Dear One,
The Lord bless you!
The Lord began to help me to tackle this subject when I wrote BE A RIVER, NOT A LAKE* over twenty years ago. That was a strong but gentle rebuke to the prosperity gospel. Then later on I wrote WHAT’S WRONG WITH GAMBLING?* which was a brief exposition of the use and abuse of money. Finally, this article examines our attitudes towards money, and those that have more than us and those that have less, and how we can come to the place of financial freedom. Let me assure you of this truth – it doesn’t matter where you live physically, the people who surround you, the economy you live in, or any other circumstance but where you live spiritually, emotionally and in your thoughts. Our God is able, and willing, to bring each one of His promises to pass for each of His people regardless of where they are and their circumstances. It’s not where you are OUT THERE, it’s where you are IN HERE!
Love you! KRP
UNDERSTANDING FINANCIAL FREEDOM
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:36 NKJV
The most powerful, most influential people in all history have not been politicians, military men or businessmen; they have been academics – writers, teachers, professors – and their power, for good or evil, has always been manifested in ideas. Moses and St. Paul head the list of the most influential in history – of course, our Lord Jesus stands alone as the apex and pivot of all history – but then there is Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, Confucious, Adam Smith, Martin Luther, Sun Tze, Thomas Jefferson, and Karl Marx, among many others. Jefferson’s ideas taught us about self- government and freedom, plotting a course for hundreds of millions to follow, while Marx’s ideas have enslaved over one billion people and caused the death of over one hundred million people in the 20th century. Ideas – good or evil – are the most powerful weapons in history, and their fathers have always been academics.
We must examine the ideas and concepts we have assimilated regarding money if we are to gain financial freedom. Tithing and giving will be a waste of money if our hearts aren’t guided by righteous thoughts and paradigms. So, we must ask ourselves these questions and evaluate in our hearts what we think of them. But first we must establish the will of God.
WHAT IS GOD’S WILL REGARDING FINANCIAL FREEDOM?
Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matt 6:10 NKJV
One of the great insightful experiences in my younger years was having a child. That child was a newborn, having barely recognized my voice, and I would have done everything in my power for him. He is my son! Feeling the passion of a father, I recognized firsthand the passion of my heavenly Father. This argument of the will of God is so easy to win especially if you have had a child of your own. Your passionate desire is for that child to have a better life than you ever had. I don’t blame my earthly father, because I know he had a very difficult childhood, but I determined I would be a better father to my children than he was to me. Let me tell you this…ABBA’s passion for you is to bring Heaven to earth for you, in finances, in health, in happiness in every category of life. You are His son, His daughter! All He needs is a little cooperation on your part, meaning getting your head and heart, your spoken words and actions aligned with Him to allow abundance to come…
I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18 NKJV
With this understanding of ABBA, command the orphan spirit to come off your life, and receive ABBA as your true Father in all His blessing. Do it now. You will never be the same!
We must examine our hearts with the Spirit’s help to understand the strongholds we may have that hinder the flow of God’s blessing. We will hit some basic questions then go a little deeper. Are you willing to go there?
IS WEALTH IMMORAL?
No. People can be immoral, but wealth itself is not immoral. Wealth gained by dishonesty will dwindle away (Proverbs 13:11). What is called ‘generational wealth’ is usually gone by the 4th generation. Wealth is not so much a reward to be enjoyed as it is a trust to be administered. Too whom much is given much is required. But wealth as a fruit or consequence of doing well is not immoral. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and many other biblical figures all became wealthy. With gold at $2500+ per ounce, how much was David’s and Solomons net worth in today’s dollars? They stewarded it to build the Temple. The concept of rewards is biblical. Indeed, in Heaven we will be rewarded for our faithfulness, individually and in a measured fashion with what the Lord has given us here. Some will have more rewards than others, if I understand the Scriptures right, and that is for eternity!
IS PRIVATE PROPERTY IMMORAL?
For the earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof. 1 Cor 10:26 KJV
No. The Lord ultimately owns all, including us, but He has given us property to own and steward here for a season. God gave Adam and Eve, and their descendants, ownership of the Garden, at least for a season. That lease will be over with His coming! Private property rights, and the protection thereof, are the fundamental basis of all civil laws. You have a right to be secure in your person, anywhere you go and under any circumstances. Same is true with your possessions, contracts, agreements and even your intellectual property. Just laws must be made and enforced in light of those property rights, and this is the purpose of government. The purpose of government is to protect individual property rights and promote the general welfare of its constituents – nothing more and nothing less.
