Change Doesn't Just Happen

We've all heard the following:

Money doesn't grow on trees.

It is God who gives us the power to gain wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18).

The wise man saves for the future, but the foolish man spends whatever he gets (Proverbs 21:20). 

Each of these statements reveals a truth about finance:  change doesn't just happen. Unless we're willing to do things differently and much more consistently, we will continue to experience many of the financial ups and downs that have become norms in our lives. The truth is that money doesn't just grow on trees; we have to earn it and establish a budget that will help us to control how we'll spend, save, and invest it. The truth is that while God gives us the power to gain wealth, He also gives us the ability to work hard, use our creative minds, and apply financial principles that will enable us to establish a foundation that we can build upon. Finally, the truth is that one of the most important difference between the wise man and the foolish man is perspective. The wise man lives for tomorrow and leaves a lasting legacy, while the foolish man is only concerned with today and is soon forgotten after he's gone.

When it comes to our finances, all of us have the potential to be wise. We can all pursue greater financial knowledge and then apply the principles and strategies taught, but none of us can build wealth without vision and self-discipline. Improving our financial status requires an immediate assessment of who we are now, what we do now, and where we are now in our financial lives - then who we want to be, what we want to do next (short and long-term), and where we want to be in our financial futures. That's why budgets are so important. At the very least, it can help us to answer that first set of questions and assist us in determining the answers to the others. A budget is a great resource for helping us to develop the self-discipline to plan how we'll spend our earnings and how we'll actually stick to that plan.Don't overlook the opportunity to fine tune your financial planning, especially prior to the new year. It's the only way to break old habits and missed opportunities that have left us wandering around and living beneath our potential.

When do you get paid next, and what will you do with that money? Who do owe and what will be left after you pay them? Are you living with a regular surplus or trying to survive amid usual deficits? These are questions you need to be able to answer, and you can if you choose to deliberately do so. Why not make today the day you pursue change and work on perfecting practices that will help you to cultivate financial vision and discipline? You can do it...I know you can!

Practicing What I've Preached

Please accept my sincere apologies for a late blog post today. Usually, I prepare them a few days in advance, or at least the night before. However, today's blog didn't get done early because...well, I was practicing what I preached on the blog yesterday. I was spending quality time with my four sons who are home on Christmas break. You see, because a new year is quickly approaching, I spent most of Sunday evening preparing our minds, money, and moments for 2012. In other words, I was working on the Briscoe Budget for 2012. Needless to say, that took a great deal of my mommy-focus away from the boys so I spent all of Monday making up for lost time. So, here I am on this Tuesday morning trying to make up for my missed time with you.

How are you doing with your time management? Have you been prioritizing the need to savor some precious moments with the people you love (even if it means allowing certain responsibilities to temporarily fall through the cracks)? Trust me, it's not always easy to decide what or who to give the most time to in our busy schedules. Just as is true with our finances, sometimes it's hard to determine what needs our immediate attention and we can't allow indecision to keep us from finding a practical way to prioritize paying them both. The same is true of our time. Perhaps you want to organize your closet and put away those summer clothes, but you've always been wanting to take your daughter skating. Which one will take precedence over the other? Which matters most?

Of course, spending time with your child supersedes organizing your closet, but that doesn't change the fact that both need your attention, does it? Well, first focus on the one while planning to follow through with the other later. And just like me (apologies and all), enjoy what matters most without forgetting the other things that means so much to you (maybe you can invite your daughter to help you in the closet after you leave the rink). Don't allow life's circumstances to make you feel like you can't give the best of yourself to those who need you, and don't succumb to the pressures of your hectic schedule, allowing them to dictate to you which tasks you can or cannot accomplish. You may have to accomplish them a little later than you'd like, but you can get them done. And remember, money will come and go but the time you spend with the people you love will be etched forever in the hearts and minds of those you've shared it with.

Have a fabulous Tuesday!

Credit Cards: What Do They Say About You?

The truth is that there are credit card users and there are beggars. Which one are you? I'd like to think that you're neither, but the reality is that most consumers have and use at least one credit card on a regular basis. According to The Survey of Consumer Payment Choice, 78% of Americans own a credit card (Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, January 2010).

Proverbs 21:5 in Old Testament scripture provides this wisdom:  Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty (New Living Translation). This can offer insight into the minds of credit card users and beggars. A wise consumer makes it his or her business to "owe no man", but a foolish consumer spends much of his or her life begging for opportunities to owe as many creditors as possible in order to enjoy as many short-lived luxuries and conveniences as he or she can.

