WEBVTT 1 00:00:02.439 --> 00:00:03.120 Hey, everybody. 2 00:00:03.350 --> 00:00:06.950 Welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Well, we're talking about 3 00:00:07.070 --> 00:00:07.730 your money. 4 00:00:08.029 --> 00:00:08.529 That's right. 5 00:00:08.769 --> 00:00:13.500 We're continuing a powerful series called Financial Fitness. Rick is 6 00:00:13.619 --> 00:00:16.780 opening God's Word and showing us how to manage what 7 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:20.750 we've been given with wisdom, faith, and purpose. And I 8 00:00:20.820 --> 00:00:24.469 know if you apply these biblical principles, you'll start to 9 00:00:24.550 --> 00:00:29.370 experience true financial freedom and lasting peace. And now here's 10 00:00:29.469 --> 00:00:31.969 Rick to wrap up the final part of a message 11 00:00:32.049 --> 00:00:34.850 called The Habits of Financial Health. 12 00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:39.429 Look at this next verse. Ecclesiastes 11.2 is another advice 13 00:00:39.509 --> 00:00:44.450 about investing and savings. Invest what you have in several 14 00:00:44.649 --> 00:00:49.960 different places because you don't know what disasters might happen. 15 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:53.100 Now this is the principle of diversification. It says you 16 00:00:53.119 --> 00:00:55.380 need to diversify. You don't put all your savings in 17 00:00:55.460 --> 00:00:58.020 one place. You've heard the old expression, you don't put 18 00:00:58.079 --> 00:01:01.659 all your eggs in one basket. You know where that 19 00:01:01.740 --> 00:01:04.439 phrase came from? This verse right here in the Bible. 20 00:01:05.310 --> 00:01:07.609 The Bible says you don't put all your eggs in 21 00:01:07.709 --> 00:01:10.010 one basket. You put a little bit of your savings here, 22 00:01:10.030 --> 00:01:11.799 a little bit here, a little bit here. You spread 23 00:01:11.810 --> 00:01:14.500 it out. Any money manager will tell you this is 24 00:01:14.560 --> 00:01:19.200 a balanced portfolio to minimize risk. That you don't want 25 00:01:19.219 --> 00:01:22.640 to have all your eggs in one basket. You don't 26 00:01:22.659 --> 00:01:25.719 want to have all your investments in one place. You 27 00:01:25.750 --> 00:01:29.469 want to spread it out to minimize the risk factor 28 00:01:30.689 --> 00:01:33.109 in your investing. That's what the Bible says. You need 29 00:01:33.150 --> 00:01:35.879 to diversify it. Now look at the next verse, Proverbs 30 00:01:35.879 --> 00:01:42.120 13 verse 11. Money that comes easily disappears quickly. Now 31 00:01:42.159 --> 00:01:44.299 you might write out to the side of that verse, lotto. 32 00:01:47.579 --> 00:01:52.340 Money that comes easily disappears quickly, but money that is 33 00:01:52.400 --> 00:01:55.799 gathered little by little will grow. 34 00:01:55.900 --> 00:01:57.099 Circle little by little. 35 00:01:57.340 --> 00:02:00.819 This is the little by little principle of adding a 36 00:02:00.859 --> 00:02:03.879 little bit every day. You need to start saving. 37 00:02:04.500 --> 00:02:07.069 You say, well, I'm in debt. 38 00:02:07.109 --> 00:02:09.289 You still need to start putting money in the savings. 39 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:11.349 You say, I don't have much to save. I don't 40 00:02:11.389 --> 00:02:12.430 care how much it is. 41 00:02:13.469 --> 00:02:16.430 It's that you start the habit, just like the habit 42 00:02:16.550 --> 00:02:19.639 of tithing, that you start the habit of saving and 43 00:02:19.680 --> 00:02:23.800 you do it every single week. And you put a little, 44 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:28.080 it's not the amount that matters. I started saving for 45 00:02:28.139 --> 00:02:32.379 my retirement when I was 17 years old. I had 46 00:02:32.439 --> 00:02:35.639 just graduated from high school, and I started putting in 47 00:02:35.639 --> 00:02:41.319 50 cents a week into a retirement account at age 17. 