10 Days of Financial Wisdom: DAY 3

Save Today, Secure Tomorrow  
"Wise people save money. It's a basic, crystal-clear biblical principle. And if you spend every dime that passes through your fingers, then guess what? You're a fool! Don't blame me - God said it!"

Ouch! The bold words of Dave Ramsey ring in my ears and my total embarrassment overwhelms me. Today was powerful. I'm reading things I've already heard but taking them to heart is what I am striving towards. For the longest time I felt like there were many issues in my heart/life, things from my past and present to deal with. Strongholds to release to God and money (figuring it out) was just the last thing on my long list of Lord please fix this to-dos. I've struggled with this idea; what problem to let God fix first or should it all be tackled at once. But now time is passing quickly. My kids are growing and I feel the spirit speaking to me saying-this things a biggie DO NOT brush it off anymore!!!

This weeks key verse from Proverbs 21:20 which says There are precious treasures and oil in the dwelling of the wise, but a self-confident and foolish man swallows it up and wastes it.

I've never gone through something as extreme as bankruptcy however I am the unwise 20s something Dave Ramsey talks about that doesn't even have the sense to save as soon as you're paid.  Sadly I admit that going to a store to just buy diapers turns into and outfit for a kid, a new top I like, some junky thing I don't need from the dollar section that turns into $8.00 plus the diapers I intended to buy. Okay, enough about me now it's time to take the advice of others much wiser than myself.

Three Key Points:

1. Learn the habits of the wealthy. Dave Ramsey says wise people have enough money because they save for emergencies. Do I want to be wealthy? No, but I do want to be debt free and to have the ability to give freely. One of my love languages is Gift-giving. I do enjoy giving gifts but in the past I would use a credit card to buy a gift. That cannot happen anymore.
2. Save and use the power of compound interest to build wealth. The list of things to save for is long, so long in fact that I think, 'there's no way we can save enough for any of this. We (I) should've been saving when I was in high school.' Of course that's not possible, but you have to start somewhere and I firmly believe (and have seen it played in action) that God stretches dollars in ways we can never imagine. Also, when used wisely interest can work well in the right direction;)
3. Give to God first, save second. This is not one of wait and see things where if we can get to a comfortable place then we might start tithing. Nope, God's money is not my money.

Final Thought:
As a young adult I know it's very easy to want nice things. But ladies, instead of pursuing all the things a women's magazine tells us to focus on use your energy instead to pursue the qualities God admires. 

To follow along with YouVersion: Dave Ramsey's Financial Wisdom from Proverbs follow this link:
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Grace to You,
Jenna  

10 Days of Financial Wisdom: DAY 2

Welcome to Day 2 of Dave Ramsey's Financial Wisdom from Proverbs devotional with YouVersion! The focus verse is Proverbs 16:9 A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.
The focus for today is Planning Ahead.

The Three Main Points:

1. You can settle with breezing through life if you want to end up nowhere. Jesus talked about this in Luke 14:28-30. How foolish is the man who begins to build without first sitting down to count the costs. 
2. Create a zero-based budget. Sit down at the beginning of each month and tell each dollar where it is going to go. 
3. The money you manage isn't your money, it's GOD'S money. Every plan, every budget we make should be filtered through Him.

The connection:

At the beginning of the year my husband and I sat down for the first time in eight years and each took a turn at writing out our 1-year, 5-year, and even 10-year plans. We included every major topic from our marriage, the children, money, our personal walks with God, where and how we would like to serve in ministries and on. I really enjoyed doing this because I got to see a personal side of my husband that I didn't know of before and I felt like I finally had a big picture idea of where my life is going. Now I understand that life doesn't always follow a plan but planning ahead really is the wise thing to do. At least once a week I pull out that little sheet and remind myself of what I said as a personal way to encourage myself. 

Final Thought:

A famous quote by Zig Ziglar says, "If you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time." This rings so true because I look at the past eight years or so and have seen hardly any progress in our financial situation then realize that not a lot of planning took place so how could I expect a big change?

I found this short devotional really encouraging. I am learning a lot and am seeking a lot of information and wisdom on the topic. My hope is that I can take what I'm learning and really see the fruit of it, then pass some of it on to my kids as well.

 

If you're not sure where to begin or you have a budget but would like a little more detail please follow this link to Dave Ramsey's Guide to Budgeting

To connect with this devotion through YouVersion follow this link to their home page. It's free and simple to sign up!

 

God Bless,

Jenna