Although I believe that debit cards can do the same, I understand that credit cards can be used as an effective tool for purchasing, tracking, and managing certain expenses. Mature credit card users are disciplined planners and executioners. They use their cards knowing when and how to pay their balances before they accrue interest and other fees. Beggars do not. Instead, they pursue bank credit cards and give in to department stores or other credit card offers without discipline, and definitely without a plan for managing the cards. They shop for the thrill and swipe without a purpose because they can.

Make no mistake about it:  if you keep swiping credit cards to borrow money you don't have the immediate means to pay back, you have become a beggar. You are guilty of soliciting external opportunities to purchase that which you know internally you are never planning to pay in full. That's not what credit cards are for, and that's not how mature, responsible adults are meant to live. Swipe if you must, but do so with a sure fire plan to pay the balance in full, and before your debt accrues interest. Choose (if necessary) to be a credit card user and determine to never ever become a beggar.

The Right Person, The Wrong Gift Card

Have you ever given the right person the wrong gift card? Did you find out that your friend, co-worker, or loved one didn't like your plastic present? How did you handle the situation? Have you ever received what you deemed as a useless gift card from a wonderful person? What did you do? Did you let your "gifter" know that you dislike the restaurants listed on the gift card you received?

As I stated yesterday, this is a one of the seasons in which gift cards are purchased, given, and received more than at most other times of the year. Bosses give them to co-workers, friends exchange them, and family members give them to each other to save themselves from the hassle of shopping for a gift that requires more thought, time, and effort.

I would venture to guess that most gift card purchasers consider the likes, wants, needs, and spending habits of the people they are "gifting", however, more times than not, a few of their recipients have been somewhat disappointed (even if only secretly) with the company name and logo on the front of those gift cards. On the other hand, I have personally witnessed the "re-gifting" of gift cards from recipients who were less than pleased with the cards they received. Instead of allowing themselves to feel forced to buy items from a store they don't like or to eat at a restaurant they don't usually frequent, they simply give the cards away.

So, if you're planning to load money on a gift card for someone this holiday season and don't want to see it go to waste, be sure to consider who you're giving it to and how much money is appropriate to place on the card. For example, if you know that your cousin loves to shop at Target, don't give her a gift card to Walmart. If you're planning to give your nephew a gift card for use at a restaurant, load enough money on the card to at least cover the entire cost of his meal. For example, if the typical cost of a meal and drink at Outback is $20.00, don't give him a $5.00 gift card. If you do, it's possible that he may never use the card and is more likely to misplace it or forget about it.

Remember, giving gifts isn't about making ourselves look and feel good. The focus is to honor another person with a present that says, "I know you", "I was thinking about you", or "I love you". Before you load money on that card, invest some time and attention into getting to know the person you plan to give it to, or ask those who are closest to him or her which card would be best so that you can avoid giving the right person the wrong gift card. And if you just so happen to receive a gift card you're not too excited about, find a way to enjoy using it. I can't say that I'd be ready to do cartwheels if I were to receive a gift card from The Home Depot, but I tell you what...I'd go in there and find something to take home and appreciate as a gift from a thoughtful person who has spent his or her money on 'lil 'ole me.

Just in Case You Forgot, Christmas is Not about You!

Yesterday, we talked about approaching the Christmas season with a spending plan. Today, my goal isn't to deter you from buying Christmas gifts for your loved ones, but to remind us all that while the spirit of giving is a beautiful way to embrace the holidays, it isn't the ultimate purpose of Christmas. The truth is that Christmas isn't about you, me, or gift recipients. It's really about honoring God by celebrating the birth, life, and sacrifices of Jesus Christ (the God-man) who came and offered us the opportunity to once again take our places in God's kingdom, enabling us to stand in proper position as His royal sons and daughters in the earth.

Whether we choose to shop for Christmas, volunteer at food pantries, or give money to the poor, we must remember why Christmas is so important, and why pleasing others through our financial efforts shouldn't be the top priority of this holiday.

There's a passage in the New Testament gospel of Luke that I believe provides a perfect example of the focus and attitude we should have during Christmas. In Luke, chapter 2, verses 27-31, Simeon, an older gentlemen who had been faithfully anticipating the Messiah's arrival and holding on to God's promise that he wouldn't die until he had seen the Lord, had the following experience:

          So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to     do for Him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said: Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in PEACE. According to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your SALVATION which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a LIGHT TO BRING REVELATION to the Gentiles [unbelievers], and the GLORY of Your people Israel [believers]" (New King James Version).

