What Do You Want To Plant?

When it comes to God's plan for your financial life are you planting according to his will, or are you planting according to what you want to plant?

For over 20 years I've traveled the country teaching Christian Money Management and Biblical Stewardship seminars, and I've consistently discovered that many Christian's want to immediately design a full fledged financial and investment plan without spending any time with God. 

I generally spend a good portion of our session telling these folks that any financial and investment plan that is not steeped in God's will is doomed to utter failure.

In order to really determine what your future financial plans should be, you need to spend time determining your values, attitudes and outlook toward money, investments and material possessions. Your values must be founded in the Bible, your plans anchored in lots of prayers and your possessions given over to Him who owns them all anyway. As a starting place you may want to call the Stewardship Department of the Florida Baptist Convention office and ask for the booklet "Christian Giving: A Personal Evaluation," or see the current issue of "Christian Financial Planning", (CFP) a booklet also available from the Florida Baptist Convention. (1-800-226-8584 ext. 3025)

Once you have determined and written out your values and attitudes, I'm convinced that God will reveal His purpose and plan for your financial life. Once you know His goal(s), you can then start to determine your own goals. If you find it hard to think about financial goals, let me help. I've written a goal chart that has been reproduced in the CFP booklet  and in my seminars, I also use a list of what I consider to be 
The TOP TEN GOALS.

 

I think that WORRY AND IMPOSSIBILITIES have stopped more God given goals then any other factor!

 In coming issues I'll go over all of these TOP TEN GOALS but as I do, be thinking and praying about YOUR own goals! When it comes to setting your goals, don't be constrained by your present situation.

 Don't eliminate a God given goal because you don't have a perceived "need" today. If you "need" something to achieve a God given goal, He will provide! Don't eliminate a God given goal because you think it's impossible to achieve! Don't worry about impossibilities! I think that WORRY AND IMPOSSIBILITIES have stopped more God given goals then any other factor! Remember, there is an unseen enemy who wants to grow weeds in the garden of your life! I'll write about worry and impossibilities in future issues but in the meantime, set those goals with His help.

Let's look at my number one TOP TEN GOAL!

Goal One! THREE DIMES!

This, in my opinion, is the most important goal that every Christian should consider. Three dimes!

Out of every dollar of income that comes into your home, three dimes or thirty cents should be divided into three different funds.

Dime One: The Tithe. As a CPA and a CFP® I've never read a secular investing or money management book that started with the tithe. Yet, without the tithe all else will fail!

I can't explain it, but I can summarize it. I could write volumes about this and I could generate thousands of personal testimonies, but you must learn to plant this seed if you ever want to find financial freedom.

Dime Two--The Rainy Day Fund.
A savings account for those times when the devil tosses some real weeds into the garden of your life! An account that has enough in it so that when God tells you to take that new job, move to?, leave that compromising situation at your present job or take that investment risk, you'll feel at least a little comfortable in listening to HIM. Basically, I would like you to have an amount that makes you feel independent of your present job situation so that you can act and react according to God's will.

Dime Three--The Blessing and Investing Fund. A fund that is used to bless your life or perhaps the lives of others. This fund is for those non-typical expenditures that sometimes are just necessary for your life. An example in my life, was that new Bass Boat I wanted in 1980! Had the funds in both the Rainy Day and the Blessing Fund. I made application to the Rainy Day Fund and was promptly turned down. (Guys, once this fund is started, she won't ever let you spend it for toys!) So I went to the boat store with the Blessing Fund, but that salesman told me the new boat was over $18,000 so I had to go home and pray some more. In the meantime, our Church's air conditioner broke and the Blessing Fund went to bless some hot Baptists. So you see the Blessing Fund can bless those around you or it can bless your life. 

Depend on Him for your needs, wants and desires.

The real moral of this story, is who owns all of these funds?

By the way, these funds may be difficult to start but you must start Fund One, then you can work on Funds 2 and 3. Plant a seed and see how it grows. In future articles we write about achieving those impossible financial goals with God on our side. Also, that Bass boat? Well, I've learned to depend upon Him for my needs, wants and desires and He provided a two year old bass boat for less than half of the cost of a new one. Depend on Him for your needs, wants and desires. And when He supplies them, Dedicate them all to Him, two BIG D's, is another goal we'll discuss in coming issues.