What to Do with Your Money (cont'd)

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. He will reward them for what they have done. That's why I like being a giver because my reward isn't coming back from you. If God sees me blessing you, being kind to you, He says I'll hook you back up. Give and it shall be given to you.

Good measure, pressed and shaken and running over. Hello and welcome to this Thursday's Truth Network Podcast. Here's the edition of Destined for Victory with Pastor Paul Shepherd.

Wherever you are, how you may be listening, thanks for making this part of your day. You know, God went out of His way to make His thoughts about money very clear. He repeated them over and over and He even gave us permission to test Him on the issue. When we give, He promises to give back and it's always more than we gave away. But as you'll see in just a few moments, tithes and offerings are not the only principles of godly stewardship. Stay with us now or stop by pastorpaul.net to listen. Listen on demand. That's pastorpaul.net.

And here is Pastor Paul with today's message. What to do with your money. Saints, we got to be smart as well as obedient. It doesn't make sense to live above your means. Can't eat out? Brown bags. That's why God made brown bags. Trying to help you.

That's why He did it. Let them go to Cheesecake Factory, all your co-workers. Let them go. You don't want to come? No, no, I'm good.

I got my lunch right here. Why? Because you're sowing toward a brighter harvest. And they are just spending money and living above their means, being spoiled, and it's going to catch up with them sooner or later.

Going to happen. So, live within your means. Act your wage. Number three, get out of debt. Get out of debt. And I might add, and then when you get out, stay out.

But most of us just have to start by getting out. God says in His word, the ancient past teaches us, the good way teaches us to get out of debt. Proverbs 22, seven, the rich rule over the poor and the borrower is slave to the lender.

God says, I want you to be free to serve me. I don't want you to be a slave to any man or any company. You are a slave when you owe people money. You're a slave when you owe on something that is not appreciating in value. You are a slave. You are being ruled over. The rich are ruling over you. The borrower is slave to the lender. For all practical purposes, they own you.

And that is not God's will. Proverbs six, three through five. So do this, my son, to free yourself since you've fallen into your neighbor's hands through debt. Go to the point of exhaustion and give your neighbor no rest.

Allow no sleep to your eyes, no slumber to your eyelids. Free yourself like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the faller. It means do what you got to do to get out of debt. Sell that stuff. Got a house full of stuff. Sell it so you can get free. Have yourself a garage sale.

Put it somewhere where you can make some serious money and do it. Get yourself free. Get out of debt.

Tackle your first, your smallest card first with the one with the smallest balance. I only owe this company 700 more dollars. Good. Go after that. Sell that stuff. Get rid of that. Pay that off quickly as you can.

Then take what you've been paying that card or put it toward the next card and add some more. Sell some more stuff. You got clothes in your closet.

You can't wear them anymore. Sell them. Sell it. Free yourself.

Do what you got to do. Free yourself like a bird from the snare of the faller. Get out of debt. Saints, God doesn't want you carrying debt on depreciating things. Get out of debt so that you can be free. In Romans, I think it's chapter 13, Paul said, don't owe anybody anything except to love them. You ever read that? Owe no man anything except to love them?

That's a good verse. How much brighter would your smile be if you don't owe anybody anything? Maybe the one exception is a reasonable mortgage or a valuable home. And there, make sure it's reasonable. Make sure you have refinanced to the place where it makes a lot of sense.

Isn't that wonderful when you can look at people and smile because I don't owe you a dime? So get out of debt. Work hard till you do. Do some extra chores till you do.

Pick up a little side job till you do. Some of y'all know your parents and grandparents. That's what they did. I saw some of the men in our church growing up. They would come home from their full-time job. I now know they were in debt.

I didn't know it as a kid. They'd come home from their full-time job. They would eat and then they'd get up and go to their evening part-time job. I watched that happen and now I know those brothers were trying to make some traction where their finances were concerned because back in the days before houses cost ridiculous amounts of money.

