Check Your Balance – 2 – Freedom from Stress, Anxiety, and Greed

 

Welcome – Chris Fluitt | Redemption Church Plano

 

We are talking about money… but we are not asking for money.

We want to give to you, not receive from you.

1. Worksheets to help you conquer debt and produce wealth
2. Free E-book to go deeper

 

Check Your Balance

 

3 laws of balance

1. Reference point
2. Constant correction
3. Clear Objective

 

Last week – Reference point

The reference point for your finances is SPENDING.

 

You must be KNOWING
Where your money is GOING

 

We challenged you to track your spending and become debt free.

 

Today I want to talk to you about constant correction.

 

Constant Correction

 

Balance – look at reference point
but hand is constantly making corrections. 

When it comes to our finances, we make constant corrections with a BUDGET.

 

A budget is a plan for every dollar.

 

We know where our money is going because we track our spending.

 

Now we must manage our money – Stewardship.

 

Over a few months of tracking your spending you now know approximately how much money you need to operate.

 

There are times when we get off balance, we have to make corrections to get back on track.

 

Are your finances unbalanced?  Have you ever figured out a budget?  Are you living by it?

 

Balance requires constant correction.

 

Here is a hard truth.
We usually have enough money, we just don’t manage it properly. There might be enough money, but there isn’t any balance.

 

Managing money becomes more difficult when we get married.

 

One of the reasons people give pastors for wanting to get married is… It’ll save us money.  There are tax benefits to being married… 

 

The truth is marriage often brings about financial disasters.

 

Specific upbringings…
They didn’t talk about money…
Just use a credit card…
Hoard your money…
Worry about money…

Before you get married – talk about money!

 

Two people in love can be destroyed by an out of balanced view of money.

 

Balance requires a Reference Point and it requires constant correction. 

 

Your kids need to hear you talk about money.

They need to hear conversations about how we should spend our money.             

They shouldn’t be caught off guard when they enter their own lives.

 

You need a budget – a plan for every dollar.

You need to tell your money what to do.

 

Budget for…
The essentials – Housing, food, transportation…

Insurance, Utilities…

What about the things I enjoy doing?

 

Entertainment & lifestyle…

Saving for future needs:
-Retirement
-Car replacement
-Home repairs

 

Imagine – your car breaks down…
What if you saved for your next car NOW?
Not a loan (Debt) but you paid cash.

 

This is possible.
This is balance.
This is a plan called a budget.

What if you had a budget that included giving to the needs of others?

Hate the idea of budgets…?
Master Your Money
Or be Mastered By Your Money

 

My problem…

I did not have a plan, so there was no telling where my money would go.

Money was emotional.
  -Stress, anxiety, greed
You know what is not emotional – a budget.

 

Freedom from stress, anxiety, greed…

 

Cash system-
Groceries
Clothes
Entertainment (blow money)

I had to learn to master my money  – negative emotional relationship with money.

Awareness
& Discontentment

You are content until you become aware of better.

Aware of a new house… discontent…
New phone…
New brand…
New shoes…

Discontentment leads us to debt…
…stress, anxiety, and greed.

 

God has a plan…

1 Tim 6:6-11 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Contentment is key…

Confront your Discontentment with a New Awareness

Become discontent with debt… aware of the pressure…

Become discontent with a newer car BEFORE YOU BUY IT! Be content with a working car and the margin you have with no care payment.

Become discontent with materialism… you can’t take it with you.

Become aware of the needs around you

Nepal Village Pic (September Mission)
Minnie’s pic (Serve day yesterday)

Become content with what you have…
Become discontent with what others lack…

I am content with my phone…
I am discontent with children experiencing hunger…

 

I Tim 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

Call to action
1. Have a budget?
-Track spending and make a plan.
-Break your bad emotional relationship            with $$$.
2. “Godliness and Contentment = Great Gain”
-Thank God for what you have.
-Honor what you have been given.
3. Become discontent with the right thing.
-Debt, stress, greed
-The needs around you.
-Give to Mission Work…
-Sign up for next serve day…