Quality Christian Living with David C. Friend

Without wisdom we will never experience wealth. Anyone can get rich by winning the lottery or eceiving an inheritance. However, it takes a lifetime to become wealthy. Often rich men take credit for their financial success. But what God calls wealth will come only to those who seek God for prosperity. Wealth is eternal and being rich in this world is temporal.

The prosperity message has been misrepresented by some around the world. On the other hand, it has also been taught correctly by those who base their teaching on God’s word. How do we know what is correct and what is false teaching? Biblical prosperity requires obedience to God. Without obedience to God and His plan to prosper us, we will never receive the true riches of our God.

We must all evaluate our definition of success. The same rule applies to our understanding of prosperity. First, we need to determine how God looks at prosperity and success. Through his word, we see clear instructions on how to obtain both. The Bible tells us God wants to prosper us in all things and be in good health even as our soul prospers. He wants us to prosper financially.

Since the Garden of Eden, God has desired to see His people prosper. Adam and Eve never lacked for anything and they experienced the greatest level of prosperity anyone has ever known. As long as they were obedient to God's word they prospered. To this day our God desires to bless us. Obedience, a plan of action and hard work brings forth His prosperity.

I've heard it said all my life that no one knows the thoughts of God. However, I believe we connect our thoughts to His thoughts when we allow the Holy Spirit to teach us. We know God's word says His thoughts are higher and greater than ours. But that is only because we refuse to yield our thoughts to His Spirit. In our financial decisions, we must seek the Holy Spirit's help to connect our thoughts to God's.

Our God has a different way to do things than we do. We need to draw close to His ways, operate in His ways and then receive the benefits. When we come to the realization of why God defines his ways as greater than our ways: we will be in a position to gain financial wisdom. The word of God is a financial encyclopedia for prosperity in our future. Allow God to instruct us in His ways by studying His word.

We must never forget God's word is filled with every type of instruction we will ever need for making financial decisions. Always invite God to become a partner in our financial future. As His partner He becomes a part of every financial action we take. Pray and seek counsel over any financial partnership where you are considering participation.

In order to understand God is our source, we must first understand His resources. When the Bible says God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, it is referring to the fact that God owns everything. If you are seeking financial gain through investing, real estate, silver, gold and other opportunities, never forget God is our source because he is in control of everything.

We all know that God is our source for financial blessings. The Bible tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from the father. There are those who don't understand how God can be our source to bless us financially. I believe it's because they don't understand that not only is He our source, but he has unlimited resources. We will examine how we can connect into the resources of God. Not only does He have unlimited resources, but He has an unlimited desire to bless us.

Have you ever had a partnership with someone? Some of those go well and others don't do well at all. Why don't we think about asking God to be our partner in our financial decisions? He will be a partner with unlimited resources. A partner who is just, honest, trustworthy, and wants to bless you. This podcast will help you understand how you can form a partnership with the God of all creation. He desires to be your partner in every area of your life.

There are many programs designed to help us acquire financial success. Unless these programs are based upon the word of God they are of no eternal value. Have you ever considered inviting the Lord to be your senior partner in your financial plan for success? Open your heart as you listen to this episode to see how God, through the Holy Spirit will help you experience financial success. We will explain how God's Word shows how a partnership with Him will guarantee success.

A lack of peace in our life will cause significant problems with our financial decisions. As a pastor, the number of individuals I counseled who were lacking peace in making their financial decisions was significant. We need to remove fear, anxiety, doubt and worry from making decisions. This episode will provide a road map to experience peace in our financial decisions. Our God wants us to have peace that passes all understanding. His peace will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Every Christian must have a desire to receive the true riches of heaven we read about in the word of God. I believe we can experience some of these true riches as we live a Godly life and seek wisdom from the Lord. True riches may have nothing to do with our finances on Earth, but is it possible that the way we handle our finances could impact the true riches of heaven our God desires for us? We must be faithful today and our God will be faithful to give us his true riches in heaven and on Earth.

Often, I have spoken on the topic of why spiritual prosperity must always come before financial prosperity. As a pastor for over 20 years, I have seen Christians receive financial success and then turn away from attending church and reading God's Word. God's Word has a wonderful scripture helping us understand the significance of spiritual prosperity prior to financial growth. We find it in Matthew Chapter 6, verse 33 (NLT) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else and live righteously and he will give you everything you need.”

Giving is far more than money. Some of the gifts our God has for us is eternal life, peace, joy, happiness, abundant living and the fruit of the spirit. When we decide to give of our finances to the work of the Lord, we can expect to receive all of these gifts. We will never be able to outgive our God. The blessings for giving are limitless. Our God created us in order to bless us.

Anytime we give something, we will receive something back. Our God set the standard for giving when He gave His son to provide the gift of eternal life for every believer. God is our source of every good gift. God loves a cheerful giver and we can never out give Him. The word of God shows us how important it is to give from what we have.

