How to Do a Financial Fast

Hello Friends,

I want to share with you an article I got from a Mentor and Friend, Bob Lotich, on Financial Fasting and how to do it.

I am going to be doing a financial fast for myself in January and I encourage you to consider joining me!

Hope you enjoy reading it, Share it widely to your loved ones and friends.

Best regards,

Mercy

The Bible talks about fasting in both the New and Old Testaments.

We read about Nehemiah fasting and praying for the children of Israel because they were in a time of trouble.

ü  Daniel fasted and prayed for three weeks drawing nearer to God.

ü  David fasted and prayed in a time of personal repentance.

ü  Paul and Barnabas fasted and prayed before presenting leaders in the church.

There’s a close relationship between fasting and praying because fasting is a time for you to draw nearer to God. Spending time with God in prayer allows us to hear from him and discern things that may be troubling us.

Jesus spent 40 days in the desert fasting and praying before going into ministry because he knew that it was important.

How much more should we follow his example and fast the things that demand so much of our attention?

What’s a Financial Fast?

The Bible doesn’t limit fasting only to food and drinks. Anything that can be given up temporarily so that we can focus our full attention on God can be viewed as a fast.

Paul references how a husband and wife might abstain from being together for a time so they can devote themselves to prayer. So while the Bible doesn’t have a section devoted to a ‘Financial Fast,’ I think the principles can be applied to our finances.

There isn’t a lot of specific material to guide Christians in a financial fast, which is why I wanted to cover it here. Financial fasting isn’t meant to be easy or unintentional – it involves denying yourself so that you can refocus your reliance on Christ.

How to Fast with Your Finances

In holding to the principles of fasting that we see in the Bible, I think we can fast financially by practicing the following:

1. Identify Necessities and Luxuries.

If you already have created a budget, this may be a little easier for you to do. Take some time to really focus your expenses on the things that you have to pay for – items like your house payment, term life insurance, food, etc. If you can go without it (be honest with yourself – eating out, iTunes music, going to the movies, etc) list it as a luxury and do your best to go without purchasing it during your financial fast.

The financial fast is not meant to keep you from enjoying the things you already own. It’s a practice in contentment and reliance on God to be our provider.

2. Resist the Temptation to Purchase Luxuries.

This is the difficult part of the financial fast. It’s so easy to justify small (and sometimes large) purchases for convenience sake or because we feel that we deserve it. Yes, I’m talking about the afternoon trip to the vending machine, the morning Starbucks, and other conveniences that we might be accustomed to.

The point of a financial fast is to help us to use our money with purpose and to avoid irrational purchases that only inflate our standard of living. It’s challenging and you will notice the sacrifices – which is the point of the financial fast.

3. Focus on Contentment, Thankfulness, and Giving.

While you’re making these financial sacrifices, take a moment to reflect on all that God has blessed you with and learn to be content with what you have. Don’t be tempted to complain about what you can’t buy during the financial fast. Instead, be thankful for all the things you do have.

You may start to see a few extra dollars because of the drop in your spending habits. This is a great thing and should be used as a way to cultivate a spirit of giving. Use the extra funds to bless a ministry in your church, help a friend in need, provide for a family that needs support, or any way that you feel God leading you to give.

4. Grow in Prayer

Throughout your financial fast, prayer should be at the cornerstone of all your decisions. Yes, as Christians we should engage with God as much as possible – but fasting should involve a focused time of prayer to seek God’s will and His direction in your life.

If there was one verse to guide your financial fast, I think it would be this:

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”  So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”

Hebrews 13:5-6 NIV

A financial fast is your declaration of freedom from the love of money and acknowledgment of your dependence on God.

Whether you practice a financial fast for three days or three weeks, I think it can help you grow spiritually and further your desire to give freely.

Have you ever considered a financial fast?

credit: https://christianpf.com/financial-fasting/

What Kind of Believer are You?

Three Kinds of Believers

Are you spending completely on things that pass away like a vapor–or are you investing significantly in the things of God, which do not?

I’m something of a student of human behavior, and I’ve come to some conclusions about how most people in the world relate to God and his gifts. With regard to those who do make some kind of attempt to serve God, I’ve observed that there are basically three kinds of believers in this world.

Earthly-minded Believers

The first category of people I’ve identified is a large one, perhaps because it requires the least thought.

They’ve compartmentalized the sphere of all their resources, whether time, talent, or treasure, and haven’t brought these under the Lordship of Christ.

These believers accept what God has given them and use their resources for their own comfort, pleasure, and personal gratification.

The Earthly-minded Believer sees money the way nearly everyone else does. He wants to keep as much of it as possible, and use it for his own personal enjoyment of life.

There’s nothing wrong with enjoying the financial fruits of our labor. God wants us to do so. The important question is this: Are you spending completely on things that pass away like a vapor—or are you investing significantly in the things of God, which do not?

Christian Philanthropists

The next category of believers is one that gives more attention to giving.

These are believers who have come to the conviction that God has blessed them, and they should give back a portion of what they’ve received to help support ministry and missions. For them, this is somewhat of a duty, an obligation to fulfill, like paying taxes. There’s an “oughtness” that guides them. They write a check or volunteer in some way, but there is no joy or purpose in it.

