WEBVTT 00:00:00.880 --> 00:00:04.559 This is the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast, brought 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:07.719 to you by Living on the Edge. In this podcast, 00:00:07.980 --> 00:00:10.539 you'll hear Chip's teaching unedited and from 00:00:10.539 --> 00:00:14.279 beginning to end. Here's Chip Ingram with today's 00:00:14.279 --> 00:00:17.519 teaching, Managing Your Finances Together. If 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:19.320 you'll pull out your notes, skill number four 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:22.859 is how to biblically manage your finances together. 00:00:23.739 --> 00:00:26.300 The number one source of conflict and divorce 00:00:26.300 --> 00:00:30.100 in America is issues and problems around money. 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:32.759 And really, it's the symptom as we learned. It's 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:35.280 different values, different priorities, different 00:00:35.280 --> 00:00:38.159 styles. Almost every marriage has a spender and 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:41.240 a saver. Different family backgrounds, your whole 00:00:41.240 --> 00:00:45.320 view of money, wealth, spending, saving, investing, 00:00:45.740 --> 00:00:50.039 risk. You grew up in a family and it's in your 00:00:50.039 --> 00:00:53.359 thinking, it's in your nerves, and you just have 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:57.079 preconceived ideas about those things. And then 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.960 some of you, because of circumstance or situations, 00:01:00.259 --> 00:01:03.179 entered your marriage with debt or challenges 00:01:03.179 --> 00:01:06.040 or have had huge hardships that have created 00:01:06.040 --> 00:01:08.760 financial problems. All I'm saying is all that 00:01:08.760 --> 00:01:10.959 does is this. It creates incredible pressure. 00:01:11.819 --> 00:01:15.760 Just incredible pressure. And incredible pressure, 00:01:16.250 --> 00:01:20.310 brings things to the surface where, because we're 00:01:20.310 --> 00:01:22.849 human, we figure out primarily how to blame the 00:01:22.849 --> 00:01:25.730 other person. Okay, you still have your passage? 00:01:26.090 --> 00:01:31.530 We're still in Colossians 3, 12 through 17. So 00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:33.730 in context here, it says, as those who have been 00:01:33.730 --> 00:01:36.250 chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart 00:01:36.250 --> 00:01:38.950 of compassion, kindness, humility, patience, 00:01:39.290 --> 00:01:42.290 bearing with one another and forgiving each other, 00:01:42.329 --> 00:01:44.900 whoever has a complaint against anyone. Just 00:01:44.900 --> 00:01:47.379 as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:49.920 Beyond all these things, put on love, which is 00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:52.260 the perfect bond of unity, and let the peace 00:01:52.260 --> 00:01:54.819 of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed 00:01:54.819 --> 00:01:57.280 you were called into one body, and be thankful. 00:01:57.760 --> 00:02:00.560 The very first line says, this is how God sees 00:02:00.560 --> 00:02:03.840 you. This is who you are. What I just read after 00:02:03.840 --> 00:02:06.959 that is this is what we're to do in our relationships. 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:11.400 And then notice verse 16 is a resource. Let the 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:15.069 word of Christ. richly dwell within you. How? 00:02:15.330 --> 00:02:17.789 With all wisdom. That means at the right time, 00:02:17.810 --> 00:02:20.189 at the right way, sharing it for the right purposes, 00:02:20.349 --> 00:02:23.629 teaching and admonishing one another. Well, how? 00:02:23.729 --> 00:02:27.289 With truth, psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, and 00:02:27.289 --> 00:02:29.550 then this idea of regardless of our circumstance, 00:02:29.889 --> 00:02:32.409 singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 00:02:33.270 --> 00:02:37.530 And then in verse 17, he's going to say, this 00:02:37.530 --> 00:02:41.310 is how I want you to behave. Whatever you do 00:02:41.310 --> 00:02:45.289 in word or deed. Now just pause for a moment. 00:02:45.710 --> 00:02:48.370 Can you think of anything that's outside of word 00:02:48.370 --> 00:02:57.229 or deed? Thought. That's good. Whatever you do 00:02:57.229 --> 00:03:00.090 in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord 00:03:00.090 --> 00:03:02.810 Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father. 00:03:04.240 --> 00:03:06.939 The command here is that all of our words and 00:03:06.939 --> 00:03:09.580 all of our actions are be done in Jesus' name. 00:03:10.259 --> 00:03:12.580 And in Jesus' name simply means two things. It 00:03:12.580 --> 00:03:15.360 means you do it as a representative of him. So 00:03:15.360 --> 00:03:20.280 I'm speaking or I'm behaving or I'm acting as 00:03:20.280 --> 00:03:23.300 his representative. And it also has the idea 00:03:23.300 --> 00:03:26.740 of being empowered by him to speak whatever he 00:03:26.740 --> 00:03:28.819 wants you to speak or to do whatever he wants 00:03:28.819 --> 00:03:33.550 you to do. The two most accurate mirrors of our 00:03:33.550 --> 00:03:37.050 heart and our lives are our words and our money. 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:40.650 The good man out of the good treasure of his 00:03:40.650 --> 00:03:44.689 heart, Jesus said in Luke 6, verse 45, brings 00:03:44.689 --> 00:03:47.349 forth what is good. And the evil man or the evil 00:03:47.349 --> 00:03:51.650 woman out of the evil treasure brings forth what 00:03:51.650 --> 00:03:54.449 is evil. For the mouth speaks from that which 00:03:54.449 --> 00:03:58.020 fills the heart. If you ever want to know where 00:03:58.020 --> 00:04:03.520 you're at, the MRI of your soul. I mean, I can 00:04:03.520 --> 00:04:05.879 intend, I can think, I can lift my hands, I can 00:04:05.879 --> 00:04:11.400 sing, I can say I love God, but my words, my 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:15.460 words reveal what's really in my heart. And that's 00:04:15.460 --> 00:04:18.839 why our speech is so important. And so anytime 00:04:18.839 --> 00:04:21.839 that's true, the other thing is your words, you 00:04:21.839 --> 00:04:25.480 can go into training so that You deal with issues 00:04:25.480 --> 00:04:27.839 so that what comes out of your mouth reveals 00:04:27.839 --> 00:04:31.139 what you want to be in your heart. The second 00:04:31.139 --> 00:04:35.439 greatest revealer is our money. Jesus said, do 00:04:35.439 --> 00:04:38.060 not store up for yourself, underline in your 00:04:38.060 --> 00:04:41.300 notes if you would, for yourself, treasures on 00:04:41.300 --> 00:04:44.759 earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:48.160 break in and steal. Why? Why would he say that? 00:04:49.040 --> 00:04:50.860 He doesn't want you to have nice things. He wants 00:04:50.860 --> 00:04:52.939 to keep something from you. What's true about 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:57.180 moth, rust, and thieves? They can take it away. 00:04:57.720 --> 00:05:01.959 In other words, it's vulnerable. But store up, 00:05:01.980 --> 00:05:03.959 now underline again, will you? For yourself. 