Notice: American Income Reduction Imminent (pt2)

How to Get Straight

Greg Ulmer
2010

How do we do it ?
If you don’t have a fully funded emergency fund, remove 10% of your income from your finances. Setup an automatic draft from your check or banking account to an emergency account. Your emergency fund should be held in an account that isn’t too easy to access (ie. like an account at bank or fund that you don’t have easy check writing, debt/credit card access) but you can get the money within 24 hours of an emergency.

If you don’t tithe fully then add up to 5% of your income to what you are tithing now and add 5% to savings to build your emergency fund. If you currently tithe, then use the 10% of your income to build your emergency fund. As you get bonuses and income increases, be sure to tithe and add to your emergency fund.  And yes, that’s right. This means that get to live off 90% of your income. I know after taxes and expenses (debt) it may not leave much.

Planning will be required and decisions of what is important will need to be made. But consider, if your job told you that on Monday your salary will decrease by 10% or 20% or 50%, what would you do?

So you see, an income reduction is happening. The current and future layoffs, salary reductions and income freezes call for us to quickly decide what is really important and what is not. These situations are when we ask for guidance and insight. It is often the only time we call on the Lord for help.

Surviving this will involve sacrifices and difficult decisions. Recall Luke 21:1-4 and how the widow gave all she had while the wealthy gave from a part of their profits. She gave from her heart. This tells us that we must confidently walk the path the Lord has laid out for us, align our heart with his and keep our eyes on HIM.

Our focus.
Hebrews 13:5-6 tells us, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’ So we say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ “.

With this in mind there are certain priorities we must focus on to take control of our financial lives:

• Praising God. The reasons are countless.
• Praying to God to receive wisdom and understanding in managing our finances so we can be good stewards of the resources he has given us.
• Praying that we keep in step with the spirit and realize it’s fruit and remaining humble (Gal 5:22-26).
• Being optimistic, because we are children of God. Luke 12:21 tells us our true treasure is built through works on earth and are not to be realized here. Live this out by being positive throughout all situations, being generous with out time and resources, and being a light that guides others to the Good News.
• Executing a financial plan that begins with tithing and establishing a fully funded emergency fund.
• Continuing our financial plan by following a debt elimination system including paying off your mortgage and building an inheritance.
• Discovering and developing our talents. Being who we are suppose to be, operating within our SHAPE.
• Realizing how the freedom of having our financial house in order and maintaining it will allow us to focus on honoring and serving the Lord using our gifts and talents.

We have a tremendous opportunity to grow God’s kingdom. The resources we have in just this part of HIS body are remarkable. We must Get Into SHAPE so that we may grow our talents in the service of the Lord. How wonderful would it be to hear HIM say to you, “Well done good and faithful servant!”.