Financial Instructions From God (B)

SCRIPTURE MEDITATION CARDS
Anyone who studies Joshua 1:8 and Psalm 1:1-3 will see the importance our Father places upon meditating on His Word.  He promises wonderful rewards to His children who meditate day and night on the holy Scriptures.  We recommend that you begin your meditation on these Scripture cards by reading all 52 cards through completely.  This first reading will give you an overview of the entire content of these Scripture cards.  Then, you can meditate on one card at a time.  Every word has been prayerfully written to help you operate in God’s power to carry out His financial instructions.

Card #1
“… My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

Many Christians don’t understand God’s financial instructions because God’s ways are entirely different from the ways of the world.  Christians should be determined to learn God’s financial principles so they can intelligently compare these principles to the world’s financial system.

Many of us have lived by secular principles.  Because of this, most of what we know about finances is based upon greed.  We should meditate on God’s financial promises until we believe them with deep, unwavering faith.  When we have extensively “programmed” ourselves with our Father’s financial instructions, He wants us to obey them completely.

Card #2
“…as long as he sought (inquired of, yearned for) the Lord, God made him prosper.” (2 Chronicles 26:5)  

Our Father wants to bless His children financially just as earthly parents want their children to be blessed financially.  Our father wants us to prosper in every area of our lives.  He will prosper us if we seek Him constantly and always keep Him first.

Financial prosperity is not wrong.  Many men and women of God were extremely wealthy.  “…Abram was extremely rich in livestock and in silver and in gold” (Genesis 13:2)  Joseph of Arimathea, the man who arranged for the burial of Jesus Christ, was a rich man.  The Bible refers to him as “…a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph..” (Mathew 27:57)  The Bible contains many accounts of the wealth of King Solomon.

Card #3
“..seek (aim at and strive after) first of all His kingdom and His righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you…” (Mathew 6:33)

The most important financial principle is to keep God first at all times.  We should never allow money or the possessions money can buy to come ahead of God in any way.  Some Christians are overly zealous about accumulating wealth.  We cannot serve God if we allow our desire for wealth to come ahead of God.

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).  (Mathew 6:24)

Card #4
“Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you]”  (Romans 12:2)

We can only learn God’s financial principles if we obey our Father’s instructions to turn away from the ways of the world by continually renewing our mind in the Word of God.  This passage of Scripture says we will be transformed if we renew our minds continually in God’s Word.  We’ll look at finances (and everything else) in an entirely different light if we obey our Father’s instructions to study and meditate continually on the Holy Scriptures.  

Card #5
“…Though our outer man is [progressively] decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being [progressively] renewed day after day.”  (2 Corinthians 4:16)

Renewal is a law of God.  We renew our bodies each day by eating food.  The Word of God is our spiritual food.  We need to renew our minds in the Word of God.  Our Father doesn’t want us to renew our minds occasionally.  2 Corinthians 4:16 tells us to renew our minds on a daily basis.

If we obey these instructions from God, we’ll continually change our thinking to think more and more like He thinks.  “…be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude)…”  (Ephesians 4:23)

Card #6
“…for the sake of your tradition (the rules handed down by your forefathers), you have set aside the Word of God [depriving it of force and authority and making it of no effect]”  (Matthew 15:6)

We cannot afford to follow worldly tradition in the area of finances.  Some Christians are so ingrained with worldly financial principles that they deny God’s instructions and fail to believe God’s promises pertaining to finances.  

We should renew our minds daily if we truly want to succeed financially from God’s perspective.  We can actually block to power of God’s promises if we follow worldly tradition because of spiritual ignorance.  Our Father will bless His children who obey His specific instructions.

“I am the Lord your God, Who teaches you to profit, Who leads you in the way that you should go.”  (Isaiah 48:17)

Card #7
“…they who seek (inquire of and require) the Lord [by right of their need and on the authority of His Word], none of them shall lack any beneficial thing”  (Psalm 34:10)

We can always go to our Father in prayer to ask Him to meet our needs based on specific promises in His Word.  This passage of Scripture instructs us to go to the Lord whenever we have a need.  We should ask to meet our needs based on the authority of the promises in His Word.  We should have complete faith that our Father will supply all of our needs.  He says that none of His children will lack any beneficial thing.  

