ARTICLES

DATE:  23 March 2003

SPEAKER:  Pastor Tayo Adeyemi

TITLE:  Creating your blueprint for financial security

TEXT:  Proverbs 10:15

Last week, we learnt that debt is one of the most prolific causes of financial bondage. Unfortunately, it has now come to be accepted as a way of life. Individuals, corporations and indeed nations have been ensnared in the clutches of debt.
Today, we will be looking at how you can create a blueprint for financial security. Ecclesiastes 7:11,12
"Wisdom is better when it is paired with money, especially if you get both while you are still living. Double protection, wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energies its owner" Ecclesiastes. 7:11,12 [The Message Translation]
The word "defence" in this passage comes from a root word, which means "shade" or protection. It carries the sense of something that hovers over you to create a protective canopy.
Money is a form of security - there is such a thing as financial security. Your financial security will not be a product of the economy; it will not be a product of chance or luck; it will not even be a product of your income. Your financial security begins with a decision - a decision to be financially secure. This is a decision you must make today and everyday of your life.
Most people postpone every consideration of financial security until they are approaching retirement. That is a very big mistake. Not to make a decision is a decision. If you do not consciously make a decision to be financially secure, you have made a decision not to be financially secure. And once you have made that decision, regardless of what your circumstances may be, you will find yourself moving in the direction of that decision. Believe it or not, people actually do choose not to be rich!
Young people, make up your mind today that you will do something about your financial future. Once you are 12 years old, you can begin to put the principles I will be sharing with you today into practice. Ecclesiastes 7:12. Financial security is not so much about having money, as it is about knowing what to do with it. The security of money is nothing if you don't have the security of wisdom.
Galatians 6:7 "Don't be under any illusion, you cannot make a fool of God! A man's harvest in life will depend entirely on what he sows" [J.B. Phillips Translation]. We live in a universe that is governed by laws; one of which is the law of the cause and effect. To every cause there is an effect. The converse is also true - for every effect there is a cause. In other words, whatever a man wants to reap he should sow.
You see, success is not an accident - it is the result of specific measurable actions. Success is an effect for which there are definite causes. For example, the room we are in is an effect for which there are no definite causes and if we put those causes into play, we can create the same effect over and over again. In order to make bread, a baker follows a particular recipe. If he follows that recipe a hundred times, he will get bread hundred times. By the same token, in order to make money, you need a recipe - a formula - a blueprint. Have you heard people sometimes refer to money as "dough" or "bread?
Some thing applies if you want to make a suit, build a car, construct a bridge or fly an aeroplane. There is a pattern, a formula, a blueprint. Each person is unique and different from others, you need to find a formula, a blueprint that works for you. It may be borrowed initially, but you will have to eventually make it yours. From time to time you may need to review and adjust it, but it is still yours. So start today, begin to build a pattern of living; something you do regularly - daily, weekly or monthly - that will translate into financial security. The fun part is - regardless of what you are you can start today. Genesis 13:14,15,17.
There are five key elements of an effective blueprint for financial security.

1. Give yourself a reason:

• You need a reason for everything that you do in life. I Samuel 17:29 The stronger the reason, the stronger your commitment to it. Until you have a reason your motive has not been tested. Until you have a "why", God will generally not give you the "how"
  
  Your reason will create motivation. Motivation is the result of a combination of both negative and positive emotions; negative and positive energy.
  
  People generally move because there is something they are running towards and there is something they are running away from.
  
  Your reasons will be a combination of what you want and what you don't want. Without a strong reason, anything in life is hard. Your reason must have two qualities:
  
  It must be greater than yourself
  It must be greater than your reality.
  
  It must be greater than you because there is more to your life than just you. You were created for a higher purpose - a purpose beyond yourself. You must learn to embrace that purpose. Hannah did not conceive a child until she was willing to see that the child had a purpose beyond herself. Your reason must be greater than your reality. This is what some people call a dream.
  
