Tag: money

faith, Hope, Spirituality, Uncategorized, Women

Being a Blessing – Guest Post by Jennifer Parrish

This morning my daughter Jennifer Parrish shared an amazing story of how a complete stranger chose to bless her and her family. It is a beautiful story of ‘paying it forward’ and choosing to be a blessing in this world. This is from her FB page today:

I don’t get “serious” on here often, but something remarkable happened over the weekend and I think it holds an important lesson for all of us. I was waiting in a long line to check out at Target with a stockpile of SIX boxes of diapers and various groceries (crazy couponing, of course!) The couple behind me struck up a conversation with me to pass the time. We talked about my baby, mostly. First time mom. Sleepless nights. Those cute yet elusive first smiles and laughs. Jokes about how many diapers she must be going through as they eyed my cart. The cashier finished scanning my coupons, and as I was grabbing my card to pay, they stuck their credit card in the machine. WHAAA??? I was astonished. And overcome with emotion. I think I thanked them a thousand times as I gathered my things, teary-eyed. I haven’t stopped thinking about this. Did I say anything that made me sound like a charity-case? No, I don’t think so. I think they saw a new mom, putting an extraordinary amount of effort into saving money on the things she needed and they genuinely wanted to make a difference. What a gesture! It got me thinking a lot about money and the kind of example I want to set for my daughter. We’re all feeling the pressure to make more money, save more money, spend more money…we’re all obsessed. Even my “crazy couponing” can be viewed as an obsession with money. It’s a sickness. We have a roof over our head, food on the table, and clothes on our backs. And that’s more than most in this world. I want my little girl to know that; to really appreciate that. I think we all need to remember IT’S JUST MONEY. It’s what you do with it that really matters. Maybe it’s less about constantly collecting new and better things, and more about finding contentment and appreciation for what you have been blessed with. Maybe if we find ourselves in an opportunity to help another person, we should take it–without weighing it against our own needs first. Total strangers paid for a new mom’s diapers…and made a lasting impact on her philosophy about money, and the real value in life.

Thank you Jen – for sharing your heart with us today. Your post reminds us all how a simple act of kindness can mean so much. You are an amazing young woman and your daughter is blessed to call you Mom.

Thank you Lord for the kindness of these people. Bless them 100 times over!

Here is my daughter Jennifer and her beautiful daughter Devyn:

(Featured Image – Jennifer and Dameon Parrish)

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God, Hope, humor, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

God Doesn’t  Plant Money Trees

This morning I read Mark 4 where Jesus talks about the seed and 4 types of soil. You know I always focused on the soil. I wanted to be that good soil that would produce the harvest. But I missed the seed part of the story.

Mark 4:13-14 NKJV

And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. 
Mark 4:13-14 AMP

Then He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How will you understand and grasp the meaning of all the parables? The sower sows the word of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation. 

Have you ever cut open an apple, a lemon, or a kiwi? There are tons of seeds inside that kiwi. Each seed has the potential to grow another plant. Harvest already there – just waiting to be planted. Tons of possibilities already inside that seed. God put it there when He spoke it. 

Next I turned on the TV.  It was pretty early. I happened on one TV Preacher talking about the seed. He cut open some fruit, showed us the seeds, and then bragged about how he was debt free and had tons of money in the bank because he sowed money one time. Told the sad story of how he was losing his house, his job, you know. But then he went to church that day and pledged $1000 to another Preacher. Then he said people just started giving him money and now he’s rich. He got to the part of how I needed to send him $1000 so I could activate my faith. He said if I planted the seed of $1000 God would multiply it back to me. That’s when I turned the channel.

Came upon another TV Preacher. Funny, he was preaching the same thing. He said just like an apple tree had seeds to make another apple tree inside, if I sent him $1000 God would give it back to me with a harvest. That’s when I turned off the tv!

I went to brush my teeth and it hit me, 

“The seed is the Word of God, not money! 

God doesn’t plant money trees!”

It makes me mad when people use religion to push their own addenda. I don’t recall Jesus ever preaching like this. I think some TV Preachers are just money changers in the temple. Time to turn over some tables!

  
Genesis 1:11-13  NKJV

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day. 

  

faith, God, Hope, Kingdom Authority, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

God Owns All the Wealth

Contrary to what the Bankers and Brokers and Stock Market would tell you, God Owns All the Wealth. The Earth is the Lord’s  and everything in it. 