00:05:04.300 --> 00:05:07.959 This is for your benefit. Treasures in heaven 00:05:07.959 --> 00:05:11.839 where neither moth nor rust can destroy and where 00:05:11.839 --> 00:05:14.500 thieves do not break in. And then here's the 00:05:14.500 --> 00:05:17.550 purpose clause. Why? For where your treasure 00:05:17.550 --> 00:05:22.230 is, there your heart will be also. Wherever, 00:05:22.329 --> 00:05:26.149 if you want to know, I mean, if you really wanted 00:05:26.149 --> 00:05:28.949 to know, Lord, how am I really doing? From heaven, 00:05:29.089 --> 00:05:32.149 all pretense, what anyone else thinks, in my 00:05:32.149 --> 00:05:35.470 own denial, in the deceitfulness of my own heart, 00:05:35.509 --> 00:05:38.350 if I really wanted to know, where am I really 00:05:38.350 --> 00:05:41.069 at? If I took a tape recorder and listened to 00:05:41.069 --> 00:05:43.250 my words for a week and then sat down and listened 00:05:43.250 --> 00:05:46.819 to it. the tone of voice, the anger, the sarcasm, 00:05:46.879 --> 00:05:50.300 the hurt, the swearing, the thanks, the praise, 00:05:50.399 --> 00:05:53.560 I would get a really good idea of what's in my 00:05:53.560 --> 00:05:57.060 heart. That would be a pretty challenging thing 00:05:57.060 --> 00:06:02.540 to do. A little bit easier way, if you would 00:06:02.540 --> 00:06:05.339 take all your financial statements, all your 00:06:05.339 --> 00:06:08.220 credit cards, and see where all your money was 00:06:08.220 --> 00:06:10.379 spent in the last year or two years or three 00:06:10.379 --> 00:06:13.639 years or four years. What you saved and why you 00:06:13.639 --> 00:06:16.579 saved it and where you gave money, both formally 00:06:16.579 --> 00:06:19.040 and informally, it would tell you more about 00:06:19.040 --> 00:06:22.519 your life than almost anything you can imagine. 00:06:23.420 --> 00:06:28.360 Because wherever your treasure is, that's where 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:32.339 your heart really is. That's why Jesus talked 00:06:32.339 --> 00:06:34.279 more about money than heaven and hell combined. 00:06:35.180 --> 00:06:38.759 He doesn't need or want our money. In fact, I 00:06:38.759 --> 00:06:42.160 bet I was a pastor for 10 years. And I thought 00:06:42.160 --> 00:06:45.519 life was like this. There's Jesus, right? There's 00:06:45.519 --> 00:06:48.279 the Godhead, and then there's the enemy, Satan. 00:06:49.819 --> 00:06:52.879 That's not what the Bible teaches. Jesus says 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:57.379 there's two gods. There's God, and there's mammon. 00:06:58.819 --> 00:07:01.680 Wealth, greed. Money promises to do everything. 00:07:01.839 --> 00:07:05.240 Money promises to protect, provide, make you 00:07:05.240 --> 00:07:09.129 a someone. Jesus said, This is one God. This 00:07:09.129 --> 00:07:11.889 is the other God. Satan is just the enemy to 00:07:11.889 --> 00:07:15.250 get you to believe that that will deliver. And 00:07:15.250 --> 00:07:17.970 the world system is created to tell you your 00:07:17.970 --> 00:07:20.670 possessions, your power, your fame, what you 00:07:20.670 --> 00:07:23.470 can buy, what people think. That makes you a 00:07:23.470 --> 00:07:28.449 somebody. So Jesus says money isn't neutral. 00:07:29.870 --> 00:07:34.149 He says it's powerful. It's deceptive. It's not 00:07:34.149 --> 00:07:37.230 bad in and of itself, but it's the other God. 00:07:38.589 --> 00:07:42.310 And so if you want to know what's going on in 00:07:42.310 --> 00:07:44.449 your life or if you want to direct your life, 00:07:44.649 --> 00:07:50.850 money is a revealer. And my experience is, you 00:07:50.850 --> 00:07:54.509 know, I'll own it. The first few years I was 00:07:54.509 --> 00:07:56.750 a pastor, I didn't talk much about money. A lot 00:07:56.750 --> 00:07:58.990 of pastors don't talk much about money. Or if 00:07:58.990 --> 00:08:01.329 they do, it's about giving, right? Or about a 00:08:01.329 --> 00:08:03.670 capital campaign or about a building or a bus 00:08:03.670 --> 00:08:06.740 that we need. And what you need to do is you 00:08:06.740 --> 00:08:09.139 need to study the whole counsel of God on money. 00:08:09.620 --> 00:08:12.019 I read through all of Proverbs a number of times, 00:08:12.060 --> 00:08:14.620 and I took a green pen, and any time money in 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:16.860 any way came up in Proverbs, I highlighted it 00:08:16.860 --> 00:08:19.439 in green. You'll go, are you kidding? Because 00:08:19.439 --> 00:08:21.259 what you're going to find out, it's so fundamental. 00:08:22.569 --> 00:08:26.790 Let me give you a very brief overview of biblical 00:08:26.790 --> 00:08:28.949 finances. And I mean, I'm going to go really 00:08:28.949 --> 00:08:31.050 quick and I'm only going to give this because 00:08:31.050 --> 00:08:33.789 this is the context in which I'm speaking and 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:36.029 it's the context in my experience most Christians 00:08:36.029 --> 00:08:39.340 don't have. Money is sort of like a side thing 00:08:39.340 --> 00:08:41.279 over here. It's a problem to deal with. It's 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:44.419 like, you know, we know we need some money or 00:08:44.419 --> 00:08:46.879 the matter of giving is sort of like, well, maybe 00:08:46.879 --> 00:08:48.360 there's some law and, you know, I'm supposed 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.179 to give 10 % and either begrudgingly or semi 00:08:51.179 --> 00:08:53.279 -begrudgingly, it's like paying a bill and I 00:08:53.279 --> 00:08:55.639 should do that because I was taught to. And the 00:08:55.639 --> 00:08:58.620 whole teaching of generosity in your heart and 00:08:58.620 --> 00:09:01.440 the purpose and how money fits into the development 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:04.299 of your spiritual life in my experience is often 00:09:04.299 --> 00:09:06.830 missed. So what the Bible teaches, and I mean 00:09:06.830 --> 00:09:11.450 quick overview, is that God owns it all. The 00:09:11.450 --> 00:09:14.889 earth is mine, Psalm 50. And the fullness thereof, 00:09:14.909 --> 00:09:17.250 every good and perfect gift, James, comes from 00:09:17.250 --> 00:09:19.809 God. Second, we're stewards, managers, and trustees, 00:09:20.149 --> 00:09:22.940 Luke 16. You don't own anything. You don't have 00:09:22.940 --> 00:09:24.960 a car. You don't have a home. You don't have 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:27.799 any investments. You don't own anything. It's 00:09:27.799 --> 00:09:30.820 100 % him. What do you have, the apostle said, 00:09:30.980 --> 00:09:33.960 except what you have received? And so my money, 00:09:34.080 --> 00:09:37.879 my house, my investments, my wife, my children, 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:41.600 I'm a steward. And a steward or a manager is 00:09:41.600 --> 00:09:44.080 someone who is entrusted with certain things 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:47.259 to make good use of them for their master. That 00:09:47.259 --> 00:09:50.600 changes your whole world. That means... Okay, 00:09:50.679 --> 00:09:53.340 the market goes up or the market goes down. Lord, 