48 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:42.800 Not many teenagers are doing that. 49 00:02:43.819 --> 00:02:47.479 And then I raised it to a dollar, and then $ 5, 50 00:02:46.840 --> 00:02:49.900 and then $ 10. 51 00:02:48.840 --> 00:02:50.580 And then on and on. And you know what? 52 00:02:50.800 --> 00:02:54.659 Over 40 years, 40 years later, that adds up. And 53 00:02:54.680 --> 00:02:57.099 that's why today, I don't have to take the salary. 54 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:01.569 Because I... started saving. 55 00:03:01.490 --> 00:03:03.969 Years and years and years ago and that money has 56 00:03:04.050 --> 00:03:07.199 compounded and we live on the interest of my savings. 57 00:03:08.139 --> 00:03:08.740 I'm retired. 58 00:03:10.180 --> 00:03:13.060 Now, you're not starting that soon, but you need to 59 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:16.659 start yesterday. And you need to start saving a little 60 00:03:16.699 --> 00:03:21.810 bit every time. Pay God first, pay yourself second. That's 61 00:03:21.870 --> 00:03:25.969 the way God blesses, okay? And you do that over time, 62 00:03:26.349 --> 00:03:29.270 it financially, it will show up. It's not the amount, 63 00:03:29.349 --> 00:03:32.819 it's the consistency. All right, number five. The fifth habit 64 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:38.280 you're gonna have to develop is keep good records. This 65 00:03:38.340 --> 00:03:41.379 is the principle of accounting. You need to start writing 66 00:03:41.469 --> 00:03:45.870 down what you spend until you absolutely know where it's 67 00:03:45.930 --> 00:03:49.710 all going. You gotta keep track of your finances. If 68 00:03:49.750 --> 00:03:53.789 you don't keep track of it, money just kinda walks away. 69 00:03:54.129 --> 00:03:59.439 The Bible says plan carefully. Notice this verse, Proverbs 21 five. 70 00:04:00.500 --> 00:04:02.900 Plan carefully and you will have what? 71 00:04:04.080 --> 00:04:04.360 Plenty. 72 00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:07.599 Okay look, if you don't have plenty, you're not planning carefully. 73 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:11.759 The Bible says plan carefully and you will have plenty. 74 00:04:12.150 --> 00:04:15.330 If you don't have plenty, you're not planning carefully. You 75 00:04:15.349 --> 00:04:17.970 don't have anybody to blame but yourself. You say, well, 76 00:04:18.029 --> 00:04:22.879 I had this emergency. Everybody has emergencies. I do, you do, 77 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:28.220 everybody has emergencies. Everybody gets laid off or has difficulties. 78 00:04:28.819 --> 00:04:31.079 The difference between people who make it through and those 79 00:04:31.100 --> 00:04:34.639 who don't are some people actually plan to expect emergencies. 80 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:37.879 If you don't expect them, of course you're gonna be 81 00:04:38.139 --> 00:04:42.680 devastated by them. Plan carefully and you will have plenty. 82 00:04:43.769 --> 00:04:47.069 If you act too quickly, that's called impulse buying, you 83 00:04:47.089 --> 00:04:52.430 will never, never have enough. So you gotta keep good records. 