What you dont know won't kill you...

I remember hearing quite a few people who have expressed that they just weren't good with money.  The sad thing is,they say this as if its just not going to change.  The problem with such thinking is that its ghetto.  By ghetto I mean that it is characteristic of Low income individuals (regardless of race) to live with the mind set that they themselves, as well as their situation will not change.

It is should seem strange that we often let situations throw us around.  Sure there are things we can't control, but surprisingly there are many things we can.  The law of reaping and sowing tells us that what we do has consequence, which leads me to the thought:

Let's do better @ waiting. Not sitting idle, nor wasting time, but preparing for the promises to come. We need spiritual patience & stamina.

Patience not to give up because things are difficult, or because we mess up, or it takes longer than expected.  Things come to the dilligent, to LIFE or DEATH.  So keep pressing on!  Do the research, work out the kinks....keep getting better and once you begin to do the right things consistently long enough, blesssings will flow.

COMPOUND INTEREST IN YOUR FAVOR

They say that one of the most powerful things to leverage in finances is COMPOUND INTEREST.  It should be your greatest ally when working your financial plan, and there is also a spiritual element you best not overlook.

GOD CREATED COMPOUND INTEREST

Think about it, the math involved was fabricated into the very world we live in.  Two vessels of DNA become one cell that multiplies exponentially into a person after conception.  A small seed becomes a plant, tree, or vine which can produce more seeds and more plants.  Two humans populated the world. 

When reaping and sowing in life, compound interest is also present.  The growth of the Church is evendent in this, as sowing the word can produce up to 100 fold returns.

Sometime we forget this and wonder why does it seem bad things happen to good people, but the wicked seem to prosper.Romans 8:18 states that even though you suffer now for doing godly things, what you will receive in the end will be substancially greater.  Why? COMPOUND INTEREST.

We live in a "get it now" world where people have placed compound interest AGAINST themselves.  Letting debt grow and compound and weight them down.  Look at the economy or the citizens and also the government.
 
Even spiritually we set up situations that place COMPOUND INTEREST against us.  Doing selfish deeds, holding others back, making things rough for people we come into contact with.  Procrastination is just a way of COMPOUNDING failure at a later date. 

Funny how we always seem to use what God meant for good as a means to add to our own struggles.

It is in our best INTEREST to allow the GOLDEN RULE to work in our favor as well as using COMPOUND INTEREST to save and build tangible money as opposed to pretending to have stuff when all you are really doing is COMPOUNDING PROBLEMS.

MONEY LOST

Most don't plan to fail, they fail to plan

Many are presently feeling lost when it comes to their money situation.  When the economy was going well no one really worried that they were lost financially, many didn't even realize it.  Mostly because they assumed that the money would always increase in the future.  I know I did.  I made some decisions almost three years ago based on the assumption that my income would increase.  In the current flow of events my base income dropped dramatically, and I was open to new possibilities.

The beauty of recession is that it makes you look at things for what they are, temporary.  As we I type this congress is working on budget cuts that are shedding light on the fact that nothing is rock solid and completely safe.  Even wealth.

Don't wear yourself out trying to get rich;restrain yourself! 

Riches disappear in the blink of an eye; 

wealth sprouts wings and flies off into the wild blue yonder. 

Money has it's up and downs, and like the black player, many of us are in trouble....

 The biggest revelation is that too many have been walking financially blind simply because they never put together a plan for how to handle their money.  Why?  Well too many think they know all they need to know, and want to do it themselves.  Pride tells them that they can deal with their own money without help or that they already have it handled.  But if you look at the statistics you can see that many families have been doing the wrong thing(s) for years.

People don't plan to fail, 

they just fail to plan.  

My advice to you is that regardless of what you think you know, find someone who knows more than you do about finances and ask for directions.

DOING BETTER WITH YOUR MONEY IN 2011

I do OK with money, well that is what I have been led to believe.  People I know always seem to assume that I have more money that I actually do.  I don't know why that is but it guess its not a bad thing.  I am not one known to budget...officially.  I am used to what I would call mental budgeting, that is where I set aside tithes and bills and then the rest was spent on needs and wants. 
Usually on whims.  However there are many flaws in that financial game plan, and as with all bad things, changes are required.

As we are moving into the new year, many have quoted the scripture that says "I know the plans I have for you...." as well as other promises of good fortune.  Think about this, a good friend of mine died around this season last year and I know many who mourn during the holiday season due to loss.  Not only is there loss of separation, but usually this also means that a substantial portion of income is loss.  America is one of the few places on earth where there are ways to replace income due to death, it's called life insurance.  The sad thing is that not all life insurance is good for everyone and many are often being misled by companies out to get money, not looking out for the best interest of others.

This blatant disregard for the average person's well being is one of the reasons that feel we are dealing with such financial woes in the US.  Does this the negate the promises of good fortune in the bible?  NO!  At the end of the day we are to seek God in what He HAS FOR US, not how much he can give us.  There is a lane we are to run in and it is not concern of ours as to how much better someone else's lane looks.  We just need to trust GOD.  Truth be told if you can CHOOSE what you want to eat and have to DECIDE what you wear, then you are beyond blessed. 




