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PAMELA CARMICHAEL is a financial services
professional with over 10 years’ experience.
Her book Financial Empowerment gives
God-based solutions to personal finance challenges with the purpose of bringing
empowerment.
CHAPTER 1
Why Money?
Why is money such an important topic today? Everyday activities
revolve around money. We can’t do much without it. Money also shows the intents
and contents of our hearts as well as our attitudes toward God and others.
Money is important because it can have eternal value.
The Bible provides God’s solution to man’s sin problem. As believers we
know that Christ has saved us from sin and eternal death, given us eternal
life, delivered us from sin’s bondage, healed us physically and emotionally,
and given us countless blessings. Yet many Christians do not see Christ as the
solution to their financial problems. Though the Word of God says much about
money and promises that God will meet the needs of His children; many struggle
in this area of their lives. As believers, this ought not to be.
If the Word of God is our compass throughout our Christian walks, why do
we not heed its advice when it comes to our finances? If we so believe God and
His promises, why do we not heed His instructions in this area?
In one or more areas of their lives, Christians have difficulty obeying
God’s Word regarding money, whether it is to tithe, to give, to count the cost,
to use money and not to serve it, or to be wise stewards. If Christians became
free of money—understanding and knowing how to handle it correctly—their lives
would greatly improve. Not only would positive changes emerge in their
financial positions, but their correct view of money would be reflected in
their relationships with the Lord.
SO WHY TALK
ABOUT MONEY?
Money Is Personal
No one on this earth is unaffected by this resource called money. Almost
everything we need in life finds its value or weight in this resource. It
is—without a doubt—the currency everyone carries. Some people tell us that
money is unimportant, but as long as we are on this side of life, money will
have a role in our lives. We may have a lot, just enough, barely enough, or
none at all. For each of those levels, money will have some effect on us. We
will worry about having too much, not have enough to meet our needs, or want
more for us, our families, and others around us.
Money affects every life. Money is a personal thing.
Money Answers All Things
The Word of God says that the Lord has given us, His children, all things
pertaining to life and godliness. I believe that includes money. We also know
that money answers all things – there is little that can be accomplished
without the use of money. ‘All things’ includes things like food, clothing,
education, health care, and spiritual life. ‘All things’ is related to the
physical as well as the spiritual. We may ask, “How can ‘all things’ be
spiritual?” Money pays to maintain our church buildings, to source teaching
materials and office supplies, to send us to conferences, and to provide other
resources to build us up in the faith. As the writer of Ecclesiastes 10:19 says, “A feast is made for
laughter, and wine makes merry; but money answers everything” (emphasis added).
Money Is Good, Not Evil
After all these years of reading the Bible, many still think money is
evil; however, the Word of God tells us
that the love of money, not money itself, is the root of all evil (1 Timothy
6:10). Money is good if used but not loved. Often many make the fatal mistake
of loving money rather than God and His people. Some Christians are afraid of
money simply because they fear it will control them. Others downplay its
importance in their lives and in building the kingdom of God.
For money to remain a valuable resource, you must master it, see its
usefulness, and use it effectively. If you see money this way, you won’t ‘fall
in love’ with it, get greedy, or hoard it. But you will find good uses for it.
Money is good and useful.
Money Is a Servant (a Tool)
If we view money as a tool the Master has placed in our hands, we will
learn to use it better. Money doesn’t function on its own; it needs human
intervention to bring about its usefulness. God puts money in our hands to
serve as an instrument of blessing not only to us but also to others. Money is
available to serve our interests as well as God’s. We need to employ money to
work for us and the kingdom of God.
Just as money in the hands of the righteous can bring about good, so
money in the hands of the wicked can promote evil. Hence, the Enemy fights or
wars against every believer who desires to bless and promote God’s work with
his or her money. He fights by convincing many to spend their money foolishly
and, as a result, become bound by consumer debt. Sometimes he creates problems
that cause them to easily lose their money.
If you remain alert to the Enemy’s devices and are proactive, you will be
able to have more than enough money to do good. Money stands ready and waiting
for you to use it to do good. Use it well.