As we prepare for Christmas, let's also prepare our hearts and minds to worship our God for the Lord, Jesus Christ and share our gratitude for the peace, salvation, light, revelation, and glory He brought to humanity millenniums ago. Shop if you must, but determine that you will not allow it to take precedence over expressing praise for God's faith and favor in your life, and the personal, precious, and priceless example of Jesus Christ!

Dave Ramsey is Right!

 Same as Cash is NOT the Same as Using Cash!

Okay, can I be honest with you? Prior to reading Dave Ramsey's The Total Money Makeover, I thought that same-as-cash deals were a wonderful idea. Six months after my husband and I were married, and six months of sleeping on an air mattress motivated us to purchase our first set of Serta Perfect Sleeper queen size mattresses by taking advantage of a same-as-cash deal. The mattresses cost us a total of $741.00 and we were determined to pay off the debt within 6 months in order to avoid paying any interest on the purchase. We paid a $141.00 deposit for the mattresses, took them home, and then paid $100.00 for six months and accomplished our goal. The mattresses were paid in full and we didn't have to invest a dime in interest payments! 

Fast forward a few years...I'm introduced to Dave Ramsey's book and learn that same-as-cash really isn't the same as using cash. Maybe you're like me...maybe you're going, "Huh? Why not?" Well, Dave Ramsey makes a solid argument to get his readers to understand the difference between using cash to make purchases and accepting same-as-cash deals. He explains that while using a same-as-cash deal and paying it in full before the deal expires and accrues interest might allow you to pay the store price for an item, walking into a store with cash in hand gives you the power to make your own deal...a better deal with the sales representatives and managers than that which a same-as-cash deal can provide. 

It's works like this. Imagine that you're trying to sale your old, used car for $1,000 and my girls Morgan and Michelle are interested in purchasing it. Morgan is willing to make monthly payments in the amount of $166.67 for six months in order to purchase the vehicle, whereas Michelle has cash in her hands and is willing to pay you $900.00 for it right now. Which deal would you accept? I'm guessing you'd rather receive $900.00 from a stranger who is presently able to buy the car and help you to accomplish your goal of earning cash and getting rid of it, than to venture into a short-term loan agreement with an absolute stranger...a person you're not even sure you can trust to make her payments and fulfill the responsibilities of a loan.

The same is true in business. You want to buy new furniture for your livingroom? I guarantee you that you'll do better by planning, saving, and taking cash to the showroom floor than by banking on a same-as-cash deal to furnish your room. Even if you only save $100.00 on the deal, it's $100.00 more than what you'll save by purchasing furniture using same-as-cash. Besides, promising a company you'll pay a loan in six months doesn't allow room for the unexpected.

What do I mean by that? Almost six months after my husband and I successfully paid for our mattresses by using same-as-cash, we embarked on a similar deal to purchase a sofa and a loveseat for our bare livingroom. You'll never guess what happened. Yes, you will. The unexpected happened. Guess what the unexpected cost us? Instead of paying the $2,000.00 the furniture originally cost, we ended up paying more than $4,000.00 for it! We paid for the furniture twice, and needless to say, that was our last same-as-cash purchase.

So, Dave Ramsey is right! Same-as-cash is not the same as using cash!

* If you've never read The Total Money Makeover, I highly recommend it. It is a great resource that will help you to shift gears and approach your finances in a new way and will challenge you to aggressively apply principles and concepts that will drastically improve your current financial reality.

No More Breaking Your Back & Breaking Your Bank

Breaking your back to earn 
     enough money to cover your 
          current expenses or
                past due bills?








Breaking your bank to use
     the money you should
          be saving to
                purchase gas
                    and grocery?






The truth is that we should all seek to work smarter not harder. We ought to seek to mend the broken areas of our finances, not crush them to pieces by continuing to make the same unwise mistakes we've made in times past. Obviously, what we've been doing hasn't been working for us but against us, so why don't we change our minds, which will lead to a change in our financial movements, which will ultimately produce a positive and visible change in our financial realities?

I know what our economy looks like right now, but I also realize our potential to shine in the midst of financial darkness. Yesterday, I gave you a few suggestions to use as a guide to begin saving or increasing your savings. Today, I'd like to advise you to work smarter as you begin to save for the future. Here are a few tips:

1. If you don't have a checking account, get one. Don't pay pawn shops, grocery stores, or banks to cash money you've worked hard to earn (even 1% of your income is too much to give away, especially when you're not saving 1%).
2. If possible, bank with a credit union or open a Money Market savings account as a part of your savings plan. No matter how small, they tend to pay you more interest over time for your commitment to saving your money.
3. Deny yourself! Sometimes we say we can't save money because there's never any left over after paying bills. However, if we go back and review receipts, the truth usually is that we could have saved SOMETHING if we had been willing to deny ourselves that fast food burger, coffee, shoes, or trip to the nail salon.