Don't underestimate your current state of blessing.

Understand that not all is going to go as we would like it go this year, and there will be suffering to be had because of our hard hardheadedness.  Be of good cheer, because suffering brings patience and wisdom and character...and prayerfully some leaning.  There is so much I still need to change in my life this year and there are things you need to as well.  It is interesting how troubled times open our eyes to our needs to change.  I guarantee you that if you are reading this you are probably one of the 99.5% of people who need to make some changes in their money habits.  As a good friend of my fathers told me last year,

"don't put good money out for bad!" - J. W. Williams 

That is the beauty of life, that while we are on this side of the land, we can change. 

My Luck Runneth over?

Imagine you've been invited to a show, a new talent is debuting and you are going to be one of the first to experience what many have described as "Miraculously Magical."  You are naturally skeptical, but you can't go wrong with free tickets right?  All sorts of things are running through your head as anticipation mounts, you can hear the people around you whispering about how the lyrics are just as profound as the angelic melody.  There is young man two rows ahead of you, three seats to the right that seems more skeptical than you are, and he's ranting about how the words to her most popular song don't resonate with any sense, common or otherwise. The lights dim as he crumbles up the lazer-inked paper and all the chattering stops, except for the skeptic's female companion whispering about the uncivil nature of littering. As the curtains draw open, they reveal another white curtain is still closed and a spotlight illuminates the center of the white curtain revealing it's opaque nature.  A single note is heard, just barely, and increases with intensity and octave with every passing second.  The spotlight slowly moves to the right and finally the silhouette of the clandestine superstar is revealed behind the veil as the angelic note hit a high resounding mark, held, and stopped leaving diminishing echo as if from heaven. Then the first recognizable words..."What's luck got to do with it!"  The "u" sound in luck seemed to carry a sirens DNA as she finished the statement and silenced all critics present as she proceeded to surpass everyone one's expectations.  Listening to the most wonderful sound imaginable, the words hit you...what DOES luck have to do with IT, with anything.  Why does it seem "some guys have all the luck?" (gals included)

I came across a video blog from the CEO of Godaddy.com.   It's PG-13 content definitely deserves a cautious eye from viewers of faith.  That brings up a whole other topic of the farce of entertainment censure-ship and ratings.  Why does one feel that at the age of thirteen our youth should be exposed to sexual innuendos and curse words.  As you can tell from that last statement I have a tad liberal on the exposure to violence issue, but I have been musing over it's effects on my life and it's spiritual ramifications.  For another time prayerfully.

What I want to look at is the whole idea from the web hosting founder Bob Parsons blog about "Getting lucky" in life.  I am a firm believer in the hand of God having everything to do with the promotion and demotion of all individuals.  Whit that being said, luck has nothing to do with the material success we see around us, but I must admit that it certainly looks like it from time to time.


I want to go over a few points he made and let you all see how there is some good truth to what he said, and I plan to show you why.  The 1st rule Mr. Parson spoke of was LUCKY PEOPLE SHOW UP.  In life there are people who have been made aware that there is no such thing as a personal recession.  What I mean by this is that they look at every economic situation they come across as a different environment to make money in.  Most of us don't understand the concept, but look at our present situation and realize that some folks across the world saw the current economy as an opportunity to make money a different way, not as a hopeless situation that is all the governments and it's their job to fix it for us.  There were those who took advantage of cerstain opportunities like investing with Warren Buffet years ago, or buying into companies like Apple or Google and are not reaping rewards for those decisions.  Others opened the right business, the right way, and at the proper time and have made a lot of money.  Now money is not everything, but what if you could capitalized on the right opportunity at the right time and be able to make a better living for your family and have the ability to give to any charity or organization like never before.  Money is not just for making, but for giving, it's a shame that most don't realize this until they are filthy rich.  On thing is for certain, if you don't show up to where the opportunity is, you will miss out. That is where I will start, just making yourself available to the things God has provided around you to do the things with money that God wants for you to do. So as Bob stated, it appears that some people have all the luck because they are the ones who are there when IT happens.  The bible is ripe with examples of people who decided to follow the direction of God with faith, and others decided NOT to follow God because they lacked trust in God.  It's hard for us sometimes to believe that God will direct us to do something and actually help us along the way.  Those who knew God would come through were who were successful (Hebrews 11) and  the most important aspect of that success was the fact that they pleased God with there lives.  Everyone else disappointed God, non-success at its best.

WITHOUT ________ IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO PLEASE GOD.
(unfinished)



 Coming soon....
#2LUCKY PEOPLE TRY NEW THINGS
#3 NARCISISS NOT ALLOWED : LUCK PEOPLE SPEND VERY LITTLE TIME THINKING ABOUT THEMSELVES.
#4 WHAT WILL BE WILL BE