Financial Freedom Part1

PROTOCOL

I would like to acknowledge our senior pastor Rev A. Ndlovu, Rev M. Ndlovu, Pastor G Ncube & Pastor Zakhe
It is a great pleasure for me to be part of this team and work with them.
I was want to appreciate you all for coming and being part of this service
I would also want to acknowledge my wife and family for their support

TEXT

Ecclesiastes 9v13-18

Eccl 9:13 This [illustration of] wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me:
Eccl 9:14 There was a little city with few men in it. And a great king came against it and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it.
Eccl 9:15 But there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man.
Eccl 9:16 But I say that wisdom is better than might, though the poor man's wisdom is despised and his words are not heeded.
Eccl 9:17 The words of wise men heard in quiet are better than the shouts of him who rules among fools.
Eccl 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.

INTRODUCTION

Last year in August I introduced a topic “Back to basics” and never followed it up, I will, God permitting, some other time
Today I want to teach a simple topic and simple principles from the Word
Many a times people lose out and fail in life by failing to do simple small things right
Greatness is achieved through doing and paying attention to simple basic and often neglected principles
Innscor Africa (the company I am currently working for as an Accountant) is one of the biggest in Zimbabwe; it is actually the 2nd biggest after Delta in Market Capitalization, as of 030609.
Having worked for Innscor for the past 10 years, I have come to realize that what makes it great and successful is doing simple basic principles which many other corporations neglect and think they are trivial
It is simple business analysis where you check your sales, number of customers, prices & other statistics on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly & yearly basis.
Each business unit, division, department or shop is analyzed thoroughly
You compare and analyze your business against same day prior month, same month last year, same quarter prior year, etc.
You need to pay attention to detail, manage controls, check your costs, etc
The above and other simple basic principles and procedures have contributed immensely in making Innscor what it is today
In your life and particularly in your Christian walk, it is the simple small things that will make you and help you to grow.
It is not seeing visions, doing miracles, etc that make you great!
It is the simple small things, reading the word, prayer, walking in love, being obedient, holiness, etc!
Today I want to talk about a simple topic “Financial Freedom” since this month has been dedicated to special giving, (Isivuno).
Freedom means, “liberty, autonomy, lack of restrictions, self-determination, independence, choice, free will, sovereignty,”
Many people that are financial successful follow the simple financial principles.
The other day I was talking with my F.D. and he said, “When you have little resources you are not strict about how you spend, but when you get more, you want to account for every cent!”
That is very too, people with less, many a times do not care about how they handle money, just like people with more are the ones who buy wisely and a lot of saving & investing.
AmaNdebele athi, “Imali iya emalini”, (when you have money, it attracts more money).
Also we need to come out of the “old Zimbabwe” school of thought. Things were cheap, you could make money anywhere, the value of money was low. Now we are using real money, our spending and attitude towards use and value of money has to change!


FINANCES

A lot has been said about money, finances and resources in the world and in the church
Many of the things said are right, some wrong and some are partly right and partly wrong
If we are to succeed in our Christian walk, we need to have the right knowledge, perception and understanding about financial issues
The bible says “ignorance about something leads to death or casting off restraint.
We need to have clear understanding about how God in the Word wants us to handle financial issues.
·We do not teach that righteousness is being rich or that being poor is evil (same as we do not teach that poverty is humility), but it goes without argument that when you have money or resources many a times your voice is heard in this world that we are living in.
·People hardly listen to a poor man. As you your financial status or position may determine the extent to which those you lead will listen to or follow you. Job says when he still had his riches, when he stood up in a meeting; people kept quite and gave him attention. After he lost his resources, even his friends either deserted or mocked him. After his resources or riches were restored, they all came to him again and gave him gifts! Job 29v1-25, 42v10-11.
·We cannot deny the fact that your financial position can either strengthen or lighten your voice.
·At the same time, we should not go to the other extreme and put human value on material position. Jesus said that human value is not determined by the things you posses, Luke 12v15, Mark 8v36.
·The bible talks about God giving us the power or ability to be wealth, Deuteronomy 8v18
·The bible also says God teaches us to profit, Isaiah 48v17

1. FINANCIAL FREEDOM

·There is something called financial freedom where what you do is not limited by money or resources but by your decision and or what God says.
·Very few people have attained that level especially in church.
·Many a times Christians shun biblical financial principles and pretend as if money does not matter
·Those that do so, seek money privately or will like to borrow and are many times covetous

a)Giving

The bible teaches basically at least 3 ways to give:
-Tithing and offerings
-Giving to the poor and or needy
-Giving to other believers
·You should be systematic and disciplined in their giving. Whilst we believe in spontaneous giving where the Holy Spirit may lead one to give, we should not always way for “spontaneous” promptings to give.
·You should live a life style of giving as instructed by the Word


b)Receiving

-Creative resourcefulness or investing, Prov 31v13-19, You need to be diligent in working to receive income
-Diligent labor, Prov 12v11, 14v23, Do your own projects
-Answered prayer, Philippians 4v6, trust God to meet your needs
-Reaping from your faithful giving, Galatians 6v9-10

c)Spending

You must be careful and plan your spending:
-When spending or buying, consider what you buy, do not just buy anything, spend money on quality.
-Learn to be sales resistant, avoid impulse buying. Beware of advertisements and sales people!
-Pay your bills promptly
-Learn to be content, Philippians 4v11-13, Hebrews 13v6
-Do not be covetous, Exodus 20v17, Luke 12v15.
-Live a simple life, 1Thessalonians 4v11-12
-Live within your means, spending what you do not have is not faith
-Do not be extravagant (John 6v12)
-Balance your spending, do not spend too much on pleasure and at the same time learn to enjoy what God gives you. Proverbs 21v17, Ecclesiastes 5v18, 10v16-17
-Plan your spending, budget

To be continued next Sunday….