84 00:04:52.990 --> 00:04:55.230 Plan carefully, you gotta know where your money's going. You 85 00:04:55.250 --> 00:04:57.129 ever get to the end of the month and go, man, 86 00:04:57.170 --> 00:05:00.449 where did it all go? If you ever say that, 87 00:05:00.990 --> 00:05:06.490 you're already in deep doo-doo. Because ignorance of your financial 88 00:05:06.529 --> 00:05:11.930 condition plus easy credit equals disaster. You know, you've heard 89 00:05:11.949 --> 00:05:16.680 that phrase, money talks, it does not. Money does not talk. 90 00:05:17.269 --> 00:05:21.259 It just walks away quietly. And it doesn't tell you 91 00:05:21.339 --> 00:05:25.019 where it's going. And so you have to keep a 92 00:05:25.040 --> 00:05:29.699 good record in knowing where it's going. Proverbs 27, verse 93 00:05:29.699 --> 00:05:32.740 23 and 24 is another verse about keeping good records. 94 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:35.379 Riches can disappear fast. 95 00:05:35.399 --> 00:05:35.870 Now let me stop. 96 00:05:36.050 --> 00:05:38.990 How many of you agree with that part of the verse? Yeah, 97 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:43.560 anybody wanna give a testimony? Yeah, how riches can disappear fast. 98 00:05:44.079 --> 00:05:48.560 Riches can disappear fast, so watch your business interest closely. 99 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:54.459 Know the state of your flocks and herds. Now why 100 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:56.060 does it say that, know the state of your flocks 101 00:05:56.120 --> 00:05:59.019 and herds? Because obviously in those days they didn't have banks. 102 00:05:59.220 --> 00:06:01.790 Shoot, they didn't even have money in these days. 103 00:06:02.350 --> 00:06:05.389 In those days, all a person's wealth was tied up 104 00:06:05.769 --> 00:06:09.290 in their livestock. And you could tell how rich a 105 00:06:09.329 --> 00:06:11.310 person was by just looking at how many animals they have. 106 00:06:11.670 --> 00:06:13.649 If you had a lot of sheep, a lot of goats, 107 00:06:13.709 --> 00:06:16.350 and a lot of cattle, you were rich. If you 108 00:06:16.389 --> 00:06:18.670 had a few sheep, a few goats, and a few cattle, 109 00:06:18.930 --> 00:06:22.399 you were middle class. If you had no sheep, no goats, no. 110 00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:23.600 Cattle, you were poor. 111 00:06:24.379 --> 00:06:27.240 Now he's saying here, know the condition, the state of 112 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:31.399 your flocks. Today he'd say, know the state of your stocks. 113 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:37.069 He'd say, know your assets. Know your investments. Know how 114 00:06:37.149 --> 00:06:40.050 much you've got. Know where it's going. Know how much 115 00:06:40.069 --> 00:06:42.449 you're earning on it. He said, you need to keep 116 00:06:42.589 --> 00:06:47.079 good records. Know the states of your flocks and your herds. Say, 117 00:06:47.100 --> 00:06:48.959 I don't know where it all goes. Then that's a 118 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:52.279 warning light to you. Now you need to know four things. 119 00:06:52.300 --> 00:06:53.959 Write these down. Here are the four things you need 120 00:06:53.980 --> 00:06:55.069 to keep good records of. 121 00:06:55.480 --> 00:06:59.870 What I own. What I owe. 122 00:07:02.420 --> 00:07:05.779 What I own, what I owe, what I earn, you 123 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:12.420 need to know that, and where it's going. What I own, 124 00:07:12.519 --> 00:07:15.040 what I owe, what I earn, and where it's going. 125 00:07:15.379 --> 00:07:18.120 If you don't know those four things, you are already 126 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:22.790 in deep trouble and don't know it. You must keep 127 00:07:22.829 --> 00:07:26.490 good records. This is the principle of accounting. Because if 128 00:07:26.529 --> 00:07:29.009 you don't know where it's going, it's going to leave 129 00:07:29.029 --> 00:07:33.529 without telling you. Proverbs 23 verse five says this. Your 130 00:07:33.589 --> 00:07:37.949 money can be gone in a flash as if it 131 00:07:37.980 --> 00:07:41.000 had grown wings and flown. 