You've got it in you! Now come on...exercise discipline and let's save some money together!

Why Your Checkbook Register is Your Friend

Yesterday, I challenged you to take a few minutes to play my Checkbook Register Game. Did it fail to challenge you, or did it reveal deficiencies in your ability to notice small, yet significant errors? I realize that we all come from different walks of life. Therefore, it’s probable that some of us have learned how to record our transactions in the register differently than others, and that's fine.The point is that we should all be tracking our finances and the checkbook register is a good way to do that.

As a finance professional, I have to tell you I'm often surprised by how many people no longer make good use of checkbook registers. I can't tell you how many times I've engaged in personal finance consultations with potential clients who have no idea what a checkbook register is or how to record transactions in it. Are you one of them?

Let me just say that I don't have any qualms with people choosing to track their financial transactions via Excel spreadsheets, Quicken, Microsoft Money, or other financial software. However, I do have a problem with people justifying their decision to discard their checkbook registers by claiming that their online banking system sufficiently tracks their financial movements for them. That is a no-no!

Ladies and gentlemen, please understand that:

1. Banks aren't perfect; computer glitches do occur and your account could very well reflect such from time to time.
2. Online banking should be used for reconciling your checkbook register, not to replace it.
3. Using your checkbook register to record purchases and deposits as they occur will keep you on target with your short and long term financial goals.
4. If you use the register to properly and consistently record transactions, you won't forget about transactions that you have made but haven't yet posted to your account online, and you will avoid overdrawing your account. 
5. You should be your first and very best bookkeeper. No one cares about your money more than you so trust yourself to track your transactions before you depend on others to do it for you.

What do you think? Is the use of the checkbook register outdated and unnecessary?

It's the Little Things

Rome wasn’t built in a day…poverty doesn’t have to last forever. What do you see in these two expressions? We can’t achieve greatness overnight, nor should we be bound by that which has been the norm. It is the consistent, intentional strategies of men and women who seek to progress from bearing a worker money mentality to a boss money mentality, and it is the tenacious attitude and actions of this worker that keeps him or her from ever returning to an enslaved mind.

It’s the little things that matter most if your goal is to kiss the worker mindset good-bye and move forward to become the boss. It is the purposeful steps of a man who considers every detail of his life important that enables him to find his way and fulfill his dreams. It’s the idea of having a say in the workings of his destiny that leads to his pursuit of knowledge and expertise. Day by day and step by step, the worker who is interested in becoming the boss that he knows he should be must discipline himself to think and do according to the future, not the past or the present. He has to pay close attention to the little things that make up his overall beliefs and actions.  

What do you do as soon as you wake up each morning? What is your first thought upon gaining consciousness? How do you approach each day? Does an alarm clock wake you up and send you scrambling into your day, or do you wake up with a calm heart and clear mind that has a plan for the day? Do you consider who you are, what you want, and where you want to go in the midst of showering and getting dressed, or do you wake up early enough to absorb these things in silence…to seek the mind of God and His priorities for your life? Do you move through the day doing as you’re told or rebelling against the orders of others? Or, do you accept your responsibilities and enjoy the small moments that come and allow you to explore opportunities to build onto your dream?

It is the simple thoughts, the practical ideals, and the small moments that determine whether you make the decision to become the man or woman God ordained to excel and show forth His glory, or whether you will settle for continuing to do what you already do well. The worker is vulnerable because he isn’t lazy, selfish, or incompetent. As a matter of a fact, he periodically reveals glimpses of greatness, and that is what threatens his ability to experience the fullness of who he is meant to be. You see, the danger in being a worker lies in the reality that you can get lost in the excellence you demonstrate at present, and the recognition you receive from admirers.

The worker makes slaves feel better about their situations because he once shared their plight, and he gains the trusts of bosses because he has proven faithful in enhancing their businesses. In other words, the worker is often loyal to a fault – he prioritizes being relatable to slaves and reliable to bosses above prioritizing his own responsibility to offer the best of himself to each by first offering the best in his own life and to his Creator. 

