the one. The others you carry
by choice…

Let go of the stones. Carry just the one you HAVE to carry. Today. You can
carry tomorrow’s stone tomorrow.

1 Kings 17…Elijah meets a widow that’s about to eat her last meal. It turns out
that a handful of flour and a few drops of oil were enough to feed her, her son
and Elijah for three years! Why? Because every morning when she woke up,
that handful of flour and those few drops of oil were enough for today. There
wasn’t enough for tomorrow…but there was plenty for today.

““Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink;
or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food,
and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do
not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they?

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow.
They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field,
which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more
clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’
or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all
these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first
his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:25-34)

Lord, help me not to be like the pagans, running after yesterday and tomorrow…
Help me rest easy in you, knowing that you are here in today…

Principle #7 was a complete surprise to me. I didn’t even realize it existed
until I was working on #6! But it’s a crucial element, as they all are. I mean,
I knew it existed, and I knew it was important in a lot of other areas, but I
never realized it was a principle for FINANCES. What is it? Glad you asked!

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:34)

Actually, the whole chapter is great! From verse 19 on, there’s a lot of wisdom
and truth on finances! The thing is, even though we plan for tomorrow by saving
up a little here and there, we humans have a tendency to place more importance
on tomorrow than it deserves.

We look at our assets and wonder where is the abundance the Lord promised?

First of all, maybe our definition of abundance needs a little work. Look around
and you might be surprised to find that your life is filled with abundance after all!
Secondly, while we’re making our way through today, our focus is on tomorrow.
Sure, we have enough for TODAY….but what are we going to do TOMORROW?

The answer lies scattered throughout the pages of the entire Bible. We already
know the answer…we just have a tendency to forget it.

“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Ex. 3:14)

God didn’t call Himself, “I WAS” or “I WILL BE”, even though both are true.
He called Himself, “I AM”. I AM. Right now. Right this very minute…this very
second. And right now. THIS very minute and THIS very second! I AM.

Right now, this very moment, this very second, you have everything you need
in abundance. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be here. You have life! You have enough
for the moment! For THIS moment, you have an abundance that many others
no longer have. You have NOW! You have I AM!

If you’re still reading, you have it again for THIS moment….and if you keep reading,
you’ll have it for the next moment…and the next…because of I AM!

We look at the past, but God isn’t there…He is I AM. We look at tomorrow, but
He isn’t there, either…because He is I AM. He won’t be in tomorrow until tomorrow
becomes today….because He is I AM.

If God isn’t there…if He isn’t in yesterday, and He isn’t in tomorrow…then why
in the world would WE WANT TO KEEP GOING THERE? Yet, we do.
Some of us live there. Some of us go there and get stuck…

God will never be in yesterday. God will never be in tomorrow. God is HERE.
NOW. Because He is I AM.

Remember that a tenth of the firstfruits belongs to God, whether you give
it to Him or not. I strongly suggest you tithe before you do anything else.
Set aside some cash for yourself…for emergencies and the unexpected.
That’s Godly wisdom. Pay your bills. If you’ll recall, it’s the wicked that
don’t repay loans.

“…Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto
God the things that are God’s.” (Matt. 22:21)

Out of what you have left, give generously, but wisely. Check out who
you’re giving it to. You don’t wanna be buying 100 gallons of Kool Aid
for another Jim Jones cult! It’s usually not too hard to tell the organizations
that work for God and those that don’t.

“Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who
wants to borrow from you.” (Matt. 5:42)

This does not mean you have to be a sucker. God gave you a mind for a
reason.  

If the same person hits you up for twenty bucks every week and never pays
you back, then maybe you need to consider giving generously to someone
else…because THAT person is just taking advantage of you…unless it’s
someone who is going through hard times and simply CAN’T pay you back!
If that’s the case, you are sowing seeds!

A good rule of thumb is this: if you don’t have it to GIVE away, don’t lend it.
By doing so, you are not expecting it back. Therefore, if it is returned to you,
you are blessed. If it is not returned, there are no hard feelings toward anyone.
If you do end up lending money, be sure to check out Exodus 22:25 before you
do so!

Another good rule of thumb: Giving generously may not always mean giving
money. There are ways to be generous without forking over money to someone.
There’s no way for you to know how someone is going to spend your money
once it leaves your hand. Once you’ve given it away, it’s really none of your
business anyway.

The thing is, a homeless person might benefit more from a good meal or an
inexpensive hotel room for the night. Someone traveling through your neck
of the woods that runs out of gas, might benefit more from the gas than from
money. It’s a part of wisdom. I’m not trying to imply that these folks would
try to take advantage of you, because there are real people with real needs
just like these, that we all come into contact with every day. I’m just saying
be wise. Be shrewd.

Somebody that really needs your help will accept it kindly and thankfully.
Someone that just wants your money will, most likely, cut you a dirty look
and tell you. “No thanks. I’d rather have the money!”  I’ve seen “homeless”
people drive up in cars, talking on cell phones…get out of their car in their
scruffy clothes, grab a backpack out of the back seat, walk to the street
corner, sit down and hold up a sign asking for money. I’m telling you that I
haven’t HEARD about it, like many folks have…I’ve SEEN it happen! More
than once!

Be generous, but be wise. If you don’t have money to give, cut back a little
on something else…not every week, but maybe just this week. And give that
little bit of change where it’s needed. Give your time to someone. Give your
knowledge. Give your talents and skills. Give your shoulder to someone that
needs to cry a little. It really doesn’t matter so much WHAT you give…
just GIVE….

Now, then…let’s see what God says about giving generously!

“The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with
the poor.” (Prov. 22:9)

“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be
refreshed.” (Prov. 11:25)

“Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who
conduct their affairs with justice.” (Ps. 112:5)

“They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a
blessing.” (Ps. 37:6)

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give
generously…” (Ps. 37:21)

Wanna be blessed? Be generous. Wanna be prosperous? Be
generous. Want good to come to you? Be generous. Want your
children to be a blessing? Be generous. Want to be righteous?
Be generous…

“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. You will be enriched in every way
so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your
generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you
perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also
overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Cor. 9:10-12)

He will supply and increase your store of seed and enlarge the harvest
of your righteouwness. Wow! You will be enriched in EVERY way
so you can be generous on EVERY occasion…and because of you
and your generousity, people will praise God and offer Him thanks.
Wow!

Remember in the last post, the Macedonian church gave BEYOND
their means? How could they possibly do that? Because they gave out
of their poverty and God gave them increase…then they gave that away,
too!

How about this? When you’re generous with God’s money…when you
sow seeds for Him with your assets, regardless of how much or how
little…do you realize what happens to and for YOU?

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a
sower went forth to sow…” (Matt. 13:3)

“…But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an
hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.” (Vs.

Wow…what an increase!!  

“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.” (Luke 6:37-39)

Let’s look at the tail end of that one again! For with the measure you use,
it will be measured to you. Now THAT might be the whole problem in
a nutshell for a good many of us!

Remember 2 Cor. 9:6?

“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows
generously will also reap generously.”

We may have just solved a lot of our financial problems with these two
passages! Praise the Lord!!! 

How cool is that??

Now before you go running down the street throwing your money in the
air to whoever will catch it, wait for the next post…keep in mind, we’re to
be wise with God’s money! Shrewd as snakes! Don’t go handing it out to
anybody and everbody just yet!