132 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:44.860 Away like an eagle. That's a pretty descriptive picture. 133 00:07:45.439 --> 00:07:47.720 Your money, if you don't know where it's going, it's 134 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.569 just gonna fly away like an eagle. Now fortunately, the 135 00:07:51.610 --> 00:07:54.470 United States government is kind enough to remind us by 136 00:07:54.529 --> 00:07:56.290 putting an eagle on every dollar bill. 137 00:07:59.040 --> 00:08:00.319 So when you look. 138 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:02.350 At that dollar bill, it goes, this one's gonna fly 139 00:08:02.430 --> 00:08:06.269 away unless I tell it where to go, all right? 140 00:08:06.870 --> 00:08:10.490 Now that brings us to habit number six. Habit number 141 00:08:10.550 --> 00:08:15.620 six is I must plan my spending. These are one 142 00:08:15.639 --> 00:08:18.439 of the eight habits you must do to get out 143 00:08:18.480 --> 00:08:20.980 of debt and to get financially free. I must start 144 00:08:21.300 --> 00:08:24.379 planning my spending. Most of you do not plan your spending. 145 00:08:24.600 --> 00:08:26.839 You don't have a plan for spending. You just spend 146 00:08:26.879 --> 00:08:28.949 whatever you want to spend, whenever you want to spend it, 147 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:31.920 however you want to spend it. And you do it impulsively. 148 00:08:32.500 --> 00:08:37.340 Now what is planned spending? A plan for spending is 149 00:08:37.360 --> 00:08:42.080 a budget. That's all a budget is. A budget is 150 00:08:42.200 --> 00:08:47.409 planned spending. Everybody needs a budget. It's a plan for 151 00:08:47.450 --> 00:08:49.850 how I want to spend it. A budget is telling 152 00:08:49.889 --> 00:08:52.789 your money where you want it to go rather than 153 00:08:52.889 --> 00:08:57.620 wondering where it went. And you need a budget for 154 00:08:57.679 --> 00:09:00.769 your spending. Telling your money where you want it to go. 155 00:09:00.779 --> 00:09:02.600 I want this month, I want this much to go here, 156 00:09:02.639 --> 00:09:03.720 this much to go here, this much. 157 00:09:04.779 --> 00:09:11.230 Rather than wondering where it went. How do you spell relief? B-U-D-G-E-T. 158 00:09:12.110 --> 00:09:13.330 That's how you spell it. Budget. Budget. 159 00:09:13.830 --> 00:09:16.110 Now, if you want to get out of debt, you're 160 00:09:16.129 --> 00:09:17.669 going to have to nip it in the budget. 161 00:09:18.610 --> 00:09:22.120 Nip it, nip it, nip it, as they used to 162 00:09:22.129 --> 00:09:24.320 say on Andy Griffith. Nip it, nip it, nip it. 163 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:25.399 Nip it in the budget. 164 00:09:25.899 --> 00:09:29.220 Now, Proverbs 21, verse 20 says this. 165 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:32.139 Stupid people, and that's none of. 166 00:09:32.139 --> 00:09:37.100 You, stupid people spend their money as fast as they 167 00:09:37.220 --> 00:09:37.539 get it. 168 00:09:38.830 --> 00:09:40.929 Now, this is called impulse buying. 169 00:09:41.190 --> 00:09:43.370 When you see something, if you don't have a plan, 170 00:09:43.789 --> 00:09:46.289 you go into a grocery store. If I don't know 171 00:09:46.360 --> 00:09:47.700 what I'm going to get in that grocery store, I'm 172 00:09:47.740 --> 00:09:49.100 going to come out with eight things I. 173 00:09:49.039 --> 00:09:52.500 Didn't plan to get. Oh, that looks good. And especially 174 00:09:52.519 --> 00:09:54.730 if you're hungry, let's pull a few of those in there. 175 00:09:54.759 --> 00:09:55.669 That looks good. 176 00:09:56.490 --> 00:09:59.970 And then there's one word that makes impulse buying impossible. 