Why You’re Broke

It’s time for you to have real financial peace and freedom! Maybe you think that’s just a dream…maybe it sounds too good to be true…maybe your situation is like the one the prophet Haggai wrote about:

“You have sown much and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes” (Haggai 1:6).

Do any of these financial conditions sound like a description of your life?

•You sow much, but reap little.
•You eat, but never seem to have enough.
•You have clothes and shelter, but it seems like such a struggle.
•You earn your wages, but the money seems to disappear so quickly.

Well, all of that can change in just a few moments from now!

God has called me to give you some simple steps to help you experience the financial freedom you need—and that He wants you to enjoy.

There are very few pressures or points of contention in our lives worse than financial pressure and financial lack. In fact, we are told that FINANCES are one of the main causes of many failed marriages.

God never intended for you to live this way. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.”

You see God is a God of abundance. His name is El Shaddai, which translated means “The God of MORE THAN ENOUGH!” Though the world may have a shortage, your company may have a shortage, your savings account may have a shortage, your checkbook may have a shortage—God never has a shortage!

He has more than enough for you and me. David said, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or his seed begging for bread” (Psalm 37:25).

To move from lack to abundance, we first need to look at the way we are doing things so we can identify where we are messing up and how we can fix it.

I want to dispel the myth that merely giving an offering is somehow a quick fix to all of your financial needs. While giving an offering is surely a part of God’s plan, it cannot stand alone without following the rest of God’s plan for your financial freedom and success.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God (His way of doing things) and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you”

Let me share with you some simple lessons from John the Baptist. Now you may not think of John the Baptist as a financial advisor. We tend to think of him as the one who baptized Jesus and declared the coming Kingdom. But in his preaching, John talked a lot about how we should manage our money.

A. Start by giving something away. Realize that what you have been given by God is to share (Luke 3:11).

B. Never take advantage of a person’s misfortune or vulnerable situation (Luke 3:13).

C. Do not pressure people for a sale or make decisions out of desperation or financial struggle (Luke 3:14).

D. Never accuse or criticize employers, employees or your competition (Luke 3:14).

E. Be satisfied with your wages. Always be thankful, never ungrateful or bitter—look to God as your Source, not man (Luke 3:14).

I am sharing these truths with you because I want you to live in the blessing and abundance that God has purposed to pour out on your life. Don’t live with less than He has for you!

Gregory Dickow is the founder and pastor of Life Changers International Church, one of the largest churches in the Chicagoland area. He is also the host of The Power to Change Today, an international television ministry. Click here for more information about his ministry.