So it's not like they had crazy mortgages but they had somehow ensnared themselves in some way and they wanted to make sure they could live within their means. So it happened then and it ought to be happening now. There is nothing wrong with the question, hi, may I take your order please? Good question. If they're going to pay you every hour, yeah but that hat's goofy. Put that goofy hat on. Number four, only two more, you can make it through to you.

Number four, build an emergency fund. Proverbs chapter 6 verses 6 through 8. Go to the ant, you sluggard. Consider its ways and be wise. It has no commander, no overseer, no ruler, no pastor preaching to it every week.

Yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. Who wrote that? Solomon, one of the wisest men who's ever walked the face of the earth.

And he was one of the wealthiest men. And Solomon, both wise and wealthy says, listen, learn from the ant. And what do you learn from the ant exactly? Don't consume everything you grab now on now. Some of what you grab now is for later. Some of what you earn now is not for now. Some of what you earn now is for later. So after you honor God and give him his tenth or whatever amount God's given you to give, then before you go to spending, take something from what is left and say this I will set aside for the future or for an emergency fund or for some folk call it a rainy day fund.

And the Bible says the wise man said that's wise. Stop consuming everything on now. Some is for later. I'm so much in debt right now, I can't do that. You can do a basic emergency fund. Start with a dollar a day. Put aside a dollar a day somewhere where you won't go back and get it. Do that for a month. Next month, put aside two dollars a day. If you can't always fit that, get back to the dollar. Do you know if you put together a dollar a day, just set it aside, at the end of the year you got 365 dollars sitting there that you haven't touched. If you do two dollars a day, you got 730. If you do five dollars, you're up over a thousand. You see what I'm saying? You can do it.

It's a decision away. When you see yourself headed to Starbucks, say no. When your car points towards Starbucks, rebuke it in Jesus' name. Say no, I can't afford a hot latte, a Cuppuccino, whatever it is. All this stuff y'all buy, I don't know. I don't drink coffee. Capuccino.

I'd do it with something with a Chino in it. All right. You don't have to go there. I know it's a popular place.

And they got wireless. I can sit there and do my work. No, uh-uh. You can't afford that. You can't afford that. You'd need an emergency fund.

What happens if your tire blow? Now you got to go grab the credit card, which I just preached out of your hand, hopefully with the previous. That's not an emergency fund.

That's putting off the inevitable. You need to be able to go to your rainy day fund, your emergency fund, and say I got to drive my car to work so I can keep on making a living, glorify God. I got to get a tire so I can drive to work. And so thank you, Lord, that I put that $500 aside. Now I got that.

Pay it. Tires on. Going to work. I'm all right. My stomach has no cappuccino in it, but I'm happy and I'm debt-free. Back in the day, we didn't know about all that stuff. The best part of waking up. Come on, y'all.

I need somebody to help me. The best part of waking up was fall just in your cup. Some of you old heads can testify. They had a commercial. Maxwell House. You saw the percolator percolating. We didn't know anything about Starbucks back in the day. Little instant coffee.

You stuck the spoon in there, put it in the hot water, stirred, put your little cream in, your little sugar in. You were in business. Put aside an emergency fund. You can do it.

If you take your fast food money alone, you'll be wealthy a year from now. I got to have something for lunch? Yeah. Your baloney has a first name. I want some of y'all.

My baloney has a first name. It's O S C A R. All right, so you got those points. Last point. Give gifts, not loans. Give gifts, not loan.

These are the ancient past. This is the good way. God is saying this is how I want you to handle your money from now on. Let today be the turning point where you take the ancient path, the good way.

What's that mean? That means you're going to honor God with your wealth, first fruits of all your crops. You're going to give generously to the kingdom and believe him to bless the rest. Then secondly, you are going to make sure, let me get back to point number two to live within your means. Third, you're going to get out of debt. It's going to be a process, but snowball it.

