Doing Okay is NOT Good Enough

We as believers are to comfortable with "doing okay" financially. Just making ends meet. I used to work for a debt settlement company and I would talk to people all the time that were "doing okay" they were current on their maxed out credit cards, with no budget in plan and no savings to speak of. One check away from filing bankruptcy but they were "doing okay". God wants more for His children after all we are children of a king. Proverbs 13:22-23 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his grandchildren but the sinners wealth is stored up for the righteous." We read this we understand this but we don't live this. It is our duty to leave an inheritance for our grandchildren that of both spiritual and physical wealthy AND the sinners wealth is stored up for US!!

Well how can you get the money you need in order to prosper financially.

1. Tithe- This is not an old testament term where you tithe because you don't want to be cursed, this is post resurrection tithe where you do it as a part of your covenant with the father. Its an act of love, submission and obedience to the father. God said, "If you love me you will keep my commandments." A tithe is 10% of your income.

2. Invest- Matthew 25 tells the story of the talents. Take what God has given you and multiply it then sow it back into the kingdom. Doing this will bring exponential increase. Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

3. Save- 1 Corinthians 16:2 "On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come." In the Bible days people farmed so there were times of lack where they depended on what they stored and worked to bring in more. There were also times of plenty where they took the excess and put it aside for the sowing season.

I hope this is a blessing to you and encourages you to start or continue building an inheritance for future generations.

Side Note - People think they don't need to go to church to have a relationship with God. That may be true but the strength of that relationship depends on you going to church. I have never met a person who was walking in the word of God who said that. The Bible says, "The enemy goes to and fro seeking whom he may devourer" even in nature the predator goes after the weak animal who is lagging behind or not keeping with the pack.

Pain Before Blessing

While talking to a close friend yesterday I remembered Genesis 32 the story of Jacob wrestling with the man. Starting from verse 24 "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What [is] thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked [him], and said, Tell [me], I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore [is] it [that] thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there." Ending at verse 29.

There are a few things I would like to point out here the first being that Jacob was willing to fight for change in his life. He was going to meet his brother hoping that his brother would not kill him. Verse 20 states, "I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me." Jacob wrestled with this man alone. This was something that he has to face and fight for alone. Jacob was such a strong contender that the man had to dislocate his hip. Jacob still held on and would not let go until the man blessed him. Let me just say that dislocating anything especially a hip is very painful.The man then changed his name to Israel thus changing his identity.

The questions are:
Are you willing to fight through the pain it may take to receive your blessing?

Can you look back on your life and recognized that God used that pain and struggle to deliver you? (Read verse 30)

Please be encouraged as you go through the pains of life the way you deal with the pain shapes who you are.