Reporting on Your Finances

Praying for “You Incorporated” – Part 3

The Business of Prayer – Part 5.3

 

 

If your life is your business and it is, then how should your finance department operate? In this message, we will talk about your Finance Department. Before I begin let me say this. We often neglect other departments in our life for this one. Money and financial concerns often consume our prayers. With that in mind, I need you to refocus what it means to have a plan for praying in these areas in light of your life being the business that God has called you to.

When God,  through Moses, was establishing the nation of Israel, He placed the Levites in charge of the financial affairs of the Temple of God. He specifically named who would supervise the finances of the sanctuary of God. [1] As a person of faith, our bodies are the temples of God [2], therefore He operates within us and thusly has given us what we need to operate our life or better stated the business of our lives. The question is how would He evaluate us on our performance with the finances of our temple? Would you be considered a good supervisor or would He place you on a performance improvement plan?

Let’s take this concept a little further using a few ideas and examples on how to take prayer to the next level specifically in the areas of finances.

If you had to report to God on your finances what would you say to Him?
Imagine it’s your time to stand before God to give an account [3] of your finances, what would you have to say? If I were God, I’d ask you about your net worth. Yes, net worth. In other words, have you taken the talents you’ve been given and multiplied them? [4] If I were the CEO of your life, I’d ask you how in the world are you not financially successful when you have help from God’s Spirit? If I were the one you reported to, I’d ask how in the world have you squandered all the favor God has given you on the Earth? That’s why this message is so important. You see, when you get to Heaven, you will be responsible for answering for yourself, your business. Therefore, we need to figure out how to not only pray, but execute what comes from prayer and take it to the next level. Let’s look at a few examples to bring further inspiration.

  • Your Giving Strategy
    If you have no idea of what I mean by “giving strategy”, then you need to begin to ask God what should my giving strategy be? In other words, where is my giving directed today? Do I have a plan to be generous? Do I regularly give? How do I start my giving strategy? Where should we start? These are just a few questions, one should ask God in prayer. If you’re not a 10% (tithing) giver, then ask God about going all in or starting at 1% until you get to 10%. For those who give at 10%, what’s your next steps?
    At the end of each year, Pamela and I report to God on how we’ve done in the area of giving. Each year, we are always not only surprised by how much we’ve given, but at the provision for giving that God had given. What’s in your strategy for giving? This is the business of prayer!

     

  • Your Strategy for Banking
    I use the word strategy, but don’t let that word throw you off. The point or inspiration here is to know where your money is going and where your assets are held. When was the last time you prayed for your banking institutions? If you’re serious about your life, your business, and serious about your finances and serious about prayer, then you will pray for your banks. If you’re like us, in the past, we’ve had banks to turn us down. They didn’t want our business. So when one accepted us, we prayed a blessing over those institutions.

    We remember The Mortgage Outlet which was a local Christian-based mortgage lender who was the only one who’d give us a mortgage. The owner or primary lending agent was a lady named Lynn Moseley. We prayed often for this company and for Lynn. Today, The Mortgage Outlet doesn’t exist; it was purchased by the Silverton Foundation and is now Silverton Mortgage. The reason we know this detail is because this is what we use when we pray. We present all this to God and ask Him to not only help The Mortgage Outlet, but to increase the business of Lynn Moseley because she helped us. What businesses are helping you manage your resources, these are the focus items for your next prayer. This is next-level prayer.

     

  • Your Budget and Expenses
    I know you probably hate the word budget. Just so you know, we’re not asking you to create a budget; we are asking you to talk to God about the budget you currently have. Whether you write it down or not you’re living by a budget. It just might not be a very good one. However, when you talk to God about it, He will give you ways to improve what you’re doing with your current budget. Pamela and I have numerous stories about how God has impacted our budget and the ideas He’s given us to improve how we manage the resources He has given us. Ask God what should you be tracking? Ask God what items should you be saving for? Ask God which financial obligation should you eliminate?

    I recall the time where Pamela wanted to hire a lawn care provider to mow the lawn so that I wouldn’t have to. We prayed and asked God what we should do and as a result He inspired us to use those funds for a cleaning service provider for our home. He showed us how this would better serve us since we’re not the greatest and most efficient at cleaning our home. This is what happens when you hold a conversation with God. Now we pray for the wonderful employees we’ve hired for this task. What is God saying to you? Is He saying pull back or is He saying you could us…? Try asking Him and He will show you which way you should go. [5] This is next level prayer!

     

  • Your Income
    If you are not praying over your income, then what you are saying is that you don’t need God’s help with your income. In other words, you don’t have an income needed to present to Him. In fact, we justify to God why we need additional income. Would you like a story?
    Several years ago, Pamela and I put together a plan for our family. We call it the Family Plan. This plan helped us map out the course for our life and as a result, Pamela pursued a new job and career. She decided to go all in with our plan to bring me home from secular work so that we can put my efforts totally on running the business God’s given us for our life. Praying over this move and even her job has led to promotion after promotion. This came out of our specific prayer for direction, but more importantly the prayers we’ve prayed over her income as well as mine. What are you waiting on? That increase you’ve been looking for is a prayer and an answer away. Trust me in this, you can do it alone, but it works much better with God’s help. Don’t leave your income to chance, that’s why we pray. What is God saying to you about your income? What are you reporting to Him regarding your income? Is what He’s already provided sufficient? Or do you need Him to increase it so that you can produce more? This is the business of prayer!