00:09:53.460 --> 00:09:54.879 you're losing a lot of your money right now. 00:09:59.879 --> 00:10:02.940 We laugh. People have been jumping off of buildings 00:10:02.940 --> 00:10:07.759 and off of bridges. Anxiety, depression, fear, 00:10:07.980 --> 00:10:13.820 overwhelmed. The American view of money, we are 00:10:13.820 --> 00:10:17.820 living the last 50 years, 70 years. We're living 00:10:17.820 --> 00:10:21.220 in America with a level of affluence that only 00:10:21.220 --> 00:10:23.740 the greatest kings in all the world ever experienced 00:10:23.740 --> 00:10:30.740 historically. And yet, in this affluent world, 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:33.980 we have more anxiety, more suicides, and more 00:10:33.980 --> 00:10:37.919 problems than I could take you to multiple third 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:39.779 world countries where they have very little and 00:10:39.779 --> 00:10:41.720 the people are very happy and no one's taking 00:10:41.720 --> 00:10:46.620 drugs. The most recent research, but now by the 00:10:46.620 --> 00:10:49.240 way, when you're in abject poverty or you're 00:10:49.240 --> 00:10:52.059 really poor, there's financial issues, does money 00:10:52.059 --> 00:10:53.980 solve all your problems? No, but it sure helps. 00:10:54.960 --> 00:10:57.340 And what the secular researchers say is that 00:10:57.340 --> 00:11:01.179 basically, right up to about $75 ,000 to $85 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:04.779 ,000, if you're below that in the current economy, 00:11:04.899 --> 00:11:07.759 if you get in about that area, And without debt, 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.899 money really helps. And all the dollars after 00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:12.899 that is sort of diminishing returns in terms 00:11:12.899 --> 00:11:17.799 of quality of life. The saddest, most miserable, 00:11:17.960 --> 00:11:24.220 most problems in families in all my life have 00:11:24.220 --> 00:11:27.559 been the wealthiest people that I know. And what's 00:11:27.559 --> 00:11:29.940 so ironic, I sit with them and I talk with them 00:11:29.940 --> 00:11:31.840 and they talk about their second or their third 00:11:31.840 --> 00:11:34.240 marriage or their daughter's suicide or their 00:11:34.240 --> 00:11:36.899 anxiety and their enablement of their kids. Because 00:11:36.899 --> 00:11:38.240 when you're really wealthy, it's hard to say 00:11:38.240 --> 00:11:39.820 no to your kids. It's hard to set boundaries. 00:11:39.919 --> 00:11:42.220 It's hard to teach them responsibility. And so 00:11:42.220 --> 00:11:45.039 really, really, the only people that have more 00:11:45.039 --> 00:11:46.919 messed up kids in all the world, by the way, 00:11:46.940 --> 00:11:49.080 this was a study done by an insurance company, 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:51.480 is the poorest of the poor of the poor, like 00:11:51.480 --> 00:11:53.559 living in the ghetto, and the ultimate rich. 00:11:53.779 --> 00:11:56.080 And what they measured is treatment centers. 00:11:56.519 --> 00:12:00.940 and all the rest. Why? Because money can't solve 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:03.940 the problems. In fact, it creates incredible 00:12:03.940 --> 00:12:09.639 entitlement, lack of responsibility. We'll give 00:12:09.639 --> 00:12:12.419 an account for our stewardship. God, according 00:12:12.419 --> 00:12:14.779 to how he's made you and purposes, has given 00:12:14.779 --> 00:12:17.740 us all different talents, different resources, 00:12:17.860 --> 00:12:20.940 and I'll give an account of what I do with his 00:12:20.940 --> 00:12:24.759 money, what I do with his time. I had a card 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:28.639 for years that I wrote down. You know, I do this 00:12:28.639 --> 00:12:30.879 thing a lot with my thinking. I mean, I really 00:12:30.879 --> 00:12:34.039 believe as a man thinks in his heart, so he becomes. 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:35.899 The mindset on the flesh, death. The mindset 00:12:35.899 --> 00:12:38.080 on the spirit, life and peace. Set your mind 00:12:38.080 --> 00:12:40.240 on the things above. I'm absolutely, I mean, 00:12:40.279 --> 00:12:43.299 I'm like over the top on, boy, what comes into 00:12:43.299 --> 00:12:45.580 my mind. There's a huge filter. And what I put 00:12:45.580 --> 00:12:48.200 into my mind. Because life change happens not 00:12:48.200 --> 00:12:51.529 by behavior or emotions or trying hard. Life 00:12:51.529 --> 00:12:53.769 change happens. First and foremost, you renew 00:12:53.769 --> 00:12:56.570 your mind. And as you think differently, all 00:12:56.570 --> 00:12:58.230 of a sudden that's not a temptation because it 00:12:58.230 --> 00:13:00.269 doesn't look very good. You think differently 00:13:00.269 --> 00:13:03.350 and emotionally things change because the news 00:13:03.350 --> 00:13:05.850 is like poison. And the more and more I watch 00:13:05.850 --> 00:13:08.330 of news and people being blown up and these people 00:13:08.330 --> 00:13:10.649 hate these people and those people, then what 00:13:10.649 --> 00:13:12.830 it does is it creates all kinds of things inside. 00:13:13.409 --> 00:13:16.029 You know, ask a teenage girl, the more you're 00:13:16.029 --> 00:13:18.110 on social media, the higher the anxiety, the 00:13:18.110 --> 00:13:21.519 higher the social suicide rate. And so I keep 00:13:21.519 --> 00:13:24.500 aware of what's going on, but I'm real careful 00:13:24.500 --> 00:13:26.940 about what I let in my mind. And then what I 00:13:26.940 --> 00:13:29.740 know is that when I struggle with areas, I've 00:13:29.740 --> 00:13:32.840 got to change my thinking. So coming from my 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:35.460 background, giving away money and being generous 00:13:35.460 --> 00:13:39.200 did not come naturally. My dad grew up out of 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:42.019 the Depression. His parents' farm was sold out 00:13:42.019 --> 00:13:43.960 from under him. That's a picture that he remembers. 00:13:44.860 --> 00:13:47.879 He took me as a little boy to the bank every 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:51.259 single week. And I did yards and did things and 00:13:51.259 --> 00:13:54.000 you put it in savings. And so that was embedded 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:57.659 in me. And so I had a card that I wrote, Lord, 00:13:57.820 --> 00:14:00.820 I desire to be more generous with my time and 00:14:00.820 --> 00:14:04.559 my money this year. And I would just read it 00:14:04.559 --> 00:14:07.700 over and just read it over, read it over, read 00:14:07.700 --> 00:14:10.519 it over, read it over. And I just found there 00:14:10.519 --> 00:14:12.139 were opportunities. They were probably always 00:14:12.139 --> 00:14:15.940 there, but I noticed them and I would be a little 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:17.940 bit more generous. then a little bit more generous. 00:14:18.059 --> 00:14:20.940 And then I reviewed that card for like five years. 00:14:21.940 --> 00:14:24.659 And then I was studying and I just realized, 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:30.820 that's not accurate. That's wrong, Chip. So I 00:14:30.820 --> 00:14:33.179 put an X through the card in certain places. 