Get rid of one small debt, then get rid of the next one and snowball yourself to you out of debt. Number four, you're going to build an emergency fund and then finally give gifts, not loan. We'll be right back with more of today's Destined for Victory message from Pastor Paul Shepard. To listen to any of Pastor Paul's recent broadcasts, be sure to stop by pastorpaul.net to listen on demand.

Once again, that's pastorpaul.net. And here's a great way to honor God with your finances. Don't give someone money and call it a loan. Give someone money and leave it alone.

Pastor Paul joins me after today's message, but first let's rejoin him for the second half of this teaching. What to do with your money? Proverbs 22, 26. Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge or puts up security for debts.

Don't lend people money. That's what God said. God said through the wise man, if you want to bless them, give it to them.

You are not blessing them or yourself when you loan it to them. God said that. Don't argue with him.

He's right, you're wrong. Proverbs 19, 17. Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord. He will reward them for what they have done.

That's why I like being a giver because my reward isn't coming back from you. If God sees me blessing you, being kind to you, he says, I'll hook you back up. I'm a witness. Some of you are too who are givers, not just to the kingdom, but who help people in need. You're a witness that God will send it back to you from the most unexpected places.

1 John 3, 17. If anyone has material possessions, sees a brother or sister in need, but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? You ought to have compassion in your heart. You see a brother or sister in need.

There ought to be some compassion in your heart. So if you want to bless them, give a gift, don't give a loan. Some of you are not speaking to people right now because you bought the lie that they were going to pay you back. You bought the lie because they look so sincere when they tell you they're going to pay you back.

And notice the look of sincerity on people. Do you know how they go into great debt to describe how they're going to pay you that they're getting this special check and January the 3rd should be here no later than the 7th. Oh, they give you a great detail when they borrow in your money or the famous one is when I get my income tax return, you're going to be the first one I break off from that check.

The only thing that's going to break off is they're going to break off and run when they get that money. Nobody in this room can preach this point better than me. I have loaned so much money before I started taking God seriously and have more people to this day. Who owe me personally combined tens of thousands of dollars until I got smart and decided God knows what he's talking about.

And I quit loaning people money because I got sick of seeing their teeth and no money. They will grin. You've been grinned at by somebody who owe you money. Oh, they just it's like they think they're doing the Jedi mind trick. You think you can smile me in to forgetting that you owe me $750.

If you want to bless them, just bless them and I'll tell you and we all need to do what I have done. You who have loan money that you will never see again on Earth. You will see it in heaven. That's where you're going to see it. It's going to be a little bundle. You ask God what is that?

That's that money autumn. So here's what you do. I've done it. Forgive it. Forgive it. That way I'm going to release it. I'm going to forgive it and forgive you. And I'm releasing it to God. God will give me back my tens of thousands of dollars.

He'll do it. I'm not going to hold you because to hold you I got to become the warden. Not worth it. Cut off your quality of living. Make your food not digest right. Wake you up in the middle of the night. Money.

It's not worth it. However, here's an important however. Give gifts not loans. However, God in his word tells us not to give to undeserving people. That sounds almost like a contradiction.

Well, it's not because it's in the word. You rightly divide the word of God. On the one hand, be generous to the poor, people in need. The Lord says he'll bless you. On the other hand, he calls people to responsibility, both takers and givers to responsibility.

Watch this. 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive, who does not live according to the teaching you receive from us. You yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this not because we do not have a right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.

For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule. The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat. Your raggedy child who is unwilling to work shall not eat.

Your no-count cousin who is unwilling to work shall not eat. We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy.

They are busy bodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down, earn the food they eat, as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. Look at the balance of the word of God. Bless people when they are blessable. He said, but when they're idle, when they're lazy, he said hunger is the best cure for laziness.

Write in your Bible. Best cure. Let them get hungry enough.

They'll work. But if they can show up at your house, mama, oh, come on in here, boy, always looking for a meal. Make me sick all while you fixing it.

