---PRE-SERVICE PRAYER---

Focus: Choose Joy!

Foundation Scripture: James 1:2-4 TPT

1: Choose Joy despite any difficulty, discomfort, or challenge we are presently facing!
2: Grow in the fruit of Joy!
3: Experience Overflowing Joy through our obedience to God!
4: Maintain victory over the enemy with Joy-filled Words!
5. Two Impactful, Anointed Sunday Services and all the resources for Vision4Ward received

Introduction:

This series explores stewardship, wisdom, faithfulness, and the heart's orientation toward God and wealth. This passage provides a deep look at how we handle resources, the importance of faithfulness, and the need for an evident devotion to God over money.

Steward- (oikonomos) a house distributor (that is, manager), or overseer, that is, an employee in that capacity.

Stewardship- (oikonomia) administration (of a household or estate); account or accounting, audit.

1. Keep Good Records.

Four Things you need to keep good records on:

· What I own ----- > Assets
· What I owe -----> Liabilities
· What I earn -----> Income
· Where it all goes -----> Spending

2. Plan Your Spending

3. Save For the Future

4. Return 10 % Back to God.

Biblical order:
1. God\Tithe
2. You\Savings (Lifestyle determined after the first 2)
3. Bills
4. Enjoy life\live of the rest

5. ENJOY LIFE.

Learn how to be content with what you have. That's how you enjoy what you have, no matter what you have. Sometimes what we don't have keeps us from enjoying what we do have.

Four Phases That Keep Us From Enjoying Life:

Phase 1: Your YEARNINGS start to exceed your EARNINGS. You see things you want but can't afford and buy them anyway.

Phase 2: You get overextended financially. Now you have more than you can pay for.

Phase 3: You have to constantly hustle, work multiple jobs, both parents working. Work at night to make ends meet etc..

Phase 4: Your home life starts to deteriorate because your tired, irritable, etc..

The truth is we made the decisions to put us in the situation and we need to make the decisions to get out.

God wants to move in your life. But there are two conditions:

1. You must do all 5.
2. Must do all five God's way and in His order.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO:

1. Earn it.
2. Enjoy it. (reward)
3. Repay it. (past)
4. Save it. (future)
5. Tithe it. (eternal)

THE ORDER GOD BLESSES:

1. Earn it.
2. Tithe it. (eternal)
3. Save it. (future)
4. Repay it. (past)
5. Enjoy it. (reward)

Homework assignment:

Take this outline and do a self-evaluation. There are five things. I want you to put a check by the ones you’re not doing and a star by the ones you are doing. Make a commitment this week to start doing the ones with a check by it.

ROOT CAUSE OF ALL FINANCIAL PROBLEMS IS SPIRITUAL UNBELIEF.

· Do I really trust God? Do I really believe God knows best about how to handle money or do I believe I know best.

Final Thought

· Whatever I trust for my security is my god. And if you trust God, you will enjoy life.