00:14:33.740 --> 00:14:37.580 God, I desire to be more generous with your money 00:14:37.580 --> 00:14:41.149 and your time this year. And that's what I just 00:14:41.149 --> 00:14:43.389 realized. Whatever I've got in my pocket, whatever 00:14:43.389 --> 00:14:45.210 I've got in the bank account, whatever kind of 00:14:45.210 --> 00:14:47.769 car, whatever I have, it's yours and I'm going 00:14:47.769 --> 00:14:50.269 to give an account for it. Money is powerful 00:14:50.269 --> 00:14:53.370 and deceptive. Mark 4, you know, the parables 00:14:53.370 --> 00:14:55.750 of the seed and the sower, right? The seed is 00:14:55.750 --> 00:14:58.590 God's word. It goes into the earth. You know, 00:14:58.610 --> 00:15:02.629 the hard soil, Satan takes it away. The shallow 00:15:02.629 --> 00:15:05.549 soil, it grows up, but persecution and difficulty 00:15:05.549 --> 00:15:11.000 fades away. The thorny soil, It grows up. And 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.639 then the desires of this word and the deceitfulness 00:15:13.639 --> 00:15:17.600 of riches choke out God's word. By the way, the 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.879 deceitfulness of riches. You do understand the 00:15:20.879 --> 00:15:23.919 word deceit means this. When you are deceived, 00:15:24.159 --> 00:15:28.320 you don't know it. And we now live in a Christian 00:15:28.320 --> 00:15:33.659 worldview where we all have certain issues that 00:15:33.659 --> 00:15:36.000 we all sin, that we've decided, let's have a 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:39.720 few acceptable sins. And we'll give all each 00:15:39.720 --> 00:15:44.500 other a pass on them. I've been in a number of 00:15:44.500 --> 00:15:47.340 men's groups where, you know, we all struggle 00:15:47.340 --> 00:15:49.960 with porn. But, you know, let's try and be more 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:53.360 porn light. That's really not one of the options. 00:15:55.200 --> 00:15:57.700 Or, you know, I know it's not very wise, but 00:15:57.700 --> 00:16:00.419 everyone has a lot of debt. And everyone gossips 00:16:00.419 --> 00:16:02.139 a little bit about people when you meet in those 00:16:02.139 --> 00:16:04.720 groups. And, you know, we all struggle with that. 00:16:05.680 --> 00:16:08.259 Therefore, it must be okay. And we sort of gradually 00:16:08.259 --> 00:16:13.500 give ourselves permission to have the sacred 00:16:13.500 --> 00:16:16.659 cow of materialism. All the other Christians 00:16:16.659 --> 00:16:19.539 I know, I mean, they always get the latest phone 00:16:19.539 --> 00:16:21.340 and the latest TV and the latest that. What do 00:16:21.340 --> 00:16:23.159 they have, the money? No, but they've got these 00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:26.179 cards. And it's pretty cool. You just put them 00:16:26.179 --> 00:16:29.919 on these cards and, you know, you only have to 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:35.320 pay like $11 or $22 or $33 each payment. and 00:16:35.320 --> 00:16:43.320 pay $944 for that $300 TV over five years. But 00:16:43.320 --> 00:16:46.539 you don't think about, wait a sec, it's God's 00:16:46.539 --> 00:16:48.600 money. Am I saying it's wrong to use a credit 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:50.799 card? No, I have credit cards. I pay them off 00:16:50.799 --> 00:16:54.799 every 30 days. But I'm just saying there's radical 00:16:54.799 --> 00:16:58.220 thoughts about money and the subtlety and deception 00:16:58.220 --> 00:17:02.879 of money is it. It takes you down a path. It's 00:17:02.879 --> 00:17:05.019 like being in water where you go out, if you've 00:17:05.019 --> 00:17:06.859 ever been at the beach, you know, and you're 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:09.380 having fun, and you've got the sand, and if you 00:17:09.380 --> 00:17:10.799 have a family, you've got a couple kids here, 00:17:10.880 --> 00:17:11.940 and you've got the blankets, and you're going 00:17:11.940 --> 00:17:13.859 to have lunch and stuff, and they go out and 00:17:13.859 --> 00:17:16.319 play, and you're playing, and then you're playing, 00:17:16.559 --> 00:17:18.980 and you're playing, and nothing happened, but 00:17:18.980 --> 00:17:20.519 the current's doing this, and you look up and 00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:22.740 you realize, my lands, how did we get down? I 00:17:22.740 --> 00:17:26.660 mean, hey, where's mom and dad? That's what happens 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:30.900 to us with regard to money. Money is the other 00:17:30.900 --> 00:17:33.119 God according to Jesus. We can't serve both, 00:17:33.180 --> 00:17:36.019 Matthew 6. Giving is God's antidote to greed 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:39.900 and the dangers of idol worship. We're commanded, 00:17:40.160 --> 00:17:43.160 instruct those who are rich in this present world, 00:17:43.200 --> 00:17:46.680 and biblically that's all of us, not to be conceited 00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:50.140 or fix their hope on the uncertainty of money 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:53.799 or wealth. Notice that's the reason. Because 00:17:53.799 --> 00:17:56.539 it's uncertain. He wants to protect us. But fix 00:17:56.539 --> 00:17:59.140 their hope on God who richly supplies us with 00:17:59.140 --> 00:18:02.339 all things to enjoy. In other words, when your 00:18:02.339 --> 00:18:04.519 priorities are right, when it comes from God, 00:18:04.680 --> 00:18:07.900 he's gracious and kind and loving. So you're 00:18:07.900 --> 00:18:10.799 not overwhelmed in debt. You're not compensating 00:18:10.799 --> 00:18:13.220 by buying things or going places you really can't 00:18:13.220 --> 00:18:15.940 afford. Your priorities are right. And he says, 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:18.279 don't fix your hope here on the one hand. So 00:18:18.279 --> 00:18:20.720 you want to be generous and be wise. And then. 00:18:21.240 --> 00:18:23.019 When he blesses, you don't have to say, well, 00:18:23.079 --> 00:18:24.779 the reason we have a swimming pool is we're doing 00:18:24.779 --> 00:18:28.859 baptisms for the youth group. You know, that 00:18:28.859 --> 00:18:33.460 mission trip that we're taking to New Zealand 00:18:33.460 --> 00:18:39.180 and Hawaii. You know what? If you want to go 00:18:39.180 --> 00:18:41.519 to Hawaii and the Lord has blessed your life 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:43.339 and your priorities in order, here's what you 00:18:43.339 --> 00:18:46.740 ought to do. Enjoy it. If God gives you a swimming 00:18:46.740 --> 00:18:50.000 pool and your pride or he's in order and he's 00:18:50.000 --> 00:18:52.599 led you in that way and maybe it's especially 00:18:52.599 --> 00:18:54.900 great for the season of your kids, why don't 00:18:54.900 --> 00:18:58.500 you enjoy it? But what we do is we play lots 00:18:58.500 --> 00:19:02.200 of games. God wants us to richly enjoy all that 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:05.319 he's given us and at the same time realize that 00:19:05.319 --> 00:19:09.059 thing, that wealth, that idol wants to take over 00:19:09.059 --> 00:19:12.299 your soul. Debt is dangerous and to be avoided. 