Pastor Rick's Daily Hope

Guest (Male): Hey everybody, welcome to Pastor Rick's Daily Hope. Well, we're talking about your money. That's right. We're continuing a powerful series called Financial Fitness. Rick is opening God's word and showing us how to manage what we've been given with wisdom, faith, and purpose. And I know if you apply these biblical principles, you'll start to experience true financial freedom and lasting peace. Well, we're getting off to a great start with part one of a message called The Habits of Financial Health.

Pastor Rick Warren: If I want to be healthy in any area of my life, I have to develop healthy habits in that area. If I want to be physically healthy, I have to develop the physical habits of eating right, exercise, sleep, and lower stress. If I want to have a healthy marriage, I have to develop the healthy habits of relationships: the way I talk to people, the way I listen to people, the way I respond to problems. These are habits that I have to develop.

And if I want to develop healthy finances, to be financially fit, there are certain financial habits I have to develop in my life. God loves to do financial miracles and he does them all the time. I've seen many, many, many. But he says first you've got to get your act together. You've got to do it the way that I said to do it.

Now, in this series on financial fitness, we looked first at the fundamental laws of money that God talks about in his word in the Bible, in the book of Proverbs and in the book of Ecclesiastes. Today we're going to take a little turn and this week and next week we're going to look at some practical areas. Next week we're going to look at the five best ways to use your money on this planet, and that's a good message I'm excited to share.

But this week we're going to look at the eight habits for getting out of the hole, eight habits for getting financially free, and they're all in God's word. If you have your Bible, open to the book of Proverbs. If you don't, pull out your message notes and we're going to look at these verses from the book of Proverbs. Now each of these habits is in order. In other words, the first habit is the most important one.

The second habit is the second most important. The third is the third most important. I've listed these in their order of how you do them. Let's get right into it. Number one: the Bible teaches that the first thing I have to do if I'm going to get myself financially fit is remember that God is my source. That's the starting point. I remember that God is the source of all my supply.

My source is not my salary, my source is not the economy, my source is not my savings. My source and my security is in God. Now, the reason why this is important is you must put your security in something that can never be taken from you. If what you put your security in can be taken from you, then you're going to be insecure the rest of your life.

If you put your security in your salary, you can lose your salary. If you put your security in your job, you can lose your job. If you put your security in your savings, you can lose your savings. If you put your security in your spouse or your health, you can lose those things. You must put your security in something that cannot be taken from you and that is your relationship to God.

God is the source of my supply, not my salary, not my savings. And if a job dries up, if a water faucet gets turned off, God can turn on a faucet over here. And if one door closes, God can open another door. And if that door closes, God can open a window. So I have to remember first off that God is the source of my security, not how much money I make in life.

The Bible says this in Deuteronomy chapter eight, verse 18: "Always remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth." Circle the word "produce". I want you to notice that the Bible says obviously God owns it all and he loans it to us. We talked about this a few weeks ago, that you don't really own anything on this planet. It's just loaned to you while you're here.

It wasn't yours before you were born, it won't be yours after you die. You just get to use it for 80, 90, or 100 years. But it all belongs to God and after you die, he's going to loan it to somebody else. So you don't take it with you and you didn't bring it with you. But he says here that God gives you the ability to produce wealth.

Now, every economy, including America's, has wealth makers and it has wealth takers. It has wealth producers and it has wealth users. It has wealth contributors and it has wealth consumers. Economies get turned upside down when there are more consumers than there are contributors. When there are more people taking out of the economy than putting in it.

That's what's happening right now in America. 60% of Americans take more out of the economy than they are putting in it. We have more consumers than we have contributors. And yet God says, "I made you, I designed you to create wealth, to produce wealth. I designed you to be a productive person." God wants you to be productive and his plan for your life includes wealth production or wealth creation.

Not wealth redistribution, but wealth creation. Let me explain the difference here between communism, capitalism, and Christianity. Capitalism says what's mine is mine and I'm going to keep it. And if you don't make it, well tough luck, too bad for you. What's mine is mine and I'm going to keep it. Communism says what's yours is mine and I have a right to take it. That's called redistribution of wealth.

I can take yours and give it to somebody else. That's communism. Christianity says what's mine is really God's and I'm willing to share it. You see the difference? That's the difference. Capitalism says what's mine is mine, I'm going to keep it. Communism says what's yours is mine and I can take it. Christianity says what's mine is God's and I'm willing to share it.