  I Corinthians 2:9. If you cannot see beyond your reality then you will be stuck where you are. When you have given yourself a reason, your reason will drive you to make daily choices. Financial security is not so much function of the great financial decisions you make, as it is of your daily choices. Choose daily to be financially secure. With every pound you hold in your hand, you hold the power to choose to be rich or poor. Give yourself a reason.
  
  Discipline yourself
  
  Proverbs 25:28. If you cannot get control of yourself, don't even bother trying to get rich because you will squander it and it will bring you a lot of heartache.
  
  Discipline is the number one factor that separates the rich from the poor. If you cannot say 'No"' if you cannot turn away from a tempting offer, if you cannot exercise the restraint of depriving yourself to certain luxuries, you are not ready for financial security.
  
  Two of the greatest hindrances to financial security are:
  
  i. Low of self-esteem
  ii. Low tolerance for financial pressure
  
  In fact, anyone who suffers from both can never, never be rich. Two key areas in which you must discipline yourself:
  
  Your spending habits: Proverbs 21:20 Poor people simply have poor spending habits
  
  When financial pressure comes, can you resist the temptations to borrow or to dip into your savings?
  
  You must learn how to translate your financial pressures creative energy - something that will inspire you to come up with ways of making money. Necessity is the other of invention.
  
  
  Your learning habits: Hosea 4:6, Proverbs 24:3,4 You are as wealthy as the amount of information available to you.
  
  90% of people own a television, but only 10% buy books or tapes on business, finance or investment.
  
  If you want to fly an aeroplane, it is sensible to take flying lessons first.
  
  Same with finance and investment - buy few good books, watch CNBC, Bloomberg, the CNN money programme etc.

I personally recommend two books:
"Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki
"The Richest Man in Babylon" by George Glason
If your money is smarter than you, you will work for it all your life. It will run all over you and push you around but if you are smarter than it, you will get it to work for you. Learn how to read numbers. Be disciplined.
Protect your assets and capital:
Proverbs 24:27 -"Develop your business first before building your house" [ LB]
When God gives you the power to create wealth, He also gives you the tools. Your capital and assets are your money making tools. Only a foolish workman will give away his tools. Your capital is unavailable money - never give it away, Iend it or use it to pay bills. When you invest, get your capital out as quickly as you can. Always ask "how fast can I get my money back?
Everytime money is in your hand, something will come up that seeks to take it from you. You have a responsibility to resist. The Jews only spend the "grandchildren" of their money. Protect your assets and capital.

Invest Wisely:
A savings account is the safest and surest form of investment, it is also the slowest. As general rule, the higher the returns, the greater the risk. The quicker the turn over the greater the risk. A few simple rules:
Do not venture into investments that you or your broker do not have a through knowledge of.
Do not invest in anything that puts your principal at risk
Start slow and steady. Proverbs 21:5, Ecclesiastes 5:13-16 [LB]

Beware of Charlatans: Watch for warning signs: A very large profit is "absolute guaranteed"
You are under pressure to make a quick decision
The broker keeps telling you he is "doing you a favour"
There is little or no mention of the risk involved
The investment requires no involvement or effect on your part.
Learn to read the booms and busts of investments. The idea is to get in before the boom and get out before the bust. Resist the temptation to go with the crowd - the crowd always comes in a little late. Invest wisely.

Be a giver:
Acts 20:35, Proverbs 11:24,25 Every time the offering bucket passes before you what you do at that moment will either take you down the path of poverty or of prosperity.
"My rich dad gave money as well as education. He believed firmly in tithing. "If you want something you first need to give", he would always say. When he was short of money, he simply gave money to his church or his favourite charity" "If I could leave one simple idea with you. It is that idea. Whenever you feel "short" or in "need" of something, give what you want first and it will come back to you in buckets" - Robert T. Kiyosaki Rich Dad, Poor Dad

It is amazing how many "unbelievers" (in our own language) understand and practise biblical principles more faithfully than us believers.
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