00:19:13.940 --> 00:19:16.599 I think the best counselors I know say it's, 00:19:16.599 --> 00:19:20.940 you know, it's not wrong to have some debt, appreciable 00:19:20.940 --> 00:19:24.119 items. It's way better not to have any. And we're 00:19:24.119 --> 00:19:27.119 to be accurately aware of our financial condition. 00:19:28.119 --> 00:19:29.960 Now, this would be interesting. I will not do 00:19:29.960 --> 00:19:31.599 this because I would not want to embarrass anyone. 00:19:32.140 --> 00:19:34.700 But if I could, if you all lined up and I could 00:19:34.700 --> 00:19:36.200 meet with couples, couples, couples, couples, 00:19:36.319 --> 00:19:39.180 and then I would just, okay, separate, you know, 00:19:39.200 --> 00:19:42.150 earphones. She couldn't hear, he couldn't hear. 00:19:42.329 --> 00:19:45.509 And I would ask the man, in general, how much 00:19:45.509 --> 00:19:47.710 debt do you have? How much money do you have 00:19:47.710 --> 00:19:50.789 in savings? How much is on your credit cards? 00:19:51.450 --> 00:19:53.589 How much short -term, long -term, or any investments 00:19:53.589 --> 00:19:55.230 that you have? I mean, just a ballpark. I don't 00:19:55.230 --> 00:19:58.250 want the exact numbers, but you're aware of basically 00:19:58.250 --> 00:20:01.109 your finances. What I would find in most couples, 00:20:01.250 --> 00:20:03.450 one person would have a vague idea and the other 00:20:03.450 --> 00:20:06.069 would be like, he takes care of all that or she 00:20:06.069 --> 00:20:08.680 takes care of all that. Or they would both fumble 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:10.779 around a lot and not have a very accurate. The 00:20:10.779 --> 00:20:12.920 Bible says, know well the condition of your flock. 00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:17.839 You need to know this is our level of debt. Currently, 00:20:17.859 --> 00:20:19.700 right now, this is how much we've set aside for 00:20:19.700 --> 00:20:22.119 an emergency. This is a fund that we've developed 00:20:22.119 --> 00:20:25.099 for. We're saving for the next car that we're 00:20:25.099 --> 00:20:27.539 going to buy because we want to pay cash. This 00:20:27.539 --> 00:20:29.579 is what we're doing in terms of long -term and 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:32.240 investment or retirement. And you kind of know 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:35.880 where you're at. And by the way, your body language 00:20:35.880 --> 00:20:38.769 can... I'm talking really fast. I'm going to 00:20:38.769 --> 00:20:43.849 pause for a minute. The reason you're feeling 00:20:43.849 --> 00:20:46.990 the way you're feeling is because of the deceitfulness 00:20:46.990 --> 00:20:53.650 of riches. Do you realize 50 % of all the people 00:20:53.650 --> 00:20:55.589 that graduate from college, I read a statistic, 00:20:55.930 --> 00:20:59.470 file bankruptcy? You know, you go to college, 00:20:59.509 --> 00:21:00.930 they give you a t -shirt, here's a credit card. 00:21:01.950 --> 00:21:04.329 But by the time they're out, there's literally, 00:21:04.750 --> 00:21:06.690 we have a whole generation, some Christian, some 00:21:06.690 --> 00:21:09.490 non -Christian, that they think this is money. 00:21:10.009 --> 00:21:12.250 I remember one of my grandkids, we were taking 00:21:12.250 --> 00:21:13.869 them out for something and we're having a pizza 00:21:13.869 --> 00:21:15.190 or something like that. And you know, there's 00:21:15.190 --> 00:21:17.269 six, seven, eight, nine, 10 at the time. And 00:21:17.269 --> 00:21:20.170 we were here and, oh, do you want to get something 00:21:20.170 --> 00:21:22.069 like that? I said, oh, I don't have my wallet. 00:21:22.309 --> 00:21:27.170 And I said, I don't know what to do. And I forget, 00:21:27.210 --> 00:21:28.829 one of my grandkids says, oh, just use one of 00:21:28.829 --> 00:21:32.019 those cards. In other words, you don't need money. 00:21:32.259 --> 00:21:34.539 There was no connection between money and a card. 00:21:35.740 --> 00:21:39.180 But here's, okay, okay. Now I'm going to be really, 00:21:39.220 --> 00:21:45.359 really gentle here. If you want to get hold of 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:48.500 your life, if you want to get hold of your values, 00:21:48.779 --> 00:21:52.140 if you want to get hold of your future, you have 00:21:52.140 --> 00:21:55.960 to get a hold of your money and your time and 00:21:55.960 --> 00:22:01.089 your thought life. If you do not get a hold of 00:22:01.089 --> 00:22:04.190 your money, it will get a hold of you, and despite 00:22:04.190 --> 00:22:06.769 your best intentions, it will take you places 00:22:06.769 --> 00:22:12.130 you do not want to go. If you don't get a hold 00:22:12.130 --> 00:22:14.529 of your thought life, you can intend, you can 00:22:14.529 --> 00:22:18.009 try, you can want to, you can plead, but you 00:22:18.009 --> 00:22:22.470 are the product of your thoughts. It's how God 00:22:22.470 --> 00:22:26.289 made us. Your emotions are a response to your 00:22:26.289 --> 00:22:29.109 thoughts. Much of your behavior, instead of being 00:22:29.109 --> 00:22:31.369 intellectually based, oh, this is logical. This 00:22:31.369 --> 00:22:34.029 is what I ought to do. Is that what we do? Like, 00:22:34.109 --> 00:22:36.109 I'm feeling kind of down. I'm feeling kind of 00:22:36.109 --> 00:22:38.170 blue. Oh, it's really logical. Don't go to the 00:22:38.170 --> 00:22:44.009 refrigerator. So I won't. What do we do? We eat. 00:22:44.630 --> 00:22:50.509 We spend. We shop. We go. We vacation. There 00:22:50.509 --> 00:22:53.369 are only five uses of money. I got this from 00:22:53.369 --> 00:22:57.309 Ron Blue. You can give it away, you can pay taxes 00:22:57.309 --> 00:23:00.470 with it, you can save it, you can pay off debt, 00:23:00.789 --> 00:23:04.549 or you can live off of it. And when I say savings, 00:23:04.650 --> 00:23:07.849 I mean savings as in short -term, emergency fund, 00:23:08.049 --> 00:23:11.450 which I find most people don't have. But then 00:23:11.450 --> 00:23:15.230 there's sort of a mid -range savings where we 00:23:15.230 --> 00:23:18.009 set aside X amount so that when we get the tax 00:23:18.009 --> 00:23:20.809 bill, we don't go, oh. So, you know, every paycheck, 00:23:20.910 --> 00:23:24.069 a little bit goes in for the tax. We have a game 00:23:24.069 --> 00:23:26.950 plan. At our age and our stage, we wanted to 00:23:26.950 --> 00:23:29.750 help our grandkids. So we set aside some where 00:23:29.750 --> 00:23:33.670 we started a little fund for their college. We 00:23:33.670 --> 00:23:36.369 wanted to visit our grandkids and stay connected. 00:23:36.509 --> 00:23:37.990 And when they all grow and go different places, 00:23:38.210 --> 00:23:41.069 about 15 years ago, we called it a kid fund. 00:23:41.710 --> 00:23:45.119 Because, you know. And by the way, it's not like 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:46.720 we had a lot of money to put in these things, 00:23:46.839 --> 00:23:50.140 but the discipline of creating where you want 00:23:50.140 --> 00:23:54.240 your money to go creates an intention. But the 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:59.740 point is, do you plan and do you segment your 00:23:59.740 --> 00:24:02.819 dollars so that what I knew was at the end of 00:24:02.819 --> 00:24:07.259 the day, what's going to be valuable? I want 00:24:07.259 --> 00:24:10.009 to be connected to my grown kids. I want to have 00:24:10.009 --> 00:24:12.829 at least every two years a window of time where 00:24:12.829 --> 00:24:15.710 those little kids grow up and they remember being 00:24:15.710 --> 00:24:18.509 on the boat with granddad and grandma and aunts 00:24:18.509 --> 00:24:21.410 and uncles and cousins. Did it cost a lot of 00:24:21.410 --> 00:24:24.410 money? Yeah. But I saved for it for two years. 