We can never truly be who we need to be for everybody else until we can first be that in our own hearts and minds. We have to first ask ourselves the questions, what is true internally that I am not realizing and applying externally? What has kept me from really believing that God within me is greater than everything outside of me? Why am I able to encourage and celebrate the ascension of others but unable to motivate and discipline myself to do the same for me? Why haven’t I forgiven myself and others for the pains of my past, and why can’t I press wholeheartedly into my future?  

Leaving the worker in you behind necessitates that you begin to take small, even steps forward. It requires you to think specific thoughts and discipline yourself to do certain things on purpose, every day. It requires you to balance your financial transactions every day. It requires you to go to work on time every single day. It requires you to offer your best to your college education every day. It requires you to read books and magazines in line with where you want to go every day. It requires you to write simple notes pertaining to your vision every single day. These are the little things that count because collectively they develop your values and shape your lifestyle. Together they speak back to you what you think and believe about yourself and your dreams.

I’m Not There Yet

Yesterday, I introduced you to the Boss Money Mentality and included descriptions to enhance your understanding surrounding the motivations and workings of this mindset. God never intended for us to be driven by any other mentality because the boss mentality is the only one that maintains a primary focus that revolves around being ruled by our Creator and demonstrating His greatness through the decisions we make and the actions we take, and not just as it relates to finance but in every realm of life.

As I’ve thought about the boss mentality and studied it for my own growth, I’ve come to realize that I’m not there yet. I was born to possess and exemplify the boss mentality to the glory of God and for the sake of others, but I’m honestly not there yet. I recently started this blog and I invited you to join me on a journey to arrest financial freedom because I was sure that many of you are also not there yet.

I am realizing now more than ever that information doesn’t automatically translate into application. I understand more clearly that prayer alone doesn’t produce change as much as allowing our beliefs and lives to align themselves in our efforts with the prayers we’re praying. God hasn’t held my dreams and goals back from me as much as I have failed to walk the tight rope in which I allow Him to rule my entire life while accepting the responsibilities associated with being called by His name and being both faithful and diligent to His plans.

Years ago, I watched the first installation of the reality show, America’s Next Top Model. As part of the prospective models’ introduction to the show’s creator and former super model, Tyra Banks, the girls had to stand before a panel of judges and proclaim their objective for wanting to become America’s next top model. As one particular girl stood before the judges she began to explain her passion and plans for helping poor people if she were to win the title. Well, Ms. Banks responded by complimenting the girl for her noble aspirations and then immediately began to inquire about her history of participating in charity events and community programs that serve poor people in the capacity that she had expressed in her bid to be accepted as a model on the show. Long story short, the girl hadn’t done anything in line with the supposed passion she had for the poor. Needless to say, Ms. Banks was furious and that was the end of the girl’s 15 minutes of fame.

I don’t want that to be us…men and women who are always looking for prosperous opportunities but fail to be purposefully productive right where we are right now. That’s how the mind of the boss works. He doesn’t pursue prosperity but is driven by a passion to offer his gifts and skills to the world. She doesn’t wait for someone to die and leave her an inheritance before she begins to live her dreams. Instead, she trusts God with her life and believes that she is and has access to everything she needs as she needs it to manage her life and influence change in the lives of others.

If I am going to be honest with you, I must admit that I’ve been just like the girl from the reality show. There have been times in my life when I failed to do anything for people I cared about because I didn’t have the resources to do everything I wanted to do for them. I have been guilty of waiting for some miraculous change to come to shift my life into a wealthy place even though I couldn’t believe that God was great enough in me to change my life through my faith and hard work. In essence, I haven’t always believed that I was born to be the boss…born to be an answer for multitudes and born to lead others into becoming the same.

Until now, I haven’t fully been ready for such an incredible transformation, but you know what? I’m ready now. What about you? Have you squarely decided to join me in moving beyond the knowledge of who we are and who God is in order to possess the power to experience who God is, and to allow His Spirit to live through us until we become and execute all He intended when He created us? Have you been preparing yourself to become the boss?

The Enslaved Mind

Yesterday, I explained the slave money mentality and revealed that a person who exhibits this mindset is one who is content with living a life that holds others responsible for her existence and avoids accepting responsibility for her own life. In truth, accepting slavery when freedom is our inheritance is nothing more than accepting a lie. Think about it. We each were born with an innate desire and responsibility to live and move as free people…people who are disciplined and determined to pursue God’s purposes and plans for our lives. So, why choose to be bound to people, places, and things that really don’t have the power to run our lives or the authority to govern godly ambitions? You see, an enslaved mind is a twisted mind – it is a mind that longs for something it already possesses. Please allow me to explain this by using an example from the Bible.

