Financial Peace

Ryan LaRue

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Financial Peace

There’s An Elephant In the Room

There’s an elephant in the room.

That’s just a metaphor describing an enormous topic or issue. Everybody knows about, but nobody likes to talk about. We can refer to an obvious problem we would like to work around or try to avoid.

Tonight we’re going to look at something that the Bible wants us to look at. Has a lot to say about. And something we all need to look at. The Church must talk about. But not many people like to.

We’re going to talk about money. And not the American Dream - the Kingdom one. We’re living in a world consumed with worshipping this elephant.

Can you love God and mammon?

I want to say something from the very outset of this: It’s the intention of God that you be blessed.

Text

Proverbs 13:7 KJV 1900

There is that maketh himself rich, yet hath nothing: There is that maketh himself poor, yet hath great riches.

Proverbs 13:7 NIV

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

And I would tell you this: we shouldn’t be pretending either way. We should be real. If you’ve got to pretend to be rich, that’s not a heart after the things of God. And if you have to pretend to be poor, that’s not humility. It’s false humility.

God’s gonna help us. We’re going to talk about an elephant in the room. We’re going to talk about a topic that has as much in this book as anything else, if not more.

We need to pray that our hearts would be prepared to receive.

I heard a Pastor in Illinois say that they went through a time of massive revival directly following teaching on money. How many know it’s His, anyway???

Let’s pray

Financial Peace

It is no stretch or exaggeration when I say that individuals, families, homes, and churches are under great stress and attack today.

And you are not exempted from stress just because you are spiritual. If it can, stress will find you, and stress will try to cling to you.

There are some things we can do nothing about. We need a word from God. We need Him to move. But there is some stress that we can be a part of fixing.

Psychologist and therapists all agree that indebtedness is one of the major stresses on homes today. It sits among the leading cause of divorce. This all-to-common way of living beyond our means leads to consumer and credit card debt and often leads to broken marriages and hurting homes, with fear and uncertainty.

How many know that’s NOT the will of God for His people?

Too many disciples of Jesus Christ end up just like the guy on the screen.

Play video: “I’m In Debt Up To My Eyeballs”

There’s a verse for this:

Proverbs 13:7 NIV

One person pretends to be rich, yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

I’ve met people that live in houses so nice they don’t have furniture to furnish them with. The sad parallel to that is I have met people who look Christian but find out they are so hollow on the inside that there is an echo.

I don’t want to just look Christlike, I want to BE Christlike.

There are many people who have lots of nice stuff, but every single thing is financed. All their cars are owned by the bank. And I’m not coming after people who work at banks. I did for awhile.

People take vacations and let the bank pay for them. And then they spend the next two years trying to pay for them. Clothes. Owned by Bank of America. Chase.

Most of us own a lot more than it appears. While having a Father who owns it all!

Turn to somebody and tell them, “It’s not God’s will!” Tell someone else, “Why’s he taking a Wednesday night to talk about money?”

I’m glad you asked. Here’s why:

Proverbs 22:7 ESV

The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

And the only one I’m supposed to serve is God.

The real elephant in the room is DEBT.

I’m not going to ask you for money today, but I am going to ask you to be weird, and go against America’s trend, to actually GET OUT of debt.

I’m talking about changing our ways because we care less about what our neighbor thinks and more about what the King thinks!

I’m going to ask somebody to get frustrated, maybe even mad about being in debt and forced to think that that’s totally normal and the way everyone lives. I’m here to tell you THAT’S NOT the way everyone lives and IT’S NOT the way you have to live.

“Well, I’ve got medical debt!” God will help. He’s still helping our family.

Am I the only one who’s ever got a call about it? You lie, you fry!

But God can help you with those things. He definitely helped us, and still is.

But we have to manage his things correctly. That’s called being a good steward. Taking care of God‘s stuff. I was taught that early!

8 Principles

Let me say this: the principles I’m about to share, they are not new. And several of them Dave Ramsey teaches. You need to get ahold of his stuff. Also, I’ll be transparent. I haven’t alway been following these. Sis. LaRue and I are still working through a plan we’ve made on our finances. It’s long-term. But God has blessed us because we took it seriously.

#1 - Avoid Debt

America, in particular has a culture of debt. And the culture is failing.

Debt is not always the answer to being able to afford something in the now. Yes, it allows you to make the purchase in the instant, but at what cost? We ought to count the cost.