00:24:25.069 --> 00:24:27.609 I don't have a ton of money in retirement, but 00:24:27.609 --> 00:24:30.890 I've got a plan that lines out that, well, at 00:24:30.890 --> 00:24:32.750 65 I said, I don't have anything in the Bible 00:24:32.750 --> 00:24:36.849 about retirement. I want to be used by God. I'm 00:24:36.849 --> 00:24:40.130 not trying to figure out. I mean, I've met these 00:24:40.130 --> 00:24:42.609 guys that their whole life was, boy, maybe by 00:24:42.609 --> 00:24:46.269 56 I can retire and play golf. Now, personally, 00:24:46.369 --> 00:24:50.750 I like to play golf. But I think pleasure is 00:24:50.750 --> 00:24:55.829 a great vacation. It's a bad vocation. Pleasure 00:24:55.829 --> 00:24:59.470 is a great tour guide. It's a great tour guide. 00:24:59.589 --> 00:25:04.410 Ah, let's have some fun. It is a terrible destination. 00:25:05.390 --> 00:25:09.680 It can't deliver. Financial freedom requires, 00:25:10.099 --> 00:25:13.259 and please don't laugh, spending less than one's 00:25:13.259 --> 00:25:17.579 income. If you add up all your expenses this 00:25:17.579 --> 00:25:22.200 month or in the last year, are your expenses 00:25:22.200 --> 00:25:25.680 more than the money that came in? And if so, 00:25:25.859 --> 00:25:27.940 do you understand that's a fundamental problem? 00:25:28.259 --> 00:25:32.440 The government can do that. You can't. I mean, 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:34.619 they can just say, hey, let's print some more 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:37.930 money. Unfortunately, we will all end up paying 00:25:37.930 --> 00:25:42.230 for all that one way or another. And so the lie 00:25:42.230 --> 00:25:45.049 is that what we need is we need more income. 00:25:45.390 --> 00:25:47.509 And so often, well, it's a second job or we'll 00:25:47.509 --> 00:25:49.390 do this, we'll do this. Well, then your priorities 00:25:49.390 --> 00:25:51.690 get out of whack. Now, are there times for a 00:25:51.690 --> 00:25:56.529 second job? Man, of course. But by and large, 00:25:56.730 --> 00:26:00.130 your need is not more money. Your need is to 00:26:00.130 --> 00:26:03.240 adjust your spending to your income. And your 00:26:03.240 --> 00:26:07.079 income needs to flow out of not what are all 00:26:07.079 --> 00:26:09.640 the things that we think we need. But see, you 00:26:09.640 --> 00:26:12.259 got to go back to this is who we want to be. 00:26:12.579 --> 00:26:15.519 This is God's call on our life. This is what's 00:26:15.519 --> 00:26:17.920 important for our marriage. This is what's important 00:26:17.920 --> 00:26:20.539 if you have children or grandchildren. These 00:26:20.539 --> 00:26:23.380 are our goals. And then, okay, we're going to 00:26:23.380 --> 00:26:25.279 give first and foremost because we're going to 00:26:25.279 --> 00:26:28.279 declare that money will not be our God. Before 00:26:28.279 --> 00:26:30.440 we do anything else, I'm going to make my offering 00:26:30.440 --> 00:26:33.849 to God. Second is I'm going to obey the government, 00:26:33.950 --> 00:26:35.490 so I'm going to set aside, I'm going to pay my 00:26:35.490 --> 00:26:38.809 taxes. Then I'm going to say, what do we need, 00:26:38.809 --> 00:26:41.549 you know, to live on? But before we do, even 00:26:41.549 --> 00:26:43.569 if it's small, we're going to set aside some 00:26:43.569 --> 00:26:46.690 money to save. And then you're saying, if I do 00:26:46.690 --> 00:26:48.410 all that, I'm not going to have much left. You're 00:26:48.410 --> 00:26:53.309 right. So do you need to lease a car that's $500 00:26:53.309 --> 00:26:58.130 a month? Do you need cable and Netflix and this 00:26:58.130 --> 00:27:01.319 and that? Do you need to eat out seven, eight, 00:27:01.380 --> 00:27:06.720 nine times a month? That's just what happens. 00:27:08.359 --> 00:27:12.220 Now you're thinking, gosh, you're talking about 00:27:12.220 --> 00:27:15.359 a completely altered lifestyle. It's called freedom. 00:27:16.539 --> 00:27:26.019 It's called joy. The borrower is always a slave 00:27:26.019 --> 00:27:29.230 of the lender. And you just get into bondage. 00:27:29.730 --> 00:27:33.390 And it starts small and then it mushrooms. And 00:27:33.390 --> 00:27:36.730 so all I'm saying is that that's the principle. 00:27:38.670 --> 00:27:45.250 You have to spend less than what comes in. Often 00:27:45.250 --> 00:27:47.690 money is not the problem as we talked about. 00:27:47.730 --> 00:27:52.109 It's often just the symptom. Money solves emotional 00:27:52.109 --> 00:27:56.250 and relational problems short term by compensation. 00:27:58.440 --> 00:28:00.759 A lot of parents buy stuff for their kids because 00:28:00.759 --> 00:28:02.279 they feel guilty. They're not spending quality 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:05.220 time with them. We buy gifts for one another 00:28:05.220 --> 00:28:08.220 or we say silly things like, you know, it's really 00:28:08.220 --> 00:28:10.180 been a rocky time in our marriage, so let's just 00:28:10.180 --> 00:28:14.240 go to Hawaii. I mean, we're only $60 ,000 in 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:19.440 debt. What's another 10? I mean, the logic goes 00:28:19.440 --> 00:28:23.900 like that. There's a way that seems right to 00:28:23.900 --> 00:28:28.329 a man. Proverbs 14, 12. There's a way that seems 00:28:28.329 --> 00:28:35.049 right to a woman. But the end thereof is death. 00:28:36.289 --> 00:28:40.849 And what is common for other people is death 00:28:40.849 --> 00:28:44.970 for you. The fact that they do it is the fact 00:28:44.970 --> 00:28:48.730 that you're going to see people whose marriages 00:28:48.730 --> 00:28:52.750 don't work, whose kids are entitled, whose trajectory 00:28:52.750 --> 00:28:54.970 of their life is the opposite of what you want, 00:28:55.109 --> 00:28:59.210 and yet, If you did some real hard evaluation 00:28:59.210 --> 00:29:03.750 at some level or maybe more than you would like 00:29:03.750 --> 00:29:06.829 or maybe you're in the deep end of the pool and 00:29:06.829 --> 00:29:09.809 you just realize this money thing is really the 00:29:09.809 --> 00:29:12.529 thing that's causing the pressure. How do you 00:29:12.529 --> 00:29:14.710 solve the money problem? It has to begin with 00:29:14.710 --> 00:29:18.109 it's our problem that we will solve, right? We're 00:29:18.109 --> 00:29:21.069 going to do this together because once the pressure 00:29:21.069 --> 00:29:24.589 happens, what do we do? It's her or whoever is 00:29:24.589 --> 00:29:27.609 the spender especially, right? It's him. You 00:29:27.609 --> 00:29:29.569 know, I can't believe he bought new golf clubs. 00:29:29.670 --> 00:29:31.849 I can't believe she went shopping and did this, 00:29:31.849 --> 00:29:33.690 blah, blah, blah. I can't believe, blah, blah, 00:29:33.809 --> 00:29:40.250 blah. And so you blame. Either win -win or lose 00:29:40.250 --> 00:29:44.049 -lose. Second, then assessment instead of blaming. 