You Are Designed to Master Money (Part 1 in a Series)
Are you the master of your money?
Do you know what it takes to master your money?
Are you doing what it takes to master your money?
If you answered, yes, I want to applaud you for your confidence in your behaviours and decisions around money. I must admit, I am a bit skeptical. When the Social Security administration reports that 75% of the people entering retirement do not have any money, I am curious is you are really part of the 25% who do. Even within the 25%, 20% have an average nest egg of about $100,000. As such, are you part of the 5% who will actually have enough to retire and maintain the level of lifestyle to which you have become accustomed? While I pray this is your reality, my experience has been that very few are “Masters of Money.”
For the majority, you not only know you do not master money, you are scared, nervous, anxious, perplexed by it.
Becoming a master of money is first and foremost about foundational principles and truths that you must have so solid in your mind and in your habits that when the storms of life hit, your house will not fall. (Matthew 7:24-27) Like Jesus who was continually in communion with His Father through prayer, such that He said what He heard His Father saying and did what He saw His Father doing (John 5:19, 8:28-29), we are also called to be exclusively about The Father’s Business.
So, what does God really thinks about His resource we call “money”?
First, God demands that you increase His resource. (Matthew 25 Parable of the Talents) He can make this demand because He has enabled His children to Handle (His) Power/Wealth/Fame well: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:48)
So why so much emphasis on money. After all, don’t we already know that “money is the root of all evil,”…or what exactly is God saying?
People read Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money,” and assume you can have God or money. You can have the Holy or Evil. It’s as if the decision is to be rich or be poor. Do you honestly believe that the God of All Creation is that limited, that finite, that uncreative!?!?
People abuse this scripture either in an effort to get you to depart with your money in support of their ministry or they quote it to make themselves feel better for not having a lot of money. Both groups are both blind. You will spend more time engaged in capital pursuits than in any other activity in your life. You will not spend that much time with your spouse, your children, your charities, or even God. God already knows your day will be consumed with the acquisition of money through work because, after all, He created us to work! (Read Work: The Meaning of Your Life, A Christian Perspective, Lester DeKoster, 1982)
Because the Lord made it so that we would spend the majority of our day laboring, He knows how easy it is to make the “love” of money an idol so this scripture is really a reminder of Commandments 1 and 2.
So how exactly DO you master capital?
1 – You must seek His knowledge and accept correction.
God wrote a book for us called the Bible, sometimes referred to as an instruction guide for living. In this love letter to those who have ears to ears and eyes to see, He wrote a book of wisdom called “Proverbs” in which He tells us that the beginning of knowledge is to fear (revere) Him and to seek wisdom and instruction. (Prov 1:7) In fact, the Lord does not mince words when He tells us that if you do not accept correction you are “stupid,” a “brute beast”, “indiscriminating” and in a more friendly translation, if you refuse instruction and correction, you are “short sighted.” In most translations, however, God calls those who are unwilling to accept correction – stupid! (Prov 12:1)
Once you grasp this Truth and you start acting upon what you are learning, you WILL start experiencing success. You will begin to produce more. In the process of increased productivity, one of its benefits is financial freedom. In fact, after all your hard work, day after day, year after year, a good chance exists you will start to think it is YOU who is creating your wealth and security because, after all, you are the one working!
2 – Don’t ever forget: It ALL belongs to God and He wants it all. It is His money.
You could not even earn the money if He did not give you the talent to do so. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 reminds us, “You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.”
But, Kasandra, I need more specifics. You still have not told me “HOW.” What do I DO to master money? What practical tips, tricks, advice can you offer?
Stay tuned for my next blog as we explore specifically, HOW you become the Master of Money!
If you want to know the TRUTH about success, leadership, and wealth from a woman who is consistently described as “Intelligent, Passionate and Committed to Making a Difference” as well as “Refreshingly Honest, Insightful, and Funny,” contact Kasandra about bringing her engaging and “take-away”-rich presentations to your group.