I am tired of “Broke Christians”. That is not what God intended. I would give to my brother, but…  Enough already! And I am speaking to myself here first. I have lived with a Desert Mentality about money for too long. 
No this is not a prosperity “name it and claim it” message. I really don’t think God likes to be bossed around like that.  But instead of us focusing on what we have, what we don’t have, and what we want – let’s focus on who God is and what He has and what He wants.

 “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the Lord of hosts.  ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace,’ says the Lord of hosts.” _Haggai 2:6-9 NKJV

 

I read an amazing FaceBook Post yesterday by Jennifer LeClaire and it really got me thinking. I had to repent of thinking of the money in my account as my money. I had to stop thinking of my possessions as mine. I have been holding onto things too tightly and wondering why money is slipping through my hands like sand. 

Money is not ours – it belongs to God. He owns the storehouse in Heaven. And He gives to each man or woman what He will. We are merely stewards. When the money belongs to God He protects it and gives us wisdom to multiply it.  If I am trying to hold on to money as if it is mine – that opens the door for the Enemy to mess with it.  The Spirit of Sabotage can put holes in my sack and try to distract us from God’s call of abundance.

Jennifer talks about the Spirit of Sabotage in the following article.

Do you notice that when you set out to execute a God-given assignment for His glory, all hell breaks loose against you? Check this out.

Posted by Heart of the Prophetic on Thursday, January 21, 2016

 

From Charisma Magazine – The Sneaky Spirit of Sabotage

Merriam-Webster defines “sabotage” as “destruction of an employer’s property (as tools or materials) or the hindering of manufacturing by discontented workers.”  Everything we own belongs to God, so when the enemy comes against what God has given us to steward, he’s coming against God’s property. I believe hindering spirits work under the authority of the spirit of sabotage, the strongman.

 

The enemy has no hold on us. He is a master deceiver and the father of lies. Remember when he tempted Jesus:

Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

– Matthew 4:8-11

 Guess what – Satan lied!!! He doesn’t own it – God owns it!
The Spirit of the Living God lives within us.  We are part of the Royal Family now – we have been adopted by the King of Kings who owns it all.  Today I refuse to believe that the enemy can touch what God has given us. The enemy does not have the legal right to take what God has entrusted to us. It belongs to our Father – the God of All!

  

 

 

 

 

Hurt in Church, Religion and Spirituality, Spirituality

Just Because I Am a Christian Doesn’t Mean I Am Buying Your Bullshit

I don’t believe everything I hear these days. Maybe that’s the wisdom that comes with getting older. I used to believe everything anyone ever said. I was so naive. Really. 

My heart is sad today. I went to visit another church and found out the old Worship Leader and band had left. Another Church had offered them more money for their service. Why is our worship for sale?

  
And then the girl who came to church playing the ‘victim’. Months later to realize she had told the same lie to 3 other Church families. We gave, she took, and when confronted with Truth, she left. Why is our compassion taken advantage of?

And the woman who came looking for money. We gave and she left. There is so much more available here. How about healing? Why not stay for the real Living Water? Jesus can heal those wounds and give you things money could never buy.

And those in the Church who have money, yet treat those who don’t have money as if they have lesser value to God. In Christ we are all the same. We are all equal. We were CREATED EQUAL, by God. Money doesn’t matter. The widow and the fatherless are just as important as the millionaire. 

My heart hurts, for all those who see people through dollar signs. 

For those who have money and those who don’t. 

For those who think money can buy people and then they ‘own’ them. They think they can order people around because their wallet may be fatter that particular day. 

People are worth so much more than money.

  
Money is made of paper! It will burn up in the End Times anyway. And all those funds will be gone in a day when the Internet crashes. Really. 

Now I understand why Jesus tipped over those tables. 

The Kingdom of Heaven is not for sale. 

The Blood of Jesus cannot ever be bought.

Help us Lord – to value people, not things or money, in Jesus Name 

 

(Image sources- JHM.org, Pinterest)

Quotes, Spirituality, Spring Training

Spring Training #2 – Making Our Money Work for Us

Last time we talked about exercising our faith by honoring our bodies in SPRING TRAINING #1 – HONORING OUR BODIES. Today I would like to focus on another area that I personally am working on and that is how to make our money work for us.  I admit it, I have been ignorant in this area. No class in High School or College prepared me for how to manage money. Yes, I can balance a checkbook, and input numbers for a profit/loss statement, but how to manage the everyday flow of it? No way.  Good news though – we are never too old to learn.