And not just in the short term! I hear a lot of people say, “Oh, I got THIS car for THIS payment!” The focus has been put on this small payment, but not much focus on the total cost you will pay.

Avoid debt. Now, obviously situations are different. A house has to be paid for somehow. But if debt can be avoided, it should be.

#2 - Save $1000 Fast

“I can’t do $1000 fast.” You can. According to the Federal Reserve: 39% of Americans do not have the cash on hand to cover a $400 emergency. That’s not in a foreign country. That’s America! That’s not the will of God.

Make sure you pay yourself before you pay all these other people who want your money.

#3 - Tithe and Give

Malachi 3:8–18 KJV 1900

Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: For ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee? Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: And what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, And that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; Yea, they that work wickedness are set up; Yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: And the Lord hearkened, and heard it, And a book of remembrance was written before him For them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, In that day when I make up my jewels; And I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, Between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.

The tenth belongs to God.

Matthew 6:24 KJV 1900

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Give and it shall be given unto you!

Here’s the kind of life I want to live: I want to live the kind of life that if anybody knew what I gave to the Kingdom, I’d never have to be embarrassed. Most of all, to the Lord.

#4 - Attack Your Debt

Attack it! Go after it! Because debt attacks you!

Rank your debts from smallest to largest.

“Oh! Bro. Ryan, that’s not preaching!” YES IT IS!

One of the worst mistakes somebody can make is think that your just going to chip away at the big debt first.

Find that one debt - do yourself a free credit report - find that one debt that $47.32 and KILL that sucker!

#5 - Create a Monthly Budget

John Maxwell says, “Creating a budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.”

And when you sit down and look at it all, you’ll be surprised at who all is getting your money BESIDES YOU!

And it’s pretty simple, too: Pay God, Pay YOURSELF, then pay everybody else. And chew them down, too.

You ever pay attention to what you pay for a soft drink at a restaurant? We walk in… the waiter walks over… “What are we having to dri-?” WATER.

How many parents in this room have ever said this line: “Do drinks come with the kids meal? They don’t?? WATER. They’re having water.” Are you sure? “We’re very sure.”

If you don’t tell your money where to go, there are plenty of people who would be glad to take send it everywhere!!!

#6 - Work, and Teach Your Kids to Work

“What are you going to do for a job?” I want Anna to think that way. Why? “Oh, Bro. Ryan don’t you have the money to just give to her?” NO. I don’t. Even if I do, I don’t. I want her to know how to work!

If we hand them everything physically and financially, and we do not teach them to work for what they have, we are actually hurting them spiritually! We are hurting them spiritually. Because, if we’re not careful, we walk in here, and we just EXPECT God to be here. We just THINK God will do it. And if we don’t have a lifestyle of work, we will get into an entitlement mentality that will not only affect us physically but affect us financially, it will affect us mentally, it will affect us spiritually.

#7 - Reduce Your Spending

You’re not to good to shop at Aldi’s.

“Well, we only shop at Whole Foods. We earned another level.” You’re in another level. And I’m glad for you! But when you’re 20 years old…

I’m not preaching to the people that can afford it. I’m preaching to the people who like the prestige! “I only buy organic… from Whole Foo-”

You need to get an organic brain - and walk out! And go get something you can afford!

People looking at you snooty like, “Ewh!” “Where’d you buy those?” It doesn’t matter. I bought ‘em! You didn’t buy - don’t complain!

Come on, parents! You don’t have to deal with that!

“Ewh! Those aren’t Doritos. What are Cheese Triangles? Wha-?” BUY YOUR OWN CHIPS!!!

#8 - Pray for Creativity and Wisdom

Nobody can say that while I talked and preached about money that I’ve said anything about blabbin’ and grabbin’ - any kind of a weird prosperity doctrine. I’m not preaching that at all. I’m preaching this: If you’ll work hard… if you’ll not allow mammon… if you’ll turn from those things… and will work hard and will pray for creativity, will pray for wisdom…

“Well, I want to pray for hard work…” Well, pray for strength, but hard work’s on you!

“I want to pray for somebody else to do the job for me.” Doesn’t work that way.

God, give me the health to be a hard worker.

Conclusion

The Lord wants to guide us in all areas of our life. As mundane as they are, as simple or difficult as they are.

And I believe God wants you to have Financial Peace. And it’s possible. When you give things to God, and then follow His principles, He blesses!

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