I recently saw someone post this and got a giggle out of it. I can almost imagine my grandmother, who had 13 kids, saying something like this! “It turns out that when asked who your favorite child is, you’re supposed to pick one of your own. I know that now.” But remember 😉…
“For God does not show favoritism.” Romans 2:11 (NLT)
For some, Christmas can be a time of excitement, fun, and generosity. Unfortunately though, for others it can be a time of worry and anxiety due to finances. Sometimes the end of the year, corresponding with Christmastime, comes with extra expenses. Then on top of that, purchasing gifts can add up…especially if you have numerous events like family celebrations, work parties, church events, Secret Santa gift exchanges, outreaches or charitable giving that requires some of our finances, etc. Sometimes it can be stressful figuring out where the money is going to come from for all of that.
The wise thing to do would be to budget for the end-of-year expenses and Christmas giving. It’s a good idea to allocate or set aside a little bit of money each week or each month for this purpose. Regrettably, many of us haven’t exercised this kind of wisdom (or unexpected events and expenses have prohibited us from doing so). Because of this, when we don’t use wisdom sometimes we have to pay the consequences of poor decision making. That being said though, God still cares about our finances. He cares about the details. Additionally, even when we mess up He still cares about helping us.
Several years ago, I learned a few strategies for praying over finances. With Christmastime being a stressful time for finances for many people, I thought this might be a good opportunity to share some of those strategies and a Prayer for Your Finances. These strategies and prayer work anytime though–they don’t just apply at Christmas!
God is our provider. We can approach God boldly with His promise of provision. Philippians 4:19 promises us that God will supply all of our needs. Jesus also gives us an example to pray for our needs in the Lord’s Prayer. Moreover, one of God’s names is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the Lord will provide”. All throughout scripture you will see countless examples of the Lord’s provision. When praying over your finances, remind God (put Him in remembrance) of His promise of provision.
“Put me in remembrance; let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right.” Isaiah 43:26 (ESV)
“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (KJV)
“Give us this day our daily bread” Matthew 6:11 (KJV)
“Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”” Genesis 22:13-14 (NLT)
“God is my helper! The Lord is the provider for my life.” Psalm 54:4 (GW)
Take a look at this hilarious short video clip of Joe McGee when he was at a point in his life where he was frustrated financially and decided to put God in remembrance of His promise of provision.
Feeling Lucky? It’s Not Luck, It’s Favor.There’s a lot of talk about luck on St. Patrick’s Day. People who know me often call me a lucky person. Today I thought I would share the secret to my “luck” with you. It’s not luck; it’s favor.
I think God blesses people. I think many “coincidences” are God-ordained moments and opportunities. In my opinion, many people are just favored, not necessarily lucky. I also think that this has a lot to do with what we speak out of our mouths. There is TREMENDOUS power in words (I could share enough on this for a whole series of posts). If you’re somebody that always says, “I never win anything” or “I’m just not lucky” or “I don’t have good luck” etc. Guess what…You’re going to have exactly what you say. On the other hand if you say and agree with what God’s Word says, that you’re favored, then you’ll have exactly that! You’ll be favored (or some might call it lucky). Either way, it’s good to be favored or lucky.
“Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.” Psalm 5:12 (NIV)
Some good things that come into our lives are a direct consequence of our actions. The flipside is true as well. I think some bad luck is just flat-out reaping what you sow or in others words…Karma, getting what’s coming to you, or getting your comeuppance. Eric actually thought I made that word up, when I said I hoped somebody would get their comeuppance (I think I actually said “comeupins” probably with a bit of a southern drawl). So I looked it up to show him that it was a real word and that I didn’t make it up. I think I have a lot of sayings that I picked up from my parents or grandparents that he’s never heard before so he thinks I just make stuff up. In his defense…I really do sometimes! 🙂 In fact the other day I went to a Moms In Prayer luncheon with a friend, and we were admiring the table setting. I told her that it was very “Pinterestable”. One of the other ladies asked if that was a word, and I had to admit “No. I just made that up.” However, I did later go and google that word and found that other people actually already use it, so I guess I didn’t really make it up! I didn’t make favor up though—it’s real.
As Christians, prosperity is something that is ours simply because we are children of God. God wants us to be prosperous. I don’t call my site Happy, Healthy & Prosperous for nothing! I also believe that prosperity is so much more than wealth or monetary or superficial gain. I believe Continue reading
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