 

 

This past week I went to the library and got myself some advice from the experts, Dave Ramsey and Suze Orman. These are two that are well known for their ability to teach others how to make our money work for us. I started reading and I have to admit I am learning already. I have had a ‘hands-off’ approach to money. I hate it. And we have been living paycheck-to-paycheck for years. It’s stressful. We have had late fees and overdrafts. It’s humiliating. There has to be a better way. God did not call us to lack any good thing. So here I am, learning how to manage money – Hallelujah!

 

The first book I started with was Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace”. He got me right away when in Chapter One he says:

“This is ridiculous,” I murmered. “Only in America could you drive a Jaguar and not have the money to put gas in it.”  I wondered where the arrogant young man from a few years ago was. There I stood in the cold, a man in my twenties, knowing I was in the process of losing virtually everything I owned.

Yes, Yes, Yes, I can relate to this!  I am still reading FINANCIAL PEACE, so I may add to this post later, lol!

 

QUOTES ABOUT MONEY FROM DAVE RAMSEY

“You must gain control over your money or the lack of it will forever control you.” ― Dave Ramsey

 

“As a culture we are ignorant of what money is and how to handle it. Ignorance is not lack of intelligence; it is lack of knowledge on a particular subject.” ― Dave Ramsey, Financial Peace Revisited

 

“You must walk to the beat of a different drummer. The same beat that the wealthy hear. If the beat sounds normal, evacuate the dance floor immediately! The goal is to not be normal, because as my radio listeners know, normal is broke.” ― Dave Ramsey, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness
“Without a mission statement, you may get to the top of the ladder and then realize it was leaning against the wrong building!” ― Dave Ramsey

 

“Act your wage.” ― Dave Ramsey

 

“Pray like it all depends on God, but work like it all depends on you.” ― Dave Ramsey

 

“A budget is telling your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.” ― Dave Ramsey
“For your own good, for the good of your family and your future, grow a backbone. When something is wrong, stand up and say it is wrong, and don’t back down.”― Dave Ramsey, The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness

 

“Fear is the enemy of hope.”
― Dave Ramsey

 

SPRING TRAINING #2 – TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR MONEY

 

1.  Admit that we have been in denial about our money.

We have not been active in managing our money. Our bank fees and overdrafts speak to our inactivity to look at, plan an attack, and conquer our goals in this area of our lives

 

2.  Seek out help from those who have mastered this skill.

We may not have had the training or skills to master money. That’s ok. We can start today. Today can be the day we take our heads out of the sand and learn to manage what God has given us.

 

3. Be willing to sacrifice

There is nothing more humbling that writing down everything you spend your money on. I know I have done it. Seriously, I had no idea I spent so much on ______. (fill in the blank). But the truth is the truth. And once we know, we can make intelligent choices on what to do next.

 

4. Make a plan

We have to be willing to look forward, past today, past the week, and plan what we would like to do with our money. I would love a vacation. We didn’t even go on a honeymoon. I would love to save for that. What about you?

 

5. Work the plan

Change happens when we are willing to go through the rough parts, the ugly parts and keep going. Take baby steps. Review your progress daily. Persevere my friends, it will be worth it.

 

6. Reward yourself for achieving your little goals.

Pay off the little credit cards and debts first (yes that’s what Dave says). Start to build momentum. Keep track, make a bulletin board or whatever, but make it visual and mark off when you accomplish paying off a debt. Celebrate!

 

7. Enjoy being a good servant of God!

God gave us our talents. He asked us to go multiply them. Whether you believe talents are money or what gifts you have been given He asks us to multiply both. Being ignorant and doing nothing is like burying our money and expecting it to grow. I don’t know about you, but I for one am ready for change. I can’t wait to hear, “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”

 

Here are some great PRAYER POINTS from POWER OF FAITH MINISTRIES. Prayer changes things. I can tell you when my husband and I said these verses out loud, money that was delayed for over a month was suddenly paid. There is power in the Name and Blood of Jesus. Print yourself out a copy. This ministry has 2 churches in Spain and one in Nigeria.

 

PRAYER POINTS FOR FINANCIAL RESTITUTION

 

And another great link. I was a bit surprised when I saw what God says about debt in the Bible. Check it out for yourself: