I know that right now things [music] are very difficult for many people financially. And maybe you're struggling in a way that's bringing frustration and causing you to be afraid for your future. The enemy is lying to you, telling you that you'll never own a home.
You'll never start a [music] family. You'll never be able to afford to get married. You'll never be able to afford to [music] have financial freedom.
So, I want to talk to you in a way that I believe is going to challenge you, but also give you hope for your future. These are mistakes that people make that biblically speaking are contrary [music] to the nature of God. And as we expose these mistakes and as we correct these mistakes, I believe that financial freedom, biblical prosperity will be your portion.
The first thing you have to do is stop making the mistake of embracing worldly philosophy regarding finances. Now worldly philosophy has two extremes. On one end, people are so consumed with money and material gain and with status that ultimately that becomes their only pursuit in life.
We know biblically speaking that God doesn't want you to be consumed by the material things of this world. But there's another perspective in regards to worldly wisdom, worldly thinking, worldly mistakes in finances that Christians actually make. And that is to despise abundance, to hate those who are wealthy.
And if you look at today, there's this whole narrative that if you're wealthy, you're evil, or if that you've gained that somehow you didn't deserve that. And that's not always true. Yes, there are, of course, corrupt people, but that's not always the case.
So, we as believers have to adjust first to a biblical perspective. This is very important. Philippians 4 11-12 says this, "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have.
I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it was with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. And in first Timothy chapter 6, beginning at verse number nine, we read this.
This is the warning against that first extreme. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish, harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
And some people craving money have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. In other words, that love for money, that obsession with money, that greed consumes them to the point to where they destroy their lives basically. Now, watch for the balance here because many believers actually just stop there.
And in stopping there, you miss the broader explanation regarding finances in the context. Look at verse 17. This is key.
And again, a lot of Christians skip over this, but you're not going to skip over this today. You're going to receive this and it's going to help to balance some perspectives. Look at verse 17.
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money. So now here's a lesson for wealthy believers which is so unreliable. So don't trust in their money which is so unreliable.
Their trust should be in God who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Did you catch that there? everything that we need for our enjoyment.
That is, God expects you to enjoy the life that he gave you. Tell them to use their money to do good. This is the instruction to the wealthy believer.
They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this, they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. Now, I know that there are many mindsets regarding money that keep believers from seeing money as God sees it.
For example, there there are many mislications of scripture. For example, the rich young ruler. People apply that as if it has universal application to every believer when in fact it was Jesus's instruction to that one man in regards to the condition of his heart and what he was requiring of him at that time.
You want to balance this. You look at Joseph of Arya who was a New Testament disciple who was wealthy. You also look at Abraham and the patriarchs and there are various different biblical figures who were holy and wealthy.
In fact, Proverbs 10:22 says, "The blessing of the Lord makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. " Proverbs 8:1 and:es 17 and 18 say this, "Listen as wisdom calls out. Hear as understanding raises her voice.
I love all who love me. Those who search will surely find me. " So if we as Christians are to have wisdom, then we as Christians are to experience the results of wisdom.
And look at what wisdom says. Verse 18, I have riches and honor as well as enduring wealth and justice. If wealth is a benefit of wisdom, it cannot in and of itself be ungodly.
So again, we have to first develop a biblical mindset regarding money. The second mistake that we have to correct is a lack of generosity. I pray that this generation recaptures a revelation of generosity because we live in a time of economic trouble.
Things are very stagnant. People are struggling. There's a lot of talk of inflation and job loss and financial ruin and currency devaluation.
And we can go on and on about all of the economic woes. And so what happens is people begin to develop fear in regards to their mindset of money. And that fear causes them to grip, to hold, to not want to release because they're they're they're holding it in fear.
Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't ever save money or that it's bad to invest or that it's possible that there aren't even times that you should withhold when someone asks of you. There are times when maybe giving money to someone isn't the best solution. But having said all that, we do also have to develop a mindset of extravagant generosity.
Paul's writing to the Corinthians taking an offering. 2 Corinthians 9. I'm going to begin reading at verse number six.
Keep in mind he's talking here about money. Look at the analogy he uses. This is where we get seed giving.
This is where that concept comes from. Remember this. A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop.
But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure.
For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. Watch this verse eight. Look at this promise.
Look at the promise. And God will generously provide all you need. then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
That to me is the best definition of biblical prosperity. Having your needs met and enough left over to share with others. How would you like to get there where your bills are paid?
You're not having to choose between the utility bill or the cell phone bill. You're not having to choose between a certain item you need maybe in the category of medication or the category of food, but you have everything that you need. You have enough to live.
You have enough for groceries. You have enough for utilities, for car insurance, all of it. And then at the end of the month, not only do you have enough for all of your bills, but you can save some because investing is a biblical concept.
But you also have enough now to say to your neighbor, "I see that you were having trouble paying your groceries this month or this week. Let me help you with that. " Or you can say to a friend, "Hey, I heard that your car broke down and that you're struggling to get it running again.
I'm going to cover those repairs for you. " Or you can go to your pastor and say, "Pastor, I hear that we're starting an orphanage in another nation. Here's my contribution.
and it's enough to open that orphanage and get it started. That right there is biblical prosperity. The ability to give generously.
But first, there has to be something that's done in your heart. Verse 9, as the scriptures say, they share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.
For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. That is, God is the one who gave you the resources in the first place. In the same way, he will provide that is meet your needs.
Watch this now. And increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.
And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. What a powerful promise that as you learn this biblical principle of generosity that God will add to you. What's the purpose of this?
Not just for you, but to produce a harvest of generosity in you so that you can always be generous. And I know you want to get there. But it begins by giving.
You must first become a giver. That does a couple of things. One, that demonstrates to the Lord that he can entrust you with more because you're giving of what he's already given you.
Everything you have already belongs to the Lord. It demonstrates your trust in the Lord because your trust isn't in the money. It's in the Lord and therefore you're liberated to give.
Also, what this does is it does something in your heart. It causes you to become a person who can handle the increase in resources. See, it's not like some magic act that we do.
I put $10 in the offering plate, now I'm expecting a hundred. Because God is not a vending machine. He's not a genie.
He doesn't work on formulas like that. No, what's actually happening here is that as you give generously, you're becoming someone who can handle the blessing of God. That development of generosity within your own heart is ultimately signaling to the Lord that he can now increase you because you've been generous with what he's given to you.
Listen, if this is challenging you, make sure to leave a like on this video so that other believers can see it and likewise be challenged and encouraged. and also leave a comment in the comment section about your thoughts in regards to what I'm saying. Don't forget also to subscribe to this channel so that you can continue to receive the content that I put out just for you.
Okay, so here's another mistake that you may be making that God doesn't want you to make in regards to your finances. And if you stop making this mistake, you'll actually see an immediate result. This one has a very powerful effect.
It's really going to challenge you here. This is the mistake of bad stewardship. Do you take care of what God has given to you?
You see, those who practice good stewardship, that is those who manage their money well, usually they have trouble with giving generously because they're they're more technically minded. They're a little more intellectual. They're a little more line by line.
The inverse of that is also true that those who are very generous, they kind of just freely give their money away, they usually are not very good stewards. Now, this is a generalization. I'm not saying this is the case for everyone, but typically if someone's a good steward, they might struggle with generosity.
If they're very generous, they might struggle with being a good steward. And so, we as believers are to have all aspects of the nature of God. And one of those is that gift of taking care of things, intention, wise planning, good stewardship.
In Matthew 25 14-30, the parable of the talents, you'll see that a master goes away on a trip, gives to his servants varying amounts of resource, and as they invested that resource, they got different responses from the master. The servant who invested the resources well, multiplied those resources, was given more. And so was the second servant who did likewise, though not as much.
And the third servant who did nothing with what he was given, he buried it because he was afraid of how the master might treat him for having lost it if he did. That servant was punished. He was cast out.
He was rebuked. Why? Because he did nothing with what he was given.
He did not take care of what the master, who is a representation of God, had given to him. And so you have to ask yourself this question. Am I taking care of the resources that God has given to me?
Or am I putting things on a credit card because I don't know how to say no to my impulses? Am I scrolling through social media late at night and using Apple Pay or Google Pay to quickly buy products and junk that I don't actually need? Do I purchase using my ego?
That is, do I buy fancy clothes that I can't afford? And do I drive a fancy car that I don't even need and I can't afford? Do I do I live above my means because I'm trying to impress other people and trying to get them to think of me as important or wealthy when I'm actually not?
Am I am I am I not planning or budgeting? Does the money come in and I just kind of spend it as it goes? Or do I actually set a budget?
Do I actually spend with intention? Do I actually set categories for the different resources that God has given to me? Because you can be a generous giver and that's wonderful, but if you're not practicing good stewardship, then no increase is going to come.
You have to apply all biblical principles if you're going to see actual biblical prosperity. Because here's what happens, and this is very dangerous. You have to hear this.
Here's what happens. If I'm a generous giver and now God is blessing me with increase because of that generosity and I'm not taking care of what I have, then my problems are only going to become bigger if I don't become a good steward. Let's say you make $30,000 a year and you're $10,000 in debt.
And you may say, "Well, when I make a hundred,000 or $50,000 a year, then I can get out of the debt. " The problem is if your habits don't change, you're not going to pay down your debt. Your debt's just going to get bigger.
It's going to be now in proportion to the increase in your resources. So you may increase your resources to 50,000, 100,000, but then the debt's going to go from 10,000 to 50,000, from 50,000 to 100,000, from 100,000 to a quarter million if you don't change the habits that got you in the trouble in the first place. And here's the harsh reality.
We have to take responsibility for the decisions that we make in the situation in which we find ourselves. I'm not saying that all of your circumstances are completely your fault. I'm saying that how you respond to those circumstances is totally your responsibility.
We need to learn to not live based on ego but to live based on wisdom within our means. Planning well. Executing biblical financial responsibility on a daily basis.
Saying no to instant gratification. Saying no to ego. Saying no to trying to impress other people.
And instead practice discipline. subjecting the flesh and saying we are going to be responsible with the resources that God has given to us. That is what we need to practice.
I want to share another one with you. This is very important. And if you don't do this one, it's not going to work.
I'm serious. This is the key to all the other keys. So, let's not get tired of doing what is good.
At just the right time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. context considered the spiritual principle that you can apply right here is that if you are consistent in doing something that's right and godly and biblical that eventually that consistency will yield results it will produce fruit. You cannot say well I've been generous for the last 3 months but I haven't seen an increase.
You cannot say well I've been been a good steward of my finances. I've been budgeting but it's been nine months and I'm I'm still in debt. My friend, you have to practice things faithfully, consistently, day to day, week over week, month over month, year over year.
And those results compound upon one another, increasing your momentum. You can't just try this for a couple months and then throw it out and say it didn't work. And you can't just do one aspect while neglecting the others.
You have to practice all of these things. And I'm telling you, just do these four things. Correct those four mistakes.
And maybe you're only making one or two of them. Maybe you're making all of them. Correct those mistakes.
Whichever ones you're making. Correct them. And you will see results if you don't give up.
That's the key. You have to keep giving generously. You have to keep managing well the resources that God has given to you.
You have to keep a biblical perspective on finances. And you have to stay faithful. That's the key.
faithful to faithfulness, consistent inconsistency, persistence doesn't even begin until you feel like giving up. Keep going in what you know is right. And at just the right time, you will reap the harvest.
I know your situation might be difficult. I know there may be mounting debt over your head and you don't even know how you're going to get out of that situation. Listen, begin to practice good stewardship.
Cut what needs to be cut. And and here's here's I'm just going to say something else. This may sting a little, but you have to hear it.
Some of the things we think our needs are actually wants and luxuries. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you with that one. Take a take a good evaluation, honest evaluation of everything.
Ask yourself, what is comfort? What is actually needed? What is luxury?
And what is actually a living expense and that is good stewardship as you sort through those. But let me pray for you. I want to pray for you that the Lord would give you the courage and the wisdom to apply all of these things.
And then also that the Lord would give you a miracle because add to this the miraculous, there's no stopping you. This is coming to an end. This financial frustration, if you'll practice the principles found in the word of God in a biblically balanced way, there there's no failing.
So Lord, I pray for that one receiving this now. And I ask you to give them the wisdom to identify all of those areas where they are not practicing [music] good stewardship. and give them the courage to obey when opportunities [music] to give are presented.
Help them to respond in faith, not in fear. And Lord, keep their perspective right. Remind them of when they get off track or distracted.
Help them to do this all faithfully that they might become builders of the kingdom with financial [music] resources that you would produce in them a harvest of generosity. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. I want you to say it because you believe it.
Say a big, in [music] fact, type it in the comment section, a big amen. Well, now you have an opportunity to practice one of those principles and that is generosity. get involved with what our ministry is doing.
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The need is urgent. I need your help. [music] I know that sometimes when we watch a video like this, we may say to ourselves, "Oh, well, David Hernandez has his donors or people will support him.
Everything's going to be fine. " Yes, God's going to take care of us, but he [music] wants to use you. So, don't allow that disconnect to take place just because this is done through online ministry.
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If you're facing these trials, your blessing is within reach.