“…God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”  (Phillipians 4:19)

Card #8
“The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.”  (Psalms 23:1)

Our Father wants us to trust Him to meet all of our needs just as sheep trust their shepherd to supply all their needs.  The Lord is our Shepherd.  We can trusty Him completely.

Whenever we have a need, we must believe that the Lord is our Shepherd.  He is with us at all times to feed us, to guide us and to shield us from all problems.  We should never worry about financial needs.  We will never lack anything we need if we are completely confident that our Shepherd will always take care of us.  He won’t withhold anything if we completely obey His instructions and believe His promises.  

“…No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.”  (Psalm 84:11)

Card #9
“Keep out of debt and owe no man anything, except to love one another…” (Romans 13:8)

We won’t need to borrow money if we believe our Father will supply all of our needs and if we obey all of His financial instructions.  Our Father promises to provide everything we need in such a way and in such a time that we will be able to pay in full for every need without borrowing.  

We shouldn’t allow impatience or the desire for recognition from other people to influence us to buy things we don’t need and can’t afford.  Sometimes we have to be very patient.  Our Father will provide our home, automobile(s) and everything else we need if we obey His instructions and believe His promises.  Our Father doesn’t want us to be in bondage to debt.

“…the borrower is servant to the lender”  (Proverbs 22:7)

Card #10
“This Book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe and do according to all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall deal wisely and have good success.”  (Joshua 1:8)

Our Father has given us specific instructions to follow if we sincerely want to be prosperous, wise and successful.  Continual meditation will draw us closer to God.  We’ll understand His principles.  We’ll trust Him more.  We’ll have a strong desire to obey all of His instructions.  We’ll speak His Word continually.  When we know God and trust Him and obey Him, we will be successful.

Card #11
“…his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night.  And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]” (Psalms 1:2-3)

Our Father tells us exactly what to do to be prosperous and successful regardless of the conditions of the world’s economy.  Trees that are planted next to a stream are able to obtain water during a drought because their roots can reach into the water.  Our Father promises that we will prosper in every area of our lives if we delight in His Word so much that we will meditate on the holy Scriptures throughout the day and night.

Card #12
“[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.  For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters that spreads out its roots by the river; and it shall not see and fear when heat comes; but its leaf shall be green. It shall not be anxious and full of care in the year of drought, nor shall it cease yielding fruit.”  (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Our Father doesn’t want us to worry about our financial needs.  He promises to bless all of His children who place complete trust in Him.  Once again, God compares an abundant harvest in the midst of a drought to the roots of a tree reaching into water.  We must not block our Father from providing for all of our needs because we are worried, anxious, doubtful and unbelieving.  

Card #13
“Keep the charge of the Lord your God, walk in His ways, keep His statutes, His commandments, His precepts, and His testimonies, as it is written in the Law of Moses, that you may do wisely and prosper in all that you do and wherever you turn…”  (1 Kings 2:3)

Our father promises to give us wisdom and to cause us to prosper in every area of our lives if we will learn and obey His instructions.  Our primary goals throughout our lives should be to serve God in every way we can.  We should always obey the instructions in the Word of God.  Our Father will give us a full and prosperous life if we will serve Him wholeheartedly and obey His instructions.

” If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasantness and joy…”  (Job 36:11)

Card #14
“The reward of humility and the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is riches and honor and life.”  (Proverbs 22:4)

Many people graduate from college and go forth into the world seeking fame, fortune and a long, full life.  The Word of God tells us exactly what our Father wants us to do to receive these blessings.  

Our Father promises riches, honor and long life to His children who are truly humble.  He wants us to place Him and other people ahead of ourselves.  He wants us to live to serve Him and to help others.

Our Father wants us to fear Him.  When we fear God, we revere Him.  We hold Him in complete awe at all times.  Every aspect of our lives revolves around Him.  More than anything else, we want to please Him.  Our Father will bless us with riches, honor and long life if we are humble and if we revere Him.  

