Smashwords have put on a reading celebration this week from Mar 02, 2014 to Mar 08, 2014. You will find many titles available at discounted prices or for free during their Read an E-Book Week promotion.
Lots of other authors will have their books available through this promotion so now is the time to stock up on new or favorite titles.
Financial Empowerment will help you to manage your personal finances using biblical and practical solutions whether you are challenged in this area or not. So if you haven’t received your copy or if you’d like to gift it to someone, please use the coupon code RW100when you checkout.
Recently after making a purchase the Holy Spirit confronted me about it? Why? I had just left home pondering over making a small but reasonable purchase in advertising that would help me spread the word about Financial Empowerment: Realign Your Finances to God’s Will. I even had the option of taking a trial period but didn’t. What did I do instead? I spent money (more than the cost of the advertising) without hesitation on something else. I convinced myself that it was good because I was celebrating a special event but at the same time it was short-lived.
I realized how easy it is to make frivolous or unplanned purchases. Those type of purchases that have no lasting value and eat away at your future. I noticed how hesitant I can be at times when it comes to investing in my future via savings, business or career building. Do you experience that sometimes? I guess what the Apostle Paul said even applies how we manage money – what we should do we don’t and what we shouldn’t do we do. Thankfully by the time I reached home, I decided to make the investment in promoting my book and trust God that it would help reach those who need it.
I think that we can all identify with making these types of unplanned purchases. It’s an ongoing battle to keep focused on our goals. The problem with these out-of-order purchases is the negative impact on our future. It’s like a farmer eating all his seed. That wouldn’t be right now, would it? But what really is your seed? To the farmer the seed has potential to do be (1) food and (2) income generation and reinvestment. So to us, the seed is money.
For us, the seed (money) carries the same potential. Whatever money we have can be divided into (1) food and consumables for our daily living and (2) investment for our future.
Generally, most of our money tends to go towards food or bread. But do you understand what bread is?
Bread is a by-product of the seed. It is derived from the seed
Bread is for instant gratification or enjoyment
It’s a consumable item to be used now or within a short period. If not used within a specified time it becomes of no use or value to the consumer. e.g. Bread spoils within a few days; other foods if not consumed after a specified period are not safe for consumption; electronics or cars or other items loose value with use or deteriorate or become obsolete
It has no long term future benefit
In summary, bread has a now benefit not a future one.
On the other hand, the seed also have another benefit if treated differently. If it is planted instead of consumed, then the gains can be far-reaching. For the farmer, a planted seed means future profit or income. What we give, save or invest is the seed we are planting for our future. When we plant our money it grows, increases in value or amount, brings a return to you or benefits you.
What you give grows. Giving doesn’t seem to have an initial benefit but it gives much needed blessings to the giver. The kind of blessings money cannot buy.
Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. –Malachi 3:10
Give, and [gifts] will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will they pour into [the pouch formed by] the bosom [of your robe and used as a bag]. For with the measure you deal out [with the measure you use when you confer benefits on others], it will be measured back to you. –Luke 6:38
What you invest grows. Investing can provide streams of income that is expected or unexpected.
His master said to him, Well done, you upright (honorable, admirable) and faithful servant! You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little; I will put you in charge of much. Enter into and share the joy (the delight, the blessedness) which your master enjoys. –Matthew 25:21
Then you should have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received what was my own with interest. –Matthew 25:27
If you give, save, invest the seed it will benefit your life. If you eat all the seed, it is consumed and gone forever and not able to provide any future benefit. You and I have a choice.
The Lord also pointed out why we so easily eat our seed, that is, waste your financial future:
(1) Fear of the unknown. In my case, I wasn’t sure of the outcome of my investment in advertising. I would pay now but would have to wait to see the results of doing this type of business – if I would gain any exposure at all, if it would convert into sales and other connections. However, with frivolous purchases the thought about our financial future often does not come until after the purchase as been made!
(2) The strong urge for instant gratification. When we buy and consume something we wanted (clothing, food, electronics, etc) we receive an immediate tangible item in exchange for our money. Although these things are short-lived, the pull for instant gratification is what compels us to spend. Unfortunately the feeling quickly dies along with the item we purchased.
This is a situation most of us find ourselves in. We are trying to balance the financial scales which often topple over to the spending side. Even though we have dreams or goals that require an initial outlay of our time, money and efforts we often spend for instant gratification or temporal gain rather than for delayed satisfaction and a better future.
Not only did the Lord bring this to light from a personal perspective but spiritually as it relates to building the kingdom of God. You see, looking at my scenario, the investment in advertising was not just about selling books but about (1) sharing the message of the good news (2) helping people in the body of Christ move from financial struggle to success and (3) encouraging others to serve God wholeheartedly with their money.
Not making such an investing in the kingdom of God displeases the Lord and negatively impacts the work of the gospel. Often times the toss-up between spending on ourselves and making an investment in our future and in God’s kingdom result in our seed being eaten. Why? We want to please ourselves more and think we are deserving of or entitled to whatever we want.
But there is a danger in this. How can we avoid eating up our seed? Next week’s post will explore this.
Are You Financially Empowered? Take this quiz to find out.
Time limit: 0
Quiz-summary
0 of 12 questions completed
Questions:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Information
Whether you are facing financial challenges of not; take this short quiz to how you stand financially.
These questions are based on some of the subject areas covered in my book Financial Empowerment: Realign Your Finances to God’s Will. It discusses the problems we face in different areas of our finances and shows how to manage money using God’s principles. Financial Empowerment is about how you view and manage your money in light of God’s word. It’s about using biblical solutions as well as practical ones in our personal finances.
Take is short quiz to find out if you are financially empowered.
Note: Please check one answer that best describes your situation.
You have already completed the quiz before. Hence you can not start it again.
Quiz is loading...
You must sign in or sign up to start the quiz.
You have to finish following quiz, to start this quiz:
Results
0 of 12 questions answered correctly
Your time:
Time has elapsed
You have reached 0 of 0 points, (0)
Categories
Not categorized0%
Thank you so much for taking time to assess your finances. I know God is pleased with the first step you have taken.
Based on your test scores if you fall between the range 0 – 12 then there is some work you likely need to put into get your financial management in line with God’s will. If your score fell in the 14 – 24 range, then you are the road to financial empowerment God’s way. Keep moving forward in that direction.
Whichever way you scored, please feel free to go to Amazon.com and purchase the book. In a simple easy-to-read manner, it provides biblical and practical solutions to personal financial management.
Financial Empowerment is a fresh look at how you see your finances and how to deal with them effectively.
Get ready to be empowered as you honor God in managing your financial resources.