Money Is a By-product of You
Usually those who are not out looking for money make lots of it. Let me
explain. The most successful or wealthy people are those who enjoy what they
do. They are the kind of people who create a product or service because they
believe in it; they fully believe it will benefit those who use it and, as
such, never consider that the product or service might not sell. These people
live on purpose for a purpose, and out of their driven lives, they must do
something outstanding that brings the benefit of financial abundance. They are
not necessarily top grade-A students, but they have a gift or idea they followed
through on and made money from. They are paid for who they are, what they do
well, and what they really enjoy doing. I believe the energy they put into what
they do, along with effective marketing, causes their products and services to
stand out above the rest.
Have you ever realized that some products stand out more than others?
Some brand names are household names more than others, even though other brand
names sell the same or better product or service. If you investigate the
stories of the people behind these products, you will often find a love for
doing what they do, doing it well, and promoting it no matter what led to money
in their hands.
Clearly, life is more than money, and money is merely a by-product of who
you are. As the Word says, your gift will make room for you before great men
(Proverbs 18:16). Money is a by-product of carrying out your life’s purpose.
Money Can Have Eternal Value
Yes, this may sound a bit strange, but money does have eternal value. As
we discussed earlier, money is a tool God has placed in our hands to do good.
The good it does can be either temporal or eternal.
Think about this. When you give to your local church, you participate in
God’s business of spreading the gospel. Through the spreading of the gospel
people give their lives to Christ; here you can see the eternal value. Some
complain that all the church wants is money, but remember, money answers all
good things. You can attach eternal value to your money when you give to your
local church or missions, or when you sponsor a child, fund someone’s
education, or send a preacher to plant a church. How will someone hear the good
news unless someone is sent (Romans 10:14-15)? How can someone be sent without
financial support of the local church? Money has eternal value when it is used
to spread the good news.
WHAT TO
EXPECT IN THIS BOOK
As you walk through the pages of this money book, I will discuss various
aspects of financial management. You can see the areas of financial management
I plan to cover from this perspective:
• Good money management brings
positive returns: income generation, tithing, saving, investing, giving, and
lending.
• Bad money management leads to
negative returns: excessive spending and borrowing.
I will highlight the problems we face in each of these areas based on
personal experience, observation, and research. We will also discuss some of
the reasons for these problems, which are often a reflection of our
relationship with God. Certainly we will delve into the Word of God and find
the solution to each problem.
Although most solutions will be biblical, I will provide some practical
tips to help you along this rocky financial road some have been experiencing.
Certainly you will learn that God’s Word, when rightly applied, will benefit
you in every aspect of your Christian walk, including your finances. For
certain, if you govern your life including your money matters according to the
Word of God, you will by all means be successful and prosperous.
I wrote this book to enlighten, educate, and empower the body of Christ
to be knowledgeable, understanding, and wise in the use of the money resources
God has entrusted to us.
One of the challenges we face is the lack of finances common among many
Christians. For me this was a problem for years as I observed Christians
struggling through life because they lacked the necessary financial resources.
Much more can be accomplished to spread the gospel of Christ, but lack of
finances and the unwillingness of many to give hinder the progress of God’s
work.
This book seeks to address why this lack exists and what is needed to
bring financial increase. Of great importance is understanding how to use the
financial increase God provides to bless the kingdom of God. To learn that, we
must place eternal value on the money available for our use.
This book calls the body of Christ to get its financial house in order.
This is a call to start living as children of God, not orphans or beggars. It’s
a call to examine our hearts and attitudes toward God and what He has entrusted
to us. It’s a call to use what we have to be a blessing and build the kingdom
of God.
When you finish reading this book, my prayer is not that you will say
this was a good or powerful book. My prayer is that you will act to change how
you handle your finances. I hope you will become stronger in your walk with the
Lord. His grace will give you the ability to change the way you manage your
finances and align them to His will.
Get ready for financial empowerment God’s way! As you examine His Word,
may He give you the grace to obey, for this obedience will lead to His blessing
on your life.