Card #15
“…If you abide in My word [hold fast to My teachings and live in accordance with them], you are truly My disciples.  And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free.”  (John 8:31-32)

Jesus instructs us to abide in the Word of God.  When we abide in God’s Word, we fill our minds and hearts with Scripture each day until this Scripture comes alive deep down inside of us.  The Word of God is spiritually alive.  Our Father wants the power and the truth of His Word to explode on the inside of us.

We truly are disciples of Jesus Christ if we fill our minds and hearts with financial instructions from the Word of God, obey God’s teachings and believe His promises.  We will know the truth pertaining to God’s financial principles.  We will be able to overcome financial problems because obedience to and belief in the Word of God will always set us free.  

Card #16
“…when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and as their nets were [at the point of] breaking, they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and take hold with them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.” (Luke 5:6-7)

In this passage of Scripture, we see an example of the financial abundance God will provide for us if we turn away from our human ability and trust completely in Him.  The disciples were professional fishermen who were unsuccessful after fishing throughout the night.

When they turned away from their traditional methods of fishing and trusted completely in Jesus and obeyed His instructions, they caught so many fish that two boats almost sunk.  Jesus wants to provide abundantly for us just as He provided for these fisherman.  

Card #17
“…the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it.”  (Deuteronomy 30:14)

Our Father wants each of His children to fill their minds with His Word by renewing their minds each day.  He wants us to fill our hearts with His Word by meditating continually on Scripture until the Scripture we are meditating on drops from our minds down into our hearts.  

When our hearts are filled to overflowing with the Word of God the words that we speak will line up with God’s Word (Mathew 12:34-35).  When all of these conditions are met, we will do what our Father instructs us to do and He will prosper us.  

Card #18
“…For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.”  (Galatians 6:7)

We’ll obey God’s instructions in regard to giving if we renew our minds in the Word of God and meditate continually on the Holy Scriptures.  We will be blessed abundantly if we give freely to our church, to missionaries, to other ministries and to needy people.  We should sow financial seeds abundantly if we want to receive a financial harvest from God.  

If we want to reap a crop of tomatoes, we plant tomato seeds.  If we want to receive a crop of carrots, we plant carrot seeds.  If we need money, we should sow financial seeds.  We should believe wholeheartedly that God’s laws of sowing and reaping apply to a financial harvest just as they apply to an agricultural harvest.  

Card #19
“[Remember] this: he who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously (that blessings may come to someone) will also reap generously and with blessings.”  (2 Corinthians 9:6)

If we give abundantly to our church, to missions, to Christian ministries and to needy people, we will be blessed abundantly.  We determine the harvest we will receive by the seeds we plant.  This harvest is not only a financial harvest, but a harvest of blessings in every area of our lives.

We can’t outgive God.  Our Father has created a spiritual principle that is set into motion whenever we give freely and abundantly.  Our Father is very generous.  He has made provision to guarantee that all of His children who are generous will be blessed abundantly.

Card #20
“…God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving].”  (2 Corinthians 9:7)

We should give freely and cheerfully when we give of ourselves, our talents and our substance.  Our Father is extremely pleased when we obey these instructions.  He places a high priority on cheerful and joyous giving.  

The Greek word that is translated “cheerful” in this passage of Scripture is the word “hilares” which has the same root as the English word “hilarious.”  When we give, our Father wants us to give with great joy.  He is unwilling to abandon any of His children who give joyously from their hearts.  We will always give cheerfully if we understand the importance of this spiritual principle.  

Card #21
“…God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation].”  (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Our Father has the ability to bless each of His children abundantly.  He will do this if we sow seeds by giving abundantly.  In the preceding verses (2 Corinthians 9:6-7) we saw the relationship between sowing seeds and receiving blessings.

Would you like to be in such a good financial position that you will never need help from anyone?  Would you like to be able to give abundantly to every good work you would like to contribute to?  Our Father promises to supply these blessings in abundance to His children who sow abundantly by giving generously.  

Continued – Click on Link Below