When we enjoy watching others prosper financially, our financial plan will be blessed. Vicarious living must be one of our goals in financial planning. Greed cannot exist in a person who is blessed by seeing those around them prosper. We must avoid the influence of greedy individuals who seek quick-fix financial success. Our God is a rewarder of those who seek Him in their finances.

The word of God tells us to avoid any form of greed. Greed can be one of the most destructive issues in our financial plan. We must recognize those around us who are operating under a mask of greed. God's word tells us that hasty speculation is a form of greed. One goal in life is to avoid unrecognized greed in our life. This can only be accomplished when we base our financial plan on God's word. Steady plodding brings prosperity, hasty speculation brings poverty.

Our God worked for six days, creating the earth and then He rested. Our work in financial planning needs a time of rest. To improve our finances, we must also include a time of rest. Never forget God's promise to us that we must not be anxious or worry. That applies to our finances. Our rest comes through prayer, faith and trust in our God to meets our needs.

In order to set up a financial plan, it is going to require some hard work. Anything in life that has value requires some type of effort. We must never avoid financial planning because it feels like a burden or extra work. The dividends of hard work will be a successful financial plan. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. God is rewarder of those who work.

The Book of Proverbs offers a plan to maintain proper ethics in our financial decisions. Be prepared to deal with those offering, too good to be true financial benefits. God's word tells us that steady plotting brings profit, but hasty speculation brings poverty. God approves those who are ethical and will not bless the unethical. Get rich quick schemes usually end in despair. Good moral ethical plans overtime will prosper us.

The Bible tells us to plan our ways and God will direct our steps. We must avoid quick financial decisions based only upon our wisdom. Always count the cost of a financial decision. Every decision impacts our future. Planning helps us to not make the same mistakes as we did in our past. Financial success requires a successful order of planning.

The bible tells us to train our children in how to have wisdom in their finances. Before we are qualified to do this, we must receive discipline and correction from God's word about financial decisions. Always pray for wisdom and have faith to receive it. Seek counsel prior to making important financial decisions. Financial prosperity will come to those who use God's word for wise counsel.

In order to remove worry and anxiety in our finances, we must trust in the Lord with all of our heart. We must lean not on our own understanding. Always think about how many ways our God has blessed us in life. Thank God for the solution before it comes. Believe that God wants to bless and prosper us in all things. Worry is the enemy of our prayers and faith. Peace is God’s reward.

If we are faithful in the little things in life, the Lord will reward us with much. Our employer will bless us when we are trustworthy. The same is true with our God. He rewards those whom he can trust. The way we handle our worldly wealth will determine how we will receive the true riches of heaven. Prayer and faith are required in order to build a successful financial plan. A plan blessed by our God.

We must build a foundation of prayer and faith in order to receive financial success. When we increase our time in prayer and our level of faith to trust God our finances will improve. God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. We must never desire only financial gain. The desires of our heart must be desiring the will of God. Prayer builds our faith. Prayer and faith will build our finances.

In America we honor our veterans on Memorial Day, Veteran's day and Armed Forces Day. Another way to honor our veterans is to help them receive the medical and emotional care they deserve. Our veterans think of others as being more important than themselves. They put out safety and security in front of their own needs. We must Provide help for those suffering from Agent Orange induced diseases and Post Traumatic Stress disorder.

Most veterans refuse to discuss their military service with anyone. My concern is our children and grandchildren are not hearing the truth about the United States military. One of the best ways to help our veterans is for other veterans to make contact with them. Joining a veteran support group will be beneficial especially if it's based on the Word of God. Every American should welcome our veterans home.

We must join together to help our veterans receive care from the Veterans Administration. Contact your United States Representative or senator and request they improve assistance for our veterans.Most veterans are unaware of the benefits available to them. We can help our veterans by praying for them, volunteering at a veterans hospital or making them feel they are appreciated. Tell our veterans thank you for your service and welcome home.

The issue of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, also known as PTSD, has caused many of our veterans to suffer with emotional and mental challenges for decades. Agent Orange is still impacting the lives of many Vietnam Veterans. Any veteran challenged with either one of these issues should contact the Veterans Administration as soon as possible. Approximately 22 American veterans commit suicide every day in the United States. Many of these men and women were suffering with PTSD.

My wife Sharon is my guest. Her comments on how women deal with their finances. Why do you believe women need this information on getting out of debt? How do you feel about putting a second mortgage on your home? What advice do you have for widows? In marriage, who should have the final word on large purchases? Where can single moms find financial advice? Comments on Proverbs 31 for women.

How long will it take to be debt free? What is the best reason to give? Is it necessary to read all loan documents? Do budgets require lots of time? What are the steps to failure? What are the steps to be debt free? How do I make good decisions? How can I pay my mortgage off faster? What causes Christians who get rich to turn from God? Where is my best source of help to become debt free? This is part two on how to experience the joy of debt free living.

Why do we run out of money before we run out of month? How will I know if my finances are improving or declining? What is living above or below my means? Why can't I keep money in my savings account? Should I budget? Is making more money always the answer? When is it ok to borrow money? Who makes the financial decisions in marriage? Is co-signing a loan ok? Is it ok to use credit cards? All of these and other questions will be discussed in detail.

