Be Released From Financial Bondage

This morning I watched a sermon given by Kerry Shook on TBN about financial bondage. He offered 3 principles to apply that will help us free ourselves from financial bondage. This sermon really ministered to me. As a single mother, money management has always been a source of frustration for me. It seems like I never have enough money to cover all that I am responsible for. So I thought I’d share what I learned, with the hopes that we all can learn how to manage our money and resources better and release the shackles that bind us…one at a time.

Principle #1: Govern your money; do not let your money govern you.

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.” ~ Genesis 1:28 (NLT)

God gave us dominion over ALL things in the earth, including our finances and resources and He instructed us to govern them; to control and exercise continuous sovereign authority over them. We establish dominion and control over our money by staying in balance and making constant adjustments to maintain that balance. We also need to consider our income and outgo. If we are always in the red at the end of the month, we either need to increase our earnings or decrease our spending. We can’t be in balance financially if we are spending more than we earn.

Principle #2: Simplify and you’ll be more satisfied.

“He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” ~ John 15:2 (NLT)

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?” ~ Isaiah 55:2 (NIV)

As we work at balancing our budget, we should consider eliminating the things that we spend our money on that does not “produce fruit” or add true value to our lives. Essentially these are the things that offer a low return on investment. Instead we should invest more in or “prune” the areas that are fruit bearing or adding value so that we may experience maximum return on investment.

Principle #3: Honor God in your giving, saving, and spending.

“Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the first and best part of all your income. Then your barns will be full, and your vats will overflow with fresh wine” ~ Proverbs 3:9-10 (GW)

“Some people give freely and gain more; others refuse to give and end up with less.” Proverbs 11:24 (ERV)

Kerry Shook advised that we should, “Give God the first 10% back, not the leftovers. If God is not in first place in our finances we are not honoring God. Honor God in everything we do, our spending, saving, giving, budgeting, balancing, and simplifying.”

He went on to say that many of us are possessed by our possessions. If we can’t give something away, then it controls us. We are instructed to hold things loosely.
I know that I have had some expensive consequences as a result of not following the principles outlined above. Life is about sowing seeds and harvesting. By devine design, when you plant one seed today, the harvest will not be immediate, but the harvest will come later and greater. One seed produces plenty. In essence, the consequences from the way we manage our money may not be immediate, but there WILL be consequences eventually and more than likely the implications will be greater than the initial financial decision that we made. A great example of that in financial terms is the concept of principal plus interest.

Today is a great day to examine our finances. Are we are governing our money or allowing our money to govern us? Click here to download a free Personal Monthly Budget template that we can use to help us balance our finances and make the necessary adjustments. Jesus came that we may have life more abundantly, but we must do our part. Let's exercise our God-given authority and be mindful of the seeds we plant so we harvest more of what really want and need and less of what we don't.

Remember you are not alone.

Embrace and enjoy the journey…

God Bless!