Mama need to have the courage to stand in the door, put the chain on, say, hey, son. 1 Timothy 5, 3, if anyone doesn't provide for his relatives, especially for his own household, he's denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. You got to take care of your family. It's your job. They ain't supposed to take care of you. You and the family. Do what you're supposed to do. Contribute.

Everybody has a role. Come on, old-fashioned ancient past. Y'all remember when we were kids, parents, they go and get you a job, do something. They ain't going to spend your summer laying around this house. Back then, there was a little paper route, get you a little go work at the corner store.

Just go down there and see what they'll hire you for. They were trying to get you to learn to be productive. And when you see people, hard times are hard times. Somebody who's working hard, I always qualify this over the years when I preach this principle. Somebody who is trying hard to find it, they're not to be under condemnation. But there's a difference between the tryers hard and the folk who are barely trying and the entitled and the laying around and wait for you to get home so you can fix them something neat.

There's a difference. You got a little no-count kid laying around your house. Why are they still in your house? That's your fault. God says you're dishonoring me by spending my resources. You're sowing in the bad ground. You have to have the courage to put them out.

Put them out. Son, I love you. You got to go.

You out working, they go out and make a baby so they can bring the baby in on you. Lord, all right, all right. If we follow God's directive, we'll get God's blessings. Thanks so much for being here for today's Destin for Victory message, what to do with your money. Look for any of Pastor Paul's recent messages online on demand at pastorpaul.net. That's pastorpaul.net.

And he joins me now from his studio in California. Pastor, I know your heart is encouraged by so many of our friends who are listening and letting us know that Destin for Victory is having an impact on their lives. Tell us again, why are you so committed to using media as such a big part of this ministry? Well, Wayne, I'll tell you, I'm sold on the fact that if we're going to fulfill the Great Commission, and of course, that's our job as the body of Christ, to go into the world to make disciples, to baptize people and teach them to observe all things that Christ commanded.

If we're going to do that, I am more convinced than ever, it demands that we take a strong, fresh look at how to use technology and every other resource to that end. In other words, we've got to realize we who are boomers, I'm a baby boomer born between 46 and 64. That's our generation.

Me too. And I realized that we were the last generation in American history that was typically raised in church or in some religious training. And we've got three full generations under us, and now there's an emerging fourth generation, they're still being developed, they're known as Generation Alpha. My first grandchild is an alpha baby.

Oh, is that right? And so I realized that with these three, four generations we've got to preach the gospel to, they're not inclined to come to church and hear the gospel, if you will, but the vast majority of them are probably going to have to be reached where they are before we can get them into the life of a church. So technology is very important to the end that we can reach them with the good news of Jesus Christ. That's what it's all about, Pastor, reaching as many people as we can with the gospel.

You know, media can often go where missionaries cannot, into the homes of elderly shut-ins or those who have no way of getting to church, behind prison walls, and it can also travel into remote areas of the world that are often hostile to the Christian faith. Just one more reason why your gifts to Destined for Victory are so critical to the cause of Christ. For your generous gift to Destined for Victory today, we'd like to send you a booklet from Pastor Paul Shepherd that goes hand-in-hand with this message, Junk Removal for the Soul.

Inside the pages you'll discover practical biblical advice about setting aside some of the habits from your old life in order to embrace the newness of who you are in Christ. That's our gift to you this month by request for your generous donation to Destined for Victory. So call us at 855-339-5500 or visit pastorpaul.net to make a safe and secure donation online. You can also mail your gift to Destined for Victory, Post Office Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538.

Again, our address is Destined for Victory, Box 1767, Fremont, CA 94538. A friend is born for times of adversity. They can handle your winter just as well as they can handle your summer. Because they're not there based on the weather.

They're not there based on the season. A friend, the Bible says, has full-time commitment to you. That's tomorrow in Pastor Paul Shepherd's message, that's what friends are for. Until then remember, he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion. In Christ, you are Destined for Victory.