When we are young, seldom do we give a thought about retirement. The enemies of retirement are inflation, overspending, lack of savings and debt. Discipline, budgeting, saving, and putting God first in our finances leads to a financially successful retirement. Today we are able to establish a financial plan to retire. We can beat inflation and provide monthly income for our retirement needs. God’s word will direct out steps.

As believers, we read about our inheritance in God's word. We can receive our earthly inheritance here on Earth. In order to receive an inheritance someone usually has to die to pass it on. Someone did give his life so we could receive our inheritance. His name is Jesus Christ. We will receive our inheritance for whatever we need in our life. I believe our inheritance will provide debt-free living.

The word discipline is often misunderstood. We tend to look at it as negative instruction and criticism. However, God's word refers to discipline in a completely different light. The Bible tells us discipline produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. Discipline in our finances will open the gates of increase and lead us to debt free living.

Borrowing money is often taken far too casually. Banks and other lending institutions spend millions of dollars a year to keep us in debt. We must use caution in borrowing for a want or desire. However, borrowing for a need can be acceptable. Borrowing may be a great decision. But use caution. Allow me to show you the good and bad decisions in borrowing. Borrowing may be a great step towards debt free living.

Financial failure in marriage is one of the leading causes of divorce. Marriedcouples must be united as one in all things, including their finances. A couple inagreement to become debt free will attain that goal. Words like discipline, energy, budget and trust must be in operation in our financial decisions. Married couples will be debt free if they work together.

Spiritual prosperity must always precede financial prosperity. God is our source for both spiritual and financial prosperity. We do not have to choose between a spiritual or financial blessing. God's Word tells us He wants to prosper us in all things. When we delight ourselves in the Lord, he will give us the desires of our heart. This includes being debt free.

Most of us desire financial success in life. The amount of money we have does not determine the amount of our financial success. Deal with integrity in all of our financial decisions. Avoid conflict in settling money disputes. Place our trust in God to bring financial blessings. Always avoid any form of greed. Real success is how we walk with the Lord.

Giving money to a church may not make sense to non-believers. The biblical concept of making money is to enable us to give. We can never out give our God. Proper giving requires setting up a budget. When we give, we will always receive a blessing in our life. God's words tells us to test him by giving. Try it you will love it.

Financial decisions must bring peace in our life. Where we are financially today is the sum total of all of our financial decisions. Consider the impact of a lack of peace in our financial decisions. Only lend money if you can afford to lose it. Speculative investments should be made with only excess funds. Preparing for an emergency brings peace.

Always focusing on making more money may cause us to increase our spending. Is there a shortage of income or do we have a wrong attitude towards spending? When our spending is under control and we know how much it takes to live each month based on the entire year's expenses, then and only then will be will we be on the road to debt-free living. Reading Proverbs Chapter 3 will reveal to us where to seek wise counsel and how to respond to it. Is the answer more income or is it wisdom in working with what we have? We may not be able to increase our income today, but I guarantee you we can control how much we spend.

My experience in banking and finance has shown me that financial success depends on proper decision making. If we desire to be out of debt, we must control our spending habits. Living above our means (aka) income will never allow us to be debt free. All decisions must line up with God's word. All the decisions we have made in our life until this day are what has determined our current financial situation. Debt-free living is available to you. However, the decisions you make will determine when it will come.

Today we need faith to envision being debt free. Being free of debt is not a wish we hope may come true. It requires a change in our decision making. We must acknowledge that most debt is caused by our spending habits. We can make new habits and believe for great results. Making more money is usually not the solution to becoming debt free. When we increase our income, we must never automatically increase our spending in the same amount. Start to imagine being debt free. You want it, I want it for you and I believe God also wants it to happen in your life.

There may be dozens of mini miracles in your spending where you can use those dollars to pay off debt. Overuse of your ATM to obtain cash shows a lack of discipline in spending.

The typical individual spends from $300 to $1000 per month above their income. Making more money and not controlling expenses will make us dependent upon making more money.

Seek competent counseling when you enter into any type of investing. Never invest without proper investigation and due diligence.

Some say goal setting is not proper for Christians. They believe it limits God. I disagree. My source for this lesson is found in Proverbs 16:9 “A man’s heart plans his ways but the Lord directs his steps.” We will examine how and why to set goals. We must set goals that are difficult to achieve. Because we serve a God who excels in difficult challenges. Before you listen to this episode, close your eyes and start to dream big and set big goals. In this lesson, we will cover the steps we need to take to achieve our dreams and goals.

President Calvin Coolidge coined these words “prosperity is only an instrument to be used, not a deity to be worshiped.” In my years of counseling thousands of those desiring to live debt-free, I discussed the following sequences vital to be successful. Pursue spiritual prosperity before seeking financial prosperity. God’s Word tells us He wants us to prosper in all things. The Lord wants us to be set free from financial bondage. As we seek God’s teachings on our finances, we will experience financial and spiritual prosperity. Prosperity applies to our physical health, relationships, finances and all areas of our lives.