177 00:10:00.070 --> 00:10:00.450 To resist. 178 00:10:00.490 --> 00:10:03.429 It is the word, yes, sale. You know, you're a 179 00:10:03.470 --> 00:10:04.789 PhD in impulse buying. 180 00:10:04.830 --> 00:10:09.659 Say you knew that. Okay. And Everything in. 181 00:10:09.659 --> 00:10:13.399 Our society is designed to get you to do impulse buying. 182 00:10:13.980 --> 00:10:16.960 To not think about it, to spend emotionally, to not 183 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:19.320 have a plan, to not have a budget. Now when 184 00:10:19.360 --> 00:10:23.759 it comes to impulse buying, hell is Costco. 185 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:29.379 At least for me. 186 00:10:29.399 --> 00:10:33.009 Okay, because I go in there, well I know I 187 00:10:33.039 --> 00:10:35.669 don't need 100 pounds of rice, but look at the price. 188 00:10:36.929 --> 00:10:41.690 I mean, what a deal. I mean, really, what a deal. Okay, 189 00:10:41.789 --> 00:10:44.809 I don't really need five gallons of shampoo, but look 190 00:10:44.850 --> 00:10:47.669 at the price on it. Do you really need a 191 00:10:47.789 --> 00:10:53.750 five-gallon barrel of jalapenos? Two years later, it's still taking 192 00:10:53.830 --> 00:10:54.570 up space. 193 00:10:54.330 --> 00:10:55.330 In your refrigerator. 194 00:10:55.789 --> 00:10:58.649 The jalapenos have turned purple, but you saved a lot 195 00:10:58.769 --> 00:10:58.960 on it. 196 00:11:00.490 --> 00:11:00.830 Okay? 197 00:11:01.690 --> 00:11:04.370 Now, when somebody comes over, look what I saved. 198 00:11:04.700 --> 00:11:09.379 No, you didn't save anything. You spent. You didn't save anything. 199 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:12.679 That money could have gone in the bank, in the savings, 200 00:11:13.220 --> 00:11:15.419 could have been making you money, but now it's sitting 201 00:11:15.500 --> 00:11:20.120 in a jalapeno jar in your refrigerator. You didn't really 202 00:11:20.179 --> 00:11:25.279 need that many jalapenos. But you bought it because of 203 00:11:25.340 --> 00:11:28.340 impulse buying and sales. Have you ever bought anything you 204 00:11:28.379 --> 00:11:29.059 later regretted? 205 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:32.559 Yes, of course you have. And you do it without thinking. 206 00:11:32.759 --> 00:11:37.039 The Bible says plan your spending. That's having a budget. Again, 207 00:11:37.090 --> 00:11:43.649 look at Proverbs 21, five. Plan carefully, plan carefully, and 208 00:11:43.669 --> 00:11:46.409 you'll have plenty. If you act too quickly, you'll never 209 00:11:46.450 --> 00:11:48.970 have enough. And look at this next verse on your outline. 210 00:11:49.429 --> 00:11:54.009 Proverbs 21, verse five says, good planning and hard work 211 00:11:54.730 --> 00:11:59.600 lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts, that means looking for 212 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:03.960 the quick deal, the sale, the fast, hasty shortcuts lead 213 00:12:04.220 --> 00:12:05.320 to poverty. 214 00:12:06.049 --> 00:12:07.649 All right? Number seven. 215 00:12:08.070 --> 00:12:12.269 The seventh habit I have to develop is set up 216 00:12:12.570 --> 00:12:17.190 a repayment plan. If you're in debt, you're not going 217 00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:19.549 to get out of debt automatically. You're not going to 218 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:21.799 get out of debt by accident. You're going to have 219 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:22.919 to plan. 220 00:12:22.519 --> 00:12:23.340 To get out of debt. 221 00:12:23.639 --> 00:12:25.240 And the only way you're going to get out of 222 00:12:25.259 --> 00:12:29.879 debt is by setting up a scheduled