00:29:45.690 --> 00:29:49.109 You will need to get prayed up and then say, 00:29:49.150 --> 00:29:51.650 let's sit down and see where we're at financially. 00:29:52.910 --> 00:29:57.109 So we both know. This is how much actually comes 00:29:57.109 --> 00:30:01.230 in. This is how much we pay in taxes. This is 00:30:01.230 --> 00:30:03.529 how much total debt we have in every area, long 00:30:03.529 --> 00:30:06.910 -term, short -term, credit card. This is how 00:30:06.910 --> 00:30:11.430 much we give. This is, I've done this many times 00:30:11.430 --> 00:30:14.650 in season of marriage. For 30 days. And it's 00:30:14.650 --> 00:30:16.390 easier on your phone. There's probably apps that 00:30:16.390 --> 00:30:18.869 do it now. For 30 days, Teresa and I would say, 00:30:19.009 --> 00:30:21.609 we're going to track every dollar we spend for 00:30:21.609 --> 00:30:24.029 30 days just to find out. And spend would just 00:30:24.029 --> 00:30:27.430 be normal, but just track it. It's crazy. Just 00:30:27.430 --> 00:30:30.329 by tracking it, you start spending less. And 00:30:30.329 --> 00:30:32.690 then you track it and you find, okay, this is 00:30:32.690 --> 00:30:35.049 how much on groceries. This is how much on going 00:30:35.049 --> 00:30:37.869 out to eat. This much on recreation. This much 00:30:37.869 --> 00:30:40.230 on clothes. This much. And all of a sudden, what 00:30:40.230 --> 00:30:42.769 you see is. In your mind, it's we don't have 00:30:42.769 --> 00:30:45.170 enough money to get by. And when you see where 00:30:45.170 --> 00:30:49.490 it actually goes, you'll go, can you believe 00:30:49.490 --> 00:30:53.490 we spend $142 on Starbucks? I'm just telling 00:30:53.490 --> 00:30:57.890 you, we have patterns. And here, God's not mad. 00:30:59.309 --> 00:31:04.109 But those patterns, right? Those paths, there's 00:31:04.109 --> 00:31:07.089 a destination. And I just want you to know, the 00:31:07.089 --> 00:31:09.529 destination that a great majority of Christians, 00:31:09.650 --> 00:31:12.250 and maybe a lot of you are on, it's not where 00:31:12.250 --> 00:31:17.049 you want to be. So you sit down, and you'll notice 00:31:17.049 --> 00:31:20.529 the worksheet is I've just kind of taken what 00:31:20.529 --> 00:31:24.009 other really smart people in finance, you know, 00:31:24.029 --> 00:31:26.890 and an honest appraisal, and there's a confession. 00:31:27.890 --> 00:31:30.569 Here's where you start. Lord, we are messed up 00:31:30.569 --> 00:31:34.700 with our money. A correction, Lord, we are messed 00:31:34.700 --> 00:31:38.099 up with your money. And since it's your money, 00:31:38.200 --> 00:31:41.099 we're going to repent. And then second, we want 00:31:41.099 --> 00:31:45.180 to have a clear conscience. We want not just 00:31:45.180 --> 00:31:47.200 our words, not just our thoughts, not just our 00:31:47.200 --> 00:31:49.940 actions. We want our money to be a reflection 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:52.539 that we're living in a way that's pleasing to 00:31:52.539 --> 00:31:56.000 you. You do. You do understand. God longs to 00:31:56.000 --> 00:31:59.400 bless you. Now, this is no prosperity stuff, 00:31:59.519 --> 00:32:03.500 but he wants to bless you financially. Most Christians 00:32:03.500 --> 00:32:05.400 are not in a position to be blessed financially. 00:32:06.380 --> 00:32:08.539 You have high debt, and you don't give much, 00:32:08.660 --> 00:32:11.960 and you're not very generous. God sees two kinds 00:32:11.960 --> 00:32:15.119 of people, dams and streams. When he finds a 00:32:15.119 --> 00:32:17.859 stream, that means it comes, you get it, you 00:32:17.859 --> 00:32:20.359 know it's his, and it flows in you, you enjoy 00:32:20.359 --> 00:32:22.259 it, and it flows through you, and you help lots 00:32:22.259 --> 00:32:24.960 of people in lots of ways. God just keeps, he 00:32:24.960 --> 00:32:27.079 just keeps filling streams. There's others that 00:32:27.079 --> 00:32:30.640 are dams. It comes and hits you and you think 00:32:30.640 --> 00:32:34.920 it's yours. And you know, the water goes down 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:36.579 because of debt and then you spend some stuff 00:32:36.579 --> 00:32:38.579 you don't have and it produces a lot of pressure. 00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:43.319 Oh God, help. He goes, well, I mean, you're going 00:32:43.319 --> 00:32:45.380 to do the same thing with it. Actually, I need 00:32:45.380 --> 00:32:47.759 you to hit bottom so you would like look at each 00:32:47.759 --> 00:32:50.339 other and go, we can't keep living this way financially. 00:32:51.180 --> 00:32:53.759 So it's always out of his love. And then there's 00:32:53.759 --> 00:32:56.019 principles here, you know, about a budget and 00:32:56.019 --> 00:32:58.660 how to do it and do it together and establishing. 00:32:58.700 --> 00:33:00.720 These are all the basic principles of finances. 00:33:01.720 --> 00:33:05.740 Resolving to get out of debt. Developing a plan 00:33:05.740 --> 00:33:09.160 and a time frame. Many of you, just like in other 00:33:09.160 --> 00:33:12.640 areas, you'll need someone from the outside. 00:33:13.000 --> 00:33:15.960 You know, a financial counselor. Lots of churches 00:33:15.960 --> 00:33:18.059 now are doing some really good things with this. 00:33:18.640 --> 00:33:21.099 And then explore creative means to reduce spending 00:33:21.099 --> 00:33:23.640 and living costs. And then just say, Lord, we 00:33:23.640 --> 00:33:28.240 want to obey you. One of the things that we did 00:33:28.240 --> 00:33:31.579 after we, you know, found out how much we were 00:33:31.579 --> 00:33:34.400 spending and all, then we developed, you know, 00:33:34.420 --> 00:33:37.400 a budget sounds so harsh, doesn't it? I mean, 00:33:37.400 --> 00:33:41.259 it just sounds like, ugh, budgets. So what we 00:33:41.259 --> 00:33:43.359 did is when we came up with, okay, this is where 00:33:43.359 --> 00:33:46.000 we want to be, and this is what we can afford. 00:33:46.160 --> 00:33:50.339 Okay, we gave. We paid our taxes. We saved at 00:33:50.339 --> 00:33:52.759 least just, if mostly the principal, probably 00:33:52.759 --> 00:33:54.180 won't do a whole lot of good. But we started 00:33:54.180 --> 00:33:56.700 there and it kept growing. Now we have this much 00:33:56.700 --> 00:33:59.500 money left. Then what we did is we said, okay, 00:33:59.599 --> 00:34:04.420 groceries, literally. We went to the bank. We 00:34:04.420 --> 00:34:10.239 got cash. Okay, family of six. Okay, $320. Put 00:34:10.239 --> 00:34:12.880 that in an envelope that says groceries. Recreation. 00:34:12.880 --> 00:34:14.659 We do want to go out a little bit. We want to 00:34:14.659 --> 00:34:18.670 do this. We want to do that. Right now. $80 for 00:34:18.670 --> 00:34:21.269 this month. That goes in another envelope. And 00:34:21.269 --> 00:34:24.530 we had like five envelopes, and you'll see how 00:34:24.530 --> 00:34:28.969 to do that. And when the envelopes were empty, 00:34:29.610 --> 00:34:33.829 guess we're not going to Starbucks. Guess we're 00:34:33.829 --> 00:34:36.590 not going out to eat. And so we lived on a cash 00:34:36.590 --> 00:34:41.690 basis. And it can be different amounts, but you 00:34:41.690 --> 00:34:44.920 would be shocked. how your debt will come down, 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:48.599 your freedom will go, and God will allow you 00:34:48.599 --> 00:34:51.280 to get a hold of your finances. And then notice 00:34:51.280 --> 00:34:56.719 what action step to begin the process. And this 00:34:56.719 --> 00:34:59.960 is one where it's, in most couples, it's either 00:34:59.960 --> 00:35:02.940 a default, we don't think about it a lot, or 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:06.559 it's really an issue where there's a lot of sparks. 