Why is this relevant to me? Your attitude and understanding of wealth and property determines your faith to receive such things. Now let’s examine other issues…
WERE THE EARLY CHURCH BELIEVERS SOCIALISTS?
Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. Acts 4:32 NKJV
No. There is a legal principle called ‘freedom of association.’ This principle means that I can choose WHO I associate with and HOW I associate with them. There is no coercion. The point here is NOT that they had everything in common – and by Acts 6 that was beginning to fall apart – but that no one was FORCING them to have everything in common.
What is socialism? In the world today there are two great economic philosophies that are competing for the rule over men – capitalism and socialism. Capitalism is an economic and political system where private individuals or businesses own the tools (capital) to produce goods and services and operate them for profit.[i] Socialism is an economic and political system where the community or state owns and controls the ‘means of production’ – like the land, factories and resources – rather than private individuals.[ii] Socialism gains its power through deception and theft and enforces its illegitimate authority through massive conformity, coercion and even violence. The early believers were not socialists. The apostles did not own all the property of the believers, not their homes or farms nor businesses. There was not a forced collective but rather a free association of individuals. Do you see it?
MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL?
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Tim 6:10 NKJV
No. The context here deals with ruling ministries in the Church, those who are called to full time Christian service, like the tribe of Levi in the OT. Greediness and its consequences among ruling ministries have been well documented. As ruling ministers we are to be content with having our needs, and the needs of our families, met abundantly. Greediness for money, the love of money and its attendant power, is a major snare for ministers.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Tim 1:7 NKJV
Money gives one power, and a lot of money gives one a lot of power. But the power of God, the anointing of the Holy Spirit, is greater. I have a dear friend who has taken hundreds of plane rides in the service of the Lord and never paid a shilling out of his pocket. You are only limited by the box you put yourself in!
Now let’s get into some deeper, personal questions. Remember, you don’t answer to me, and I won’t personally examine you…but to Him.
WHAT IS YOUR ATTITUDE TOWARD THOSE WHO HAVE MORE THAN YOU? THOSE WHO HAVE LESS?
Are you jealous of them? I finally confronted my jealousy when I realized that jealousy was a form of hatred, and this hatred in my heart was strangling God’s ability to bless my life. Today, I rejoice in the success of others, in your success! My rejoicing in your success has become a major key in my financial freedom. When you rejoice in the success of others, it positions you to receive your own success. My attitude towards those who have less increasingly has become to be kind and generous without being naive, and also to teach them how to overcome.
Finally, and I want to say this in kindness and gentleness yet with gut level honesty…
DO YOU HAVE A MARTYR OR SAVIOR COMPLEX?
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Rom 12:1NKJV
We all want to be heroes. We grew up admiring heroes, in books, and in sports, in history. There was always one guy or young lady in school that everyone wanted to be close to because they were the ‘big man or girl.’ Maybe it was your father who was your hero. But I grew up wanting to be a hero, and that is noble and good. But that desire can turn to be selfish when we try to do what we are not called to do in imitating others. The order of priorities that I was taught was God first, my family second and my work or ministry third. Aleph – Beth – Gamel, the first three letters of the Hebrew alphabet. God – House or Family – Work or Ministry. The mistake we have made historically was equating ministry with God, to the sacrifice of our families. Let me say as a spiritual father to you pastors, if your ministry does not support you well, you need to get a job. When your ministry has grown and matured enough to support you well, then you can be in full-time service. I did it for many years before I was released into full time ministry. Don’t martyr your family because you are trying to save the world. Repent of this foolishness. Living sacrifices, not dead ones!
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers…3 John 2 NKJV
Finally, if your heart is aligned with ABBA, you are ready to start tithing, giving and budgeting. You can prosper even if those around you are not (Ps.91:7). Remember that prosperity and financial freedom are usually incremental. An apple tree must grow and mature before it produces apples. A financial plan is like that, growing and maturing through wise counsel and small investments. ABBA will guide you in your investment strategies and decisions, so listen to Him closely and pray much in tongues over your family, your property and your wealth. Heaven will come to earth for you because you have a Father who truly, passionately and practically loves you! Amen? Love you!
Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…
* If you would like to receive a copy of BE A RIVER, NOT A LAKE or WHAT’S WRONG WITH GAMBLING? just let me know. 😉
1 and 2 – Google AI