repayment plan. You 223 00:12:29.919 --> 00:12:34.659 didn't get into debt overnight. It took a long time 224 00:12:34.700 --> 00:12:36.440 to get in the mess you're in. But you can, 225 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:38.600 you're not gonna get out of debt overnight either. It's 226 00:12:38.639 --> 00:12:42.610 gonna take probably some years. I want you to get 227 00:12:42.659 --> 00:12:45.370 out of debt. That will not happen without some discipline, 228 00:12:45.690 --> 00:12:48.950 without making some tough choices. But I don't want you 229 00:12:49.090 --> 00:12:51.470 under the tension, as your pastor, I don't want you 230 00:12:51.529 --> 00:12:54.669 under the tension of financial bondage for the rest of 231 00:12:54.690 --> 00:12:58.309 your life. It'll take five years off your life, it'll 232 00:12:58.370 --> 00:13:01.029 ruin a lot of your days, it'll cause more arguments 233 00:13:01.090 --> 00:13:03.429 at home than you need to have, and so many 234 00:13:03.470 --> 00:13:07.429 other things. If you could take that pressure off your 235 00:13:07.480 --> 00:13:12.759 back and you were financially debt-free, then God could do 236 00:13:12.820 --> 00:13:14.399 all kinds of things in your life that he can't 237 00:13:14.440 --> 00:13:17.440 do because you're in bondage right now. So you've got 238 00:13:17.460 --> 00:13:20.350 to set up a debt repayment plan. Now look at 239 00:13:20.379 --> 00:13:26.309 these verses. The Bible says in Proverbs 3.27, don't withhold repayment. 240 00:13:25.809 --> 00:13:27.909 Of your debts. In other words, if you're in debt, 241 00:13:28.149 --> 00:13:31.139 you need to be paying it down. And then the. 242 00:13:31.100 --> 00:13:34.720 Bible says in Romans 13 verse eight, let no debt 243 00:13:34.879 --> 00:13:36.639 remain outstanding. 244 00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:39.360 Do you know what an outstanding debt is? 245 00:13:40.779 --> 00:13:45.629 It's when you're paying interest payments only. If you have 246 00:13:46.870 --> 00:13:49.750 an amount on your credit card and you're not paying 247 00:13:49.789 --> 00:13:52.909 that credit card off every month, but you're just paying 248 00:13:52.929 --> 00:13:57.350 the minimum, you have an outstanding debt. And God says, 249 00:13:58.429 --> 00:14:02.539 no good. Because you're paying interest on interest on interest, 250 00:14:03.059 --> 00:14:05.899 which is dumb. And the thing you bought, you're paying 251 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:09.580 for two, three, and four, five times over because you're 252 00:14:09.620 --> 00:14:13.159 paying interest on interest on interest. So an outstanding debt 253 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:16.230 is when you're not paying down the principle or you're 254 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:18.629 behind in your payments and things like that. You gotta 255 00:14:18.710 --> 00:14:22.409 set up a repayment plan. Okay, number eight. The eighth habit, 256 00:14:22.629 --> 00:14:25.909 and this is the bookend, is committed. 257 00:14:25.509 --> 00:14:30.409 All to God. I must commit everything. it all to God. 258 00:14:30.429 --> 00:14:33.370 Now remember the first habit is I must realize it 259 00:14:33.429 --> 00:14:36.090 all comes from God and the eighth habit is I 260 00:14:36.129 --> 00:14:38.710 must commit it all back to God. I say God, 261 00:14:39.289 --> 00:14:42.460 my life, my time, my relationships, my money, my future, 262 00:14:42.529 --> 00:14:45.000 my job, it's all yours and I'll do it your 263 00:14:45.059 --> 00:14:47.879 way from now on. Not my way, I'm gonna do 264 00:14:47.899 --> 00:14:50.620 it your way. Proverbs 16 verse three. 265 00:14:51.899 --> 00:14:52.580 Here's a promise. 