God's Principles - Part Three - Financial Health

The Word of God is full of advice on how to live a healthy life mentally, emotionally, financially, physically and spiritually (3 John 1:2). If we ferret them out of the chapters and verses, we find amazing truth by which to live our life (Proverbs 4:22).

When our thoughts, words and deeds please the Lord, even our enemies are at peace with us (Proverbs 16:7). He daily increases our blessings, and this even includes our children (Psalm 37:25, 115:14). We lack nothing that we truly need (Psalm 34:10; Deuteronomy 28:6; Philippians 4:19).

God actually gives the ability and wisdom to produce wealth to those who covenant with Him (Deuteronomy 8:18; Psalm 24:1). He yokes up with us to carry our burdens each moment of the day, because He is the only God who truly saves (Psalm 68:19).

God's blessings bring us wealth, without the painful toil that so many must endure (Proverbs 10:22). When we humble our self enough to respect, honor, obey and consult the Lord throughout the day, we reap riches and honor (Proverbs 22:4).

The secret to financial success in life is to seek God's Kingdom before our own desires, and He will give us everything we need (Matthew 6:33-34). When our ways please the Lord, He also gives us wisdom, knowledge and happiness (Ecclesiastes 2:26).

       

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for Your abundant prosperity for Your children. You bless the fruit of our labors, and our physical and financial needs. You open for us the windows of Heaven and the storehouse of Your bounty. You send rain to water our gardens, and You bless all the work of our hands (Deuteronomy 28:11-13).

As we pay attention to and obey Your precepts, we will always find fulfillment, peace, joy and richness in our life. Remind us to tithe a tenth of our income; because if we do not, we are guilty of robbing You. However, when we are faithful tithers, You open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out Your abundance of blessings on us, so that we have enough to share with those in need (Malachi 3:10).

Thought for the Day:

Financial responsibility and honoring the Lord with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength will result in His bountiful provision in our life, His protection over our resources, and His abundance in all of our endeavors.

- Malachi 3:11-12; Deuteronomy 29:9

Grief Relief

The rancid taste of grief sours our personality at the same time that it bitters our soul. We drown in depression and we see no reason to continue with life. We grieve over the loss of our loved ones, as well as cherished pets and possessions. 

Grief plays havoc with our emotions by knocking them off center. We want to hide between the sheets and drift off into oblivion or take unprecedented risks. Our loss causes our favorite hobbies to lose their appeal. 

We question our sanity and our bewildering physical ailments, which come out of nowhere without any viable reason. Some even attempt to contact their dead loved one through satanic séances and spiritualists.

Experts advise against making major decisions while the fog of grief clouds our judgment. We stand the risk of rebounding and marrying the wrong person, or selling the home of our dreams for fear of not being able to care for it on our own. 

If we forget God in our recovery, we will perish as those without God (Job 8:13). Take a year or more to recuperate before making decisions and only after obtaining Godly advice. God is there for you...always. 

It takes time to recover, but God meets all of our needs, clears up our confusion and heals all of our pain (Jeremiah 29:11). Praising His name and seeking Him each moment of the day will bring us more fulfillment than we ever experienced before in our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we are certain to the depths of our being that You are the Living Lord. Every negative aspect in our life right now will turn out for our good, as we trust in You. Even if we are truly alone in this world, we can place our hope in You and pray night and day, asking for Your help moment by moment (1 Timothy 5:5).  

The prayer that never fails is, "Lord, Your will be done." It is hard to give up control of our life, but we will experience so much more freedom once we totally surrender and live in Your joy as our peace and strength. Once we come to that place of total surrender to Your will, no matter what it is, then we set You free to bless us.

Thought for the Day:

When grief resurfaces with some trigger that reminds us of our loss, we can remember that even in the darkest nights of our life, our faith increases and our personal relationship with God deepens.

A New Life is Possible

We are born with a body and a soul – our mind, will and emotions. On the other hand, our spirit – our connection to God – is dead in Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12). We grow up searching for some way to revive that dead spirit. We try money, clothes, shoes, cars, homes, education, thrills, immorality, success, beauty spas, cruises, relationships, and knowing all the right people. They only serve to frustrate us, however, because there is no reality in them.

Many try the intellectual route by improving their mind through pursuing philosophy and all of the education channels available. Some pursue physical excellence with martial arts, diet and rigorous exercise routines. Others dabble in spiritual pursuits such as Eastern religions, Satanism, the occult, witchcraft, sorcery or New Age ideologies. We still ache deep inside, however, because our spirit is dead (Ephesians 2:1). This is when we realize that we need a Savior.

There is only one truly fulfilling and lasting source of salvation, however, and that is Jesus Christ. The first rung on the ladder to spiritual maturity is to recognize that Jesus became what we are, so that we might become what He is. Jesus became sin, so that we may have His righteousness. By faith in Jesus Christ, we actually become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). When God looks at us, He does not see a struggling human being, but a glorified saint. Our spirit is reborn and we find peace and fulfillment that were never possible through any other venue.

Faith is the promise of the things we hope for and the evidence of things we cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). We surrender our old, carnal nature to God and He creates in us a whole new person (Ephesians 4:24). We exchange our sin nature for the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24; Romans 5:8). We unite with Christ in His death and arise to live a whole new life in Him (Romans 6:6,11). God conforms us to the image of His Son by sanctifying our soul a little more each day (Romans 8:29).

When we walk away from sin in all of its forms, we pursue holiness and Godliness instead (Romans 6:2-4). Christ removes all of the condemnation we accumulated over our years of sin (Romans 8:1). He frees us from our sin nature as we choose to live as a bondservant to God now and throughout eternity (Romans 6:22). We no longer reap the consequences of sin, but enjoy the benefits of abundant, eternal life in this world and also in the next (John 10:10).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, by You all things were made (Colossians 1:16; John 1:3; Col 1:17; 2 Corinthians 5:17). In You, our life is made complete (Colossian 1:28, 2:10). As we surrender to Your will for our life and walk in Your truth by the guidance of Your Holy Spirit moment by moment throughout the day, we have everything we need to live a fulfilled life now as well as in eternity. We thank You for the abundance You provide for us in this life, as well as in the next.

Thought for the Day:

Living a committed life of faith and trust in Jesus Christ results in fulfillment in every area of life.