Is Your Financial Past Holding You Back?

Scars show experience…

Scars show the pain that you‘ve been there, done that… But scars can be the best measure of future success if you‘ve learned how to use them to your advantage. When it comes to your financial life, you bear the scars of your past. You need to understand exactly where you‘ve been, what mistakes you‘ve made, and what lessons you‘ve learned in order to make progress.

I often see people trapped in the past, afraid to go forward because of previous failings. They are scared of getting burned again so they do nothing. They expect God to bless the steps they never take. How can God bless your career when you‘re trapped in the status quo? How can he bless the investments you never make? How can he bless the business you never start? Or prosper the relationship you never commit to?

God can certainly bless anything He desires, but often He is looking for us to make the first move. Unfortunately, many of us miss the greatest blessings that are right around the corner simply because we let our battle scars stand in the way.

Why do you want to succeed?

Mike longed for more money… He worked harder and harder, longer and longer. He longed for days of freedom. When I asked him why he wanted more freedom, he looked at me like I was crazy. Why would I ask such a foolish question was his insinuation? Yet I was seeking the deeper reason why freedom was so important. After breaking down his walls of comfort, Mike finally began to open up.

He wanted more time to do things he enjoyed. Yet when we examined what he did with the free time he already had, he was perplexed. So in other words he discovered what he was really saying was he wanted more time to do absolutely nothing. This revelation came after analyzing the use of his current free time. It essentially was being wasted doing little of significance.

Using the Love, Live, Prosper method Mike uncovered what was most important to him. He found a new way to live life with fuller and deeper meaning with much more significance. He discovered myths and false beliefs holding him back and how past failures were keeping him imprisoned.

Finally he broke the chains. He was free!

Now freedom meant living out his dreams, of which he was committed to do until the day he reached his goals. A prosperous journey for Mike began and ended with the Word of God. To prosper in God’s way, Mike kept God’s Word as his source of delight.

Introducing the “Faithful Five”

How did Mike make a 180-degree turn? How did he discover:

• His true calling?
• His career path?
• His spiritual gifts?
• His proper financial plan?

Mike examined five critical areas of his life: where he worked, where he gave money, where he saved and invested his money, how he viewed debt, and where he spent money.

KEY INSIGHT

―No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money”. (Matthew 6:24)

Since I have discovered the financial principles set forth in God’s word, I have seen His truth confirmed time and time again. He is a faithful God that sticks with us no matter where we are in life. In the good and the bad, in the times of rich and poor, He meets us wherever we are.

There is a huge need and desire for us to be closer with our God. Yet we are often separated from Him because of our mistakes with money. The importance of planning, seeking God’s word, prayer, and how to apply God’s word to your financial situation cannot be overemphasized. I am confident you can improve your financial situation if it need be or continue to prosper if you continue to seek His wisdom.

Now Mike found success by committing to be a:

1. Passionate Income Earner – doing what he loves

2. Generous Giver – Using God‘s money to bless others

3. Wise Investor – carefully multiplying the wealth entrusted to him

4. Cautious Debtor – committing to only use debt as a last resort

5. Prudent Consumer – spending only on things in line with values

Potholes slow you down

In order to get where you want to go, you will need to avoid the major potholes in the road. We will all make mistakes. It is avoiding the major mistakes that separate the wealthy from the poor. The purpose of this book is to help you avoid some of the biggest wealth robbing mistakes. I want you to succeed so God can use you in mighty ways. If you are stuck in neutral, I want to help you get unstuck!

If you keep an open mind, pay attention to the rationale behind each lesson, you can reach your goals now matter how far behind you may be. Sometimes our biggest mistakes in life can be chalked up to expensive tuition at the school of hard knocks. The key is to learn and move on. My hope and prayer is that the mistakes outlined in this book will serve as a guide to help you avoid major potholes!

Article by Jay Peroni- Jay is a well respected Certified Financial Planner and founder of www.FaithBasedInvestor.com, a site dedicated to helping individuals and businesses incorporate their faith and values into their financial plans. In his spare time, Jay loves spending time with his wife and four children and blogging at www.jayperoni.com.

Jay has written 3 articles for Good Steward Keys! Read some more of them by visiting Guest Articles!

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