266 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:59.169 Commit your work to the Lord and then Your plans 267 00:14:59.789 --> 00:15:04.309 will succeed. Circle the word succeed. I want you to 268 00:15:04.370 --> 00:15:06.549 succeed in life. I don't want you to be a 269 00:15:06.580 --> 00:15:09.320 failure in life. I want you to succeed spiritually and 270 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:12.899 emotionally and relationally, and I want you to succeed financially. 271 00:15:13.559 --> 00:15:16.980 Commit your work to the Lord, and then your plans 272 00:15:17.419 --> 00:15:22.470 will succeed. You see, the problem, your biggest problem is 273 00:15:22.500 --> 00:15:23.029 not debt. 274 00:15:24.049 --> 00:15:27.370 No. Debt is a symptom of a deeper problem. It 275 00:15:27.409 --> 00:15:28.070 is a symptom. 276 00:15:28.659 --> 00:15:32.899 of dissatisfaction and a lack of contentment. I have to 277 00:15:32.940 --> 00:15:35.379 have more to be more happy. I have to have 278 00:15:35.440 --> 00:15:38.039 more to be more secure. I have to have more 279 00:15:38.139 --> 00:15:40.279 to be more liked. I have to have more to 280 00:15:40.330 --> 00:15:42.230 be more valuable. None of that is true. 281 00:15:44.370 --> 00:15:45.110 None of that is true. 282 00:15:46.110 --> 00:15:49.710 You know the older I get, the more mature I get, 283 00:15:49.750 --> 00:15:52.789 the wiser I get, the more I realize how little 284 00:15:52.929 --> 00:15:54.529 it takes to make you happy. 285 00:15:56.700 --> 00:15:57.580 It doesn't take a lot. 286 00:15:57.860 --> 00:15:59.620 287 00:15:59.679 --> 00:16:02.259 288 00:16:02.299 --> 00:16:04.710 289 00:16:04.750 --> 00:16:06.570 290 00:16:06.610 --> 00:16:08.990 And if I can get all that, then 291 00:16:09.029 --> 00:16:14.149 I'll be happy. No, you're as happy as you choose 292 00:16:14.190 --> 00:16:19.559 to be. Happiness is a choice. And if you're not 293 00:16:19.620 --> 00:16:21.940 happy now, you're not gonna be happy in 10 years. 294 00:16:22.259 --> 00:16:24.019 You're not gonna be happy in 15 years. You're not 295 00:16:24.039 --> 00:16:27.090 gonna be happy in 20. Happiness is a choice. And 296 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:29.889 I can show you people in places like Sudan who 297 00:16:29.929 --> 00:16:31.669 have nothing at all and are happy. 298 00:16:32.169 --> 00:16:36.610 Happiness is a choice. So you don't need it all. 299 00:16:36.830 --> 00:16:38.769 I would suggest you go home and make a list 300 00:16:38.809 --> 00:16:41.909 of all the things that make you happy that cost nothing. 301 00:16:43.870 --> 00:16:45.230 Like watching the sunrise. 302 00:16:46.419 --> 00:16:50.200 And enjoy those things, playing with your children or grandchildren 303 00:16:50.279 --> 00:16:57.009 or whatever. You know, the problem is not debt. The 304 00:16:57.110 --> 00:17:02.750 problem is an unmanaged finances. And unmanaged finances are symptoms 305 00:17:02.870 --> 00:17:06.470 of an unmanaged life. Your life is out of control. 306 00:17:07.130 --> 00:17:11.430 Your life lacks discipline. And as a result, you are 307 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:15.420 drifting and you're being driven by forces, including economic forces. 308 00:17:15.779 --> 00:17:23.190 instead of being directed and purpose-driven and knowing where you're going. Now, 309 00:17:24.170 --> 00:17:26.349 one of the major problems we have today is that 310 00:17:26.410 --> 00:17:28.849 people go out and buy things they don't need with 311 00:17:28.910 --> 00:17:32.009 money they don't have, and then they spend all their 312 00:17:32.049 --> 00:17:35.470 time hustling, hustling, hustling to make the payments on stuff 313 00:17:35.490 --> 00:17:38.269 they didn't need with money they didn't have. And they 314 00:17:38.309 --> 00:17:41.599 spend so much time trying to pay their debts off, 315 00:17:41.950 --> 00:17:45.049 they don't enjoy what they've got. They don't enjoy it 316 00:17:45.069 --> 00:17:48.930 at all. Look at what this verse says here. The 317 00:17:48.970 --> 00:17:51.250 Bible says in Ecclesiastes 5 that God. 318 00:17:51.069 --> 00:17:54.289 Created it all for our enjoyment. If God gives us wealth. 