Follow the Financial Recipe

“Bachelor Spaghetti” Story - Follow the Recipe

Putting things into an equation incorrectly, adding extra things in, or leaving things out of a formula, cannot possibly lead to the correct answer.

Many Christians are disappointed by the outcomes they are experiencing in their walk with Christ, & in the church, because they aren’t following the recipe!

Luke 6:46–49 NKJV

46 “But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? 47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

God Supplies All Our Need:

Philippians 4:19 NKJV

19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

We have to decide whether or not this verse of scripture is true.

If any single Bible scripture is not true, we have to call into question EVERY scripture, because we cannot actually believe everything God says.

However, IF this scripture (and all scripture) is true then...

Is my life demonstrating the truth of this verse?

Am I living this verse?

Have I become this verse?

2 Corinthians 3:2–3 NKJV

2 You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

If Philippians 4:19 is the truth, we are CURRENTLY being supplied everything we need from Heaven to meet our needs.

If this doesn’t seem to be what is happening, we aren’t following the recipe!

“The key to healing is the willingness to give up what makes me sick.”- Dr. Mark Sherwood

2 Corinthians 8:12 NKJV

12 For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.

God provides for our needs according to HIS riches -

God makes enough available for all our needs, but sometimes we don’t work enough to bring in the harvest

Harvest left in the field is not harvest at all.

Sometimes we put our financial harvest in bags full of holes.

Haggai 1:6 NKJV

6 “You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes.”

If we want to free up & reclaim finances, or realize our needs being met, it may take some changes, but it is possible for everyone.

When someone is mining for Gold, they need to know where to look to find it (usually near and with quartz)

Let’s identify some of the practical financial holes our wages pour out of & how to close up those holes.

Some Great Places to look for Money:

(This isn’t even addressing other resources like: time, energy, relationships, etc.)

Brew your own coffee at home (easily saves $) The Perfect Brew reports that women spend about $2,327 per year on their coffee habit, while men spend almost $400 less, at $1,934 per year.

Shop sales instead of buying on a whim

Don’t buy stuff you don’t need

Buy used rather than brand new (on a great many things)

Be a good steward and do preventative maintenance rather than waiting for things to break

Plan a circular route for driving to not waste time or fuel

Cook at home

Eat Chicken & veggies rather than beef, fish, lamb, crab, lobster, etc.

Start a garden for food & subsidize what you buy with what you grow

Eat leftovers

Drink water & carry water with you rather than buying drinks or bottles of water

Plan, Prep, & Pack lunch & snacks

Fast 1 day a week & save the money

Increase your physical health - Reduces life insurance premiums, doctor bills, & pharmaceutical needs

Increase your credit score - You get premium rates and can save thousands just by increasing your stewardship

Eliminate Debt (Proverbs 22:7)

Jesus wants you to live the abundant life!

Debt is the illusion of abundance through the acceptance of slavery!

John 10:10 NKJV

10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Every dollar you don’t leak out is like increasing your wages.

Going to Another Level:

For those looking to take their finances to a whole new level, I’d like to give you 1 concrete step to take:

Get Generous!

Isaiah 32:8 NKJV

8 But a generous man devises generous things, And by generosity he shall stand.

Generous = Voluntary

Get rid of “Fixed Pie” mentality!

“Fixed Pie” mentality tells us that if we give to others, we will have less for ourself & that others are, in fact, taking from us and making us less.

The one taking from us becomes our opponent and adversary!

Can you see why this “Fixed Pie” mentality affects generosity towards others AND towards God?

God is not a taker - He is a giver.

Because of God, the pie is not fixed can grow or that we can get more pies!

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." - Winston Churchill

2 Corinthians 9:10 NKJV

10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,

When you become a sower, you NEED seed!

God will provide all your NEED!

Just One Thing:

God is supplying our every need.

Let’s see that realized & then step into God’s covenant where through YOU all the nations of the earth will be blessed!

Discussion Questions:

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve found lying on the ground / side of the road?

What are the top 3 biggest “holes” you have in your financial bag? Share a little about what you know or learned about how those holes.

3. Please read Proverbs 22:7 and Deuteronomy 8:18 and share what impacts you and speaks to you from these verses.

4. Share 1-3 steps you will take to see your needs met and/or to live generously.