In Genesis, chapter 3, a serpent who had allowed Satan to use him to speak to Eve approached her on the premise that he knew something she didn’t. He basically asked her about God’s mandate for eating fruit from the trees in the Garden of Eden. Eve responded by explaining that she was allowed to eat from all of the trees except the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She emphasized that she wasn’t even allowed to touch it or else she would die. Now, carefully read Satan’s response to that statement. “You won’t die! God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil” (Genesis 3:4&5, NLT). What happened there? Eve was tempted to pursue the forbidden because she thought it would offer her that which had been impossible for her. Yet, from the beginning of Genesis up until that point, God had revealed the truth that man had been made in His image and in His likeness. In other words, Eve had been like God from the moment He had given her life. The very thing that Satan tempted her with in the Garden of Eden was something that was already in her possession. Notice Satan wasn’t really concerned about her acquiring the knowledge of good and evil; Satan was thinking long-term. His objective was to prevent humanity from walking in the fullness of God’s divine will for them. You see, if God had placed fruit trees in the garden, obviously He had planned for Adam and Eve to eat of its fruit at an undisclosed time and for a very specific reason.

The same is true of the slave mentality. The enslaved mind is chasing something it already possesses and is running from something that it cannot get away from. What creates such a stronghold in the mind of someone who has a slave mentality is the reality that what you and I can perceive as slavery, they perceive to be true freedom. They believe that by releasing responsibility for their lives to others, they can avoid all of the headache and heartache associated with trying to meet their current needs and mapping out goals for their future. By falling back onto others they think they can avoid having to stand up on their own. By trusting in their responsible friends and family, they think they can ignore their secret fears and insecurities. They are free people who are completely capable of excelling in life but whose minds are entangled by a bondage of slavery that keeps them saturated in mediocrity.

As I close, I must say that there is a positive spin to the slave mentality when it focuses on the right Ruler. True freedom occurs when a decision has been made to volunteer ourselves to become spiritual slaves who release ownership of our lives and responsibility for our lives to our Creator so that it might be hidden in Christ, and guided by the power of His Holy Spirit. That, my friend, is the only time and the only way that slavery serves a real and effective purpose. The New Testament apostle Paul said this about Jesus:  “Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:6-11, NLT).

Only when our minds become enslaved to the mind of God, is the beauty of bondage graciously waved on the flag of freedom!  

To Tell You the Truth Tuesday

Have you ever taken a real hard look at yourself in the mirror? While studying your reflection, did you notice the changes age has introduced to your appearance? Did you stare at your natural self long enough to take a glimpse into the strengths, weaknesses, power, insecurities, and hypocrisies that are at work within you? This type of analysis often leads to a conviction that bears truths that we’re not always sure we’re ready to accept or deal with?

I wonder if today we are prepared to take a nose dive into the mirror of our finances. I’m curious to know whether or not we’re honestly ready to tell the truth about why we aren’t further along financially. Is it because we’re content with where we are at this present moment, or that we don’t know how to take the next step? If we each were to sit down with a pen and a piece of paper and were given five minutes to list our monthly income and expenses (to include the dates that the accounts are payable and receivable), how many of us would be able to accurately display them on the page? Better yet, how many of us could admit to consistently paying our obligations on time, or to knowing where we’re going next in our financial decision-making process? The truth is that until you and I are really open to staring at what is as well as what must change, we cannot begin to properly plan for what could or should happen next.

My challenge to you (and me) today is to take some time to sit down and record all monthly income and expenses. Place a star next to the item(s) that are a source of great concern. If possible, include a short description in regards to how you feel about the items on the page. For example, how do you feel about the $1,200.00 you earn each month for 160 hours of work? Which of your current debts are you most anxious to pay off and why?

Sitting down into the heart of a hard situation is often the very best thing to do in order to empower yourself to stand up and walk out of it. I know this might be difficult, but take some time to thoroughly engage in the process. You are so much more than your current financial picture displays. Psalms 139:14 proclaims that you and I were fearfully and wonderfully made. That’s something that our financial strengths and weaknesses cannot change. However, together we can put in the work to transform them so that they become aligned with that truth. Yes, even our money should echo God’s sentiments. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below (you can leave your name, which is under “Name/URL”, or choose to post  as “Anonymous”); and if you’d like further one-on-one assistance, you can email me at:  cmbriscoe7312@gmail.com).

It’s been great spending time with you today!

We are much more than we appear to be.