319 00:17:55.630 --> 00:18:00.450 And property and he lets us enjoy them, we should 320 00:18:00.490 --> 00:18:04.420 be grateful and enjoy what we have. We should enjoy 321 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:07.720 what we've got. We should enjoy what we've worked for. 322 00:18:08.359 --> 00:18:11.299 It is the gift from God. 323 00:18:12.680 --> 00:18:13.519 Now, look up here. 324 00:18:14.009 --> 00:18:16.349 Here's the way most people use their money. They do 325 00:18:16.390 --> 00:18:18.599 the same five things over and over. First thing they do, 326 00:18:18.599 --> 00:18:19.880 as soon as they get money, they get a check. 327 00:18:19.910 --> 00:18:21.180 First thing they do is they go out and spend it. 328 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:24.000 Without even planning it, they go out and spend it. 329 00:18:24.839 --> 00:18:27.740 Then they worry about the fact that they don't have 330 00:18:27.779 --> 00:18:30.660 enough money. And then they try to pay their bills, 331 00:18:31.079 --> 00:18:33.539 do a repayment. And then if there was any left 332 00:18:33.640 --> 00:18:36.509 over and there isn't, they save it. And then after that, 333 00:18:36.529 --> 00:18:38.230 if there's any left over, they give some. 334 00:18:39.150 --> 00:18:40.650 That's not the plan God blesses. 335 00:18:41.210 --> 00:18:43.880 God says, no, no, first you recognize that I'm your 336 00:18:43.940 --> 00:18:48.799 source and I'm your security, and then you work honestly 337 00:18:49.599 --> 00:18:52.900 for a living, you give the first part back to 338 00:18:52.940 --> 00:18:55.130 me and you give the second part to yourself. You 339 00:18:55.150 --> 00:18:57.650 pay me first, you pay yourself second, and then you 340 00:18:57.690 --> 00:18:59.589 live on the rest. You say I can't live on 341 00:18:59.609 --> 00:19:03.809 the rest. Then you're living beyond your means. You're living 342 00:19:03.849 --> 00:19:07.619 beyond your means. And you need to make some tough choices. 343 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:15.170 What a fantastic message from Pastor Rick. You know, Daily 344 00:19:15.230 --> 00:19:18.970 Hope is changing lives every day. Here's Pastor Rick with 345 00:19:19.029 --> 00:19:20.630 a letter from one of our listeners. 346 00:19:21.029 --> 00:19:23.470 You know, friends, it always encourages me to hear how 347 00:19:23.509 --> 00:19:26.589 God is using Daily Hope to help you. And so 348 00:19:26.650 --> 00:19:28.990 thanks for your letters. And I want to read one 349 00:19:29.059 --> 00:19:31.259 to you today from a woman named Judith. She said, 350 00:19:31.279 --> 00:19:34.460 Dear Pastor Rick, After college, I met and married a 351 00:19:34.500 --> 00:19:38.019 man that God did not intend for me, but I 352 00:19:38.059 --> 00:19:41.880 became pregnant with triplets. And the marriage was tumultuous and 353 00:19:41.980 --> 00:19:44.930 I endured more pain and more loneliness and more sadness 354 00:19:45.250 --> 00:19:48.349 than I could have ever imagined. But God still showed 355 00:19:48.369 --> 00:19:50.930 me his grace and love. and he sustained and he 356 00:19:51.019 --> 00:19:54.960 comforted me. But as I was left to work and 357 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:57.259 care for three babies, I clung on to God and 358 00:19:57.339 --> 00:20:01.859 I listened to your daily podcast every day. And sometimes 359 00:20:01.880 --> 00:20:03.940