Right Thinking - about Money
"For the love of money is the root of all evil....." - I Timothy 6:10
Tonight we are starting a marathon, not a sprint. We are changing some of the bad thought patterns that have kept us poor. People of color all over the planet are tragically and unnecessarily poor. All people with pigment in their skin are usually tragically and unnecessarily poor. There is a reason behind our poverty that we don't really explore.
The book we'll be using for the next eight weeks is called, "Becoming a Millionaire God's Way" by C. Thomas Anderson. This book will open your eyes...a Christian book.
We don't know how to handle money, how to get money, how to use money, but we'll spend it to party. We're excellent on festivals but not always in faith. Look where colored people gather--dancing, Mardi Gras, and having a "good time." Have a good time but have money while you're having a good time.
Another recommended book is "50 Self-Help Classics" by Tom Butler-Bowdon. It is a collection of some of the best writings concerning the transformation of your mind. Replace the software in your mind. We're part of the working poor; no cash flow! This book is an excellent summary of the great classics such as:
"As A Man Thinketh" by James Allen - We need as much info as we can get to change our minds. Our minds are tragically and unncessarily poor.
Another classic is "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill. Also anything written by Catherine Ponder. Read all she has written. Readers are leaders!
Why should you read these books? Obviously the Bible has not been enough. If it is enough, why are you so tragically and unnecessarily poor? Either you're not reading it or not applying it. Our first book is the Bible, but you're still poor so I'm adding other books.
Why would I use I Timothy 6:10 to talk about The Secret of Money? When Paul wrote to Timothy, he was writing at a time when the Roman empire had millions of slaves. Tonight, I'm talking to slaves, or employees in contemporary language. We're working 40 hours a week, 60 hours a week and still broke! Something is wrong with that picture.
I have dedicated the rest of my life to getting my people out of the deepest bondage that has them really unhappy. Working for 40 years, 40 hours a week for a $40 watch at the end.
My mission: Get money to you, not take money from you. I want to see you financially free, spiritually free, and physically free. Wealth is not just money alone--you must be spiritually sound, physically fit, and financially free.
Paul wrote to Timothy at the same time he was writing to the slaves. Timothy's Jewish mother was Eunice and his grandmother was Lois. His father was a Greek unbeliever. Paul was sharing about money when the Roman empire was full of slaves. One thing he said that promoted the peril of riches and of poverty - I Timothy 6:10--depending on how you read it. This one scripture, from childhood, has taught us to think that money is evil. That is NOT what the scripture says, but it is easier to believe a lie than the truth. We have a proclivity to believe the worst. People read what they want.
Slaves have to have justification for their position. Why? Because money is evil--so slaves think. After all, being free is evil. See what one verse read the wrong way can do?
Other scriptures that are misread:
Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." People read "Blessed are the poor." Here's the secret--know God's truth about money. Blessed are the poor in spirit means blessed are the humble. Does God, who has promised you abundant life, want you to be broke?
I'm an abundant life coach. We're not having Bible study tonight--I'm coaching. I'm trying to coach you out of bondage. Money isn't everything you say. True, but it is robbing you of your destiny. The saints of God are always poor but we can cut a step! The slave master loves to see you cut a step. He pays big money to see you do it because he's GOT money!
Matthew 26:11 - "For ye have the poor always with you..." So we think, "Might as well be one" (justification).
Matthew 19:22-24 - "But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
We usually use this scripture when someone is rich and we judge them. It doesn't say a rich man can't get into heaven. We think, when they get that much money, they ain't doin' right. They are doing as right as us and we ain't got no money!
We've been conditioned to think a certain way. My task is to get you to think differently, but it's hard to pull a conditioned slave into thinking they are more than a slave. A lot of us haven't gotten the word yet that we are free. We frown when money is mentioned and we get mad at people who have it.
Romans 12:1-2 says we have to have a renewed mind. The Word of God will do that; truth will do that. What you think about, you bring about. It is time to think differently about money. Come out of the closet and tell the truth. We are in a position to ask the God of abundance to open our understanding so we can have more money. Be specific: not resources....MONEY!
