Week 4

SPRING CLEANING FOR YOUR FINANCES (Part 2)

By Sandra Clifton, D.Min.

 

Begin your study by reading “Spring Cleaning for Your Finances” by Catherine Eagan (SpiritLed Woman magazine, April/May 2007).

 

Introduction

How are you doing financially? Are you keeping within your budget? Do you even have a budget? Are you living beyond your means? Do you have a game plan for the future? God’s Word can help you not only formulate a budget, but it can help you live within it and to plan for a bright future that is financially sound and promising.

 

What God Says

Read Ps. 85:12.

 

Write it out.

 

Deeper Insight

Read the following scriptures (in New King James Version), as the exercises to follow will be based on that). Make brief notes of what you feel God might be saying about finances (or how to handle them).

 

Prov. 22:3: ______________________________________________________

 

Matt. 25:14-30: ___________________________________________________

 

James 1:5: ______________________________________________________

 

James 1:17: _____________________________________________________

 

3 John 2: ________________________________________________________

 

Application

Matthew 25:14-30 (from the NKJV) of the Deeper Insight section, contains “The Parable of the Talents.” If you were to tell someone the story—and how it relates to finances and being a wise steward of finances—how would you tell it (keeping to the Bible as much as possible)?

 

Write it out as you would tell it. Then look up the passage to see how close to God’s Word you told the story.

 

Now, practice telling it aloud (with or without notes). This will be a good exercise, in case you must witness to anyone about wisdom over finances. Practicing it aloud will also “get God’s message of the Parable of  the Talents” into you, cultivating godly wisdom in you about finances.

 

For Group Study

Begin your group time by reading aloud James 1:17. Go around the group and take turns sharing what it means and how it applies to life, faith, and focus on God as our Source. Encourage the sharing of testimonies.

 

End the meeting by taking prayer requests, and then thank the Lord who is the Source of all our supply.

 

Prayer

Memorize James 1:17. Read it as part of your prayer. Thank the Lord for being the Source of your supply. Vow to Him that you will begin to look to Him daily as your Source of supply and not to man as the power.