Perhaps it’s the way they were taught by their parents. Perhaps it is motivated by the sense of duty so that the church can fund some project overseas, or pay its budget, or provide some program. Perhaps it’s giving out of guilt. The important distinction is that it is “doing what I have to.” As a result, it’s not something particularly pleasant or enjoyable.

Kingdom Investors

There is one other kind of Christian giver and, as you might predict, this one is harder to find among us. The Kingdom Investors are people who grow in Christ, who dig deeply into his Word, and who come to see their resources in a brand new way.

Kingdom investors are motivated by the rewards that the Bible promises.

Kingdom Investors see all that they have and all that they own as their sacred trust, theirs to use strategically for the advancement of Christ and his eternal purposes.

Their time, talent and treasure are no longer an end in itself, but a medium, a palette to be used in the beautiful art of serving God. Who are these people? You’ll find them across the spectrum. The Kingdom Investors deploy whatever time, talent, and treasure they have available, and it’s a pleasing truth that while not everyone can invest great sums of financial wealth, everyone can give their time and their personal talents. These are all things that God has given so that we might find the unique joy of giving them back.

I would like to ask a question “Do you merely see your giving as an obligation or duty, or does it give you joy?”

See more at: http://kingdomnomics.com/three-kinds-of-believers/#.VcHu0xFRGP8

Where is your Treasure?

How to Focus on Things With Eternal Value  by Rick Warren

Don't hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it's safe from moth and rust and burglars. It's obvious, isn't it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being. (Matthew 6:19-21 MSG).

The real secret to becoming content is to focus on the things that have eternal value. It may be a familiar teaching to you, but Jesus said we should store up our treasures in heaven, not on earth, “where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV). 

Think about the things in your life:

• What will last forever?
• What will last at least for your lifetime?
• What will last a few short years, months, or days?

Based on eternal value, what things are most important in your life? Where — and with whom — should you put most of your time and energy?

By reorganizing your life around eternal priorities, you’ll find yourself growing in contentment as you live according to God’s design and purpose. 

In conclusion, let us seek to focus on what matters most, that is the "Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things shall be added".

Stay blessed!
Shalom

How to plan your Budget Biblically

Plan carefully and you will have plenty; if you act too quickly, you will never have enough. (Proverbs 21:5 TEV) 

A budget is simply a plan. It's telling your money where you want it to go, rather than wondering where it went. And the problem many of us have today is that we don't know where our money is going because we don't have a budget. 

But if you want to get out of debt, you have to nip it in the budget. Do you remember Barney Fife, from The Andy Griffith Show? He used to say, “Nip it, nip it, nip it in the bud.” We need to nip it in the budget. 

Notice today’s verse says, “Plan carefully.” That means budgeting; a budget is simply planned spending. Planning carefully means you say, “This is what we're going to spend next year and next month,” and by doing that, the Bible says, “You will have plenty.” It's a promise of God.  

On the other hand, as today's verse says, “[I]f you act too quickly, you will never have enough.” This refers to what advertisers, marketers and retailers call impulse buying. You know what impulse buying is? Have you ever gone into a store without planning to buy something, but you bought it on an impulse? You didn't think about the purchase; it was totally emotion-based. You saw it, you wanted it, and you bought it. 

And if you act too quickly, impulse buying plus no budget equals financial disaster. Have you ever bought something without thinking and later regretted it? Most of us have! And that's why you've got to have a plan.

When you make purchases this week, ask yourself if what you are buying is something you really need. Ask, “Is this an impulse buy?” 

Impulse Buying with No Budget Equals Financial Disaster is written by Rick Warren as a Daily Devotional. He is the author of the New York Times Best Seller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century.

I reposted it because I know it will help us as Christians and believers to learn how to plan our budget based on Biblical Principles. Enjoy reading this and share with a friend.

How to faithfully handle Finances

Today’s devotional and motivational article will help us to learn how to handle finances faithfully as stewards of God’s bountiful resources and supplies. 

Faithful in Handling Finances by Jon Walker

“The servant . . . said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that!’” Matthew 25:24–26 (MSG) 

Pastor Rick often says, “I want everyone on my staff to make at least one big mistake a week. If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not trying anything new.” His point is that he doesn’t want us to be afraid to try something innovative and creative, even if it means risking failure. There should be no small dreams for those belonging to God. 

In Matthew 25, Jesus spoke about three servants. One servant was given ten talents and he doubled the Master’s money through prudent investment. The second servant was given five talents, which he doubled through prudent investment. The third servant was given one talent, but he buried the whole amount in a hole. In essence, he said, “I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want to take any risks.” 

When the Master found out, he was furious. Eugene Peterson paraphrases the Master’s response as: “That is a terrible way to live! It is criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least?” (Matthew 25:26 MSG)  

Pastor Rick teaches that there is another word for risk-taking—it is faith. And, if we are walking in a way that does not require faith, then we are being faith-less.

Jesus says, when we walk in faith, “Everything is possible for him who believes” (Mark 9:23 NIV). 

Dear friend, go ahead, dream big in the Lord Jesus Christ and with faith move that mountain of work you want to do, examinations you want to write or the journey you want take.  

Remember to get your Holy Bible here to help you study more on the subject of financial stewardship. 

You can also read about Christian Giving and Service by ordering this book entitled “the Grace of Giving”, click here.