When somebody taxes you to help the poor, you don't get any credit for it. But when you voluntarily are generous and you help the poor on your own, that builds your character. It helps you grow. It helps you become more like Christ, becoming more productive and more generous. Now, one of the reasons our economy has collapsed is because for many years we have had enormous numbers of people, particularly on Wall Street and other places, who were making outrageous salaries.

They were making outrageous amounts of money without really creating anything. They create no services, they create no benefits, they create no products, they create no jobs. They're simply making money on money. That's all they're doing. And that is not what God wants us to do. God wants us to provide benefits, services, protection, and help to other people, and in that it creates prosperity.

There's nothing wrong with prosperity. There's nothing wrong with prospering. There's nothing wrong with a profit if you don't make it your number one god and if you do it in the right way. And that leads us to the second habit. The second habit, if I want God's blessing on my finances, is I must make money honestly.

I remember that God is my source and then I make money honestly because God does not bless cheaters. God does not bless crooks. God does not bless deceptive people or people who steal. Let's look at some verses from the book of Proverbs on this. Proverbs 15:27 says: "Dishonest money brings grief to the whole family." In other words, I can go out and make a bunch of money but if I make it dishonestly, it's actually bringing grief.

It's bringing a curse or a problem to my family, including emotional problems and all kinds of other problems. You say, "Well, that verse isn't for me because I'm not out robbing banks." No, you're not. But are you honest in every area? Let me give you a few ways you may be dishonest. One is not giving a full day's work. If you've got an employer who's paying you for a full day's work, but you come late, you leave early, you take an extra long lunch break, and you waste time at work, you are robbing your employer.

Maybe you've never thought of that, but it's deceptive. They are paying you for a certain amount of work and you are expected to give that certain amount of work. It is dishonest to be paid for work that I'm not doing. God's not going to bless dishonesty. Christians of all people should be known for rock-ribbed integrity: that we get there on time or early, stay to the last bell, and that we are the hardest workers in society.

Padding an expense account is dishonest income. Misusing resources at the office is dishonest. It's a waste. Fudging on your taxes is a dishonest way to make money. God says, "I don't bless that kind of stuff. It brings grief to the whole family." Now look at some of the other ways. Proverbs 16:11: "The Lord demands fairness in every business deal. He sets the standard." Now what does that mean?

It means that when I'm dealing with you and we're making a negotiation, I don't lie to you. I don't cheat you. I don't tell you that the car I'm selling you is better than it really is. I don't tell you that the house I'm selling you is in perfect condition when you know the pipes are broken and the electricity doesn't work. When I misrepresent something in a deal, I'm being dishonest and God said, "Don't expect me to bless that."

If you're hiding it, he's not going to bless that. God blesses integrity. Let me show you some other areas. Look at this one, this will surprise you. Proverbs 28:8: "If you make money by charging high interest rates, you will lose it all to someone who cares for the poor." Did you know that verse was in the Bible? If you make money by charging high interest rates, you'll lose it all to somebody who cares for the poor.

Now, God is not against making interest. We know that because Jesus tells parables in the New Testament where guys double their money by making a 100% profit. One guy gets a 100% return on his money and Jesus says, "well done, good and faithful servant." Another guy doubles his five talents and he says, "well done." If it's okay to make interest, it's okay to pay interest. He's not saying interest is bad.

He's talking about usury. Usury means excessive, exorbitant high interest rates. It's what loan sharks do. It's when they prey on people who are down and out, people who are hard up on their luck, and people who can't get a normal standard loan. They go and borrow from somebody at two and three and four times the interest rate. It is excessive and it is cheating people.

In America we have usury laws in every state because of this verse in the Bible. Because the Bible says it is wrong to charge excessively high interest and take advantage of people who can't pay. So he's talking about slumlords and loan sharks and things like that. One other one, look at Proverbs 13:11. Let's read it aloud together. "Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears, but wealth from hard work grows."

I told you a couple weeks ago that Warren Buffett's number one law of finance is you don't lose what you already have made. He said that's more important than even making money on your money. So many people are in debt because they've made a lot of money but they've lost it. The most common way people lose their money today is in get-rich-quick schemes. The Bible says you should never, ever get involved in a get-rich-quick scheme.

You're setting yourself up to be duped and scammed. More people have lost money through this way than any other way. Every get-rich-quick scheme sounds great. It sounds terrific. You're going to make high profit in a little amount of time and low risk. They put all this together and it all sounds so great and people invest their money in this, thinking they're going to beat the normal ways of making money.