The secret to money is how we think about it. The knots have to be untied. I've been on this platform for 38 years and have raised money from people with money. I have raised over $100 million in 38 years but the $100 million was in shackles. I have been shackled myself. I haven't been free to do what I really know how to do. I offend people because of how I think about money but I am not adjusting anymore.
Beverly and I have started two businesses. I know people who drive Cadillacs and Mercedes, live in $500, $700, $900,000 homes that I have blessed and they have NO money. The have possessions but they have no cash flow. I'm going to model healthy, wealthy, and wise for my people. I have to release my gifts.
Why am I doing this? It started with the pledges. I realize that I am closer to retirement that I have ever been and realized I needed new money so I had to do something to get new money. You won't get where you want to go if you don't change your mind on how to get there. Think of investment instead of spending.
Some of y'all are pulling back right now. Whatever you're thinking about, flip the script. I am now in business to see you get in business. See the bottom line. I used to be on the platform but now I am down with the people. People have the desire but no money because they don't think right. So I am determined to help those who will come out of the cave and walk in the sunlight, who want to do more than just get by. Just getting by will affect your giving. Your heart and your pocketbook ain't matching!
The point: You have to think differently. I see so clearly how this affects everything else. If you have more than you need, it takes the stress off of you. Only by changing your thoughts can you transform your life (Proverbs 23:7). We can't just think about money; we have to change how we think about money.
I know in my heart that you want to build the sanctuary but wants are not enough. Here's the news: The people who love God, me, and the future don't have the money they think they have. We pledged $3 million in 3 years of the campaign. Three million requires $20,000 a week to the building fund and we're doing half of that which means it will take us twice as long to start building. People pledged what they thought they could give but they're in debt because they are part of the working poor. They live like they've got it but they're right on the edge. It will take management and discipline. Do you know the difference between credit and debit, investment and expense? I would like to make 40 millionaires!
This is going to take a long time. Admit that I Timothy 6:10 has distorted your thinking.
My members are my best friends, but it is terrible when the people you walk with everyday are struggling so. All over the world people who look like me are poor. Minister Oscar Banks is in Jamaica and he said the same thing. All over the world we're trying to get $39 to last three weeks. We write a check for $139 and say, "Don't cash it this week." It shouldn't be like that.
Another recommended book: "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" by Robert Kiyosaki. Everybody is reading it but YOU. Robert Kiyosaki wrote the foreword in "Becoming a Millionaire God's Way." To summarize it he tells about his natural father, the poor dad and his counselor friend, the rich dad. In his church, he was made to feel guilty for wanting to live financially free. His poor dad agreed with the church's view on money. His rich dad taught him a different point of view. "Money is not evil but being a slave to money is" and most people become slaves to money.
His rich dad said: "Money does not corrupt you. Money only reveals to you who you really are. If you are greedy at the core, money will make you greedier. If you're cheap, money will make you cheaper. If you're a crook, money will make you more crooked. If you're generous, money will make you more generous. If you're poor, money will make you poorer. If you're a fool, money will make you a bigger fool. If you master your money, your money will grow and prosper." We have not lived by this truth.
We need to pray, "God, cleanse my mind of all the foolishness that has kept me from receiving all the money you have for me." All the money you'll ever need is waiting for you. If you don't get it, someone else will!
Final word: You want it and there are a lot of things in this life you want. Why are there so many things you want that you don't have? We want but we won't work for it. God is not holding anything back from you. He died that you might have life and have it more abundantly. Money will not be dropped down from heaven. Even birds have to dig for worms yet He takes care of them.
If you're working from 9 to 5 and still broke either they're not paying you enough or you can't manage your money.
Repeat: "I'll never be broke another day in my life. More, not less. I will not live on the edge but in surplus. God is not happy when I am broke."
What is going to be any different? We listen and repeat the same behaviors so you come back next week in the same place. What will you do differently? At least buy a book!