00:35:07.960 --> 00:35:11.960 This is one of those, let's agree, let's not 00:35:11.960 --> 00:35:15.269 blame anybody. We've done that, right? Second, 00:35:15.489 --> 00:35:19.849 let's not argue. That's no fun either. Let's 00:35:19.849 --> 00:35:25.449 work through this worksheet together and let's 00:35:25.449 --> 00:35:30.329 come up with just a plan that we both agree on. 00:35:30.690 --> 00:35:34.010 And what I can tell you, I've watched this just 00:35:34.010 --> 00:35:37.070 like spiritual intimacy. When couples get on 00:35:37.070 --> 00:35:39.929 the same page in finances and then can I just 00:35:39.929 --> 00:35:44.239 warning, warning. you know, caution light, you 00:35:44.239 --> 00:35:47.039 know, yellow, now it's red. In about two or three 00:35:47.039 --> 00:35:48.900 weeks, one of you won't stick to the budget. 00:35:50.699 --> 00:35:54.219 And it's probably the spender. And one of you 00:35:54.219 --> 00:35:56.260 is like really organized, follow through details, 00:35:56.559 --> 00:35:57.980 and the other is a little bit more big picture. 00:35:58.179 --> 00:36:02.320 That's the culprit. Watch that guy. And then 00:36:02.320 --> 00:36:04.960 you're going to have an argument. And guess what 00:36:04.960 --> 00:36:07.559 you'll do? You'll bear with one another. You'll 00:36:07.559 --> 00:36:09.860 define the problem. You'll initiate a time to 00:36:09.860 --> 00:36:13.639 talk. You have a way to solve the problem. You'll 00:36:13.639 --> 00:36:18.400 forgive one another. You repent. Your Starbucks 00:36:18.400 --> 00:36:22.480 is down to $4. No, I'm just kidding. So do you 00:36:22.480 --> 00:36:29.380 get it? This is one that doesn't feel like, oh, 00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:32.780 wow, what a wonderful difference it will make. 00:36:32.940 --> 00:36:39.960 I will tell you, this... This will impact almost 00:36:39.960 --> 00:36:45.440 every area. And your children, man, it will so 00:36:45.440 --> 00:36:47.480 help them. What do you mean we can't have that? 00:36:47.639 --> 00:36:49.420 What do you mean we can't buy that? Everyone, 00:36:49.500 --> 00:36:52.139 you'll have so many teachable moments when you 00:36:52.139 --> 00:36:57.019 begin to live in a way where you are wise stewards 00:36:57.019 --> 00:37:02.400 of his money and his time, of the home that you 00:37:02.400 --> 00:37:08.840 either own or rent as his steward. with the income 00:37:08.840 --> 00:37:15.059 that you have. And as you do that, venture capitalists, 00:37:15.079 --> 00:37:17.619 they look for who's the right person, the right 00:37:17.619 --> 00:37:20.639 idea, the right concept, the right need, and 00:37:20.639 --> 00:37:24.719 we want to fund it. And the ultimate venture 00:37:24.719 --> 00:37:28.480 capitalist in the universe is God. He's looking 00:37:28.480 --> 00:37:30.780 for someone that would be a good manager, that 00:37:30.780 --> 00:37:34.179 has an open heart, that would use the resources 00:37:34.179 --> 00:37:38.190 that would bring honor and glory to him, He would 00:37:38.190 --> 00:37:42.230 really like as a byproduct to have you really 00:37:42.230 --> 00:37:45.309 enjoy it and make you happy and probably provide 00:37:45.309 --> 00:37:49.469 some things that you would never dream. But we 00:37:49.469 --> 00:37:53.250 live in a world where I want the things now for 00:37:53.250 --> 00:38:00.909 me. And I neglect my business partner, my venture 00:38:00.909 --> 00:38:04.769 capitalist, the funder, the provider. Because, 00:38:04.769 --> 00:38:06.829 you know, no matter how much you have, haven't 00:38:06.829 --> 00:38:09.730 we learned? Man, your small business is thriving. 00:38:09.750 --> 00:38:13.570 Guess what? You're out of business. I talk with 00:38:13.570 --> 00:38:16.070 people. I spent 33 years building this company. 00:38:17.289 --> 00:38:22.150 It's gone. It's gone. So what you want is you 00:38:22.150 --> 00:38:24.010 want a financial partner that will never leave 00:38:24.010 --> 00:38:27.210 you, never forsake you, and no matter what happens 00:38:27.210 --> 00:38:29.730 or when you fail, you can always go back. Lord, 00:38:29.949 --> 00:38:32.530 he's near to the brokenhearted. He wants to help 00:38:32.530 --> 00:38:37.789 you. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram, 00:38:37.849 --> 00:38:40.369 and we're in our series called Choosing Love. 00:38:40.789 --> 00:38:43.329 If you're ready to turn today's challenge into 00:38:43.329 --> 00:38:46.269 lasting change, Chip's newest book, I Choose 00:38:46.269 --> 00:38:49.130 Love, gives you the practical roadmap you need. 00:38:49.429 --> 00:38:52.230 It doesn't just tell you what to do. It shows 00:38:52.230 --> 00:38:55.130 you how to do it. You'll learn to recognize the 00:38:55.130 --> 00:38:57.989 subtle ways pride and selfishness sabotage your 00:38:57.989 --> 00:39:00.849 relationships. You'll discover practical exercises 00:39:00.849 --> 00:39:04.110 to develop genuine humility. And you'll see how 00:39:04.110 --> 00:39:07.030 choosing agape love, the sacrificial, others 00:39:07.030 --> 00:39:10.090 -focused love of God, transforms even your most 00:39:10.090 --> 00:39:13.210 difficult relationships. I Choose Love addresses 00:39:13.210 --> 00:39:16.269 the real issues we all face. The tendency to 00:39:16.269 --> 00:39:18.610 need the last word, the subtle belief that our 00:39:18.610 --> 00:39:21.510 perspective is the truth, the grandiosity that 00:39:21.510 --> 00:39:24.130 shows up in small ways like chronic lateness. 00:39:24.409 --> 00:39:27.210 Chip gets brutally honest about his own struggles, 00:39:27.309 --> 00:39:30.150 and he shows you the path forward. If you're 00:39:30.150 --> 00:39:32.730 tired of broken relationships and ready to experience 00:39:32.730 --> 00:39:36.110 love that actually works, get your copy of I 00:39:36.110 --> 00:39:40.289 Choose Love today. Visit livingontheedge .org. 00:39:40.760 --> 00:39:43.280 And friend, this Bible teaching program is reaching 00:39:43.280 --> 00:39:45.860 you and countless others because of the faithful 00:39:45.860 --> 00:39:48.760 giving of listeners just like you. When you give 00:39:48.760 --> 00:39:51.019 to Living on the Edge, you're multiplying this 00:39:51.019 --> 00:39:53.900 message of transformative love around the world. 00:39:54.300 --> 00:39:57.699 Would you join us? Visit livingontheedge .org 00:39:57.699 --> 00:40:03.789 to give or just call us at 888 -333 -6003. Well, 00:40:03.809 --> 00:40:06.250 that wraps up today's episode. Don't miss the 00:40:06.250 --> 00:40:08.769 next Bible teaching message coming up here on 00:40:08.769 --> 00:40:15.090 the Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast. Today's program 00:40:15.090 --> 00:40:17.889 is produced and sponsored by Living on the Edge.