The Bible warns against this over and over. And as your pastor, because I care about you, I want to give you five principles on how to not get duped by a scam. Number one: stick with what you know when you're investing. Greed makes people gullible. When we are greedy and we're trying to get rich quick, we fall for scams. If you don't understand an investment, don't ever put your money in it.

The common denominator of every get-rich-quick scheme is they claim to have a secret. I have a secret way of making money that you don't know, or I have a secret product or a secret tip. Listen, the moment you hear that word "secret", run like the Dickens. Friends, I'm telling you right now, there are no secrets to making wealth. They're all widely known.

There are thousands of books written on how to increase your income and your net worth. There are no secrets. Anybody who claims that he has a secret is setting you up for a get-rich-quick scheme. Number two: never invest on emotion. Never make a financial decision based on emotion. Scam artists love to play on your emotion. They grab your emotion and before you've thought it through, you've invested money that you're going to lose.

They start pressuring you to decide quickly. By the way, isn't it interesting all of these infomercials on TV that say, "buy now, buy now, operators standing by and if you do it in the next two minutes, you're going to get this extra product." Three years later that thing's still on TV saying in the next two minutes. It's just a con. Pressure is never God's will in finances.

If you ever feel pressure, in fact, the Bible says that about giving. Over in the book of Corinthians, the Bible says if you ever feel pressured to give, don't. And I'm telling you as your pastor, if you ever feel pressured by a church, a charity, or anybody else to give, you should not give because God clearly says in the Bible never give under pressure or under compulsion.

You don't get any credit for it. God wants your attitude, not the amount. He says only give when you are giving willingly, cheerfully, and gladly. That's not just true in giving, it's also true in investing. You should never make a financial decision under pressure to decide now based on emotion. A third suggestion: never risk borrowed money. The Bible teaches you should never risk borrowed money.

If you've got extra money just laying around, that's okay if you want to invest that. But don't you ever borrow money to invest in a get-rich-quick scheme. A fourth suggestion: always test the idea with other people. I'm talking about people who are not emotionally involved. Because emotionally involved people who have a stake in the game are going to be as excited as you are.

But people who aren't emotionally involved can smell a rat. They can spot the flaws and you need to get counsel. If you have a business deal and you're afraid to talk to your wife or a friend about it, you're already giving a dead giveaway. You're already saying, "I don't want other people to know about this because they're going to say no." No, you need to check it out.

Let me give you one more. Doubt the guy who's always got a big deal. He's always chasing the big deal, but he never seems to reel it in. I'm not talking about serial entrepreneurs who build a company, sell it off, then build another company. They have a legitimate business and a legitimate profit. I'm talking about people who are always waiting for their ship to come in, but it never seems to come in.

The ship seems to get bigger and bigger with each dream. While they're not able to pay their bills, they're out there trying to think on this deal that's going to make one trillion dollars. The more zeros, the more out of touch they are with reality.

Guest (Male): What a great message from Pastor Rick today. There's something I always take away from his message. Here's Rick to tell you how you can help support this ministry.

Pastor Rick Warren: Jesus told his disciples that they should live their lives according to five specific purposes. He said you've got to love God with all your heart, that's worship. And love your neighbor as yourself, that's ministry. That's called the great commandment. Then Jesus said go make disciples, that's evangelism. Baptize them into the family of God, that's fellowship. Then he said teach them to obey everything I've taught them, that's discipleship. And we call that the great commission.

We believe at Daily Hope that a great commitment to the great commandment and the great commission will produce a great Christian, a great church, a great company, and a great community. I started Daily Hope so I could spread the good news about Jesus not just across America, but all around the world. We want people to know that God's word is filled with hope and truth.

The power that we need to follow him every day is available to every single person. You know as well as I do that the word of God changes lives. It's alive, it's active, and it breathes new life and new love into all of our lives. So wherever you listen to this, whether you listen on the website, a radio station, or through a podcast, you're a part of the Daily Hope family.

I need your help. We could not do this without your support. We're 100% listener funded. Would you continue to pray for this broadcast and would you continue to support us? And write to me, let me hear from you. I absolutely love reading the stories that are sent to me. So write me, pray for me, and support this ministry. God will bless it and God will bless you.

Guest (Male): Hey, if you'd like to support Pastor Rick's Daily Hope, just go to PastorRick.com. That's PastorRick.com or you can text the word hope to 70309. That's the word hope to 70309. And really from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you so much for your support. Your gift to Daily Hope helps us share the hope of Christ with people everywhere. Be sure to join us next time when we look into God's word for our daily hope. This program is sponsored by Pastor Rick's Daily Hope and your generous financial support.