     

  • Managing Your Debt
    I mentioned your net worth earlier and a part of knowing net worth is understanding your debts. Are your debts out of control? Then you should constantly be on your knees in prayer (so to speak). While I’m here, ask God what you should be doing to get rid of the debts you have. Keeping debt and allowing it to make a slave of you isn’t God’s answer for your life. [6] So doing nothing isn’t an option unless you wish to remain normal and experience normal results. Before you become totally debt-free, ask God how you can better manage the debt you have? God doesn’t mind helping you. [7] If you ask, He will help. This is next level prayer!

     

  • Investments and Savings
    Now this example is a good one. You need to definitely find out from God where to invest your money. When you take a new job, ask God what you should contribute to 401K and stock options. I remember my first job right out of college and God sent a guy my way to tell me about the company stock options. After praying, I maximined my contributions. To be honest I had no idea what I was doing and had forgotten I’d made those contributions. Miraculously that stock went from $19 to $42 in less than three years. You can’t make this happen. You can’t even plan on that happening. As a result I ended up paying cash for the first luxury vehicle I ever purchased. Keep in mind that has not ever happened again, but I have other stories of how great God has impacted our investments. In fact one of the more recent is God paying for our swimming pool with investment funds. By the way, the point isn’t to get things. We were going to do that anyway just like everyone else. The point is to do it with God as our priority. We have a mission for our possessions. We don’t have it just so that we can have things. The things don’t have us; we have the things.

    Are you praying over your retirement funds? Would you like God’s aid in this so that when you retire from working He’s providing for you as opposed to the world which is unreliable at best? Did I say this is next level prayer? You can do this like normal people, but a next level person, a next level pray-er (person who prays) isn’t normal. This is the business of prayer.

     

  • Recurring Expenditures and Utilities
    Some of you are struggling to pay your bills and have never asked God what you should be doing to get that under control. When you ask a question of God like this, be prepared for the answer. For example, you need to present Him with which bills you have paid and which you’re struggling with. Put the thought behind you that He’s going to pay them for you. That might happen once, but He’s more interested in making you better. [8] In other words, God wants to take you to the next level. He wants to make you uncommon, no longer common. Therefore, an answer to this prayer may lead you to find people, books, podcasts, information, or training on how to change your financial habits. He may even give you specific actions to take or habits to form. But I can assure you that if you do nothing, you will continue to have the same results. If you don’t pray, you don’t have to worry about getting an answer you need. This is next level prayer!

     

  • Dependent Care
    Here’s our last example; this could go on forever. More than likely you have people who care for, whether legal dependents or not. The point is to ask God for a plan. You don’t need the court or another parent or child to tell you how to manage your dependent care. You are a believer for Christ’s sake! I never wanted my wages garnished, because I never wanted to be limited by such. For those, who have garnished wages, then you need to pray and ask God how you can better manage this. The point is you can and you should pray. Report to Your God on how it’s going. Ask Him how you can make this better for all involved. Ask Him how this can no longer be a burden.

    If we can be transparent, when we began our child support journey, we prayed and God said to us…never treat those funds as if they are a part of your income. In other words, he said act as if you don’t make that much; subtract that amount off the top. In this way, we had to ask Him to increase this new amount to support our other needs. The point is, we pray, God hears us, and tells us what to do from there. I’ll say it again. This is next level prayer!

And you were thinking you could run out of things to pray for. It’s impossible to run out of things to pray when you understand the business of prayer. And we’re just getting started. For your finance department, these are your financial affairs. If you’re not talking to God about them, no one else is. That means no one has invited Him into the finances of your life, the business He’s given you. Are you leaving your finances to be governed by the standards of the world? Or would you rather have them governed by God’s kingdom? The choice is yours and it’s called “the business of prayer.” This is next level prayer!

Question: what other financial activities can you add to our list as a focus for your next level prayer?

[1] ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭26:20-22‬ ‭MSG‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/97/1ch.26.20-22.msg
[2] ‭‭1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/1CO.6.19-20.NLT
[3] ‭‭1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ROM.14.10-12.NLT
[4] ‭‭Luke 19:11-26 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.19.11-26.NLT
[5] ‭‭Psalms 32:8 NLT, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/PSA.32.8.NLT
[6]Proverbs 22:7 NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PRO.22.7.NIV
[7]Isaiah 41:10 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/ISA.41.10.NLT
[8]1 Peter 5:10 NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬, Bible.com, accessed May 19, 2022, https://www.bible.com/bible/116/1PE.5.10.NLT
All Scripture references used by permission, see our Scripture copyrights.

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